In an attempt to make a more decent looking lighting system for my tent, I decided a chandelier that held candles would be a nice touch. So, I put together my two brain cells and this is what I came up with.

For tents with a ridge beam

These are easy, and really you can get into some artistic design with it, because the only thing you have to be careful of is the height of your candle-lier. You don’t want the candle bowls to be too close to the top, or the heat will be dangerous to the canvas, but you don’t want the total height to be too long, or it will be in your way as it hangs. What I did was to cut 5 pieces of ¼” square stock, about 2 feet long each, and shape them like this:

On each side, I added another curved piece to the inside, like this:

Now, All I did was weld the 5 sides together at the top, with the inside curves *almost* but not nearly touching. I spaced them evenly, so that it was basically in the shape of a pentagon. I then cut out 6 round pieces of metal, about 3.5” in diameter, and slightly dished them. On each outside flat area, I welded a dish. On the inside pieces, where all 5 come together, I welded the 6th dish. Then all I needed to do was weld a chain to the top and hang it from the center ridge. The small votive candles work well, as do the larger candles – just make sure the candles stay balanced or they will tip!!!

Here is a poor example of what this one sort-of looks like This only shows 2 of the 5 sides, my 3D design ability using only Microsoft Paint is a bit limited!!

For Tents with a center pole:

There are many ways to do this also, but this is the way I made the first one. First, I made a “cap” for the center pole out of metal. This piece has a top on it with a hole, and of course 4 sides. It slides over the top of your center pole and your center pin goes through the hole. Be mindful that this metal piece must be sanded smooth or it could rip your tent. Also, I suggest going ahead and primer painting and painting this, to help deter rust (if using mild steel).
Next, I simply took ¼” x 1/8” flat stock, and cut pieces about 4 inches long (8 of them). I curled one end up, and welded one to each side of the collar, like this:

From each of these 4 hooks is a chain (the 4th hook is of course on the back side).
Now for the candle-lier portion. All I did was make an octagon of ¼” x 1/8” flat stock. I welded each joint together securely. Then I made another “collar” of the flat stock. This is the inside piece of the candle-lier. I then cut 4 pieces of flat stock and connected every other side of the octagon to the center collar. I also cut out 8 – 3.5” circles, and welded to each angle of the octagon. So now what we have is something like this:

The center square piece goes over the center pole and down, to keep it from tipping. The only thing left is to weld one of those curled pieces (there should be 4 left) upside down on every other side, on the OUTSIDE. I put them at the same location as the center pieces, but that really doesn’t matter, as long as they are on every other side. Now all that’s left is to cut 4 sections of chain, and put one end on the curly piece on the collar, the other end on the piece on the candle base. Make sure to cut your chain longer than you think you will need, this way you have a way to raise or lower the candle base depending on your preference. In this example, each side is 10 inches long, which produces an octagon base aproximately 2 feet across.
Your final candle-lier will look something like this:

I hope this gives you an idea how to make a candlelier for your own period tent!
If you would like exact measurements for either of these projects, please feel free to email me from the email link below.

By:
Lord Aidan Cambel
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