I need to find a source for a hollow fiberglass sphere / globe

August 2, 2005 7:48 AM

I need to find a source for a hollow fiberglass sphere / globe, opaque white, approximately 1/4" inch thick, 15 - 16" diameter, with a circular opening of about 6-8". I just want one or two for starters. I'm making a retro hippie lamp with twinkle Christmas lights. The globe will sit over an array of twinkle lights that has a cylinder of clear plastic surrounding the array. The plastic will be decorated with interesting shapes that will cast multicolored light on the inside of the globe. Assuming I can find a source for the globe, that is.
posted by Corky to home & garden (5 comments total)

How about these folks:
http://www.complexplastics.com/balls/index.htm
posted by tomierna at 8:57 AM on August 2, 2005

Don't tell whoever you find that you want it opaque, or your twinkly light won't make it out of the globe.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 9:54 AM on August 2, 2005

Am I understanding correctly that you want to put the light inside the sphere? If so then you want a frosted clear or translucent white acrylic or equivalent plastic. As Kirth pointed out opaque means light won't get through at all and if you get fiberglass it will be opaque.
posted by monkeyman at 10:46 AM on August 2, 2005

If cost is a factor, here's a solution that might work and should be pretty cheap.

1. Buy a clear class fishbowl of the appropriate size.
2. Use this to make it frosted.

Another solution would be to see if there are any products at your local grocery store or Costco that come in containers that are the size and shape that you want.
posted by MsMolly at 10:59 AM on August 2, 2005

This guy built a case for his new AmigaOne machine - using a perspex sphere, decorated like the original Amiga "Boing Ball"... is that the kind of sphere you're after?

(I can't check the details of the link whilst at work, but IIRC it had details of where he got the sphere and stuff...)

HTH!
posted by Chunder at 2:13 AM on August 3, 2005