Soccer Ball Lamp Shade With Yin Yang Connections

I saw a photo of a paper soccer ball on flicker made like this.

From what I found, this was made by Phillip Chapman-Bell. If this is incorrect please let me know.

The soccer ball shape is made from pentagons and hexagons.

This uses two different colors for the two different shapes, and a unique Yin Yang looking connection.

Step 1: Materials and Tools Needed

Materials

20 8x11 sheets card stock for the 6 sided pieces

11 8x11 sheets card stock for the 5 sided pieces

Some kind of light fixture

Tools

Scissors or craft knife and cutting mat

1/4 inch hole punch

Tweezers to help with assembly

The two PDF files to print the modules

Step 2: The Two Modules

These are the two modules used to make the shade, a five sided module and a six sided module.

Use the PDF files to print the modules. Cut them out around the outline and also the half round slits.

You can use a hole punch to make the small holes. The dashed lines are score lines to make the small folds.

Use a scoring tool or an empty ball point pen works perfectly for this.

You will need 20 of the six sided modules and 11 of the five sided modules.

You would actually need 12 of the five sided modules to make a complete ball.

I left the bottom one out to give easy access to the light.

Make a hole in the center of one of the five sided modules, this will be the top and allow the wire to come out there.

Stack all of the modules so that the rounded part of the connectors are going the same way, either clock ways or counter clock ways. Then fold down all of the edges on the score lines. They should look like the photo.

Step 3: Conecting Two Modules

Start by connecting the top with one of the six sided modules

The half round part of each module goes on top of the other module as in the photo.

This creates the Yin Yang shape.

Step 4: Adding the Next Module

The next six sided module is added the same way, keeping the half round parts on top.

Also connect the six sided modules together the same way.

Step 5: The First Six Modules

This is the way it will look after you have added five of the six sided modules to the top five sided module.

The second photo shows what the inside will look like.

There will always be five of the six sided modules around each five sided modules.

The six sided modules will each be connected to three other six sided modules and three five sided modules.

Step 6: Adding the Next Ten Modules

Add the next ten modules alternating five and six sided modules.

A pair of tweezers can be used to help with the interlocking process.

This is half of the ball shape. I decided to add the light fixture and hang it up to finish adding the rest of the modules

Step 7: The Light Fixture

This was the setup I used for the light.

I would recommend a Compact Florescent Lamp because they produce very little heat.

If you use an incandescent light you will need to make some holes in the top for ventilation as they produce a lot of heat.

Lamp cord and socket.

I put a knot in the cord with a small washer on top of that and a clear disk, from a DVD stack, on top of that.

This distributes the weight of the shade over a larger area, and the knot lowers the light so it is in the center of the ball.

The second photo shows the top half of the ball hanging from the cord.

Step 8: Adding the Next Modules

Add the next 5 six sided modules under the 5 five sided modules.

Again I used tweezers to help.

Step 9: Adding the Last Five Sided Modules

Add the last 5 five sided modules.

It should look like the photo.

Step 10: The Finished Ball

Add the last 5 six sided modules to the bottom.

The finished ball will look like this.

This makes a ball about 18 inches in diameter.

Step 11: Light It Up

This is what it looks like with the light turned on.

When you use the card stock as is, this gives off a soft glow. You could get more light from it by using my instructable on making card stock more translucent:

https://www.instructables.com/id/Making-Translucent...

With a low wattage light it would make a good night light for a child's room.