DIY ::: WASHING MACHINE DRUM LAMP

I've been wanting to have a washing machine drum lamp since the first time I saw it and heard about it. The biggest problem was the fact that it required a pair of man's hands to make it and the second problem was that my hubby was quite busy with making furniture out of pallets so my lamp was on a stand by.
Then few weeks ago we finally got one old washing machine drum from my hubby's uncle and it turned out to come to us in a perfect time as my sweetheart was finally in a mood to make the lamp!
The great thing about this project is that it's not expensive - you can get an old washing machine drum on a very low price, the paint (we used the acrylic paint on a water base) is also quite cheap and  reinforcing steel bars that we used for the lamp's stand are also very affordable (starting from 4$ for a bar).

I did not photo the entire process of making a lamp but it's not a complicated project I'll try to be as descreptive as possible to detail every step.
So, here's what you need in order to make your perfect retro washing machine drum lamp:
- one washing machine drum (it can be old, it's cheaper)
-some paper to protect the inside of the drum while painting
- 2 dcl acrylic paint on a water base (it dries quicker then the one on oil base and, and we decided for an ocher color)
-nitro thinner
- 3 reinforcing steel bars (12mm each in diameter, each cca 150cm long)
- primer steel paint (0,5 dcl)
- steel paint in desired color (0,5dcl, we decided for black)
- paint brush
- electric cable (we took 4meters , but it depends on your taste and needs)
- plug, switch, bulb socket & a bulb
- in case you got an old washing machine drum, you're also gonna need a sand paper and the scale and rust resolvent + a lot of patience to clean that baby!
- some serious tools like welding machine, drill and electric cutter


First you gotta give a serious cleaning treatment to your washing machine drum, using scale and rust resolvent (protect yourself with nose and mouth mask and rubber gloves), then you have to sand it with a sanding paper (which can be really long and exhausting but if you think of the final result, it's worth of the effort!).
You can even do this with an electric drill and a specific extension.

After the cleaning treatment and the sanding, the drum is ready for the painting.
Before the first paint coat, use nitro thinner to remove all the dust and filth that's left after sanding.
Now you're ready to paint.
Tape the inside of the drum with some paper to protect it from the paint.
If you have an airbrush, it will shorten the painting process. If not, use a simple paint brush to paint the outside of the drum in a preferred color. You'll probably have to add 2 or 3 coats for a perfect cover. Add each next coat after the previous one is well dried.

Now the stand...
Take  reinforcing steel bars and cut them to a preferred length. We used electric cutter to do this.
Now repeat the sanding and nitro thinner process that you had on a drum.
Once cleaned, steel bars must be treated with primer steel paint first.
When it dries, you can finally cross bars and weld them together (be aware of the balans of the whole stand and that the width of the stand top can go trough the drum hole!).
Here's the picture of the weld.

 You also have to weld a small bar that you will hang the bulb onto, and you weld it somewher on the top of the stand. Like we did, looking from the bottom up:

Once welded, the stand can be painted in desired color (few coats).

The easiest part is the assembling of all parts.
Put your stand on the floor, assemble the cord with a plug, switch, bulb socket and a bulb, wrap arround the stand, put the washing machine drum on, turn the light on and enjoy your new retro lamp!