Pop Top Lamp Shade

Remove the tab from the can by bending it back and forth until the metal fatigues and breaks.

If you want to estimate the number of tabs you'll need beforehand, here are a couple of rules of thumb:

• For each row of mail, including the top and bottom hoops, you will need 4.857 tabs for every inch of shade diameter.
• The top and bottom wire hoops, wrapped with tabs, add about 1/4" of height apiece.
• Each row between the top and bottom hoops adds 1/2" inch of height.

Grab the tab across the short dimension with a pair of pliers, and use your thumb to bend it down about 20 degrees, as shown.

Tabs that will go in the top and bottom rows should be bent, but not cut (at least, not yet). So bend enough tabs for two rows of mail and set them aside before picking up your side-cutters.

Unplug the lamp, remove the bulb if one is present, and install the top lampshade hoop on the lamp.

Start with an uncut tab bent as in Step 2.

Set the tab on the top wire hoop, aligning the hoop with the bend. Apply finger pressure to continue the bend to about 90 degrees.

Insert a small flatblade screwdriver through both openings in the tab and apply leverage, as shown, to wrap the tab tightly around the wire hoop.

Check to see that the bent tab is secured to the hoop and will not "lift" off. Pinch troublesome tabs with needlenose pliers to secure them.

Continue adding tabs around the circumference of the top hoop, as shown in the previous step, until it is covered all the way 'round.

To accommodate the spokes attaching the hoop to its hub, remove an adjacent tab that has already been formed around the wire, and cut the finger loop so the spoke can be passed through it as shown.

Do not attempt to just work around the spokes by butting tabs close against them on either side. These tabs will be too far apart.

Set aside one row's worth of bent tabs. These will be used later to form the bottom hoop clips, and should not be cut yet.

Snip the remaining tabs, as shown, using a pair of side-cutters.

Using finger pressure, open the cut loop in a single tab by about 1/16".

Pass the bottom loops of two adjacent hoop clips through the cut loop, as shown.

Twist the tab, once you have it in place, to close the open legs of the cut loop again.

Continue adding tabs, as shown in the previous step, until you've completed the first row.

Keep adding rows until the shade is almost as tall as you want it to be.

The last row requires a bit of special treatment, so when you feel like you only need one more row of mail (not counting the bottom hoop), stop and proceed to the next step.

Remember that the bottom hoop will add about 1/4" to the height of the shade.