Modular Hanging Lamp Shade

This is a hanging lamp made from identical modules. The finished size is just over a foot tall.
It is based on a regular icosahedron, that is made from 20 equilateral triangles.
I made these modules from white card stock. This could also be made from a thin translucent plastic .
The light I used was one I had, a 13 watt CFL equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent bulb.
You will need to use a compact florescent light because the incandescent lights put off to much heat
for this shade.
After I left the light on for a couple of hours the temperature measured inside the top
was about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The room temp was about 70 degrees, so a 40 degree rise.
This shade weighs less than 3 oz. so I just hung it by the cord, no other support is needed.
The length of the cord is governed by your particular application.
An inline switch is a nice addition to the cord so you do not have to unplug it to turn it off.

Materials Needed

The Lamp Module PDF file
20- sheets 8 1/2 by 11 white card stock
1- lamp socket and cord, an inline switch is optional
1- curly fry light (CFL or compact florescent lamp)
1- 3 inch plastic disc. Cut from a plastic bottle such as milk jug, or a plastic lid from a chip can.

Tools Needed

A printer to print the modules
A craft knife and cutting mat, or if you are really good with them a pair of scissors.
1/4 inch single hole punch or other punch that will reach far enough.

LampModule.pdf211 KB

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Step 1: The Modules

Print and cut out 20 of the modules.
The cutting can take some time. It will probably take 2 to 3 hours.
The most important part of the cutting is the intersection of the arcs.
If you use scissors this is the easiest place to make a mistake and cut to far.
This is why I recommend the craft knife and cutting mat.
Start your cut at the intersection and cut away from it in both directions.

ellenjoelle says: Aug 31, 2012. 8:43 PM

Stunning. Also pretty damn cool. And I love the assembly... magic :D

darirose says: May 14, 2012. 1:42 PM

I wonder how well plastic milk cartons would work for the material. I would be concerned about the heat given by the light bulb since this design is quite tight and I'm not sure about the melting point of the plastic used for milk cartons. (CFLs are a great option.)

daveda (author) in reply to dariroseMay 14, 2012. 9:19 PM

For this lamp you have to use a "Compact Florescent Light ". They do not put off much heat. I think the milk jug plastic would withstand this small amount of heat. The vent holes could also be made larger for better ventilation of the shade.
The problem is getting a large enough flat material from the milk jugs. Those in my area have large circular indentations in the two large sides opposite the handle. Let me know if you figure a way to use them.

tackall says: Apr 16, 2012. 12:05 PM

can you make the shape bigger by adding more pieces?

daveda (author) in reply to tackallApr 16, 2012. 8:55 PM

Yes it can be made bigger by adding more pieces, but the card stock is not stiff enough to hold the extra weight of the additional pieces. The ideal material would be a translucent plastic that is semi rigid and about 12 mil thick. I believe this would support the extra weight. If you can find the material I can show you how to make it bigger.

Thanks for the question.

J3443RY says: Nov 9, 2011. 10:58 PM

Very cool...I saw it, printed out the PDF and started cutting out the panels right away, so by tomorrow I should have one too!

playful-geometer says: Nov 9, 2011. 3:27 PM

Hey, I like your design, I'll have to try this one out. Maybe I could add some cool fractal designs to it and add it to my line of The Playful Geometer's Cosmic SpaceCrafts . I'll give you a vote for sure. Along similar lines, you can see my entry here: Quasicrystal Star Lantern .

In terms of lantern-making, I find cardstock is not the greatest because it blocks too much of the light and it looks all splotchy. I hear polyester film (i.e. Mylar) is good for this type of thing, but I use laminated photo paper and it works pretty well too.

daveda (author) in reply to playful-geometerNov 9, 2011. 10:08 AM

Thanks for the vote. I have reciprocated.

I agree that card stock is not the ideal material to use but it is readily available and inexpensive so anyone can afford to make this. The ideal material would be a translucent plastic about 10 mil thick.