This is Part 1 of the ultimate guide for those who want to have unique Moroccan lamps with minimal costs. Basically you’ll need an IKEA lamp for 3 € (5 $), and some creativity, but I walk you through all the steps to create your unique lamp so even if you don’t have a special design in your head, you’ll have your unique Moroccan lamps that everyone will admire in your home!
In this part I share with you how to make the base decoration of the lamp using wire. In Part 2 I’ll show you how to decorate the glass shade. So you can either choose the first part of bending the wire to complete a lamp you like, the second part to paint a lamp to make it more interesting adding your own style, or you can complete both making the whole lamp from the beginning to create a really unique one. Image may be NSFW.
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As I love the sea and the beach I imagined a living room in yellow and turquoise. I wanted to have a sunny, happy ambience where I can feel like at the beach on my holiday, but I also wanted to have a pleasant place with nice, cozy illumination, candles..etc…..hmmm Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. I love it!Image may be NSFW.
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So for the colors and ambience I imagined a Moroccan style living room with a sun shaped Moroccan style lamp. My idea was to create a stylized sun design, but I also wanted to bring some flower in the flat. I love these huge sunflowers, they’re so beautiful. J
Here’s how to make it:
Material list:
Image may be NSFW.
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Wire:
Cords Copper Wire Bronze 1,5 mm (mine was about 10 Mts, and I used about the half of it for that lamp)
Cords Copper Wire Gunmetal (Bronze) 3013, 0.5 mm (1 roll is 25 Mts, but you need much less)
Metal craft tools:
Rayher Mini Round Nose Pliers
Rayher Mini Cutting Pliers – I have a combined Flat Nose Pliers & Wire Cutter but you’ll only need the Wire Cutter part
Glass & Tile Outliner:
Lefranc & Bourgeois Cern’ Outliner Gold – if you find a bronze one even better, I didn’t have it, so I used a Gold color.
Acrylic Glass Painting Color:
Hobby Line Glass Color, Glass Paint – water based, Yellow 42404
Hobby Line Glass Color, Glass Paint – water based, Orange 42405
I also like Lefranc & Bourgeois Vitrail – solvent based. This time I used my Hobby line paintings, as I had some left from the color I exactly needed. Image may be NSFW.
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Paint brush: I used number 6 o 8
A piece of sponge to apply the paint
Illumination base:
Ikea Lock lamp
Super Glue for fixing (Uhu, Scotch, or other brand, multipurpose strong glue)
I used these brands, but you can use any other brands you like. If you’re missing some material at the end of the article, I collected for you a list with some links, where you can find them.
Image may be NSFW.
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You will need a base lamp to paint. I used the simplest one, so I can convert it to whatever I want, this time to a beautiful Moroccan style lamp. That’s a ceiling lamp, but it doesn’t matter. Now it will be perfect for our wall lamp.
Image may be NSFW.
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Step 1
First of all I found out the design of the lamp on a piece of paper. The diameter of the lamp is 25 cm (9 7/8″), so you will need a bigger sheet, about 45 x 45 cm (17 3/4″ x 17 3/4″). I drew my design using a caliper.
Then I drew the circles with the following radius:
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————————————1. r1=9,5 cm (3 3/4″)
————————————2. r2=10,4 cm (4 1/8″)
————————————3. r3=12,5 cm (4 15/16″)
————————————4. r4=20 cm (7 7/8″)
Image may be NSFW.
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The glass shade is 25 cm cm (9 7/8″) large, but the base plate is smaller, about 20, 8 cm (8 3/16″) so that is the 2. Circle (r2) on the picture, which will be the diameter of the wire circle.
The 3. Circle (r3) will be the actual diameter of the glass shade, and the biggest circle will be the edge of the sunbeam. (This last circle you can’t see on the drawing, as I didn’t have such a big caliper, so I just measured it and drew with “free spirit” lines. Image may be NSFW.
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As you can see, the stalks of the sunbeam are inside the 3. Circle (r3) (edge of the Glass Shade), and reach the 2. Circle (r2), edge of the base plate. That’s important, ‘cause the sunbeams we will connect to the 2. Circle. Also like that the fixing will be hidden under the glass shade, so we’ll have a beautiful look.
Finally as I planned 10 sunbeams I divided the circle into 10 parts, so each angle one is 36 o (if you prefer less or more sunbeams, you can divide the circle according to the number of sunbeams, as you like) and drew the curved design with the sunbeams.
Image may be NSFW.
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Step 2
I began with the wire part.
The Glass & Tile Outliner need to dry, I like to wait about 24 hours before painting over it, so if you can’t wait to have your beautiful lamp, then just roll down the tutorial and begin with the Outliner part so that you can do the wire part until the shade dries. You saved one day! Image may be NSFW.
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So as I could wait, I bended a circle from the 1,5 mm wire, diameter of the 2.Circle (r2). I didn’t fix it, only tried it on the base plate to be the size will suite, and fixed it gently so that I can open it again when all the beams are fixed on it to place it on the base plate.
Image may be NSFW.
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Then I bended the sunbeams. I began it with the inner arc. For the curved part I used the Round Nose Pliers, than I just curved the rest tracing the wire with my fingers measuring it on the design and cut the end with the Wire Cutter.
Image may be NSFW.
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I wrapped around the 0.5 mm wire on the thicker one (about 15 times) to hide the age of the arc and then cut the end. As you’ll cut it close to the other wire, you can also use a scissor. Try to wrap it as tight as you can. I will also use a similar technique to fix the arc to the sunbeam so it will be in harmony with the fixing will result a nice design.
Image may be NSFW.
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I also wrapped around the edge of the arc (about 10 times) and when cutting it I left an about 3-4 cm (1 1/4″ – 1 5/8″) for the fixing. Make the other inner arcs one by one.
Image may be NSFW.
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Step 3
The outer arcs we will bend from one piece of wire without cutting. I bended the outer arc of the sunbeam measuring it again on the design plan beginning it on the left and fixing the left edge to the wire circle. Don’t cut the right edge, just measure it according to the sheet, then wrap around the wire circle once, and begin to bend the second outer arc…etc. until you will get the last one.
Before doing all, you may want to try it on the base plate placing above the glass shade so that you can correct in time the length of the sunbeams before making all.
When you’re ready with the last one, fix the edge of the last sunbeam also to the wire circle. Fix together the edges of the sunbeams in pairs wrapping around the 0.5 mm wire about 4-5 times.
Now take one of the inner arcs and fix it to one of the outer arc wrapping it around using the wire we left for the inner arc, wrapping around the outer arc a couple of times. It will be weak, the arc can come out from the wrap, but don’t worry, at the end we’ll fix it with a glue. Now just wrap the wire as tight as you can without using the glue, so that you can correct it later on. Bend the other sunbeams the same way.
Image may be NSFW.
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Take the 0.5 mm wire and wrap around the inner arc about 4 times beginning it in the middle, then twice to the left and twice to the right and leave a piece of wire, around 5 cm (2″) at the and for the fixing. There will be a distance between the inner arc and the wire circle, which we will fill up with a thin wire line.
Image may be NSFW.
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Step 4
Fix the inner arc to the circle again beginning it in the middle, and then wrapping the left wire around the circle twice to the left and twice to the right.Image may be NSFW.
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Step 5
Keep continue until you arrive to the last sunbeam. When you’re ready, try the circle again on the base plate to correct it according to the size.
Image may be NSFW.
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Now place the wire base to the table, and bend gently the edge of the sunbeams towards the table, so when we’ll fix it to the wall, the sunbeams will nicely snuggle against the wall.
And congratulations! You’re ready with the biggest part of making moroccan lamps. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Now for relaxing we’ll continue it with the painting part. Actually for me it was quite relaxing bending the wires. I love making jewelries and different designs from wire, but when I got to the painting I feel like dancing. Image may be NSFW.
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Click here to see the 2. Part to finish the decoration of the glass paint and fix you’re lamp to the wall.
To find some similar articles like The A-Z Of Making An Incredible Candle Holder and Wondering How To Make Your Wind Catcher Rock? Read This! see the list below, or search other great articles in my Blog here.
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-Where to buy:
Wire:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=copper+wire+bronze&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acopper+wire+bronze
Pliers:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40%7CR40&_sacat=0&_ipg=200&_nkw=pliers&_dcat=20767&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=3
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