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By: Nelson Montana
What planet are you from? That might be the question that occurs to you when ordering custom rawhide lamp shades or replacement lamp shades. It can be very frustrating because different people measure lampshades by different standards. The whole ordering process is made more difficult by telephone orders and online ordering. If you know how you should measure a lampshade to get the proper fit and also communicate the proper size, you’re going to prevent problems and get the lamp shade you really want. If the shade is rawhide or not isn't important, there are some tips you should understand to correctly measure and order a lampshade and also terminology that will help you insure that the shade company receiving your order is on the same track. We make custom rawhide lamp shades for rustic western lamps and southwestern home decorating. Because we deal with this this problem quite often we have some tips that you can use to insure the proper look for a lamp, even without seeing the lamp and shade and lamp together. The way to measure: 1. You will need to have three exact measurements, bottom diameter, top diameter and height. The bottom diameter is the measurement across the bottom of the lamp shade. The top diameter is measured across the top of the lamp shade. The height of a lampshade must be measured straight up and down vertically, not along the slant. About now is where the difficulty starts. When communicating the measurements different individuals and stores will use the three dimensions in different order, it's not uniform, so be careful that you are not mixing up the bottom and height measurements for example. 2. The height must be measured straight up and down, but some furniture stores will measure along the slant. These two measurements can vary and be quite different and cause the finished shade to be incorrect if confused. Always clarify how the height has been measured. We have noticed that many people that measure the slant rather than the shade height refer to it as the shade's length rather than height. A good Tip On Height Measurement: The reason you should measure height up and down, vertically, is that the height measurement of your lamp from bulb socket base to top of harp is probably the minimum vertical height you will want to cover the electrical parts with the shade. A good Height Adjustment Tip: One good thing about using a stock replacement shade, your lamp's overall height and look can easily adjusted. The wire harp that holds the shade above the bulb is easily changed. That is great news if a standard shade is say an inch to short. In stead of having to order a custom shade you are able to change the harp which allows the shade to sit lower on the lamp to give you the proper look. Shade Mounting Type: The most common shade mount has a bar across the top with a hole in the center for the harp mount or a washer held in place by three supports that attach to the top rim of the shade. Both designs allow the shade to be secured to the harp. Some small lamps and chandeliers don't use a harp but rather use a bulb clip adapter to attach directly to the bulb. A bulb clip is simply two wire loops that are attached to the shade's center bar and grip the bulb. It’s easy to add a clip to any stock shade to allow it to be placed over the bulb. Chandelier lamp shades almost always have built-in bulb clips made for the small flame or candelabra style bulbs. Lamp shades used as hanging lamps often use an uno mount which has a center ring large enough for the bulb socket to pass through. These also are used on some table lamps. It’s possible to use a bulb clip on a replacement shade instead of an uno mount. You find these tips useful on your next rawhide lamp shade or replacement lampshade project and you will be sure to measure, order and receive the right size lamp shade the without any trouble for fabric or rawhide lamp shades.
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Craig Chambers is a western lamp builder who creates rustic southwest leather and western rawhide lamp shades. He also offers loads free home lighting tips and articles on his website www.missiondelrey.com
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