Upcycled Old Mill Sifters
- By Joan
- January 10, 2018
- 13 Comments
Back in November I visited Chartreuse and Co. Fall Market Days. You may remember…that’s when I brought you tons of holiday inspiration. The very last picture I showed you was of these old mill sifters. I have no idea what they sifted or how they were used but they were shabby enough to make their way home with me.
Some of the edges were wrapped with this blue ticking fabric and I made special care that all 8 of the mill sifters I bought had the same blue ticking. In my mind I was envisioning cleaning up the fabric and using it intact.
I finally got around to tackling these things this week. They turned out to be far dirtier than I remembered.
None of the blue ticking fabric was salvageable… it was all in the early stages of dry rot.
Out came the needle nosed pliers and the 
My DEWALT Sander 
For this project the preparation was the hard part.
Attach the four sides of the pendant with wood glue and finish nails. If you have a nail gun this is a great time to use it.
Find a scrap piece of wood to use for the tops. Cut to fit and sand the edges and corners.
For the light, I’m using this Westinghouse Mini-Pendant Kit in Oil-Rubbed Bronze 
Use a jigsaw or drill to make a hole in the center of your top using the pendant kit as your guide.
Paint as desired. I’m using the same Dixie Belle Paint that I used for my french lettering serving cart, Hurricane Gray.
The chalk paint on the left has been treated with vintage wax.
The collar has been screwed back on to the light fixture.
I love unique lights though I have no idea what I’m going to do with this pair.
If you’re feeling inspired, you can check out the a gallery of my upcycled lighting here.
See you next week. Hang in there, the weekend is coming .
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These lights are gorgeous!! There has to be somewhere to put them! They need to be seen by EVERYONE!! Love Love Love them!
MA! love these
You are BRILLIANT!!! That is so awesome. I need these. Love your ideas. Thanks for sharing
Really cool idea. would love to see them hanging with lights on. Maybe over a dining room table, or island in the kitchen?
So clever! I love your new “old” pendant lights. They’re stunning. Too large for my kitchen/dining area but would sure look lovely somewhere! You were very creative. At first I thought you were making stools? Got more sifters???
You are so creative and talented! They came out beautiful!!!
Very cool!!!
The lights look wonderful. You did a great job.
Apparently your brain and my brain are similar! Lol! I invisioned the same outcome when seeing that pile of sifters. Great job.
It was so obvious!! 🙂
These are absolutely gorgeous! I need to get out and do some shopping. I’ve been ill for the past couple of years and just getting back in to everything and I’m getting so excited after seeing this! Great job! Are they still for sale?
Also, how big are they? Do you have the dimensions?
I don’t have them any more. They were about 2 feet tall and a foot square base.