Introduction: LED HEARING PROTECTION EARMUFFS
I like to dance but the music volume at all venues is way, way over my
tolerance level. Therefore I wear earplugs and earmuffs. That can look a little dorky, so I decided to make it look a LOT dorky by adding some LED bling.
Step 1: LED HEARING PROTECTION EARPHONES
Things you will need:
Hearing protection earmuffs (not headphones) (Harbor Freight or similar)
Battery-operated LED color changing light string (eBay)
Only a portion of this string is working because they have been thorough several Christmas seasons. That makes them ideal for this project.
Battery holder, 3 AAA with switch (Radio Shack or similar)
Hot glue gun
Black paint
Step 2: Replace Battery Box
Typically, battery-operated LED string lights operate on 3 AA batteries. The AA battery case is too large to fit inside the ear muffs so it is necessary to replace it with a 3 AAA battery case with a switch.
Step 3:
Remove the foam in one of the earmuffs and insert the 3 AAA battery case.
Step 4: Hot Glue LED Lights
I cut my string of lights to have 22 operating LEDs. They are arranged around the outside of one earmuff, over the headband, and around the other earmuff. The LEDs and excess wire are secured to the earmuffs with a hot glue gun.
Step 5: Paint
After all of the LEDs and wire are hot glued to the earmuffs, it looks a bit messy, somewhat like large blobs of clear chewing gum stuck all over the earmuffs. I painted them black with an artist paintbrush and used Rust-Oleum Leak Seal Flexible Rubber Coating because it is a very heavy paint that smooths out the gloppyness of the hot glue and is flat black. This comes in a spray can and I sprayed a couple of tablespoons into the cap and then used a brush.
Step 6:
To keep the ear muffs from rotating and possibly breaking the delicate wire, I hot glued a piece of stiff wire between the earphone and the headband. There is no electrical connection.
Step 7:
These look a whole lot better at night than they do up close in the daytime. With earplugs, these are major hearing saver devices. And if you can, add a costume and bubbles to go with them, even better.
