The Complete Guide to Making Lampshades (eBook)

CHAPTER 1

MATERIALS AND GETTING STARTED

The materials needed to make hard lampshades can be found in a lampshade-making kit or you can buy the individual components.

Kits versus the Individual Components

There are two ways of making hard lampshades – either using a kit or using the individual components needed. The kits come with all the materials (apart from the chosen fabric or paper cover required) and are good to purchase if you wish to make one or two lampshades at a regular size, or if you are making your first hard lampshade, as the laminate panel is pre-cut for you. However, if you wish to make lampshades with different heights, or to make more of them, then it is worth buying the individual components. The instructions for both methods are included in the step-by-step instructions in Chapter 2.

Laminate Backing Panels

The laminate materials come in a wide choice of colours and finishes that show on the inside of the lampshade. Most often used is white laminate; however, clear, gold, silver and copper are very popular, as are cream and white card. Also available is eco-board, which is more environmentally friendly, and is sourced from carefully managed and renewed forests. The reverse side of the laminate is covered in a backing paper, underneath which the surface is adhesive. It is this side that the selected fabric or paper is adhered to, and will be on the outside of the lampshade.

Hard Lampshades and Fire Retardancy

All laminate materials made for hard lampshades have been tested in the Lighting Association Laboratories and have passed the glow wire test. Fabrics and papers that are adhered to the laminate materials are therefore fire resistant – even those adhered to the inside of the lampshades, as in the double-sided laminate. However, always use LED bulbs, which are cool to the touch, and will help prevent any scorching to the inside of the lampshade.

Ring Sets and Fittings

Hard lampshades have two wire rings that are needed for the structure of the lampshade. One ring is plain, and the other is a ‘utility’ ring. This ring holds the light fitting used to connect the lampshade to the lamp holder – either on a lampbase or on a ceiling/pendant – using ‘gimbals’ (the metal arms that connect the light fitting to the ring). The laminate backing with your chosen fabric is then adhered to the rings to make the lampshade, with the following choices of utility rings.

Plain Rings

Plain rings are paired with a choice of utility rings to make hard lampshades in all shapes and sizes.

Standard Utility Rings

Standard utility rings are manufactured to fit European lamp holders, and an adaptor plug is fitted to reduce the diameter so that it can fit standard UK lamp holders (bayonet cap B22). This can easily be removed to fit European lamp holders (Edison screw E27).

Washer Fittings

Some lampshades have a washer fitting for use with a harp and finial, most commonly used in the USA, the opening of which is just 10mm diameter. You can also purchase converters so that your EU/UK standard fitting can be converted to use as a harp and finial lamp holder.

Duplex Fittings

A duplex fitting is a large ring positioned within the top ring. It offers flexibility for your lampshade, by either being used for a lamp base or standard lamp (you will need a shade carrier for this) or as a ceiling/pendant shade (you will need a spider fitting for this). Shade carriers come in a variety of heights, from 10cm to 30cm. Spider fittings come in an EU size with a UK converter. Therefore you can make a lampshade with a duplex fitting to give you full flexibility should you wish to. They are also chosen because the standard utility ring’s light fitting is positioned 4cm above the base ring, and this may mean the lampshade is too low for the lamp base.

Candle Clip Fittings

Candle clip fittings are attached to the top ring of small lampshades, usually made for wall lights or chandeliers, and neatly fit onto a candle or small golf-ball bulb.

Drop-Down Fittings

A drop-down fitting is where the light fitting is attached to the top ring but is ‘dropped down’ to the middle of the lampshade by long gimbals. These are particularly useful if making lampshades that require a top ring only, such as scallop or paper pleated lampshades. Some drop-down fittings have hinges so that the lampshade can be tilted (for reading) or for allowing the lampshade to work for a ceiling pendant fitting.

Diffusers

A diffuser is used to soften the light that comes into the room, to hide the inside of the lampshade, and for decoration. They are therefore mainly used with ceiling lampshades and focus the eye on the design of the outside. The diffuser is a disc the size of the circumference of the base lampshade ring. They come in a variety of styles, from translucent to featuring cut-out designs. In addition you can adhere your choice of fabric onto these (see Suppliers), offering a totally bespoke lighting option. They are installed by simply placing them at an angle, and then straightened to sit in the base ring.

SIZES AND SHAPES OF HARD LAMPSHADES

There are many different shapes of hard lampshade to choose to make:

• drum lampshade – the top and base rings are the same size

• empire – the top ring is half the size of the base ring

• French drum – the top ring is smaller than the base ring, as in the empire, but less so

• cone or coolie shape – the top ring is far smaller than the base ring

• oval – the top and base rings are oval – much wider than the depth

• rectangular and square

• hexagonal

• tiered shades

• half frames, wall lights.

The rings and ring sets you can buy now mostly come in increments of 5cm, ranging from 10cm to 100cm. However, you can get different sizes made to order by commissioning a frame maker or by remaking older hard lampshades (see Chapter 3 for remaking hard lampshades).

Laminate Panel Lengths for Drums

If a lampshade-making kit is being used, the laminate panel will be pre-cut with a determined height. If you are using all the individual materials, however, the panel will need to be cut from a roll of laminate.

First work out the amount of laminate needed to...