How to Make a String Pendant Lamp

Member

By Brad Merritt
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (9 Ratings)

How to make your own string-pendant lamp

String-Pendant lamps are cool and timeless. They were big in the 70's and they are popular with apartment mod decor today. Many pendant lamps from the 70's (and lamp shades) were created out of fiberglass and had a woven-string appearance. You can make your own sphere-shaped pendant lamp that closely resembles a fiberglass lamp by using crochet thread and fabric stiffener, or white glue. They look great, add ambience to any room, are unique, and are easy to make! Here is how to do it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Round nylon baloon of various size - 16" smallest
crochet thread or similar type thread (3-4 rolls)
Stiffy fabric stiffener (2-3 bottles)
Elmers White Glue (substitute for Stiffy, but does not work as well)
basic hanging pendant lamp cord and socket (ikea)
energy-star lightbulb
ceiling hook
scissors
drop cloth or tarp
latex gloves
foam brush
pipe-cleaners or plastic container lid

Step 1

The first thing you want to do is blow your 16" or larger balloon up to full size and tie it so that it is closed. Try to blow up the balloon enough to achieve a round shape - because the shape of the balloon in this step will greatly affect the final shape of your pendant lamp. You can use various balloon sizes, but start off with a 16" diameter balloon to learn how to go through the process and do not make any lights smaller than this diameter.
Step 2

Now try to remember how you would make papier-mâché masks or globes in elementary school using the balloon as a sub-structure to lay the papier-mâché on. We are basically going to do the same thing here, only instead of papier-mâché, we are going to use string, soaked in white-glue or fabric stiffener. This will give us our final light sphere shape.
Step 3

Take the loose end of your string, thread, or crochet thread, and tie it to the knot on the balloon - (the side you blew into and tied off. This will become the top of the pendant light and we will cut this off later, so don't worry about the nub sticking out or the size of the knot you tie.
Step 4

Take your spool, and start wrapping the thread or string around the balloon. Your final design will have a texture that is based on the pattern that you decide to use to wrap the balloon. It is important to try and keep the same number of layers so that your thickness will be consistent. Do not worry about trying to keep your pattern perfect, and focus on instead achieving a criss-cross type wrap around the balloon to keep the string tight and in place. Keeping the string tight enough to stay on the balloon, but loose enough not to change the shape of the balloon is what you are looking to achieve.
Step 5

Keep winding the thread around the balloon until you have at least four-five good layers of thread all around the balloon. You should have enough thread on the balloon to completely cover the surface area of the balloon. If you have a few holes, that is alright because it will let the light shine out and it adds to the final design.
Step 6

Cut your string and tie it to the knot of the balloon.
Step 7

Cover your work area with a drop cloth, plastic tablecloth, or tarp, and fill a bowl with the fabric stiffener or white glue.
Step 8

Wearing rubber gloves and using the foam brush, apply generous amounts of the stiffener or white glue to the entire surface area of the balloon. You want to completely saturate all of the thread surrounding the balloon because if any is left dry - it will ruin the structural integrity of the final sphere.
Step 9

Let the balloon and fabric dry overnight. If possibly, it is best to hang the balloon from a suspended structure so that the sphere does not have any external pressure on it from a table or any objects that can effect the final shape.
Step 10

Once it’s completely dry, pop the balloon with a needle, pin, or knife and then remove it from the string sphere. You may need to peel it out in some sections.
Step 11

Cut a small hole at the top of the balloon around the knot and the where we tied off the string. The hole should be large enough to allow a light bulb to pass through - but just barely.
Step 12

Insert your pendant light fixture and light bulb. To help keep it suspended within the sphere tie off some pipe-cleaners around the lamp cord and push them into the globe opening. Then adjust the pendant cord as needed to center the light bulb inside the sphere.
Step 13

Hang your light from a ceiling hook and plug it in! Your all done!

Comments

bamakids96 said

Flag This Comment

on 10/16/2009 I tried making this with nylon crochet string and paper mache. When it dried the string fell off of the balloon. Was it the string or the "glue"? Maybe I should have used cotton crochet string?? HELP!!