In the last installment I had run new wiring for my hanging elk antler lights as well as the under-floor radiant heat. Now it was time to rewire the antique antlers.
Before I found the antlers I had looked at a number of different lights none of which I really cared for. At one point a friend had discovered a rather unusual iron contraption – clearly not a light but it could have been made into an interesting hanging light. It was much too large for the space at hand but it was noted and I might just return and pick it up as it has some definite possibilities for some future project.
I didnt care for anything that was commercially available at the local big box home centers. All of the ‘iron’ lights at nearby lighting centers were cast aluminum and none had the look I was seeking. I normally would not have chosen antlers as they can be a bit cliche in a log home. Cast resin antlers were out of the question as they had to be authentic. The authentic antler lights I did find were not quite what I had envisioned for the room. These were simple and hit the spot.
The pair of antlers apparently dated about 1924 had electrical wiring to match. This was obviously in need or replacement. Not only was the original cloth covered cord deteriorated but the light sockets were of a style no longer used and had to be replaced.
My local lighting retailer supplied me with everything I needed to update both the sockets and the wiring.
After carefully removing all of the old wiring and sockets one by one I began to replace each in turn. The process was not difficult at all but a bit time consuming. I did learn quite a bit while rewiring the antlers and now have that experience as I think about tackling a few other old lights that I have stashed away that I have wanted to use.
Each antler is about 3′ 6″ long and each with 8 points hence this would have been a 16 point buck with quite an impressive spread.
Each antler hangs independently from its own chain. There are two lights on each antler. The wiring would run along the length of the antler then up through the chain. I would tuck in the wiring long the logs above so as to conceal the wires and then to the junction box located on the log wall about 12′ above the floor.
All in all the wiring took a few hours to complete. It probably would have taking a lighting expert have the time but one lighting company that gave me an estimate enough to gag on inspired me to tackle it myself.
Now that the antlers have been rewired and successfully tested I could move onto the very thing I have procrastinated over time and time again: – building the support for the copper tub as covered in the next installment.
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