1. Side Hole - Choose where to drill your hole

• The base detaches so you don't have to worry about aligning your hole with the rocket fins.

• The rocket has convex sides, meaning if you want it to look "straight" when it's hanging on the wall you will need to drill your hole in the "flat" spot in the middle. 

  • • Note: If you would prefer to drill your hole somewhere else and still have the rocket look straight then you can buy a nylon bushing and sand it at an angle. 

2. Side Hole - Drill the hole

• Place a piece of masking tape where you are going to drill your hole.

  • This will help keep the drill bit from "wandering."

• Start with your smallest drill bit or the narrowist step up drill bit if you bought the set.

  • Note: it is better to go slow speed for drilling stainless steel. Also, be patient. The cocktail shaker is made of good steel but it is still thin and allowing the bit to get cocked could bend or damage the shaker. 

  • Here is a video showing the process on a sink. In this case the shaker is not as stable as a sink, hence the warnings about twisting the bit inside of the shaker.

• Go slow and be cautious not to let the bit catch on the steel and bend it.

• Keep increasing step bit sizes until your 1/2" NPT stainless steel nipple fits through it.

3. Remove the middle of the fin base

• There is a stainless steel cone in the middle of the fin base that you need to remove.

• You can drill it out but I recommend you use a hammer and punch to knock it out.

• In order not to destroy the base in the process, find a strong flat surface with a hole in it to set it on. It needs to be high enough so that the fins are elevated and a hole in the middle for the cone to drop into. I used two 1x4 pieces of scrap.

• Once your base is supported take the steel punch and hammer the cone out.

• The threaded part of the socket base should fit through the hole as is, (see step 4), but if it doesn't use a step up bit to enlarge to where it will.

4. Drill a hole in the bottom of the cocktail shaker

• Place a piece of masking tape over the center of the shaker bottom and use a pen to mark your drill point. You can use the rocket fin base to help locate the center if you need. 

• Using a small drill bit or your narrowest step up drill bit drill a hole in the bottom of the shaker large enough to fit the threads of the socket base through. (The top of the light bulb socket should unscrew.)

  • Be careful not to make the hole too large.

5. Wire the Light Bulb Socket Base

• Unscrew the socket from the metal base. There are two screws inside of a recess at the bottom of the socket, (NOT the one holding down a silver tab).

• There will be two screws underneath the lightbulb socket that you will need to wire. The brass screw is where you connect the hot (black or plain wire). The neutral (white or wire with a stripe) goes on the other screw.

  • In the event both screws are the same, the hot wire goes to the screw that is a part of the tab at the bottom of the socket while the neutral goes to the tab that goes to the threaded part of the socket you screw the light bulb into.

  • Family Handyman has a pretty good article on wiring a lamp socket here.

• Once you have the wires installed thread the wire through the metal base and reinstall the lightbulb socket to the metal base with the two screws. Be careful not to overtighten and break the ceramic base.

  • If you do, either replace the socket with a plastic one from Home Depot or use JB Weld to repair it.

6. Install Socket Base

• Insert the wire and top through the hole in the fin base and the bottom of the cocktail shaker.

• If you cut the hole narrow enough then you may be able to simply 'thread' it on but if not no worries. Invert the shaker so that the wire falls out of the top. Take the metal top to your socket base and thread the wire through it. Turn your shaker right side up and let the top slide down the wire to the top of your socket.

• Now for the tricky part of threading the top on. While keeping the wire taught, I used a stick to push the top tight against the base while turning the base. It took a little bit of fumbling but in the end I was able to get it tight. 

  • Note: understand that you've connected the wire to the base and it's not unbreakable so don't pull to hard. Also, remember that while you're turning the base the wire terminals are turning with it so don't forget to turn or allow the wire to turn as well.

7. Install Sconce Arm

• Turn the shaker upside down and fish the wire out of the mouth. Slide the locknut down the wire and then fish the end of the wire through the hole in the side of your shaker.

• Thread the wire through your 4" nipple and push the nipple through the hole in the side of your shaker.

• Using gravity and a stick or some type of narrow probe, push the locknut against the threads on your stainless nipple and turn the tube until the sconce arm is tight against the shaker.

8. Install Wall Plate

• Thread your wire through the wall plate hole and screw your sconce arm into it.