The Pete Lamp is finally complete! This project was inspired by a hanging lamp in the Long Island City abode of my friends, Stacey and Pete. Pete's version was smaller, but the idea was the same: kraft paper coated in shellac and attached to a basic Ikea light cord set. For my version, I made a frame out of garden mesh and electrical ties, so that I could make the lamp a bit bigger. I also added the stencil, which was done with black spray paint. Everything is held together with spray adhesive. I kind of like how the grid shows through the paper when the light is on, but a google search will reveal places where you can buy top and bottom rings for homemade lampshades, so that you can re-create this shape without the grid.
A word of warning: if you choose to make one for yourself, use one of the flourescent energy-efficient bulbs, please. Not only are they more eco-conscious, they also emit less heat, which is a good thing when you are working with a paper lamp and all. If you are still nervous about combustion, I hear that there are flame retardant sprays out there, although my trip to my local Home Depot was fruitless on that front.
Concerning heat - it's also important to leave the top and bottom of the shade open: a natural convection current will keep the shade cool. CFL's don't put out as much heat as an incandescent bulb (or worse - halogen or xenon!) but there's still an appreciable amount generated in the transformer located in the base of the bulb. That heat has to go somewhere...
ReplyDeleteI don't have any experience with residential use or over-the-counter flame retardant sprays, but my inner skeptic says "Bullshit". I *have* used flame retardant sprays for fibrous materials at work, but those only work when they permeate the material -- in other words, they can't be sprayed onto this lampshade and still do their job, since the shellac has already permeated.
In other words, Use Your Head. Leave at least a couple of inches all around the bulb, and use the least heat-generating bulb you can get. Don't place the fixture in a ceiling corner, where the airflow will be restricted.
Variations on this them include fabric shades. Silk, by the way, is inherently flame retardant. That doesn't mean it can't catch fire - it simply means the flame won't spread as fast as otherwise.
Well said, Pete!
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