Learn To Create Your Own Stained Glass Lamp Shade

​Learn To Create Your Own Stained Glass Lamp Shade
By [http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Todd_McDermott/589028]Todd McDermott 

Making a stained glass lamp shade can be a lot of fun and the final product can add a pretty touch to your home. It's not easy, but with some good guidance it will get easier as you practice. This article will help you through it and help hone your skills to perfection.

What makes this such a difficult task? Lamp covers do have an odd shape and we need to create that. Working with a window or other flat surfaces is a much easier process. If you're able to create a stained glass window, then you'll have a much easier time making a lamp shade.

Once you're confident and ready to make your first stained lamp shade, you'll need to figure out the pattern. Choosing a pattern from a book, picture or magazine can help you off to start. Eventually you'll create your own patterns. Beginners should also avoid distorted or folded patterns.

If you've done any stained glass work in the past, you know that we must take that pattern and apply it to the glass. You'll need proper tools for this, such as a glass cutter. Cut along the edges of the pattern to begin this process.

Once the pieces are cut, the pieces will need to come back together. Through the joints on the lamp cover, the pieces will be able to attach in order to create the pattern. Unfortunately, when you're doing this for a glass lamp shade each piece needs to go one at a time unlike normal glass, which can all be done at once. There are usually six walls and once each wall is complete, the pieces are then ready to join. Following this step, you'll be able to pull it all up together.

To effectively attach the walls, all the pieces must be smoothed out before applying together. Skipping this step can really hurt the project. You'll also need a solder to apply the pieces. Do not solder the pieces on the edges. They should always be soldered on the front side or back side.

Putting the walls and pieces together is where most people kill the project. This is when pieces can easily break or fall. Unfortunately, if you do drop a piece or something breaks you'll need to start a new project. This can be very scary! To give you extra support while attaching the walls of the lamp shade, use a wire for support. After you've complete the soldering, you can easily remove the support tool.

This isn't an easy hobby, but it's a lot of fun once you know what you're doing. Stained glass lamp shades aren't found too often, so why not give it a shot and add a touch of beauty to your home!

This author loves making his own crafts. He's often found using a stained glass panel [http://stainedglasspanel.org] to make some of the best stained glass window hangings [http://stainedglasspanel.org/stained-glass-window-hangings].

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Learn-To-Create-Your-Own-Stained-Glass-Lamp-Shade&id=5015222] Learn To Create Your Own Stained Glass Lamp Shade