Are you thinking about making your own stained glass lamp shade? If so, this guide will help you understand what this fun hobby entails. It's extremely difficult for starters, but just like anything in life it will get easier with time.
There are a few reasons that this hobby is difficult. The first reason is due to the odd shape of a lamp shade. It's not like a flat window or a door, so it makes things tricky. Due to this reason, it makes it quite difficult to be accurate when preparing the stained glass for your lamp shade. As I always suggest, you're probably better off starting with something easier.
Iron Solder
If you're ready to take on the challenge of making a stained glass shade, your success will vary depending on the type of pattern you choose to go with. Patterns that are folded or distorted are always harder. To make things easier, consider using a pattern that's from a book or a picture.
When we prepare stained glass windows, the first step is to create the pattern on a large piece of glass. The same rule applies for a lamp cover or shade. Along the pattern, you'll then need to use a glass cutter to cut along the edges of the pattern.
From here, you'll need to rejoin the pieces together. This will create the pattern on the lamp shade through the joints. When you're doing a stained glass window, these pieces are all joined on one shot, but for a lamp shade each wall needs to be done separately. Most lamp shades will have six walls and at the end of each wall, that's when they're ready to join each other. Once they're joined together, the next step is to pull them up.
When you're attaching the walls, the edges of the pieces must all be smooth. If they're not smooth, it will be very difficult to join them. When you're preparing the different shapes of the lamp shade, you'll need to use a solder. Instead of soldering them from the edges, use the front and back. If by accident you find some solder on the edges, be sure to melt them away before joining the walls.
The part where most people have problems is when they're putting the walls intact. If one of the pieces breaks or falls, you'll have to start over. This can get frustrating! For this reason, you must use something to help support when you're putting the walls together. A wire is a great tool for this. Once you complete the soldering, this is when you can remove the wire.
I'm sure it seems like a tough project and it is! However, with some practice you can be on your way to making your own stained glass lamp shades.
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Oct 19, 2011 12:37:41
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