Saturday 22 January 2022

Let There be Light II

Apropos of yesterday's post - I had the bright idea (pardon the unintentional and illuminating pun) of embedding the base of the resined fabric lampshade test piece in a clear resin drinks coaster, for which I have silicone molds. I first cut a circular hole in the base of the shade, thus allowing the maximum amount of light from the LED display stand to shine through the coaster. Then I placed the shade into the mold and poured clear resin into the mold, giving the shade added stability from a wide base.


As you can see, it worked perfectly (you can see the clear resin coaster on the wooden LED base). Embedding the shade into a circular coaster means I can use a variety of shades on the LED display base and make it interchangeable.

Also, these display bases can be bought with multicolour functions controlled by a remote, thus a white shade can be lit in a variety of colours using the same display base. Another advantage of these USB powered bases is that you can place the base in just about any location and use a discretely placed USB powerbank to to power it, eliminating the need for electrical sockets and phone charger 3pin plugs.

I think I've accidentally stumbled on an excellent solution here. Time to start looking at the viability of different fabrics and identifying a suitable drying former for something a bit larger - something thin and tall with a 4 inch globe on top. I think I have the ideal globe; a 4 inch, clear resin ball that I used to use when I had a go at contact juggling and now sits on my desk. Covered in clingfilm it would be the perfect shape and size when mounted on something about 45cm high and very thin, enabling the fabric folds to develop naturally and not too close together.



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