Thank you for your generous presentation and insights into design and materials. In the new world of all things mercenary it is refreshing to find someone who is not mercenary. Thank you for the time and effort you invested to share the solutions you developed. Bravo, Dale.
Wow, thank you! I was an Engineer at Caterpillar Inc. for almost 40 years, and I did thousands of experiments in new mfg processes or design technologies, so it is easy for me to do these types of studies.
Awesome video, lot's of useful details that people might not think about in the initial thought process when making something like this for a stained glass piece. I didn't think to look for physical clips to hold the light strips in when I made my box and I just used strips of duct tape to hold them in place. Since the piece I made was for me, I didn't see it as much of a issue if I have to fix it at some point if they fall. Now I'm going to have to pick up some of these clips at some point and attach them properly. I had a couple of thoughts on what I was going to do with the control box on my setup. After experimenting for a bit, I decided to gut the control box and just install the electronics from it on the inside. That option won't necessarily work for all projects; depending on glass used you might be able to see it. But it did make it easier for my needs. The remote for controlling the lights also still works through the 2 layers of glass of my project. Have a pigtail coming out that connects to the power supply. In regards to the various solderless connectors for led strip lights: yeah, all the ones I've tried suck. If you use strip lights that don't have any waterproofing (waterproofing adds a plastic coating on them that you have to scrap off before soldering) on them, it's fairly easy to solder them together if you need to. I used phone wire in the past, works nice since there's 4 wires in it and the rgb led's I used have 4 connections. Not sure if it's different on white led's or not. Hope my thoughts on this help some people.
Very interesting and well done. I wonder, if and when one did need a diffuser, whether white plexiglass would work. It comes in bright white and off white. Also, if warm LED lights would be more suitable for stained glass since they feel less "industrial" and more "natural" (like the sunlight associated with stained glass).
People claim they have found material types that work as diffusers for these LED strip lights, but I don't know what they are. Boy, I have never dug in and understand the different wavelengths of LED lights. When I bought the LED strips, I don't remember any options for type of light emitted.........but LED technology changes so rapidly they may be available now. Thanks !
I've seen vids of people using parchment paper and copy paper as diffusers under the stained glass panel and above the leds. I like the parchment idea. Currently working on a very complex project.
Dale: This was excellent and informative. I am working on a similar project right now. I have run into a few problems and some of them you have highlighted here. In my case, I used a flexible rope light which could accommodate your original LED design specs where you have the ability to flex the LEDs. I have noticed the bright spots as you pointed out in your video. I will look into the diffuser fabric idea and see how I can incorporate it. I also encountered the framing problem. I located Delphi Glass which sells the framing material also. I encountered another problem that you did not. I have some wood that is blocking the light at the bottom running the enter length. So, even though the light box is already completed, I 'think' I can make some adjustments to fix the problems that I see. The box that I created is made of decking material and I intend to stain it and hang the light box above the back door to my deck. I installed a new porch light which has an AC outlet that would allow me to plug it in. At the moment, it looks really nice. I did allow for adjustments inside the box for the purposes of framing it / securing it to the box. I believe the opening is big enough to accommodate the frame inside the box. Anyway, as I said, great video. I got a couple of ideas on how to make some adjustments. Best regards.
Hi Dale, great video. For a diffusion material you might try Shoot Through photography umbrella material or go to a theatrical gel company (Rosco or Lee) and see what diffusion gels they have. These gels can also be bought at camera stores.
I used this kind of diffusion fabric behind the glass and not over the LEDs: www.alzodigital.com/collections/light-modifiers/products/alzo-diffusion-fabric-white-60-inches-wide-by-the-yard
great video, lot of tips, thanks for making it. I wish there were a way to have the same brightness in a shallower frame like a picture frame (3/4" deep) but with the light technology we have today, it is not possible.
First off nice glass work. Lots of detailed pro/con info here and your website. I am intrigued on the diffuser panel search. I remember seeing someone take and sand the acrylic panel with their random orbit sander and a fine grit paper to make a diffuser. I might try and make one myself to see.
Here is a link to a new video, where a guy uses LED back lit panels, and puts them in a wood picture frame, another approach to lighting a stained glass panel. ruclips.net/video/kSQRbAMzPWc/видео.html
I got a catalog from Delphi Glass supply company today. They are now selling LED lit stained glass display panels. A little pricey at $133 for 8.5x11 inches and $213 for 16x20 inch. Plastic frame looks a little "chincey" in the pictures, at the 4 miter joints, give the relatively high price tag. Link is below....... www.delphiglass.com/display-findings/light-fixtures/8-5-x-11-led-display-panel
I recently finished my 2nd LED lighted stained glass panel project. You can watch a RUclips video of this project at........ dalemaley.webs.com/2021-led-old-city-hall
I was browsing Amazon and found a set of 3 LED lights, each about 12" long with diffusers on them. They might work for a LED lighted box, if your stained glass panel is large enough such that the light bars will fit in the box. Amazingcats [3 PACK] LED Under Cabinet Lighting Dimmable Under Counter Kitchen Lighting, Warm White, 3000K www.amazon.com/dp/B0797RCZ3R/ref=sspa_mw_detail_2?psc=1
I recently finished my 3rd LED lighted stained glass project which is a 1,000 year Cahokia Spider. You can watch a RUclips video of this project at.... dalemaley.webs.com/cahokia-sg-spider
I made a web page for this project when I did it back in 2018, but shortly after that I lost all the images because my web hoster went out of business. I redid the images today, and if you want to see this project on my web site, use this link to see the web page........ dalemaley.webs.com/bluebird-light-box
I did a new round of testing yesterday, using an under-counter LED bar, versus the strip lights I used on this video. To see my tests and their results, see my stained glass web page at: dalemaley.webs.com/light-box-experiments-apr-18
I recently built an LED lighted box to illuminate a stained glass panel with a lot of clear glass in the center. I did not want to see the LED hot spots, so I came up with a "wood dam" concept to prevent the human eye from seeing the bright spots. I made a RUclips video about this project at.... ruclips.net/video/ThP0WXAvO7g/видео.html
Thank you for your generous presentation and insights into design and materials. In the new world of all things mercenary it is refreshing to find someone who is not mercenary. Thank you for the time and effort you invested to share the solutions you developed. Bravo, Dale.
Wow, thank you! I was an Engineer at Caterpillar Inc. for almost 40 years, and I did thousands of experiments in new mfg processes or design technologies, so it is easy for me to do these types of studies.
Thank you so much for sharing. Have a piece that needs a light box but had no idea where to start. Inspired to get on and finish this.
You are so welcome!
Good luck on your project !!
Excellent description of your investigations and processes! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the video :) Thanks !!
Wow…. You did all the work for me…. Thanks for video!!!
Glad it helped!
Thank you so much. You’ve saved me a lot of trial and error.
Really detailed and informative video. I'll definitely be referencing this on my project.
Awesome video, lot's of useful details that people might not think about in the initial thought process when making something like this for a stained glass piece.
I didn't think to look for physical clips to hold the light strips in when I made my box and I just used strips of duct tape to hold them in place. Since the piece I made was for me, I didn't see it as much of a issue if I have to fix it at some point if they fall. Now I'm going to have to pick up some of these clips at some point and attach them properly.
I had a couple of thoughts on what I was going to do with the control box on my setup. After experimenting for a bit, I decided to gut the control box and just install the electronics from it on the inside. That option won't necessarily work for all projects; depending on glass used you might be able to see it. But it did make it easier for my needs. The remote for controlling the lights also still works through the 2 layers of glass of my project. Have a pigtail coming out that connects to the power supply.
In regards to the various solderless connectors for led strip lights: yeah, all the ones I've tried suck. If you use strip lights that don't have any waterproofing (waterproofing adds a plastic coating on them that you have to scrap off before soldering) on them, it's fairly easy to solder them together if you need to. I used phone wire in the past, works nice since there's 4 wires in it and the rgb led's I used have 4 connections. Not sure if it's different on white led's or not.
Hope my thoughts on this help some people.
Very interesting and well done. I wonder, if and when one did need a diffuser, whether white plexiglass would work. It comes in bright white and off white. Also, if warm LED lights would be more suitable for stained glass since they feel less "industrial" and more "natural" (like the sunlight associated with stained glass).
People claim they have found material types that work as diffusers for these LED strip lights, but I don't know what they are. Boy, I have never dug in and understand the different wavelengths of LED lights. When I bought the LED strips, I don't remember any options for type of light emitted.........but LED technology changes so rapidly they may be available now. Thanks !
I've seen vids of people using parchment paper and copy paper as diffusers under the stained glass panel and above the leds. I like the parchment idea. Currently working on a very complex project.
Dale: This was excellent and informative. I am working on a similar project right now. I have run into a few problems and some of them you have highlighted here. In my case, I used a flexible rope light which could accommodate your original LED design specs where you have the ability to flex the LEDs. I have noticed the bright spots as you pointed out in your video. I will look into the diffuser fabric idea and see how I can incorporate it. I also encountered the framing problem. I located Delphi Glass which sells the framing material also. I encountered another problem that you did not. I have some wood that is blocking the light at the bottom running the enter length. So, even though the light box is already completed, I 'think' I can make some adjustments to fix the problems that I see. The box that I created is made of decking material and I intend to stain it and hang the light box above the back door to my deck. I installed a new porch light which has an AC outlet that would allow me to plug it in. At the moment, it looks really nice. I did allow for adjustments inside the box for the purposes of framing it / securing it to the box. I believe the opening is big enough to accommodate the frame inside the box. Anyway, as I said, great video. I got a couple of ideas on how to make some adjustments. Best regards.
Glad you found the information useful :)
Matthew Swayne
Thanks for this detailed video. I'm wondering if the diffuser panel is frosted plexiglass?
Hi Dale, great video. For a diffusion material you might try Shoot Through photography umbrella material or go to a theatrical gel company (Rosco or Lee) and see what diffusion gels they have. These gels can also be bought at camera stores.
I used this kind of diffusion fabric behind the glass and not over the LEDs:
www.alzodigital.com/collections/light-modifiers/products/alzo-diffusion-fabric-white-60-inches-wide-by-the-yard
thank you so much for this video!
You're so welcome!
Thank You so much. This is very helpful.
Glad you found it useful information :)
Thanks for sharing!
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks
great video, lot of tips, thanks for making it. I wish there were a way to have the same brightness in a shallower frame like a picture frame (3/4" deep) but with the light technology we have today, it is not possible.
Thanks! LED technology changes every day, so maybe someday we will get a better selection of LED products to use on our stained glass projects :)
Thanks for the info
First off nice glass work. Lots of detailed pro/con info here and your website. I am intrigued on the diffuser panel search. I remember seeing someone take and sand the acrylic panel with their random orbit sander and a fine grit paper to make a diffuser. I might try and make one myself to see.
how about multiple layers of parchment paper/wax paper/ vellum paper?
I never tried parchment paper/wax paper, vellum when I did the testing. It might work, but you need a way to keep the paper flat in the box. Thanks :)
They are on Amazon.........Amazingcats [3 PACK] LED Under Cabinet Lighting Dimmable Under Counter Kitchen Lighting, Warm White, 3000K
Here is a link to a new video, where a guy uses LED back lit panels, and puts them in a wood picture frame, another approach to lighting a stained glass panel.
ruclips.net/video/kSQRbAMzPWc/видео.html
I got a catalog from Delphi Glass supply company today. They are now selling LED lit stained glass display panels. A little pricey at $133 for 8.5x11 inches and $213 for 16x20 inch. Plastic frame looks a little "chincey" in the pictures, at the 4 miter joints, give the relatively high price tag. Link is below.......
www.delphiglass.com/display-findings/light-fixtures/8-5-x-11-led-display-panel
For more details on this project, see my stained glass web site at:
dalemaley.webs.com/bluebird-light-box
I recently finished my 2nd LED lighted stained glass panel project. You can watch a RUclips video of this project at........
dalemaley.webs.com/2021-led-old-city-hall
I was browsing Amazon and found a set of 3 LED lights, each about 12" long with diffusers on them. They might work for a LED lighted box, if your stained glass panel is large enough such that the light bars will fit in the box.
Amazingcats [3 PACK] LED Under Cabinet Lighting Dimmable Under Counter Kitchen Lighting, Warm White, 3000K
www.amazon.com/dp/B0797RCZ3R/ref=sspa_mw_detail_2?psc=1
I recently finished my 3rd LED lighted stained glass project which is a 1,000 year Cahokia Spider. You can watch a RUclips video of this project at....
dalemaley.webs.com/cahokia-sg-spider
I made a web page for this project when I did it back in 2018, but shortly after that I lost all the images because my web hoster went out of business. I redid the images today, and if you want to see this project on my web site, use this link to see the web page........
dalemaley.webs.com/bluebird-light-box
I did a new round of testing yesterday, using an under-counter LED bar, versus the strip lights I used on this video. To see my tests and their results, see my stained glass web page at:
dalemaley.webs.com/light-box-experiments-apr-18
I recently built an LED lighted box to illuminate a stained glass panel with a lot of clear glass in the center. I did not want to see the LED hot spots, so I came up with a "wood dam" concept to prevent the human eye from seeing the bright spots. I made a RUclips video about this project at....
ruclips.net/video/ThP0WXAvO7g/видео.html