To make wall-hanging candle holders out of resin sawdust and copper pipe, I first gathered a piece of bark and a shipping container, which was already coated with Tyvek tape to create a seal.

Then, I sprayed silicone mold release on the inside and placed the bark inside the shipping container.

Next, I used Total-Boat 2:1 High Performance Epoxy with a medium hardener. Then, I stirred in sawdust while wearing gloves.

Once I stirred for the required time I poured the sawdust and epoxy into the shipping container. I let this sit overnight to completely harden before working it more.

The next day I took this to the bandsaw and cut this pillar into even round slices.I cleaned these off to eliminate any excess dust before re-casting.

To do this next pour I first sprayed a silicone mold with silicone mold release. To ensure they didn’t move during the resin pour, I used hot glue to secure the slices of wood into place where I wanted them.

Then, I covered the slices with clear resin. I used a torch to pop any air bubbles that formed at the surface.

The next day, I removed the resin panel from the mold and it was ready to be worked. To cut the resin into smaller pieces, I used a jigsaw to cut the resin into two matching rectangles.

 

Next it was time to think about the metal components I was envisioning for this. Using a vise and a jigsaw, I cut half-inch copper pipe into the sized pieces I needed.

After cutting the pieces of pipe, I used the belt sander to remove burrs on the ends of the pipe. Its important to remember that as it is worked the copper will what up substantially.

Using a silicone sanding pad on my flex shaft, I added uniform finishing texture. I repeated this process on the other pieces of pipe as well as the connectors.

Then, I marked the position of where I wanted the pipe to be on the back resin plates. Using a forstner bit, I drilled partway through the resin.

I started the final assembly by flipping the resin pieces over. Then, I used Loctite 5-Minute Epoxy to secure flush mount hardware in the top center on each of the pieces.

After letting the epoxy dry for five minutes, I flipped over the resin to assemble the rest of the project.

I started with a straight connector. Using a liberal application of the proxy, I poured a small amount inside the connector to ensure a strong bond to the back of the plate and to prevent candles from falling onto the floor.

To assemble the candle holder, I used a small piece of pipe, a half-inch elbow, another small piece of pipe and a ½ to ¾ adaptor. For a clean and secure piece, I applied epoxy to the inside of the fittings. While the epoxy cured, I used painter’s tape to hold the piece in place.

My sconce, which was made from interesting materials, some of which would have likely gone to waste, came out better than I thought it would.