I was asked by one of our guests, "How do you do that? You know, make those lampshades out of glass?"
I confess that I have no idea of what I'm doing. It's just how I thought it should be done. I'm sure there is a proper way, an accepted method, a way that everyone else does it. For me, who cares. If it works for me...just do it. So, I'll shed some light on my deep dark secrets of doing stained glass lampshades, ready?
It all starts with an idea. In this case, I wanted to design a lampshade for Erika. She told me that she likes pink calla lilies. Pink! That's not my favorite color to work with, but I happened to have a sheet of pink glass that was hidden for many years. I received that glass as a package deal when I purchased some glass on Yahoo Auctions. Glass is very expensive in Japan. That sheet of pink glass would easily go for a couple of hundred bucks in Japan...if you could find it. Which brings up another point. I hate to waste glass especially if I can't find another piece of the same color/ manufacturer in Japan. So, I'm forced to find, in this case, a design that will fit the texture and grain of the glass that I have on hand. The glass determines the design if I don't have very much glass. This makes things more challenging, stressful, and fun. One false break in the glass and there goes the design. Okay, that's a primer of what is to come for this project.
I'll just post some images and let the pictures tell most of the story. I won't cover plating and painting. I have to have some secrets kept to myself.
I start with making sure the design with fit within the parameters of the lamp shade. Since I already figured out those parameters when I made Sky's and Holly's lamps (see previous posts), I just placed my design over a computer screen that had an image of the cardboard cutout of the previous lamps. Of course, it just a general idea since the image is 3D and the design is only 2 dimensional.
I redraw the image after placing it on a cardboard lampshade to make sure everything is balanced and is acceptable for glass. This means no impossible cuts or weak points for breakage.
Once everything looks good, it's time to map out the cuts. This is the step that takes time, experience, and some creativity. I used several images of calla lillies to get a firm idea of how the flower "looks". After loading that idea into my tiny brain, I can then visualize what grain and color I need to make the flower look somewhat like a calla lily. In this case, the grain and color of the glass dictates where the cuts will be made. It's a lot of trial and error with a marking pen...not a glass cutter! Sometimes the grain or color you are looking for just isn't there. That's when paint and plating come into play. I try to keep the individual cuts as close as possible to prevent wasting precious glass.
I've started the cuts on the easier to reach pieces.
On the more difficult to reach pieces, I draw the cut lines in red and number the cuts in the order I want to make them. The lines can't be too wavy or curved or the glass won't break as planned. That's a very bad thing! Numbering the cuts in the correct order helps to prevent that from happening.
Nothing special for tools. Knowing how to use them, well, that's another story. Pictured are a glass file, two types of cutters, running pliers, and a red marker. Simple, right?
When the cut line is very close to the piece that I want to save, I mark the top side, score it, lightly start the break on each end, then mark the back side.
With the back side marked where the score is...
...I can then gently tap the glass to help the break.
Piece of cake! I then file the edges and move onto the next cut line.
This cut is very close to the pieces I want to keep. Same procedures, score, light break on the ends (if possible)...
...look for the score on the back side...
...mark the score, gently tap
Sorry this picture is out of order. This is the piece being broke on the ends
Here's the piece after the break.
Repeat until there is a pile of broken glass.
Pieces ready for final scoring and grinding. After that it's time to
make a lamp shade panel. I foil, solder, and patina the flowers first and then add the leaves and background. When all the pieces are complete and checked for fit, the rest of the pieces are foiled and assembled.
These flowers are foiled and read for solder and patina. I'll then cut the glass for the leaves and background using the steps previously described. There you have it, mostly. This is my method of doing panels for lamp shades. If I have time, I might show how I put the panels together...we'll see how it goes. Thanks for looking.
