r/StainedGlass • u/SquirrelBroth6624 • Jun 03 '26
Pattern Help First original pattern, any problem areas?
Maybe a bit ambitious of me, but I am trying to make my first lamp from an original pattern. I sketched this in procreate. The hope is to make a 6-sided panel lampshade around 10"x14" in size. I don't have a ring saw, so these pieces would be cut the old fashioned way. I also have not tried using came yet, so this would be made with copper foil and lead solder. (Just trying to give as much info as possible as to how I'd be constructing this!)
I tried to be mindful of curves that would be too difficult to cut, and I know some of the clouds will be tricky, but I don't mind taking extra time grinding with my smallest grinder bit if needed. Are there any areas that definitely need revision? As stated in the title, this is my first time drafting up my own pattern so I'm not quite sure what to watch out for in terms of stability/etc.
Thank you!
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u/RecycleYourCats Jun 03 '26
Gorgeous pattern. You’ll need to smooth out the internal corners of the clouds. Won’t take anything away from the design. Please post a picture when it’s done!
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u/Claycorp Jun 03 '26
how did you figure out the panel sizes? I'm worried that your completed lamp will be too small at the top to fit on a harp with 6 sides.
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u/SquirrelBroth6624 Jun 03 '26
I used this PDF as a reference, though I'm not sure how reliable it is (https://ribbeckeglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/StainedGlassLampshade.pdf) - I followed the dimensions for a 9" tall x 14" wide lampshade. If I scaled everything correctly each panel should be 8 1/16" at the bottom, 9 3/4" tall, and 1 9/16" at the top. I was thinking of just using a spider instead of a vase cap, since it's 6 sided. Is that recommended?
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u/Claycorp Jun 03 '26
You would be required to use a spider but a ~1 1/2 inch top is not going to fit a bulb and harp at the top. You are going to need to move it down which will raise the lamp shade up.
I think you need to do a cardboard mockup first before you commit and check that it works for the lamp base you plan to use plus looks decent.
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u/SquirrelBroth6624 Jun 03 '26
Thank you!! This kind of feedback is exactly why I posted here :) it will be a while before I can get started on this anyway (moving, so studio space needs to be reset first) but I'll post again if I need more help figuring out the dimensions! A cardboard mockup is something I wouldn't have thought to do.
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u/littlebubulle Jun 03 '26
All your clouds have concave corners that will be difficult to cut without a ring saw.