Bubblewall

I was inspired by various online videos and instructable examples. i just wanted to have my own bubblewall/infinity mirror to enjoy for its therapeutic qualities. one thing lead to another and here you see my final outcome. you can do this different as the materials you acquire might inspire your outcome. I just kept on thinking "what else can I do to it?"

Supplies

-picture frame

-glass and glass

-mirrors

-scrap wood

-air pump tubing and accessories

-audio source

-monitor

-vga converter

-Firestick/media streaming device

-hdmi aux accessories wiring

-old desk chair or table

-Clear waterproof caulk and gun

-Glass cutter and wood cutting tools

-L.E.D. light strips -castor wheels

Step 1: Gather Materials

First of all I like to spend as little as possible. So i usually check for curb alerts (dumpster dive, recycle) and shop at goodwill clearance centers. Most of your needs can be found around the house as well. I started with old metal picture frames with glass. Glass, glass and more glass. I learned to cut my own glass to save money. Broke lots of it learning so you may need plenty. Also plenty of glass mirrors. I used scrap wood to hold the frame. You will need an aquarium air pump, tubing, nozzles, control valves, T-connectors etc for the air bubble flow. I used an old stereo but you will need some source of audio. The screen is an old monitor. I used a vga converter to connect a firecube for the visuals and a 3.5mm audio wire (aux cord) to connect to the stereo. I used an old desk (flipped upside down) for the stand and put some castors (wheels) on it. I used addressable (3 pin) L.E.D. lights. I used clear waterproof caulk and a caulk gun

Step 2: Framing the Bubblewall

Use the metal picture frames you sized the glass up for. It should fit perfectly around the sides. Line up the tubes coming from the bottom with the frame now mark the holes you need to make so the tubes can go thru the frame. Drill the holes and run the tubing thru. Once everything is lined up, caulk the frame, holes and bottom of the wall ans set to dry overnight. Next day i lined the sides and top with an L.E.D. strip that i cut to the size of the frame. I placed them between edges of the bubblewall and the frame so that the light shines inward towards the glass bubblewall. I tightened the two bottom corners of the frame into place and left the top kinda loose to add water as needed

Step 3: Making the Bubbewall

I started by taking one of the metal frames that had the most favorable dimensions (best size). I cut two sheets of glass to fit the frame. I then cut 12 (as even as possible)small strips to act as channels for the bubbles to flow in. On one of the precut sheets i lined up the small strips on top. One by one i used the caulk as adhesive on each strip to set and dry in position over night. The next day i stacked a second set of the small glass strips on top of the first layer of small glass strips to increase the space between the two sheets of glass. I let that set overnight as well. Here's where it got a little tricky. I cut thin short strips of glass to line the bottom of the wall. I placed the 2nd sheet on top to size up the small strips to create an entry for the tubes allowing for just enough room to fit. Once the pieces were cut i caulked the top of the strips (for the channels) and placed the 2nd sheet on top with some books to wiegh it down and let dry. I cut small strips of the tubing and lined them up with the thin short strips and sealed it all with the caulk and let dry overnight. Once the glass wall was done i tested for leaks by plugging the tubes and filling with water. Fix any leaks and always let dry overnight 24 hrs etc. You can connect the tubing and nozzle etc with the air pump and test it out this point and make adjustments accordingly.

Step 4: Building a Stand for the Frame

To do this i used scrap wood. I took two 2x4 strips of lumber cut at even lengths and cut a small chamber in the center to slide the frame into leaving some wood at the bottom of the chamber to still support the frame from the bottom. Once i could set the frame inside the chamber on both sides of the wood and it leveled out, i cut another strip of wood sized to go under the bubblewall and connect the two supporting peices of 2x4 lumber. I cut the hoses short leaving enough slack for the adjustable nozzles. I cut grooves in the center wood strip for placement of nozzles and giving them room for adjustment. Once it was sized up, i used the foam picture from the frame (you can use cardboard), as the bottom of the stand. I sized the foam pic up to the bottom and attached it with nails. slipped the wall and frame into the chamber. Once it was functional as a stand i cleaned it ip with left overs from the foam picture. Created a small storage in the back and enclosed it. Dress yours up as you see fit

Step 5: From Table Top to on Its Own

I could have stopped here but i didnt have a table to put it on. This where you can really get creative. The heart of the project is primarily done. All i did was take an old desk and flip it upside down. Yup, put its legs in the air and put some wheels on the bottom. I attached the legs to the bottom of the bubblewall stand which left me so much open space around the sides that i had to put a screen and infinity mirrors in to fill the gap. The table already had steel rods running around the legs for support. I wedged the monitor against the rods and ran a support beam under the monitor. Thats it! The sides were already set up for the addressable L.E.D. lights to line the inside. I just cut and glued the mirror to the inside and put some tinted glass in front of it to create the infinity effect. I just polished it up. Its not perfect but i just cleaned up everywhere it looked ugly.

Step 6: Wrapping It All Up

So once it was structured I punched a small hole in the bottom of the stand (foam picture bottom)and ran an air tube thru it. Underneath i connected the tube to a check valve then I cut a small tube strip and connected that to the air pump. The part of the tube above the stand (foam picture bottom). I connected to a T connector and ran two tubes the same size to each side of the bubblewall. Each control nozzle has to be connected so I cut small strips of tubing to fit between each nozzle. I also cut small strips of tubing to connect each nozzle to a T connector then I used the small strips I cut earlier to connect the T connectors in series. Filled it with water and adjusted the nozzles as needed. Some tubes would not blow bubbles based on others nozzles positions. Just gotta figure out how the pressure works and make adjustments accordingly. Connecting the stereo is just a matter of inputs and outputs. I also made a little case for the firecube to sit on out of cardboard and tape. I tried to keep everything up high in case of leakage. I also built a glass shelf for the front to hide the nozzles and still give access for adjustments. The backstorage panel was originally used to hold the air pump but when I made the bottom I decided to hide it inside at the back. Plus where it hangs there is no vibrations so I don't hear that annoying hum. i ran a second strip of L.E.D. lights on the back of the bubblewall frame around the sides and bottom. finally i placed a mirror behind it to create an infinity illusion