Light Up Your Friends Name- for Christmas, Valentines or Any Occasion! Edge Lit Freestanding Card

This instructable will show you how to make a free standing, or hanging, light up display.
Your friends will be amazed to see their names in light.

The author wishes to fully credit the folks over at Evil Mad Scientist for inspiration.
http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edgelitcards
Their instructions are totally awesome, and I hope you will consider getting your supplies there as well.

I added two improvements to their Christmas Edge Lit cards which serve to take the original idea beyond "card" status. My main goal in making these improvements was to make the display stand (or hang) on its own, rather than being inserted into a card.

While you can make just one, the time required to gather all the materials, and costs is better suited to a dozen or so. In this way, each individual display will cost less than a dollar, and be completed in less than half an hour.

For all your work, you get to watch your friends faces light up. Priceless.

Step 1 Gather Supplies Part 1- Electronic Throwies

The LED lights and batteries needed are part of the "throwies" kits, except that magnets are not needed.
Be sure to check the comments at Evil Mad Scientists for purchasing possibilities
http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edgelitcards

I bought mine from Buy LEDs Online
http://buy-leds-online.com/Throwie.html
because they allowed me to select any quantity of colors (I prefer diffuse) and the battery prices were excellent.

Red is my favorite, and whatever you don't use at Christmas can be used for Valentine Day.
Buy one LED (10mm) and one battery (Type 2032) for each card you intend to make.

Of course you should allow a little play time when the package arrives. It's absolutely stunning how the LED and battery fit together to make such a bright light in such a small package.

Comments

[losgray]

Shrinky Dink plastic, shrunk or not, works well and is easy to cut and etch.

[twighahn]

i wonder how it would turn out with etching powder rather than carving

[twighahn]

i dont understand how the single led lights up the whole thing if the led is wrapped up in tape

[flaco1]

Very nice! Sometimes a modest project can have profound results. 

[alex69]

will upload a pic when i fix it (little brother sat on it
)

[bloomautomatic]

Nice job.  I've been wanting to try that with some 1/4" lexan to see it if would give me that result.  Now you've solved the problem for me!  IF I get time to do it, the cutting will be done with a dremel or a milling machine.  A 5mm LED should just fit in it.   No laser cutter here either....

[alex69]

funnily enough i make these at school all the time i get to use a laser engraver though

[edmondslibrarian]

Awesome! I've wished that I could try one.
If I could, I would probably carve a notch for the LED and for the battery instead of cutting off the whole corner. No risk of shattering the piece with a laser cutter. That would also allow a smaller corner, and larger drawing area. I suppose you could repeat the pattern in multiple corners on an even bigger piece.
Do post a picture if you have the chance.

[happyman]

A small bandsaw works great for cutting the bigger sheets down. If you dont have one it is also a good excuse for buying one they are like $99 at lowes or HD 

[Justinph5]

HAHA that's exactly what I've been working on for Christmas gifts. Mine are taking longer though, since I'm dremel'ing traced letters and using illustration board and foam core as a frame.