Have you ever wanted to make your own stained glass project, but don't know where to start? Don't worry, I felt the same way before I wanted to build something cool to put around the house. I then decided to construct a stained glass lamp (shown above) as it was easy to design and fun to create, and it took me less then a week to complete.

(I suggest you read the entire instructable before getting started)

What you will need:

Different coloured stained glass
Black back copper foil
Solder
Lamp cap
A lamp stand
A light bulb

Tools:

Elmer's rubber cement
Thin Sharpie
Wheel glass cutter
Glass pliers
Glass grinder
Soldering iron
Small cloth (for glass cleaning)
Safety glasses/goggles
Rubber gloves

Step 1: Selecting a Design and Stained Glass Colours

WARNING: When handling stained glass, be very aware of the edges of the glass they can be very sharp. If you find that you have cut yourself, just make sure to have the cut cleaned and bandaged before continuing with your project.

Find a design that you find creative to make the stained glass lamp out of.

You ca look online for designs or in stained glass books for some options (some designs have panels, like mine, and some are perfectly round in a circle).
You could also get a styrofoam mold in the shape of a lamp if you wanted to build your own personal design.
Make sure that you have two copies of the design that you want to build (if you only have one, then you can use some sketching paper to sketch your second copy).

Determine all the colours of stained glass that you want to use for the lamp and be sure to have enough of each colour. In the design above, I used green and a combo of red-orange-yellow.

Step 2: Preparing the Glass

The next step would be to cut the stained glass into the shape you want the lamp to look like.

With scissors, and your wheel glass cutter, cut out your second copy of the design into the pieces.
Sketch the pieces onto the stained glass with a Sharpie. You can use the rubber cement to keep the pieces on the glass while cutting. The rubber cement makes it easier to place and remove the pieces of paper from the glass.

Step 3: Cutting and Grinding

The next step into this project would be to cut out the stained glass into the pieces that you need.

Using the wheel glass cutter, make a line of separation where you want the glass to be cut and do not make this line to curved as the glass may not separate the way you want it to.
Use glass pliers to separate the glass.
Use the glass grinder to grind the glass pieces into the shape of the design you want it to be.
Put the pieces together on your design and use the Sharpie to highlight some parts that don't properly fit your design. Grind these pieces to better fit your sketch.
Using the small cloth, make sure to clean the glass after every use on the glass grinder.

Step 4: Soldering the Pieces Together

WARNING: Be very careful with a soldering iron as the the tip of the iron solder is VERY hot and you can easily burn your skin. Be sure to wear your rubber gloves when soldering.

For the next step we need to solder all of the pieces of the glass together. (If your design has panels, I suggest you solder one panel at a time and then solder the panels together.)

Using the Copper foil, line the edges of the glass pieces that you want to solder.
- Remove the paper layer from the foil, and apply the copper layer onto the edges. Be sure the foil is well glued on the glass. (Example is shown above on the blue glass piece).

Use the soldering iron and solder to solder the glass pieces together into the shape that you want your design to be.
If your design has panels, try soldering two panels at a time. You can use some household objects to support the panels while you solder them together, or you can get someone to help you hold the panels while you solder them together.

Step 5: Finishing Touches

The final step is to turn your stained glass into a beautiful lamp.

Using the lamp cap, solder the stained glass to the inside of the cap. Be sure there is enough solder on the cap so that it is solid and will not fall off the cap over time.
Screw a light bulb into the lamp stand and be sure the stand is working properly.
Place the stained glass shade onto the top of the lamp stand, and be sure the light bulb is not touching the stained glass.
Place the finished lamp on a desk/table or somewhere to show it off to your friends and family.