"Michael" wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks to everyone who has posted on the subject. I've been polishing
my glasscutting skills. They were pretty darned rusty. I've got a
Worden Tulip mold coming. I was careful (I hope) to not get one with
too big of pieces like javahut suggested. I could just wait until it
gets here and read the directions first, but I do have question. A
book I was recently looking at showed the only thing supporting the
lamp as a metal cap soldered onto the top. Is that really enough to
support a lamp? I notice that the Odyssey lamps have got a cap, a
ring, and something else supporting the lamp.

The people I ordered the mold from recommended that I get the 4" cap
for the top and support it from the bottom with a slightly larger cap,
and somehow squish them together. Does this sound valid?


Sure it will work, but keep in mind the forces on your lamp, that method
will work IF you do some things similar to what they did back in the good
ole days, that are brought forward with methods similar to what Odyssey is
doing.

When you build your shade, at the aperture ring, or top opening, solder in a
heavy copper or brass ring. of some kind. Years ago we used number 10
copper wire, bent around a propane tank, or something similar. Use 1/8 in
welding rod or brass rod from the hardware store, bend it around something
slightly larger in diameter, and squeeze it into size just before installing
it, and solder it in place.

I want to emphasize this, but not be mistaken for yelling, ONLY TACK IT IN
3 PLACES equidistant around the circumference of the ring until the shade is
off the mold. attach the bottom rim to the shade THEN level the shade by
the aperture ring. If you run into trouble when you get to that point, post
but DO NOT fill that gap between ring and glass before you post that you are
confused. The solution is very simple, but if you fill the solder area in
first, it is much more work.

Once that ring is in place, if you want to use a "wheel" as does odyssey ,
or use another cap under with one over it, you can do so easily without fear
that the upward pull of the bottom cap, and the downward sucking of the
earth,(gravity) along with the weight of those 3 lbs of solder pulling
downward, won't pull the bottom cap right up thru your fine tight lines on
the lamp shade.

Is that detail enough? Feel like somebody asked what time it was and I told
them how to build a watch, sorry about that, I must be "jonesing" from no
activity on the board in so long!! not even a good catfight.