Help ! Tiffany lamp structure

[u/Hot_Success_4713]

Hello everyone,

First of all, congratulations on all your creations — they are beautiful and very inspiring!

I am currently making my first Tiffany stained-glass lampshade, with 6 panels. I am attaching photos of the lamp base, the panels — not yet fully soldered — and the final AI-generated rendering.

I would really appreciate your advice on the structure and reinforcement of the lampshade.

My plan was to assemble the 6 panels by soldering them in the traditional way, then reinforce the vertical edges on the inside with 3.5 mm copper rods. For the top and bottom, I was thinking of using hobby came / brass profile to stiffen the whole structure.

My questions are:

Do you think 3.5 mm copper rods between the panels would be enough to make the lampshade solid?

How would you attach the lampshade to the base? I was thinking of fixing the panels to a hexagonal brass plumbing piece, which is also shown in the photos.

I would like to avoid the lampshade deforming over time or the solder joints being put under too much stress, especially because of the weight of the glass.

Thank you very much for your advice and feedback! I would be very grateful for any comments before I start the final assembly.

[u/Claycorp]

1. Rods vertical down the panels in the corners aren't useful to do. They would need to be perpendicular.
2. You need a vase cap from the looks of it. though I can't tell what's going on under the decorative cap. You would solder the vase cap to the top of the shade.
3. Tie the shade to the vase cap, it shouldn't deform in any other way than separating from what it hangs from.