Choosing the Right Light Bulb for your Mission Lamp Mica Lamp Shade

The 3 types of bulbs that can be used in our Mission/Craftsman style lamps with mica shades are: INCANDESCENT BULBS, CFC BULBS and LED BULBS.

INCANDESCENT BULBS: The “heat rise test” specification is that the bulbs should not cause the mica shade panels to heat up to more than 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Always use this test when you are judging if your mica lamp shade can handle the bulbs you have placed in the lamp.  How can you tell what 150 degrees is? Try placing your hand on the lamp shade, and if you can’t leave your hand there for more than a few seconds before drawing it away in pain, the bulbs are too hot and you should try a cooler bulb. 150 degrees is below boiling temp, and can be thought of as placing your hand on the hood of your car on a hot sunny day.  Not a good idea, but it won’t burn you if you don’t leave it there long.

CFC BULBS:  These bulbs are gaining popularity for their long life and energy savings.  CFC bulbs use a “Brightness Equivalent Scale” which goes from 25 to 200 watts to give you an idea of how bright the bulb will be compared to a traditional incandescent bulb.  CFCs up to 100 equivalent watts work well and remain cool enough to pass the “heat rise test”.  When you purchase CFC bulbs look for the Cool White or 2700K – 3000K wavelength.  On the color spectrum this bulb gives a yellowish light which is comparable to incandescent light. The daylight color CFC bulbs are too bluish, and don’t really look good in with mica lamp shades.

LED BULBS:  LED bulbs up to 100 watts work fine in all of the mica shade lamps on Rustic Artistry, and cause no overheating.  Again look for bulbs in the Cool White color spectrum of 2700K – 3000K.

Never use HALIDE, HALOGEN, LOW PRESSURE SODIUM, or MERCURY VAPOR bulbs with the mica lamp shades from Rustic Artistry. These bulbs are not rated to fit into normal household lamp sockets, and using them will cause the lamp socket and lamp shade to become overheated, and may cause a fire.