Friday, April 15, 2011

New Lamp Bases

I never liked the bases for these lamps I made. I was having a look around in Etsy and found a solid brass tiered finding that said it was 7 mm on the interior of the square! WOW perfect, just the right measurement and a perfect look for this lamps new base.

They came in the mail today. the interior of the tired square was 12 mm in the inside Grrrrr How off can you get with a ruler...scary!

Uh-Oh! I had to destroy the old lamp bases to get them off. Which I did, in anticipation of the new ones arriving. Hrmmm.... now what? I guess I'll cross my fingers and operate!

I had a old plastic miter box I bought long ago when I first became interested in miniatures. I measured 7 mm and marked the finding then cut the corner off with a jewelers saw. I did that to all four of the &^%$ things. Then just soldered them all together. There ;-) ...Now they're 7mm on the inside. all I have to do is clean them up and glue them on.


Lots of things are almost finished on my work bench. I have been busy working on several things I hope to share in a day or two.
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16 comments:

  1. Linda CarswellApril 15, 2011 at 4:17 AM

    It is amazing that some people can't use a tape measure....is it really that hard????

    I love how you solved the problem and did the cut-down...what a problem solver you are.

    One thing that concerns me though Catherine....do you sleep? You did this post at 3.56 am....go to bed!!!! But saying that, I long to see the new bases on your lamps....but I can wait until tomorrow...lol!

    Linda x

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  2. CatherineApril 15, 2011 at 4:18 AM

    LOL hahaha How can you sleep when there are miniatures to be made. :-)

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  3. rosannaApril 15, 2011 at 4:45 AM

    CAtherine, how can you think of this soltion? and HOW can you solder so neatly ? I wish I had 1/10 of your skill.
    I thought of you yesterday, I received the Queen Mary Dollshouse Book and it wrote about the teapots and kettles. Do you remember? the ones which weren't made of copper and you wondered which metal had been used.
    Well, they are made of red gold :o) gold was used to prevent tarnishing and polishing. How clever is that? I'm going through the book, drooling on it actually,there are so many incredible details but trust me, your works could proudly stand next to them. Have some sleep, I wish you a nice day, Rosanna

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  4. Norma BennettApril 15, 2011 at 5:21 AM

    Well for once the solution to a problem is to think INSIDE the square! Well done you!!

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  5. Garden of MiniaturesApril 15, 2011 at 5:49 AM

    Clever lady ;-),unbelievable how you resolve every problem !!!Jeannette x

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  6. cockerinaApril 15, 2011 at 6:57 AM

    I think the basis is the skill, dexterity, but if there is no "genius", you can not do anything!
    and you are very "clever" ... :))
    I also go to bed very late at night! how can you sleep if you have a thousand minis to do? ah ah!
    I put some mini books for sale in my Etsy ... may be of interest?
    http://www.etsy.com/shop/cockerina?ref=si_shop#

    kisses, Caterina

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  7. MargrietApril 15, 2011 at 8:04 AM

    What annoying that they made such a mistake!! But you solved it wonderfully...well done!!!

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  8. The Old MaidApril 15, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    Oh I can only dream of the skills you have Catherine! You found a great solution to this situation so quickly!

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  9. CatherineApril 15, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    Rosanna, I thought I commented on the copper teapots on Linda's blog. If I remember correctly I said they could not have been copper because you cannot cast copper. I could easily see that the surface had been cast and very badly at that. They didn't even clean them up properly. Horrors! And they were for the Queen! lol

    To make "red" gold the metal has to be alloyed with copper. lol Albeit a small amount. If you are interested here is a longer explanation on the ratios. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_gold

    I have alloyed my own colors and rolled them into sheet for a marriage of metals project I did. Which is basically cutting sheet metal pieces into puzzle parts and soldering them together. Now you have a new sheet of metal with subtle color changes. It can be quite beautiful depending in the design and ultimate use.

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  10. AscensionApril 15, 2011 at 11:32 AM

    Que rapido encontraste la solucion, enhorabuena.
    Has sido muy inteligente.
    Feliz fin de semana
    besitos ascension

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  11. Carol Mittlesteadt-KubricanApril 15, 2011 at 1:25 PM

    How I wish I had your soldering skills! Looking forward to seeing the completed lamp!

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  12. Alessandra Collar LipmanApril 15, 2011 at 3:50 PM

    It's the whole lemons into lemonade process at work here. Bravo!

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  13. Contrastes-Rosa MªApril 15, 2011 at 4:42 PM

    ¡Qué idea más genial! el resultado es fantástico, gracias por compartirlo
    Rosa

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  14. PattyApril 15, 2011 at 6:43 PM

    Catherine, What a perfect base for your future lamps!!! I can't wait to see the finished lamps.

    p.s. I love your inspiration photos!!!!

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  15. LucilleApril 17, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    Another perfect execution! The lamp was already lovely as it was but your new inspiration for it will make it even better. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

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  16. UnknownApril 30, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    magic fingers XD

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