LED lit bases

[ChozoMufin]

Here's what I'm going for:



I want the sort of stonework/technology look for my bases.

NOW THEN. What I need is a translucent base, and a small light source that will fit in it. The site I looked at that did custom bases only makes solid ones; there's no room to put a light under them.

Is casting resin the only option? Sounds expensive, difficult, and messy.

Are there somehow pre-made lit bases?

Is this the right forum to ask?

(I tried searching, but this site's search function suuuuucks)

[charger450]

I don’t know if this is the right forum, but I’ll answer some of your quandaries.

Resin is a good option, but you’ll need a mold, and a good base sculpted. And if you are interested in some ideas for that let me know, but… of the top of my head I’d like to suggest maybe a more cost effective option.

Hot glue… ok hear me out? Good quality sticks will melt and dry translucent, and it’s workable with a knife, so you can cut your groves down, (maybe use a x-acto router blade) then dig out a whole for your light and poof. You have a translucent glowing material, cut and color to taste.

Let me know what you think.

[ChozoMufin]

that's actually quite a good idea. I had planned on putting green stuff on top of the base, molding & cutting it to the shape i want (basically flat surface with linear grooves for the light to shine through). So I would then cut through the actual base, replace that part with hot glue, and then stick a light source under it? is that what you're trying to say?

(by the way fire away with your ideas on the resin, I'm quite interested in that route now that i think about it)

the only problem i foresee with the glue is getting it to lie flat in the groove.... but other than that that's a fantastic idea for a translucent material...

and the problem of the light source still remains. any thoughts?

[Deadstar_MRC]

For something like this you'd probably want SMT (Surface Mount Technology, I think) LEDs. They're tiny - normally smaller than 3mm square, so will fit inside a base alright.

But I'm not sure how you'd power them, connect them or direct the light. Maybe you'd need a few of them?

If you can find a guy called Ein on this site - he has his own website and has done some light-up stuff. You might want to search for that and get some ideas.

That's all I've got for now, though. Not all that useful, I know...

[ChozoMufin]

awright, so the LED part of it looks promising. I bet even RadioShack would have all the parts I would need to build the light module. Only remaining problem: translucent bases/material to put in certain spots of the base.

I'm going to try out that hot glue idea on one, see how it comes out. I'll post pics If i get anything working.


(yea, I looked at EIN's stuff. Completely different than what I'm trying to do as far as the function of the LED's, but very cool.)

[kithre]

why not obtain some trasnparent rod and drill holes in the base where you want the light to come out, and then have the LED lighting up under the base, and using teh rods as "light pipes" - you may want to make the underside of teh base reflective so that it reflects light back into the rods...

[ChozoMufin]

it's not so much "holes" as lines... some lines would be circular or rounded, too, so i'm not sure how well that would work. I need something either workable, or something flat that i could replace the top of the base with.

[Shonuff]

this is how i'd do it.

Looking at your picture, the rock is solid..opaque as it were..with lines of glowing blue/green.

so..take a normal base.. and a very sharp sharp xacto blade.. carving out the lines and designs you want lit up. carve all the way through.. cutting holes into the base.
(with feet on the base, that doesn't leave much room for flourishes and circles and whatnot anyhow so..lines are good..angles are even better.)

once thats done, go grab a roll of clear packing tape (the stuff you make boxes closed to ship in the mail with. Use the strong somewhat stretchy kind, the other thin suff sucks.)son't use scotch tape..it won't hold.

pull off a length of tape and flip it upside down on your desk.. sticky side up.

drop your bases onto the tape upside down. top of base should be covered with tape.

cut around the bases leaving a circle of tape across the face of the tape.

do your gadget thing underneath...
turn it on..where you cut the lines.. the tape will glow!

[ChozoMufin]

So essentially i would be replacing parts of the base with tape. And if i wanted the glowing lines to be in grooves, i would put putty over it and cut the lines as i've been doing.... that should work. stability of the base would be a problem, i think, what with plastic being replaced with tape. Still, a solid idea. I'll try that too.