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.
