# Castle-inspired medieval lantern for a graveyard



## JW Halloween (Sep 30, 2012)

*Part 2: Making the frame*

As shown in the photo in the previous post the frame is made from "rings" and "rails" with bolts and nuts holding them together. 

Making the rails

To make the rails for the large lanterns I used 1/8” x 1” aluminum bar stock ( I used 1/8" x 3/4" for the small lanterns) that you can get at any hardware store. The first thing I did was create a template so I knew the overall length of the rails and where the holes for the bolts would go. It is very important that all the holes in the rails (and in the rings) are in exactly the same position on each piece or you are going to have problems at assembly time. Take your time and be accurate. I cut the rails to length and then carefully used a scribe to mark my “master” for the places where the holes for the rings need to be drilled and where the “bend” to support the glass will be and for the pointy end. Then I carefully drilled the holes with my drill press on my master. I then used the master to drill the holes on all the other pieces.












I made a jig to help me cut the pointy ends with my chop saw.











The pointy ends are bent slightly out. This was done using a vise and a small sledge. I also wanted the pointed ends of the rails to have the authentic “hammered” look so I heated the end up with the blowtorch for about 1 minute and hammered it with a small sledge until I had the look I wanted.












So now we need to make the first bend in the rail which will act as the support for the glass. It’s a 90 degree bend so its not so difficult. You don’t have to do this but I heat up the rail with a blow torch for about 1 minute and then stick it in a vice and using the mark I scribed before use a hammer to create the 90 degree bend. The heat makes it easier to bend. I used a piece of metal to help me get a smooth bend. Also make SURE the rail is in the vice upside down when you make this bend. If not, it will bend where the hole is drilled (because the metal is weaker here) instead of where you want it to bend.












As part of my template, I also laid out in full size what I wanted the curved part of the rail to look like and how tight the curve needed to be in order to match the diameter of the pvc pipe I was using as the post for the lantern. 












From this template I used a couple of scrap pieces of lumber to make myself a jig that helped me make this bend and ensure that each piece ended up the same. You definitely need to use the blow torch on this part. Give it at least a minute of heat and it bends pretty easily. I suggest you take a scrap piece of metal and do a trial run before you try this for real. I used additional pieces of wood to smush the rail into the jig. 

For the bottom end of the rail I also wanted the “hammered fish-tail" look that I used for the pointed tops so I used the same process here. Heat it up and use the sledge at a 45 degree angle on the very tips and it as you smush the metal you will create the “whale fin” look. 

I created another jig to make the final curl. Heat the metal again and use the jig to make the shape. Some times I used a pair of pliers to help get the final shape while it was still hot.






*Making the rings*

If you were lucky enough to find pvc pipe in the correct diameter you can skip this step. If you are unable to find pvc rings that work then you can make the rings from aluminum using a ring roller.

You can find several on Amazon that to me all appear to be exactly the same thing. My guess is they are all coming out of the same factory in China. Since I did not see myself using a ring roller on a daily basis I chose the cheapest one I could find which was about $110. The learning curve on these things is not steep. See what I did there? You basically loosen the knob on the roller until a flat piece of stock barely goes in. Roll the stock all the way through. Tighten the knob a little. Roll it again. Repeat both steps until you have the ring in the diameter you need. When you start to get close to the finished diameter turn the knob just a tiny bit each time. It is important that the two ends of the ring press against each other when you are done. 










But I digress. If you are going to make the rings yourself (rather than using pvc pipe) there are some things to think about. First, drilling the holes that will hold the rails is infinitely easier if you drill them before you make the ring. However, in order to get the holes in the right places on each ring you need to create a template and it needs to be really really accurate. Based on the diameter of my vase I determined how large my rings needed to be and then calculated exactly how far apart they needed to be. From that I cut a piece of aluminum to act as my “spacer” and used this to mark the positions of the holes on my “master” rail piece which I would then use as a template to drill the holes in all the other ring pieces. You can see my aluminum "spacer" marked "Master" in the photo above on the right. You will note that I also drilled two small holes on each end of the ring pieces. I will get to this in a minute.

I created a holder from scrap wood that would hold several of my ring pieces and then the master was placed on top and used as a guide with the drill press so all the holes in all the pieces ended up exactly the same. This was a huge time saver. 











Ok so getting back to those small holes I drilled in the ends. The question is “how do I keep the two ends of the rings together?” which is a very good question. I tried several methods but finally settled drilling small holes and using stainless steel thread through the holes to hold the 2 ends together. If you get at least 5 loops through the holes and then a few drops of super glue to keep the thread from unraveling it works pretty well. This is what a finished one looks like. If you come up with a better idea I would love to hear it.


















*Assembling the frame*

Start with a single rail and a single ring. I highly suggest the use of an impact driver to get the bolts tight. I used 8-32 x 3/8” bolts as they were exactly the right length. Attach all the rings to the first rail. 












Then go to the opposite rail and fasten all the bolts. Here is a finished frame.


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## JW Halloween (Sep 30, 2012)

*PART 3: Making the bolt covers*

Since I was looking for a lantern that looked Medieval, it was not going to work with modern day bolts showing. So I had to come up with something to cover them. A basic pyramid shape looked pretty medieval to me so that's what I went with. Of course you can't purchase medieval looking bolt covers on Amazon so these had to be hand made. For the first lanterns I made I used polymer clay. I shaped them using a razor knife and then you bake them in an oven for about 40 minutes to make them set. Once baked you can sand, drill and shape them just like a piece of solid plastic. It worked fine, but it was extremely time consuming so I started looking for alternatives and discovered that you can purchase silicon molds to make something like this using epoxy resin. 

The nice thing about using the resin and molds is that each one comes out exactly like the other which is definitely not the case when you make them out of clay. You can purchase molds in hundreds of shapes so if you don’t like the pyramid shape, you can choose something else like a cross or a skull or even make your own mold. 










I started out using the single pyramid molds making one at a time and then eventually made my own mold so I could make 12 of the pyramids at a time. If you get the resin that cures in about 20 minutes you can make a lot of these in a single day. Regardless of how you make them you will most likely need to do some sanding with a belt sander to get the bottom of the pyramids flat. In order to drill the holes in the bottom of the pyramids to accept the screw heads I made a jig for my drill press with a square hole that would align the bit and help get a uniform depth for the hole. 










I used super glue to attach them over the screws – it dries in like 10 seconds and so far has worked very well for me.











*
PART 4: Making the post*

The post I made was from 1.5” pvc pipe which has an outside diameter of 1 7/8”. I found this coupler that had a “flange”on it that worked perfectly on the underside of the vase. Then in order to make the light socket fit properly I used another small piece of the pvc pipe on the top of the flange. Here is the whole assembly. You don’t need to worry about the socket at this point – we come come back and do that when the painting is done.









*Mounting the frame to the post*

After you have assembled the entire frame, you need to drill the holes to mount the frame into the pvc post. I do not drill these holes ahead of time as their position is somewhat dependent on how the curves in the bottom part of the rails are done. I want to make sure that the holes are accessible by my drill and driver after the final bends are done.
In order to do this, I first mark the screw positions on each rail that will allow me space for a drill/driver and then drill the holes larger than the screws I will be using. Then I mount the frame on the pole with the glass in place and align the glass so it is sitting on the flange AND touching the lip of the frame pieces at the same time. This is not an easy task, so you might want to take a few swigs of wine before you do this part. After you have everything lined up, use a Sharpie to mark one hole position through a rail onto the pvc pipe for the screw. 

After the hole is drilled into the pvc, I used a short regular wood screw to attach the frame to the pipe as it was shorter and left more room for the electrical cable to come up through the pipe. Once I got one screw in I would move to the opposite side and repeat the process until I had all four screws in.












After the screws are all in and you are satisfied that it is straight then put bolt covers over the mounting screws.


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## JW Halloween (Sep 30, 2012)

*Part 5: Painting the frame and post*

Step one for the painting process is to prime every inch of everything. I used this gray primer – it makes it very easy to see places you missed, and it dries quickly. You have to spray, wait 60 minutes and then roll it over to get every spot. This step is very important so take your time. Make sure you get into every nook and cranny. This stuff will be dry in an hour.























Step 2 is to create some texture. I do this by spraying with “Stone look” paint. It doesn’t matter what color you choose as it will be covered up – it is just for texture. You need to stand back a bit when you spray this stuff – like two feet. Same as with the primer – make sure you get into every nook and cranny. This stuff takes a long time to dry – let it sit overnight at least.












Step 3 is to create the “wrought iron” effect. Get yourself some of the “hammered metal” spray paint. Either of these paints is fine. The one on the right seems to create a heavier coat but the spray mechanism on this type of can is horrible. It will drip all over everywhere and tends to clog. Same as with the other coats – make sure you get into every nook and cranny. Let it sit for a few hours and then turn it over to make sue you get every spot covered. Let it dry overnight. Then go and stare at your wonderful creation. I can almost assure you that you will find spots you missed so give it a good look again before going on.










Step 4 (optional). At the moment, your lantern should look like it just rolled off the medieval factory floor. You may like it as is. Either way, have a glass of wine to celebrate. Most likely, you are completely sick of this project by now and want to be done with it. If so – great! I get it. If you are a glutton for punishment, I urge you to explore methods of making stuff look old…and rusty. I used a set of paints from Prima called “Art Extravagance Rust Paste Set” which come with 3 colors (black, orange and yellow) you can mix to create the “rusty” effect. 










Watch some videos on how to use these and have some fun. I mostly used the orange and just picked places where I thought rust would form. Use the yellow very sparingly. I essentially blotted spots with my brush and then used “dry brushing” to smooth it out. If you think there is too much orange or yellow in a spot then use the black to knock it down. Afterwards spray the “rusty” spots with some spray polyurethane to rain-proof the whole thing. Here is the finished product.













*PART 6: Electrical*

The electrical part is not difficult. I used a “weather proof” lamp socket from Home Depot and a 15 foot indoor extension cord. Cut the socket end off the cord and feed it up through the pipe. Strip the black and white wires. I did not use the ground wire so I just snipped it. THREAD THE EXTENSION CORD THROUGH THE POST BEFORE YOU CONNECT IT TO THE SOCKET! I used wire nuts to attach the extension wires to the socket. 











Then I used electrical tape to bundle the whole thing and make it more likely to go back into the pipe without catching on the screws that are holding the frame to the post. On the right is what it looks like when the cord is pulled the the socket is seated into the pvc pipe. It fight tight enough for me that I did not even use glue to hold the socket in place.










Go get yourself an LED flame bulb and Ta da! You're done! 









Here is a walk-through video from our yard. Jump to about 2:40 and you will get a good look at the lanterns in action. I used the 2 small ones at the entry to the stairs and then 2 large ones at the bottom of the stairs and the other 2 large ones against the house. Enjoy!


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## internet troll (Nov 7, 2014)

Very cool, thanks for sharing!


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## ghostlland820 (Jan 11, 2014)

An excellent tutorial for a beautifully made prop. Thanks.


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## rmayer121 (Aug 3, 2016)

Those look amazing! Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing.


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## wyndbourn (Feb 7, 2017)

Love, love, love these lanterns, what a great look! The tutorial is easy to follow, with clear pics, thank you so much!


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

Outstanding display and wonderful tutorial, the lanterns look stellar!


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

Daphne said:


> Outstanding display and wonderful tutorial, the lanterns look stellar!


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

I’ve been thinking about this prop all day and have a question. Rather than drilling a hole in the glass could you just put the glass in the holder upside down? You could leave the top clear and only paint the sides and it seems like that would make it more weatherproof as well. With the heights you used it seems like no one could see the top. I’m not sure if the curved pieces at the bottom would keep the glass from falling out though. Would that work or am I missing something?


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## JW Halloween (Sep 30, 2012)

@Daphne you certainly could do it that way. I did it with the hole in the bottom because my house is situated lower than the sidewalk and people would be able to see the top of the lantern. If this is not a concern for you then go for it. I have not had an issue so far with rain but it has been a concern and this would certainly solve that problem. Make sure you post pics if you make some lanterns!


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## JW Halloween (Sep 30, 2012)

I just realized that I left off an important part of the tutorial - using some kind of "diffuser" for the flame bulb. Even though the led flame bulbs come with a white plastic diffuser over the bulb, you can usually still see the individual leds in the bulb. Painting the glass for the lanterns helped but I still used plastic diffuser film taped to the inside of the lanterns. You should do some experimenting with different materials to see what works best for you.

Just to give you an idea how dramatic the diffuser can be, here is a video I did when I was using some led strips to create a simulated candle. Without a diffuser it looks like blinking lights - but add the diffuser and it looks like a real candle. I have found that toilet paper (not making this up) is a great diffuser and regular candle wax also does a great job. 






When I first started the lantern project I found plastic diffuser films from a place called Instructables. You could get it in different thicknesses and with the matte finish on one or both sides. Unfortunately, shortly after I bought them they stopped carrying them and I have yet to locate another place that sells the exact same thing. For what its worth, this is what I bought:









Here are side-by-side images of the small lantern with the glass removed that shows what the light looks like with and without a piece of the diffuser over the bulb. It does not photograph well but you can see how well it softens the light from the flame bulb.










Here is a YouTube video that shows a guy using stencil film from an art supply store to do the same thing. It is very possible that the "light diffuser film" that I bought is nothing more than a thick piece of this stencil film - I just have not taken the time to investigate yet.






If you just google "light diffuser film" you will find more videos and possible materials.


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## Defenestrator (Jul 27, 2009)

These are incredible props, and this is a a truly FANTASTIC tutorial. 

Thanks for taking the time to share it all!


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## hjroberts (Jan 24, 2020)

This is a wonderful look! Thank you for sharing your tutorial. Your pictures and explanations are easy to follow. My husband is going to be making these for our new house this year. Love it!


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## Chilidog (May 29, 2016)

These are incredible. I need to make several of them! i made a trip to HD today looking for the flanged coupling used to support the lantern globe, but couldn’t locate one. Can you let us know where you sourced the coupling from?


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## JW Halloween (Sep 30, 2012)

The coupler came from HD as well although it might be called something other than “coupler”. I spent quite a bit of time standing in front of all the pvc pipe pieces deciding what to get. However, you do not need the coupler - it is actually the metal frame that supports the glass. I used the coupler to cover up the hole in the bottom of the glass but it is not required. In fact the first lanterns I made were done using glass cylinders (no bottom) and no couplers were used.


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## Chilidog (May 29, 2016)

JW Halloween said:


> The coupler came from HD as well although it might be called something other than “coupler”. I spent quite a bit of time standing in front of all the pvc pipe pieces deciding what to get. However, you do not need the coupler - it is actually the metal frame that supports the glass. I used the coupler to cover up the hole in the bottom of the glass but it is not required. In fact the first lanterns I made were done using glass cylinders (no bottom) and no couplers were used.


Ok, thank you! I showed the picture to the man at HD and he said it was a q-1/2” x 2” bushing. My store didn’t stock the brand you purchased. The ones they had didn’t have that nice flange.
Next question, where did you get the hole saw to cut the glass. I’ve found examples on Amazon, but some of those have lead times reaching out to June. I’ve found nothing local.


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## J-Man (Feb 1, 2011)

Fantastic work! Truly incredible job on these! ??


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## JW Halloween (Sep 30, 2012)

@Chilidog - I got the diamond hole saw as part of a set on Amazon. They all come from China so it does not surprise me that the shipping times are extended now. I just looked and most of what I saw said delivery dates of May 1. We are also seeing that amazon is beating the printed delivery dates on most of the stuff we order.


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