About Our Lamp Hardware
Lamp hardware sounds like a subject that could be covered in one or two pages. But just watch.
There are big lamps and there are tiny lamps. There are reading lamps and there are hanging lamps.
There are lamps that go bump in the night. (Poor construction or evil spirits.)
A stained glass lampshade is the ultimate project for the stained glass craftsperson, bringing together all of her skills and resources into one small, almost jewel-like undertaking which can be beautiful when viewed either closely or from a distance, but which, if done properly, will become a signature; an heirloom; a trophy. So why not spend a few bucks to get the right hardware for it, for crying out loud?
We have scoured the earth, including Long Island, N.Y., to find every imaginable piece of lamp hardware that a reasonable person would consider necessary to accomplish the proper mounting of the lampshade. If we have failed in any way, please chalk it up to one of the following: Reagan; the Russians; big business; big labor; Nixon; the Moral Majority; the immoral minority (are you kidding?); cramps. But let's look at a more upbeat aspect of this section.
In approaching the problem of fitting out our lamp bases with the correct hardware and wiring, we took several promising tacks, but rejected them all. Then one night, while catching up on our backlog of Harper's Weekly, we saw an old ad (circa 1908) for the Spencer lady and it all fell into place. Whittemore-Durgin would be the Spencer lady of the lamp base trade.
If you aren't old enough to remember the Spencer lady, you missed a rewarding experience. The Spencer lady was sort of like the Fuller Brush man (except for the gender), but she dealt in foundations. If you needed one of those nether garments, the Spencer lady could fit you up in jig time with a custom made corset or corselet. She came to the house by appointment, and discretely measured the client (or in some cases, surveyed her). She came back in due time with a perfectly fitting undergarment which was more than adequate for preventing the spilling of certain secrets.
Accordingly, we have arranged a system whereby you, our valued customer, can select a lamp base suitable for the display of the lampshade you have made, and can then select a lamp accessory package which will combine perfectly to display your work to the best advantage. This is all accomplished through the use of our ingenious compatibility chart.
Nowhere else in the free world can a stained glass practitioner order a lamp base accessory package to be custom tailored to her or his personal specifications. (See lamp base accessory package #5020.)
The mind reels.