Time: around 6 hours
Cost: up to $35
A light box is a box with one translucent side that allows light to pass through. Light boxes are functional in many different crafts/arts including photography, illustration and design. Cheap light boxes online start around $40, so I thought I could build a nicer one for less money. I wanted to design a box that fulfilled the functional aspects of a good light box, but that was also simple and beautiful enough to be used as a lamp or display for negatives. It can sit flat on a table for drawing and viewing negatives, vertically on a bookshelf, or even hung from a wall.
Here are a few creative uses for the light box:
-Viewing slides and negatives
-Backlit macro photography
-Tracing drawings and photographs
-Converting slides and negatives into digital photos
-Watercolor paint surface
-Displaying transparencies
-Lamp, when hung or displayed on a bookshelf
Check out the photos for some examples of these uses!
Cost: up to $35
A light box is a box with one translucent side that allows light to pass through. Light boxes are functional in many different crafts/arts including photography, illustration and design. Cheap light boxes online start around $40, so I thought I could build a nicer one for less money. I wanted to design a box that fulfilled the functional aspects of a good light box, but that was also simple and beautiful enough to be used as a lamp or display for negatives. It can sit flat on a table for drawing and viewing negatives, vertically on a bookshelf, or even hung from a wall.
Here are a few creative uses for the light box:
-Viewing slides and negatives
-Backlit macro photography
-Tracing drawings and photographs
-Converting slides and negatives into digital photos
-Watercolor paint surface
-Displaying transparencies
-Lamp, when hung or displayed on a bookshelf
Check out the photos for some examples of these uses!
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Signing UpStep 1: Tools and Materials
This project requires a few standard tools and some inexpensive materials. It there's a tool that you don't have access to, don't give up! Be creative, and ask me or other members for ideas about doing this project with what you have. Anyway, here's what I used:
Tools:
-Table saw
-Compound miter saw
-Drill
-Drill Bits
-Small hammer
-Flathead screwdriver
-Ruler or tape measure
-Square
-Wood glue
-Masking tape
-Sandpaper
Materials:
-Walnut board, at least 4" wide, 3/4" thick and 4.5' long (about $10)
-2 pieces of 10" by 12" glass ($4)
-Candelabra lamp kit ($6)
-Fluorescent candelabra bulb ($3)
-Aluminum tape ($5)
-1/8" birch plywood sheet ($4)
-2 sheets of drafting vellum ($1)
-Small finishing nails and screws ($1)
The total cost should be about $35 if you buy everything new. I was able to scrounge up or repurpose a lot of these materials though and only spent about $15 on new materials. Everything listed is available at hardware stores, expect drafting vellum, which is carried at art stores like Dick Blick.
Tools:
-Table saw
-Compound miter saw
-Drill
-Drill Bits
-Small hammer
-Flathead screwdriver
-Ruler or tape measure
-Square
-Wood glue
-Masking tape
-Sandpaper
Materials:
-Walnut board, at least 4" wide, 3/4" thick and 4.5' long (about $10)
-2 pieces of 10" by 12" glass ($4)
-Candelabra lamp kit ($6)
-Fluorescent candelabra bulb ($3)
-Aluminum tape ($5)
-1/8" birch plywood sheet ($4)
-2 sheets of drafting vellum ($1)
-Small finishing nails and screws ($1)
The total cost should be about $35 if you buy everything new. I was able to scrounge up or repurpose a lot of these materials though and only spent about $15 on new materials. Everything listed is available at hardware stores, expect drafting vellum, which is carried at art stores like Dick Blick.
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