Wobbly seams and how to avoid them

I received this lovely message from Nicky and thought I would share it here as others may have encountered the same issue:

Hello! I bought my first lampshade kit from you and followed your tutorial which was so informative and easy to follow - thank you!

What I have noticed on the shades I have made is that there is buckling along the vertical glue seam, which isn't any issue, because I turn the seam to face a wall, so it is relatively hidden. However, I know it's there and wanted to know if you have any tips or tricks to prevent the lampshade paper buckling?

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks so much!

By the way, I'm hooked on making my own lampshades and it is so satisfying to walk into a room and see a gorgeous lamp made from a second hand base with a shade I've made myself!

Kind Regards, Nicky

I am sure Nicky isn't the only one that has encountered this tricky situation, so here are a few tips on how to avoid wobbly seams:

Tip 1

To avoid buckling when gluing your outside seam to your inside seam, use your glue sparingly. You don't need much glue on the seam really, only a thin layer. Remember there is also about 5 mm of the sticky part of the panel helping to hold it all together.

Tip 2

If you have overdone it with the glue, you can just run your finger along to pick up the excess and smooth out what’s on the seam to a very thin layer. To get the glue off your fingers, rub them together until the glue gums up and rolls into little balls.

Tip 3

Once you have applied the glue, don’t be in a rush to put the panel ends on top of each other. As with the prior process of fixing your panel to the rings, let the glue set for 20 to 30 seconds. Perhaps open and shut the seam a few times on and off the glue so that it stretches out and gets tacky. Avoid globs anywhere along the seam.

Tip 4

When you are ready to put the panel ends together, align everything nicely and then use your ruler to hold it in place. Hold the ruler on with some pegs and let it all set. That should do the trick.

Give it a try! Let me know how you go with your seams and if there are any other questions you’d like answered here.

Love,

Anna xo