Something a little different...sort of

Ceiling lamp time. This lamp came with the house when we purchased it way back when. It has never been my favorite, but has always been a target of interest for me. How about turning it into a mission style lamp to match the other lamps? Looks like a lot of work and wouldn`t it be easier just to buy one that`s already been made? Where`s the fun in that? After talking myself into doing this project, I got started. I don`t do round lamps. So, how do I make a round lamp fixture into something square? Also this lamp uses those tiny lamp bulbs, I want something that will light up an entire living room. The black wiry thingies are kind of a distraction. This lamp needs more substance. Okay I know what I want so what`s next?

Well, first I removed the stuff I didn`t like and gave the fixture a good cleaning. Those bulbs and glass fixtures gotta go...now!

Yuk! I can`t believe the amount of dead bugs that collected in each of these cup thingies. It was literally filled to the top of each cup. The insulator looks bad, but it`s not. The rest can be cosmetically repaired with enamel paint and some elbow grease. Now, how to make those round things square?

Easy. Use a square brass cap and fit to shape. How about getting rid of those tiny light bulb sockets?

No problem! Adapters to the rescue! To help beef up this lamp, the larger bulb stands about 2.0 inches taller than the original. This might seem like a problem, but with some imagination a larger lamp fixture can be made to accept the taller bulb. Hence, the entire fixture looks beefier and less wiry. Make sense?

Getting ahead of myself, I experimented fitting the brass cap and it looks like things are shaping up. Some work will be required though.

Simple enough. Make the center hole bigger to fit over the insulator.

It`s important to secure the brass cap to something before drilling or grinding as it gets real hot, real fast. Safety glasses and a mask are also recommended. Mark the hole and grind away.

Dremel makes the perfect tool for the job. Each cap takes about ten minutes.

And now for a brief commercial message...it`s finally Spring around here! The juneberries and blueberries are in full bloom. Looks like a bumper crop this year.

The bins are planted with carrots, lettuce, radishes, peas, ground cherries, artichokes, and stuff I forgot to label.

Here`s the drawing for the glass which was derived from...

...this prototype. As with all of my lamp projects, I make it a point to first make a cardboard prototype. This allows me to visualize what works and what doesn`t.

I then use the prototype to get the required dimensions for the drawing. This method saves a lot of heartache and glass. Alrighty then, that`s where the project stands today. The glass cutting will begin shortly. Each piece will need to be cut 36 times! That`s enough for nine fixtures. Five for the ceiling light and four for the wall lights. Please stay tuned as I`ll try to post when one fixture is completed. 

 

Holly`s lamp is complete

Moving right along...a closeup of the wiring. I tried to keep it simple and clean. Nothing complicated here, The lights are wired in parallel and operated by three switches. This allows either the lower lamp or the upper lamps or both to be operated at any given time.

A thick felt is used to give the project a finished look.

Ah yes, the details. A paw print and...

...a dog bone are used as light pulls. Shopping at Amazon is a wonderful thing.

I really like how the green casts a soft glow which represents Holly`s character. 

The green also goes well with the mission oak finish.

So with the doggy lamps completed it`s time to move on to something a little different. Notice the bear lamp in the background? That lamp was purchased in 2001 when I visited Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone Nat`l. Park. The original lamp shade was made of paper and fell apart many moons ago. I knew one day I would make a glass for it. Looking forward to that project, but first...

 

Sconces complete and on to the next project

Here`s the pieces ready to made into a wall sconce.

First, the seam needs to be soldered. Then a support brace is added to the bottom. I use zinc came since it`s easy to cut and solder. 

Here`s a closeup of the upper brace. Zinc is lightweight yet relatively rigid and strong. Later I solder a brass mounting plate to the brace depending on where the wall stud is. Each location is different. The sconce has some weight to it so support is required especially in earthquake country,

Ready for the mounting plate and some paint.

I really like how the light is diffused, but provides enough soft light to luminate a darkened hallway.

This one is mounted in the dining area next to the wood stove. The wall will be painted at a later time.

This one is also in the dining area. I think this will be the last one I make with this design. I have five other lamps that I have other plans for. A koi, calla lily, tree canopy, and a mystery design are all on the drawing board.

This is one of the base panels for a lamp ready to be soldered.

This lamp shade is ready for foiling. I dedicated this lamp to Holly, one of our rescue pups.

This is what the glass pieces look like after Erika foils them, I don`t like foiling and she is an expert. It`s a very efficient system we have. I design and cut the pieces. Erika foils them. I solder and put the whole thing together. I really do appreciate Erika`s help. Thanks to her I can finish a lamp within a couple of weeks instead of a couple of months. After Holly`s lamp is complete, I`ll be starting a ceiling lamp with five bulbs. Also I`ll be doing a few wall lights. Another project in the works are light boxes, Those will be use to illuminate some of my astrophotography. That should be interesting. Please stay tuned...

 

Lamp is complete along with future projects

 

Since the blog decided to load the pics in this order I guess I'll have to start here. Here's what I'm working on currently. It's one of the sides for a wall sconce. I've changed the design since the pic was taken so please stay tuned for an update.

I mistakenly posted that these are the panels for the lamp...wrong! These are the panels for the sconces. I'll be making four of them to match the lamp.

Here are the bare bones of the lamp. The lower lamp and wiring are not pictured. The finished lamp is quite heavy and solid. If you look closely you can see the prototype lamp shade I made from an Amazon box. Figuring out the angles took some experimenting. I was never any good at geometry.

Nice! I'm satisfied with how the stain matches the glass. Underneath the lamp I installed a thick felt cloth to hide the wiring and give the piece a finished look. It's not pictured, but when I make Holly's lamp I'll take a photo.

I had to do some sheetmetal work to make the lamp cap. It's made from brass and the patina matches the rest of the solder lines. This took several days to get the design right. It's critical that the brass is in contact with the glass panel as much as possible. The entire weight of the lamp shade is supported by the lamp cap. If this fails...let's not think about that.

Custom all the way! This also took some time to figure out. Lot's of pieces to this puzzle. The black spacer is made of oak that I shaped with a lathe.

Well here it is! One of the six lamps finally complete. This lamp was made in celebration of the one year anniversary of the doggy rescue. Yes, Sky and Holly have been a Kimball for an entire year. I dedicated this lamp to Sky (that's why the primary color is blue). Sky came to our family with MCT. He had two tumors removed along with his spleen. The doctor gave him 4 months to live. Well it's been a year and he is doing very well. He's on a natural diet with low histamines along with supplements. I found that the holistic approach to MCT is the right approach. Chemo and the drugs associated with the treatment only weakens his immune system which in turn cause more tumors to appear. No thank you! Instead I'm doing everything I can to strengthen his immune system and keep his histamine level manageable. I know his condition can change at a moments notice and it has been an emotional roller coaster. Hence the importance of living each day to the fullest and appreciating each moment shared with him. BTW, Holly is doing great and has adapted easily to the new environment. I think she thinks she owns our home! She certainly, along with Sky, owns our hearts.

Lamp Update (finally)

Here's one of the panels for the lamp (I need 24 of them). The problem is that my geometry was incorrect. OOPS! In order to fix the problem I needed to redraw the pattern. This time I used a cardboard template to confirm my math was correct. No worries. I'll use the panels to make 4 sconces to match the lamps. I'll also be making ceiling lamps to match the lamps and sconces. 

These are the panels for the lower lamp...yep, these are correct. Still need 16 more of these.

I just received this beautiful glass. The smaller piece was almost $50.00! Glass is very expensive in Japan because it comes from the U.S. I can't waste any of this since these are the last pieces of this color in Japan. I'll post a picture of the new pattern one of these days. My camera is broken, so...

On a personal note: KR (you know the one with two l's and 2 b's) please check your emails as I have written twice with no response or check my facebook page. Happy New Years!

 

Lamps, the saga continues

Can you believe it took this much "stuff" to finally get the color I wanted? Well, it did. We have some really nice pieces of mission oak furniture that I tried to mimic as far as color. I think I did a good job. Living in the Japan wilderness makes it kind of hard to go to Lowes and pick a color off the store shelf. So, I had to improvise. The dyes I kept from many years ago. It was fun learning how to use them again.

Well, what do you think? Five coats, but who's counting. I like to sneak up on the color since once it's too dark you're screwed.

Lamp number one is stained and dyed. Four more to go. I think the others will go a lot faster...I hope.

Not to brag, but damn that came out well. 

Notice how the grain stands out. That's because of the dyes. Regular stain mottles the grain. I learned this the hard way.

I kept the night light pattern simple as I don't want to distract from the lamp shade. Colors are still undetermined as I don't know what colors are available in Japan. Please stay tuned for that. I'll be busy with the next four lamps and getting ready for the holiday season. Have a great Thanksgiving!

 

Please excuse that these pictures are not in order. Well, let's start here...the stiles are ready for stain and installation. Hope they fit,

No worries! Nice and snug.

The base is ready to accept the stiles. I lightly drilled the mortises to save a step... chiseling the stiles.

This is how to drill a square hole. Precision required as the mortise need to be snug, not too tight or loose.

Everything seems to fit just fine. No glue required as the rails lock the stiles in place. I couldn't have asked for a better fit.

I had some scrap wood so I made some feet for the lamps. I think it's a nice touch. Not hard to make as long as the blade is sharp and the cut is slow. Be careful not to burn the wood.

About 30 minutes of work.

Feet installed. The base is ready for disassembly, stain, and reassembly.

This is where the project sits currently. I'm mixing and experimenting with stains and dyes to get a reasonable mission oak finish. Stay tuned for that...

Before I end this post, I had a heck of a time figuring out how to replace the night light if it were to burn out. Ah Hah! I installed a couple of screws in the top plate and...

...plugged the holes. The plug is easily removed to access the screw so the lamp can be replaced. Damn, it's almost like I know what I'm doing.

Please stay tuned for the finish of the lamp base and the design for the stained glass for the base.