Most crystal chandeliers require that you unscrew the bottom in order to remove the arms. Ours are no exception. It is also good to remove the bottom when doing a deep clean - you can clean in between the metal and the crystal bowl and perform maintenance, making sure everything is tight.
For extra safety, place a heavy quilt or comforter on your table or floor beneath the chandelier and cut the power to the chandelier before you start working. Remove the prisms from the bottom and lay aside.
The bottom should have been installed in one piece - meaning the metal bowl, 2 crystal bowls and finial are all locked together and screw onto the bottom of the chandelier as one unit.
Ideally, when you turn the bottom, it will all unscrew. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you do this carefully and with a good grip on the bottom. When the threads run out, the bottom will drop into your hand, and you want to be prepared so that it does not fall out of your hands. (On our chandeliers, the metal plate is fixed to the pipe - it will not unscrew.). MAKE SURE that the whole chandelier is not turning or you may turn it out of the ceiling!
If the bottom on your chandelier is not unscrewing, make sure that you see the metal bowl turning. You may have to reach in and grip that to turn it as well. Do not cut yourself here. Those metal edges may be sharper than you expect.
If the bottom is still not turning, you may have to remove it piece by piece. Start by removing the finial and working up. HOWEVER, be very careful here - you don't want the pieces to start dropping. Always have your hand on the next piece to be removed.
These instructions are general. Keep in mind that chandeliers are built by hand and installed by human beings and are all different. What works for one may not work for another.
Here you can see how the arms are held onto the plate by a hexagon nut and washer.
Comments 2
Nancy from King's Chandelier
Hi Ginger… The material that holds the arm into the little cup (called a ferule) is Plaster of Paris. It is possible to reset your arm into the ferule by removing all the old material, mixing new plaster, and setting it into place. Getting it at the same angle or straightness to match the other arms is the hardest part. We have not made a youtube video of this process, but I’m sure someone has. Good luck! I think you will do fine, but if you are afraid to do it, you can send it to us.
Ginger Eklund
Thank you for this great information! So helpful. Can you please assist with what material is around the shank of the arm in the second photo. The chandelier i have has a broken arm that broke at the base, just where it fits into the ‘holder’. (I inherited this from my mother and it is very special to me.) It was repaired once, but recently came out of the socket. Evidently, the material used was not the right material. Please provide the material you use with many thanks!