Outdoor Light Lamp Shade

thingiverse

We installed vintage Edison-style birdcage lights on our patio and pergola but a recent hail storm shattered one of the bare bulbs, making cleanup a real pain. I started looking for some kind of lamp shade to protect the bulbs but couldn't find anything suitable, so I decided to try 3D printing something instead. Here are the before-and-after photos; we think they look much better with shades on. I didn't want to get too close to the bulb even though it's low wattage, and I could have made them a bit bigger, but I figured these would go a long way in shielding from hail and give a finished look. I also didn't want them to take too long printing since I have to make 15 for my light string - so far, I've got six done and it'll be a couple more weekends before I finish. These shades are just two butt-edged halves with a ring that fits tight and clamps the shade halves together, locking onto the lamp socket. No tools needed; simply remove the bulb, slip the ring over the socket, fit the two halves, and press the ring over the top of the shade halves to lock everything in place. Print two shade halves and one shade ring for each assembly, and you'll have a complete shade at the end of one print. These shades fit a 34mm outside diameter lamp socket - it was just a common kit that came with a set of bulbs, but the concept would work for most outdoor lights. I'm not sure how PLA will hold up to the sun, though; if they don't last, I can always print more. I thought colors would look nice too, but my wife wanted them to match the pergola color, and the light gray is almost a perfect match for the shady bottom sides of the slats. When the lights are on, the inside of the shades turns a nice terra cotta color, so the light gray filament was a good choice for these old-style bulbs - I think colored shades might look great with white bulbs.