DIY 3D Pen Mini Lampshade!

Do you have really cool hanging lights that make your space trendier? Do they look cool but not cool enough? Make them even more interesting with this DIY 3D Pen Lampshade project! This project is super easy, and the end product looks really good.

Supplies

You will need:

-A 3D Pen

-Filament in bright colors (or colors that will match your space)

-Scissors

-A 3D Pen mat or Masking tape

-Printer Paper

-A Sharpie or marker

-A spool of thin wire

-Wire Cutters

Wrap Your Wire

First, get out the wire and wirecutters. Cut a piece of wire that will fit around the base of the lightbulb socket with about an inch to spare on either side. Go over to the light string, unscrew one of the bulbs, and wrap the wire around the base of the bulb socket. Twist the ends together like a twist tie, then remove the wire from the bulb socket while preserving its shape.

Draw Around the Wire

Next, place the wire circle from the previous step onto the piece of printer paper. Using a sharpie or other marker, trace around the outside of the wire. The marker shape on the paper should match the shape of the wire.

Start Building Your Lampshade

Next, you’ll want to preheat your 3D pen. While it is preheating, get out your filament. Try to use bright colors because the light shining through will make them really neat. You can also use colors that will match your space for an even cooler feel. Cover the shape with the 3D pen mat or masking tape. Insert your filament when the pen is heated, and trace around the outside of your circle on the paper. I traced directly above the circle and it didn’t fit the light, so I had to fix it later. Once you have the base shape, start building the filament up on top of the shape. Once you have gone around a few times, run your finger around the inside of it while it is still cooling to shape it. Try and make it angle outward so the lightbulb will fit under it. As you keep building it up, run your finger around it as it is cooling so it can form the shape correctly. It is very important to do this when it has cooled slightly otherwise it will be too hot to touch. If your shape sags too much outward, stop your pen and shape it to the correct form. When you have built it about an inch high, place the lightbulb that you unscrewed a few steps ago into the lampshade to make sure that it fits. The widest part of the bulb should be thinner than the widest part of the lampshade at this point. Keep building it up until the lampshade covers the bulb with a little room to spare. This took about three strands of my filament, but if you have a spool, it took about 5-7 mins. It also depends on the size bulb you have.

Attach Your Lampshade

Next, peel your lampshade off the paper or 3D pen mat. Bring your lampshade and unscrewed lightbulb over to the socket where the bulb was. Slide your lampshade so the bulb socket goes through the hole. If the lampshade opening is just barely too small for the socket, go back to your 3D pen and melt the smaller end of the lampshade a bit with the tip of your pen. This will make it softer so that you can widen the hole and slip the lampshade on. This happened to me and it wasn’t that hard to fix it. Once you have slipped the lampshade through the bulb socket with one hand, start screwing the bulb back in with the other hand. If the lampshade keeps sliding down before you screw in the bulb, don’t be alarmed because this will be fixed once the bulb is in place to keep it from sliding. Once you have screwed in the bulb, the lampshade is set! Turn on your light string and enjoy it!