Light boxes for display of stained glass

Ceiling flourescent fixture boxes work really well... sorry.

Yeah, I've figgered as much. But we've got odd sizes... and she won't settle for anything that might be that deep... using the entire fluorescent fixture. I'm just trying to put off designing them and paying a zillion dollars to have 'em built.

Thanks tho... -----

- gpsman

The problem is that anything that provides even lighting has got to have enough depth to keep the number of lamps from being rediculous. Even fluorescent light boxes are going to be a problem if much of the glass is pretty clear - there will have to be a layer of white plexiglass between the lamps and the glass to produce an evenly lighted background or the box will have to be bigger than the glass so the lamps are concealed by the rim and shine on to a white back panel.

----- I'm a little concerned about diffusion. I'm kinda thinking of lots of little lights... and ignoring their color. And cutting a hole or 2 in the diffuser to maybe get a highlighted area. Just thinking about it makes me dizzy. I'm not surprised nobody does it.

Thanks for you 'put. -----

- gpsman

One of the reasons that you are going for a uniform box of light is to let the glass artistry show. One of the reasons people put stained glass inside clear glass windows is the alive and varying aspects of daylight make the window look different throughout the day, which is missing with a uniform box. Lots of little lights will put lots of little spots behind the more transparent parts of the glass. If you want to build a big box and project a varying pattern of light, that might be interesting, but you didn't want a big box, as I recall.

Mmmm... interesting...

I don't want a box at all.

I want to forget about the damn things until we rehab this house... or the next one, installing them as windows. But I don't exactly run things around here. I am subject to the whim and whimsey of "she who must be obeyed".

But you got me thinking on a little different track of using only a few lights, obviously creating hot spots or as I prefer to think of them, "highlighted points" letting the rest of the light fall where it may and calling it my artistic interpretation.

Thanks again. -----

- gpsman

I made a light box "bar" sign (not sg) for a friend.... used x-mas lights. you'll still need a little depth or you'll get super hot spots.... If you get the kind that can blink/crossfade on various patterns, you might have a nice shimmer effect.

Don't completely enclose things... don't want the heat to build.