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By: Nelson Montana
What in the world are you talking about? That might be the question that occurs to you when ordering custom rawhide lamp shades or replacement lamp shades. It can be extremely exasperating because different companies measure lampshades quite differently. The whole ordering process is compounded by telephone calls and web ordering. If you know how you should measure a lamp shade to get the proper fit and also communicate the correct size, you will avoid problems and receive the lamp shade you thought you would. 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 the proper description that will allow you to insure that the person receiving your order is on the same track. We build custom rawhide lamp shades for rustic western lamps and southwestern home decor. Because we come across this this situation nearly everyday we have some tips that we use to get the correct look for a lamp, even beforeseeing the lamp and shade and lamp together. How to measure: 1. You will need to get three key measurements, your shade’s bottom diameter, top diameter and height. The bottom diameter is always measured across the bottom opening of the lamp shade. The top diameter is always measured across the top opening of the lamp shade. The height of a lamp shade should be measured straight up and down vertically, not along the slant. At this point is where the confusion usually begins. When communicating the measurements different individuals and stores will use the three dimensions in varying order, it's not uniform, so be careful that you are not confusing the bottom and height measurements for example. 2. The height has to be measured straight up and down, but some lamp makers will measure along the slant. These two measurements can vary or be quite different and could make the finished shade to be made wrong if confused. Be sure to explain how the height has been measured. It’s worth noting that most people who measure the slant rather than the shade height refer to it as the shade's length rather than height. vital Measuring Height Tip: 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 usually the minimum vertical height you will want to cover the bulb socket with the shade. vital Tip On Height Adjustment: When considering a stock replacement shade, the lamp's finished height and look can easily adjusted. The wire harp that holds the shade in position above the bulb is easily changed. That can be great news if a standard shade is too short to look right. Rather than having to order a custom shade you are able to change the harp that can make the shade to sit lower on the lamp to give you the proper look. lampshade Mounting Type: The most common shade mount has a center 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 attached 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. A bulb clip adapter can be added to any standard shade to allow it to be placed over the bulb. Chandelier lamp shades normally have built-in bulb clips made for the small torpedo or candelabra style bulbs. Lamp shades used as hanging lamps may 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. You can use a bulb clip on a replacement shade instead of an uno mount. You find these tips useful on your future rawhide lamp shade or replacement lampshade project and you will be guaranteed to measure, order and receive the right size lamp shade the first time around for fabric or rawhide lamp shades.
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Craig Chambers is a iron lamp maker who builds rustic southwest leather and southwestern rawhide lamp shades. He also makes available tons free home lighting tips and resources on his website www.missiondelrey.com
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