I wanted to make a light out of resin that used LEDs but no soldering (I know a lot of people don't solder, and there are probably a few like me that can do it but don't really like to do it.) It's powered by a couple of coin batteries so it's easy to work on without any risk of shock. And the finished product is a glossy, atmospheric light with a soft glow.
All of the materials for this project can probably be found between a craft store, a home improvement store and a Radio Shack, but you can round a lot of it up for cheaper online. I got most of my supplies on ebay.
Personally, I made this because:
My bedroom has a light switch by the door.
My bed is not very close to that switch.
I have a lot of sharp metal sculptures in my bedroom, as well as a bed with unforgiving wooden corners.
I wanted something more special than an ordinary night light that could be used for the time between turning off the wall switch and making it safely into bed.
And it looks great between my Martian lunch box and little plastic dudes landing on the moon.....
*Apologies in advance for what appears to be incompetent photography - resin is very shiny and my camera lacks appreciation for reflective materials. It's also not that hot in the dark.
All of the materials for this project can probably be found between a craft store, a home improvement store and a Radio Shack, but you can round a lot of it up for cheaper online. I got most of my supplies on ebay.
Personally, I made this because:
My bedroom has a light switch by the door.
My bed is not very close to that switch.
I have a lot of sharp metal sculptures in my bedroom, as well as a bed with unforgiving wooden corners.
I wanted something more special than an ordinary night light that could be used for the time between turning off the wall switch and making it safely into bed.
And it looks great between my Martian lunch box and little plastic dudes landing on the moon.....
*Apologies in advance for what appears to be incompetent photography - resin is very shiny and my camera lacks appreciation for reflective materials. It's also not that hot in the dark.
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a rectangular resin mold
This used a 3 by 6 inch mold (manufactured by Castin' Craft) but it's definitely not a requirement. If you choose to use a different mold you'll need to adjust the project accordingly.
6 to 8 ounces of resin (and appropriate catalyst, if necessary)
I used a polyester resin but a 2 part epoxy resin would probably be safer. Any clear resin should work.
black resin dye; blue, yellow and pearl optional
Manufactured by Castin' Craft, available all over the internet.
To get the blue and yellow colors to 'pop' in front of the back you'll need to add some pearl (or a tiny bit of white instead of pearl.) If you don't add the pearl/white the color will be most obvious when it's lit but not so obvious when it's turned off.
glitter
If you're a fan of cosmic debris like I am. I used some silver 'holographic' glitter and some silver star shaped glitter.
2 part clear quick-setting epoxy
superglue
You'll only need a little, and you may not need any at all.
LED lights (5mm white superflux are used here, but almost any should do the job)
This pattern requires 10, you can use as many as you want.
A good photo/diagram of what I used is available here:
http://www.besthongkong.com/product_info.php?cPath=18&products_id=156&osCsid=796b2f3a70556c63d0d21b3f53a97e38
wire
This is wired up with 24 gauge silver plated beading wire. The fixture is low-voltage and the wires are all encased in the resin so insulation isn't necessary. Light weight wire is definitely the way to go for this project.
batteries and an appropriate holder
2 CR2032 batteries and 534-1026 holder
http://www.mouser.com/search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=1026virtualkey53400000virtualkey534-1026
1 resistor
56 ohm 1/4 W based on this calculator http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz
If you use a different number of LEDs or different batteries you'll probably want to double check what resistor to use.
1 on/off switch
purchased at a home improvement store, just a basic on/off.
a set of electrical 'alligator clips' for testing your leds/connections/etc.
waxed paper
cardboard
5 small, strong clips
masking tape
toothpicks
pliers (2 pairs is nice, but not necessary)
a screwdriver (probably Phillips, but check your switch to be sure)
assorted standard household items
This used a 3 by 6 inch mold (manufactured by Castin' Craft) but it's definitely not a requirement. If you choose to use a different mold you'll need to adjust the project accordingly.
6 to 8 ounces of resin (and appropriate catalyst, if necessary)
I used a polyester resin but a 2 part epoxy resin would probably be safer. Any clear resin should work.
black resin dye; blue, yellow and pearl optional
Manufactured by Castin' Craft, available all over the internet.
To get the blue and yellow colors to 'pop' in front of the back you'll need to add some pearl (or a tiny bit of white instead of pearl.) If you don't add the pearl/white the color will be most obvious when it's lit but not so obvious when it's turned off.
glitter
If you're a fan of cosmic debris like I am. I used some silver 'holographic' glitter and some silver star shaped glitter.
2 part clear quick-setting epoxy
superglue
You'll only need a little, and you may not need any at all.
LED lights (5mm white superflux are used here, but almost any should do the job)
This pattern requires 10, you can use as many as you want.
A good photo/diagram of what I used is available here:
http://www.besthongkong.com/product_info.php?cPath=18&products_id=156&osCsid=796b2f3a70556c63d0d21b3f53a97e38
wire
This is wired up with 24 gauge silver plated beading wire. The fixture is low-voltage and the wires are all encased in the resin so insulation isn't necessary. Light weight wire is definitely the way to go for this project.
batteries and an appropriate holder
2 CR2032 batteries and 534-1026 holder
http://www.mouser.com/search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=1026virtualkey53400000virtualkey534-1026
1 resistor
56 ohm 1/4 W based on this calculator http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz
If you use a different number of LEDs or different batteries you'll probably want to double check what resistor to use.
1 on/off switch
purchased at a home improvement store, just a basic on/off.
a set of electrical 'alligator clips' for testing your leds/connections/etc.
waxed paper
cardboard
5 small, strong clips
masking tape
toothpicks
pliers (2 pairs is nice, but not necessary)
a screwdriver (probably Phillips, but check your switch to be sure)
assorted standard household items
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Something I thought of while reading this is that you could do something similar for outside patio "stones" or accent bricks using smaller pieces of plastic embedded in the LED layer and painted with this stuff:
http://www.unitednuclear.com/glow.htm
Which glows for 12 hours after being charged up by UV light/sunlight. Perhaps paint the outside and bottom of small clear plastic rods so that the sunlight is transmitted through the plastic to the paint and back out again when it glows. Use the rods in place of the LEDs.
I also thought about using a layer of the resin mixed with the Europium powder but I'm not sure how well it'll work in that condition.
(Also there are other colors besides blue and green but you have to Google for those as they are sold other places.)
http://glowinc.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=3
I'm seriously considering painting some glowing "circuit traces" on my motorcycle when I re-paint her this winter.
When I first looked at the picture taken in the dark it was barely interesting. But the picture taken in visible light w/ and w/o the LED's on are BEAUTIFUL! Absolutely gorgeous!!!
rocketbat, if you are good with a microcontroller you could have them all in the same case. I'm only a beginner at this stuff but, I think someone could modify Adafruit's miniPOV3 to do it for you. Have it auto change constellation every minute or so. And maybe even program a switch to move from one to the other instead of having to plug it into the computer to switch constellations. Maybe someone reading this can write an instructable or adafruit can do it for us.
Here's some telescope info for ya' :
http://members.aol.com/sfsidewalk/cdobplans.htm
http://www.usno.navy.mil/8inchdob.html
http://www.funsci.com/fun3_en/tele/tele.htm
Very tempted to give this a go, it would make an excellent gift.