My aunt, Kai Colombo, is a stained glass artist and owner of Shards Glass Studio in Peabody MA. A prospective client brought in a smashed European Tiffany-Style lamp and inquired about having it restored. When the price was quoted, she thought it wasn’t worth it to fix, so simply left it at there at the studio.
Little by little Kai and her staff worked on the lampshade and completed the restoration. Kai gave the lamp to my wife and I as a wedding present and we’ve treasured it ever since.
Unfortunately, in the last couple of months the shade began to separate from its cap due to the sheer weight of the shade itself. We love the lamp so much that I decided to take things into my own hands and restore it myself. Before undertaking a project like this yourself, Kai advises that if this were a true antique Tiffany lamp, doing this would devalue it, so maker beware!
Materials
Lamp undersocket (I found one on ebay for $20)
Hacksaw
Brass tubing
JB Weld
DevCon 2 Ton Epoxy
Q-Tips
C-Clamp
Hammer
Drift Pin
Directions
Step 1: Re-insert any dislodged glass pieces and carefully bend the glass on the lampshade back into place.
Step 2: Use JB Weld to fill in the gaps and cracks on the underside of the lampshade. You can be liberal in this since it will be hidden once the lamp is put back together.
Step 3: Wait 24 hours for the epoxy to set. Then measure the distance between the base of the lampshade’s shaft and the bottom of the undersocket. This is the length you’ll want to cut the brass tubing to.
Step 4: Slip the brass tubing and the undersocket over the shaft, then put the lampshade on top. Now the shade will be supported by the sides rather than the top, hopefully preventing further failure.
See the full tutorial at Make: Projects.
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