Introduction: Softbox Light
Easy to make circular + thin softbox light for photography or just to look cool in the corner of your room!
A softbox is a diffused light source often used in photography to add fill in light, gives a nice soft light...great for portraits and lighting objects.
Grab an old bicycle wheel and lets make our own...
Step 1: Get Your Bits Together
YOU WILL NEED
An old 26" road bike wheel + tyre
White lycra material with stretch in both directions of the material 750mm x 750mm - available at any good fabric shop
White cotton thread
'Stretch' needles for sewing stretchy material
Elasticated cord 1300mm in length is plenty
2no. A1 sheets mounting card 1x black 1x white
Tin foil sheet [roasting sheet]
LED light strip + transformer - Natural light 4500k 12v
Some wire to extend lead if required
Solder
Sash window security bolt+ bolt to fit thread or alternatively use a tripod mount screw [to be adapted]
Evo Stick Strong Stuff glue mastic tube - also available as squeezable tube
TOOLS
Hacksaw or multitool with cut off blade
Sewing machine
Solder iron
General tools - knife, scissors...
Drill + drill bits or hole punches
Step 2: An Old Wheel?
The light is based around an old road bike wheel...
...the old tyre will act as an outer edge cover and give a soft outer edge to the light unit...
...if you want a more rugged look go for a mountain bike wheel + tyre.
Remove all of the spokes and the hub...
...either unscrew or cut out with a multi tool + cut off blade as I did.
Step 3: Card
The backing to the light is formed with mounting card...
...black on one side [so not to unduly bounce external light] and white on the inside to reflect the light [if not using foil].
Lay the wheel rim on the card and mark out the circle...
...and cut out with a sharp knife.
The mounting card I had was slightly too short on its width...
...cut out some fill in bits and tape to the main piece on the inside face.
Take a second piece of mounting card and mark + cut out the wheel rim circle on the white side...
...mark a line in 40mm from the edge...
...and cut out.
This ring will form a light baffle to stop the LED lights from being seen directly through the fabric
Step 4: Rim + Bolt
Remove the inner tube from the wheel rim...
...use the valve hole for the attachment bolt.
The idea is to be able to attach the softbox light to a tripod.
A standard camera/tripod uses 1/4"-20 UNC thread.
It is possible to buy tripod mount screws that could be adapted though I found that a sliding window security bolt has the same thread.
Remove the locking spindle and use the internally threaded barrel...
Find a bolt with the corresponding thread and bolt through the wheel rim...
...the security bolt barrel will be long enough to span the tyre width.
Step 5: Light It Up
From my research online a Natural colour 4500k LED light strip is the best for photography...
...buy one with a transformer and the LED light connector [I have put a link of the one a used in the material list]
Poke the LED light connector wires through a spoke hole next to the attachment bolt [old valve hole]...
...remove the adhesive tape backing...
...and stick to the inside of the wheel rim.
Cut the light strip to length.
LED light strips have points along the length marked with a 'scissor' symbol where it can be cut to length [normally every third LED]
Plug it in to test that it is all working
Step 6: To FOIL or Not to FOIL!
The white of the backing card would act as a good reflector...
...though I was advised that scrunched up foil gives a better broken diffused light.
Lay out some lengths of roasting foil over the back board...
...scrunch up...
...and carefully flatten out...
...giving a textured finish to bouncy that light.
Add spray mount glue to the backing board and stick down the foil...
...trimming off the excess with a sharp knife
Step 7: Glue It
Glue the cardboard back and front light baffle to the wheel rim.
I found that a glue mastic formulated to stick to metal worked best, though hot glue or epoxy glue would work as well.
Step 8: Stretchy
The front of the light will have a white fabric cover to help diffuse the light.
Choose a Lycra based material that has stretch in both directions.
You want to cut out a circle slightly smaller than the wheel rim...
...Stretch out the material to the required tautness [slightly taut] and clamp out the corners to hold in place.
Mark around the wheel rim and cut out the circle.
Step 9: Sewing
The material will be stretched over the wheel rim and held in place with some elastic cord or tape.
This can be sewn by hand though a sewing machine makes the job a lot quicker.
Load up the white cotton thread and fit a 'Stretch' type needle...designed for stretchy materials
Sew a hem a few centimeters long...
...and thread your elastic through this pocket...
...continue sewing using the elastic cord as a guide.
This technique saves having to thread the elastic through the hem afterwards.
Tie off the elastic and trim ends
Step 10: Wiring
As I also want to use this light as an ambient light in my sitting room I didn't want to see the black transformer cable trailing down to the floor...
...so solder some nicer looking thinner wire [suitable for 12v] to the LED light connectors...
...protect with electrical tape or electrical shrink wrap.
Stretch the white fabric diffuser over the front of the wheel rim
Cuttwo holes in the tyre for the attachment bolt + the wire to poke through the tyre...
...I used some hole punches though a suitable drill bit will give results as well.
Thread the LED light wire through its hole...
...and offer up the tyre to the attachment bolt, poking it through...
...carefully ease on the tyre over the rim...
...giving a nice finish to the edge and robustness in use.
Step 11: Switch On!
Get out your tripod...
...attach the Softbox...
...and switch on
Step 12: All Lit Up
Above are some test shots with the Softbox light
Step 13: Enjoy!
This was a great project and really easy to build...
...I hope you enjoyed it and will may make your own...
...I am entering this project into the Lights Competition and the Photography Competition.
If you have enjoyed this project, I would really appreciate your vote..
or if you really enjoyed it maybe you will vote in both competitions! Many thanks.
This project is part of my YouTube channel where I try to make cool and interesting projects.
Please check out my channel if you want to see more of the projects, if not there will be more coming to Instructables soon.
Why not check out what I am up to with pricklysauce.com
And also catch me on Facebook + Twitter
and now on Instagram!
Second Prize in the
Lights Contest 2017
Second Prize in the
Photography Contest 2017
24 Comments
5 years ago
Cool DIY softbox, but if I got material with an image of the moon on it, it would make a cool wall lamp/ceiling nightlight too...
Reply 5 years ago
Funny you should think that...my original idea was to make it into a 'moon light' as a 'mood' light for the sitting room though when making I realised that it worked well as a softbox light . Should work well for both...maybe double sided? Let me know how you get on.
6 years ago
If you attached 2 bicycle rims together (either weld or bolt them together) you could potentially put another LED strip in the softbox... also if you have a 3d printer you could just 3d print the frame... although I have to say that making it instead of printing it would be more fun... nice job! I would have never thought of making this!
Reply 6 years ago
Thanks Ryan - good ideas, also could make the front baffle a bit wider and add more LED strips to it.
As is, it isn't the brightest Softbox-Light out there though it does give a nice infil light for videoing in my cramped workshop, I just don't have the space for a deep softbox.
Works well in confined space and the tyre protects it from workshop knocks.
I have two smaller wheels from the illuminated sign project that I may try out your idea of how!ting together for a smaller light. Cool.
6 years ago
GReat work
Reply 6 years ago
Hey thanks Baptistel
6 years ago
Nice!
Reply 6 years ago
Thanks
6 years ago
Great work sir , so very well explained with pics and gifs , the idea just glided in to the mind leaving almost no doubts or questions .The time devoted to prepare the instructable well deserves a prize .
Reply 6 years ago
Prashant you are very kind...my aim is to make my Instructables as engaging and concise as possible... I'm glad it is working for you. Thank you for your support.
6 years ago
really cool
6 years ago
less work to buy a softbox? yes
but 3211x less cool too.
What a fantastic end result!
Please keep up the less than easy work!
Reply 6 years ago
Thank you Groice
6 years ago
We can only presume you had the bicycle wheel lying about. But what if you did not? and still wanted to do this fun project. I jumped to Amazon and found this, https://www.amazon.com/Pizza-Screen-Outside-Diam-E...
a 24" flat pizza screen. then get a sheet of 24"x24" mylar film, and a 24" Pizza pan. Pop rivet the two pans to a fab'd bracket you make with the bolt and wire hole. Hot glue the mylar to the pan in back. Make concentric rings of hanger wire and hotglue rings of led's onto those. Stretch the white fabric across the pizza screen.
Fun project, Or buy two 24" linco softbox lights for $50, Or buy the lights and the pizza pans - take pics of making the pizza with the lights and do an instructable of pizza making.
Reply 6 years ago
Hey Citcgroome - yes I do have a few old bikes hanging about that are really cool for repurposing.
I like your idea...post some photos if you make it.
6 years ago
F***k S+ARK! You rock! :D
6 years ago
Interesting but way too much work. Just buy a soft box. By the time you'd collect the parts and do the work--the commercially made box could have been used several times. Plus, the LED strip lights don't have the lumen output to make this box practical past a few feet. Fun project if you want to tinker. Anyone who needs a softbox for serious work should look elsewhere. Still, clever repurposing of materials. Thanks for sharing.
Reply 6 years ago
Not enough + not enough + not enough + not enough + not enough + not enough + not enough + not enough = better than store bought.
Ok. Even less than that.
But you get the point...
Reply 6 years ago
Have no clue what you point is.
Reply 6 years ago
Interesting but way too much work. >> But it's fun!
Plus, the LED strip lights don't have the lumen output to make this box practical past a few feet >> So use more LED strips...
Fun project if you want to tinker. Anyone who needs a softbox for serious work should look elsewhere. >> Agreed! :)