In those minutes or hours when the forces of nature are raging outside the window, whether it's rain or heavy snow, you want a warm, sincere and cozy atmosphere. As an option - immerse yourself in reading your favorite book edition, have a tea party with a pleasant companion. And you can do crafts, for example, building a frame for a lampshade with your own hands.
Those people who have a developed creative imagination will like this activity, because it is a way to show all their abilities. In addition, decorating your own home will only benefit, giving it a bit of charm and sophistication.
Some of the benefits of doing it yourself
When you make any crafts with your own hands, this implies the presence of certain advantages over finished products. And with your own hands you can make any lampshade forspecific fixture.
So, these pluses should be considered if it becomes necessary to choose between purchasing a ready-made solution or making a hanging frame for a lampshade with your own hands. And there are a lot of them:
- First of all, it is an opportunity to end up with an exclusive lampshade.
- The range of decor design at the disposal of the master is much wider than store products can offer.
- Savings are not excluded in some cases, and significant ones.
- Involving children in the process will develop their skills and creativity, which will benefit everyone.
- By investing a piece of your soul in your work, you can make an original gift for loved ones. In particular, elderly relatives will appreciate it - it will be a pleasant reminder of their grandchildren and children.
- Don't discount the psychological aspect as well - it's an opportunity to put into practice what you have planned, and then be proud of the result.
- Things that have been accumulated for years, but have not found further use, are suitable for work.
The above arguments are quite convincing, and therefore you can already proceed to the analysis of the theoretical part, how you can make a table lampshade frame with your own hands.
Homemade frame
Without a doubt, the interior of any room should be filled with a special atmosphere where you can feel the comfort and harmony of the home environment. In this regard, every detail deserves attention, even, it would seem, at first glance, a trifle! And lighting fixtures aregenerally a separate conversation, and in some cases they occupy a central place in the overall picture of the interior.
And as we know, it is not always possible to get what you want at a reasonable price. Therefore, we are increasingly inclined towards the need to manufacture such products ourselves. This is especially true in cases where only the bases of old chandeliers, floor lamps, and table lamps remain. It's a sin not to take advantage of the opportunity! Just a few more words worth mentioning about the types of lampshades:
- frame structure;
- frameless products.
At the same time, each of them has its own characteristics. But if you think of everything in a general way, they also have similarities.
Frame for lampshade
Let's start with the consideration of frame lampshades. They have a rigid base on which the selected material is fixed. The frame can be of very different shapes and in many respects it all depends on the personal preferences and imagination of the manufacturer. And, of course, the availability of the necessary material is taken into account.
In addition, this design has a significant advantage - the distance between the lamp and the lampshade finishing material is immediately determined. It is maintained throughout the entire period of operation of the chandelier, lamp or table lamp.
In addition, the product turns out to be quite rigid (this quality is formed initially), which is already the main advantage of frame lampshades.
Frameless options
In fact, this can also be considered a wireframeproducts, but with a noticeable difference. Here, the lampshade finishing material itself acts as a “solid” base. To give the necessary shape, a temporary frame is initially made, external decoration is attached to it. Usually with glue. And after the composition dries well, the base is removed.
When choosing the manufacture of such a "frame" lampshade for a table lamp, it becomes necessary to calculate in advance how far the device will be located. Its distinctive advantage is the low weight of the product in comparison with the frame version. However, there is a drawback - accidental deformation of the shape can lead to the material being dangerously close to the lamp. And this is already fraught with various consequences - from melting to ignition.
This applies in particular to manufactured lampshades for a table lamp or lamp. They can be damaged by accidental mechanical impact.
What to choose as material
Since the topic of the article affects the manufacture of ceiling lamps with a base, we will not consider other options. Then the question arises, how to make a frame for a lampshade with your own hands? More specifically, what materials can be used to make a good and strong structure?
Here you should take into account the condition of the old lamp - if you only need to update the lampshade, and the frame itself remains intact, then you can get by with the choice of a new finishing material. But at the same time, it may be that it has already lost its functionality and has becomeunsuitable for further use. It is possible that the lamp is completely devoid of a frame, but there is a desire to make it.
You can visit a flea market and choose some old version of the lampshade there, which you can then renew at home. And if this option does not suit you, then you should rummage through your own warehouse, where, most likely, suitable materials will be found.
Trash candy
This is one of those options for how to make a frame for a lampshade with your own hands, when you do not need to make special efforts to form the frame - in fact, it has already been created. Why not the base of a metal wastebasket? It hardly costs a lot of money. Many hardware stores have plastic options, but for our purposes, metal options are what we need (for obvious reasons).
If the shape and dimensions of the basket suit you, then the frame is almost ready. It remains to carefully cut a hole in the center of the bottom, and securely fasten the lamp holder. In most cases, the bottom of the basket is a solid metal sheet, which is already convenient.
Now you can proceed to the further design of the lampshade. In some cases, it is enough to paint the mesh surface in the desired shade, and then decorate the upper and lower parts with some material.
Using wire
The most common frame material is wire. The lampshade frame can be made using spot welding. However, here it is necessary to haveappropriate skills and equipment, which not everyone has.
Therefore, it remains to fasten the elements by twisting. And since a rather thick material is mainly used (due to considerable rigidity and elasticity), they are fastened together with a thin wire. As an option - aluminum, but it is too plastic and easily deformed.
In addition to the material itself, you need to prepare a number of tools:
- Pliers - they will bend and straighten the wire.
- Pliers with round jaws for easy twisting.
- Nippers - useful for cutting material.
- Hammer - they can also straighten certain sections.
- Sandpaper - for cleaning frame elements before painting them.
- Thin wire - for twisting lampshade elements (connecting, 1 mm diameter will be enough).
- Glue "Moment" - for a more reliable connection of elements.
Sometimes in solving the problem of how to make a frame for a lampshade, you may need electrical tape for additional fixation of elements, a hacksaw. Now the actual process of creating a wire frame, which can be represented as several functional steps.
The first step is the scheme
After preparing the tools, you can get down to business. To begin with, draw a lampshade on paper, how it should look in accordance with personal tastes. It is also worth considering its shape well. In this case, the dimensions of the structure must be indicated in the diagram.
If fabric is chosen as the finishing material, then a full-fledged frame is indispensable. It will maintain the shape of the product. However, when using paper, you can get by with the main rings.
The second step is preparation
For the DIY wire lampshade frame, you can choose aluminum material with a diameter of 4 mm. The required length is calculated by the formula: L \u003d πD, where π is 3, 14 (the well-known number pi), D is the diameter of the lampshade circle (depicted earlier in the diagram). Just add another 100 mm for the connection. Now it remains to cut the required segment with a hacksaw.
The third step is the foundation
At this stage, the bottom ring of the frame is made, while the connection should be carried out in an overlap (5 cm). In this place, another wire (connecting) is wound. The joint itself should be impregnated with glue - this will strengthen the product. The upper ring is made in a similar way.
Fourth step - ribs
It is worth doing the side ribs, for which the same wire (4 mm in diameter) will do. The height of the do-it-yourself lampshade frame for a floor lamp or table lamp is selected even when creating the scheme, and now the segments of the required length are measured, only you should still make a margin of 120 mm for bends. The number of ribs may vary to varying degrees depending on the specific situation: 8, 12, 16 or more.
After you can proceed to fixing the segment to the upper and lower rings. To do this, each workpiece is bent with pliers, having previously measured 60 mm on each side. Then theyfastened with a thin connecting wire, as in the course of creating rings. All joints should also be well blotted with glue.
Fifth step - lamp socket
A special suspension should be prepared for the cartridge. To do this, you need to bend a loop from the wire so that it squeezes the cartridge well, and the ends will move away from it in opposite directions. With their help, the suspension will be fixed on the upper ring, as well as the side ribs.
Actually, that's all - the frame for the lampshade is made by hand and now it remains to decorate it beautifully. Just keep in mind that when using fabric, you should not screw in lamps with a power of more than 100 watts.
Wire coat hangers
If for some reason there was no material for making the frame, wire clothes hangers can come in handy. They must be untwisted into even segments and straightened with pliers. After that, you can proceed to the preparation of parts for the frame of the lampshade.
The elements are connected in the same way as in the step-by-step instructions above. You can also fix it with glue or tape. At the same time, the manufacturing process itself is cast with ease - much less effort is required here. At the same time, you need to understand that the frame in this case will not be as rigid and durable as it should be.
Reinforcing mesh for plaster walls
This material can be found in any hardware store, and meshes can be with cells of different sizes depending on the conditions of use. For frame fordo-it-yourself lampshade, you should choose a surface with mesh sizes of 15x15 or 20x20 mm. To select the dimensions of the fragment, again, you must first draw up a diagram of the lampshade, where you prudently indicate all the dimensions. After that, the segment is simply folded into a pipe, and the edges are connected by a wire twist, overlapping by one or two cells.
Only in this case, the frame will be in the form of a cylinder or a truncated cone. Therefore, if this form does not contradict the style of the room and is completely satisfied with its appearance, then this is the best option. Otherwise, you'll have to find something else.
Fan grille
Many of us have used a fan that has already fallen into disrepair. However, in such a device there is a useful element - a lattice. Usually it is present in all floor fans. So why not give her a second life?
Besides, there is already a certain shape - a kind of spherical segment. However, if desired, the frame can be deepened by fixing an additional tier of the same wire at the bottom. Or as another option - to perform lining with some material. Both will be quite appropriate.
Conclusion
It is not necessary to buy an expensive chandelier to decorate a room, bedroom, kitchen, living room and any other room. And if you consider how much they cost, it immediately becomes clear that it is easier to make a frame for a lampshade with your own hands. In addition, a homemade product can fit intointerior and bring a bit of zest.
Besides, it's pure psychology again - looking at a frame made by one's own efforts, especially with the support of friends and relatives, is much more pleasant. The room immediately feels a special atmosphere of home comfort. Of course, if you approach the matter with soul and love.
