Expecto Patronum! Create Your Own Patronus

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and had the chance to participate in a gift exchange. I created a unique and individual patronus for my exchange friend. I loved it so much that I thought I would share it so that everyone may create their own power of protection.

Step 1: Materials

The materials list:

Sheet of acrylic (12" x 8" x 0.25")
Sheet of good both sides plywood (20" x 30" x 0.25")
LED strip lights
Wood glue
Clamps
12V/1.5A AC/DC transformer

I am fortunate to be able to use the laser machine at our local Maker Space. All of the parts have either been etched or cut using the laser machine.

Step 2: Step 1: Image

I used an image from the Internet and altered it by elongating the wing tips and claws and adding smoke to make it appear more like a Patronus.

I added the text using this free Harry Potter font.

Don't forget to reverse your image before sending to the laser machine. The finished product will look better with the image coming through from the back.

Step 3: Step 2: Etching

I took the plexiglass to my local Maker Space and used the laser machine to etch the image. The settings are set to raster, 600 dpi, Stucki quality and bottom to top. Again, you will want to reverse the image before sending to the laser machine.

I chose to use bottom-to-top as the smoke tends to stick more to the plexiglass. While it will be washed it is just one less step

Step 4: Step 3: the Box

I followed steps 3 and 4 from this Instructable that I had created previously for the box and LED lights.

I chose this quote because I thought that it was the perfect Harry Potter quote for this project. I added it to the front panel of the box using the laser machine.