Introduction: How to Make a No Weld Infinity Cube Light Pendant With Leather Accents
Today I’m going to show you how I made this no weld infinity
cube light pendant using inexpensive conduit with Maker Pipe connectors and hand stitched leather accents
An infinity cube uses two different length sections that when combined create this endless loop and creates this cube type structure
I found this great website that calculates the two lengths you need depending on how big you want the structure – here is the link in case you want to make a different sized infinity cube
Supplies
Infinity Cube Resources:
· PDF Diagram I made – send me a DM on Instagram @ethancarterdesigns and I will email you the PDF
· Infinity Cube Measurement Calculator
Materials Used (Affiliate Links):
· Maker Pipe T-Connectors and End Caps
· Leather
· Thread
Tools Used (Affiliate Links):
Step 1: Cutting the Conduit to Size
For this project I needed 12 – 10 and a half inch sections and 6 - 9-inch sections
The Maker Pipe connectors I’m using add two inches to the end of the pipe, therefore I’m going to need 12 – 8 and half inch and 6 – 7-inch pieces of conduit
I started by measuring out the pieces I needed and then cut them all to length
In the past I have used a Brass Craft pipe cutter, which you simply wrap around the pipe, tighten it, turn it around the pipe a couple times and then tighten and repeat until it cuts all the way through. It leaves a nice clean cut, but can take a while
Since I had so many pieces to cut for this project, a hacksaw seemed quicker and since I’ll be plugging the ends with some end caps, the rougher cut wasn’t going to be an issue
Step 2: Assembling the Infinity Cube Structure
The structural pipe connectors from Maker Pipe work with 3 ¼ conduit which is the perfect material since its light weight but strong and inexpensive
The T-Connectors work by simply sliding a pipe through the opening at the top of the connector and then insert another pipe perpendicular into the other end of the connector and then just tighten the hardware
I made a quick diagram to show the correct placement and orientation of the small and large sections as well as the correct orientation of the T-Connectors
To assemble the cube, I simply followed that diagram piece by piece until the infinity cube was created
Step 3: Measuring and Cutting the Leather Accents
With the infinity cube assembled, I moved onto the hand stitched leather accents that will cover all of the exposed conduit
I started by measuring the two different lengths I would need, which ended up being 6 inches for the long sections and 4 and a half for the short sections
Then I used some card stock to measure the diameter of the pipe and then added a quarter inch to that to account for the thickness of the leather
I ended up needing 3 and ¼ inches
Next I moved on to cutting all the pieces of leather I needed using my trusty rotary cutter
I ended up needing 22 pieces of leather – which includes some smaller pieces which you’ll see later
Step 4: Marking and Punching the Stitching Holes
Next I used my wing divider to draw a stitch line down each side of the pieces of leather
Then I used a set of leather stitching chisels to punch the stitching holes along those stitch lines
To ensure the spacing between each hole stays consistent as I work my way down the line, I always make sure to place the stitching chisel point furthest to the left in the last hole of the previous set of holes I punched
I did this same process for all 22 pieces of leather
Step 5: Attaching the Leather to the Infinity Cube Using a Corset Stitch
To attach the leather to the infinity cube, I used what’s called a corset stitch to stitch the two sides of leather together
A corset stitch is achieved be threading two needles at opposite ends of the same thread and then stitch the left needle over & across the seam and down into the next stitching hole and then back up through parallel hole on the opposite side
Then you do the opposite sequence with the right needle, pulling it tight as you go – simple as that.
Now all of this leather and stitching may seem excessive and unnecessary, but I really enjoy the look of stitched leather and therefore I wanted to showcase it as part of the design of this piece
You could get a similar effect by using heat shrink wraps also available from Maker Pipe to cover the conduit – you just wouldn’t have the stitching detail
Step 6: Adding the Cross Bar
To be able to hang this as a light pendant, I had to add across bar in the middle of the top section
This also meant cutting a few smaller pieces of leather to wrap the gap on either side of the cross bar T-Connectors
The cross bar itself ended up measuring 6 inches
The “center” of the cross bar is actually not the center of the cube since the right side of the cube sticks out further, so make sure to measure from both sides of the cube to find the true center to ensure the pendant hangs correctly
I needed a way to run the power cord through the cross bar, so I drilled a hole in the cross bar for a hollow threaded rod to run through
I wrapped the cross bar with leather too, but forgot about needing to keep a hole for the threaded rod, but I was able to remedy the situation by using my trusty X-Acto knife to cut the hole
Step 7: Adding the End Caps
As I mentioned earlier, to give the exposed ends of the conduit a more finished look, I added these end caps from Maker Pipe that you simply push in the end
Step 8: Making a Leather Hanging Bracket
To actually hang the pendant, I needed some way to attach a cable to the cross bar
This is what I came up with – a piece of leather with a hole in the center for threaded rod to pass through and then two holes at either end that meet at the top when wrapped around the cross bar
The hole at the top can then be connected to the wire or cable
Next, I punched a few stitching holes at the top of that piece of leather that I used to connect the two sides together
To hold the two sides of the hanging bracket together while I stitched them, I used some Ecoweld adhesive
Then I used two needles to keep the stitching holes lined up while the adhesive dried and then stitched the sides together using a saddle stitch
Step 9: Final Assembly
Next I threaded the power cord down through the rod, hooked
up the wiring to the socket and then mounted the socket onto the threaded rod
To hang the pendant, I picked up this cable and a few accessories to attach the cable to the leather mounting bracket
Now you can obviously use any light bulb you like, but I got these cool geometric shaped light bulbs from Nanoleaf a little while back, and I thought their shape play well with the infinity cube angles
And with that, the infinity cube light pendant was done
Thanks so much for following along with this project! I’d love to know what you think. Leave a comment below and don’t forget to watch the video on my channel!
See you on the next project!