My First Lithopane

[Chris Reid]

Hey everyone I decided to build Christmas gifts this with my cw this year. It is mid Jan and I am still not done with 1 of them. Mainly because of some Y-Axis stalls. Don't want to have another problem on a $60 piece of corain. Anyways here are some pics of the one I made for my mother in law. It is my wife and daughter. The only thing actually done on the cw was the corian, but that will change as I finish up these next ones.

The actual corian is 8x11 (image is 8x10). I have some more corian lithos that are done, just havn't built the lightbox frames yet. I will post more as I get them completed.

here are some links to hi rez versions:
lith01 (http://www.monkeyshltfight.com/public/stephandcora.lithopane/stephandcora.lithopane01.jpg)
lith02 (http://www.monkeyshltfight.com/public/stephandcora.lithopane/stephandcora.lithopane02.jpg)
lith03 (http://www.monkeyshltfight.com/public/stephandcora.lithopane/stephandcora.lithopane03.jpg)

It is tough to get the look of the litho with a camera. The energy emitted from the corian creates a hotspot where the lights intersect. This doesn't exist in reality. Oh well, it gets the point across anyways.
here is a pic of a thicker first sample I did as a test. It is held in front of a more diffused light. This is more how the others look with the naked eye.
lith_ThickerSample01 (http://www.monkeyshltfight.com/public/stephandcora.lithopane/sac.thickdiffuse01.jpg)

[DocWheeler]

Chris,

Very nice Daddy.
I have a couple of questions. What are you using for the light source.
And, where are you that your edit was an hour before me in EST?

While doing some clean-up I found some sockets for florescent bulbs that slip down into the rectangular sockets, I'm going to try those. I think that some silverd mylar or foil behind the bulb would help also when I'm done.

[Durtdawber]

Nice job...I really like the light box.

[Chris Reid]

DocWheeler -
I did a lot of testing on different lights and thickness's of materials to generate the right effects. These are very important to control the light and darks. Distance and diffusion if the light play a large part, along with safety ... you don't want these things to get so hot they ignite.
I am using 2 cabinet lights from home depot. ( I attached an image for you)
Package Label:
3 pack Xeon Task and Accent Light Kit
prod# 837 140

I have 2 of these in there at about 5 to 6 inches from the corian. I will post an internal picture when I go over to their house and can one. I angled both of them towards different spots so they would light up how I wanted. These lights will get hot so that is why I decided to go with the open top. I tried rope lights, fluorescents, candles , halogen , LED's ... tried them all and all will work, it just depends on the energy of the emmitting source, their distance, and the thickness of the corian. Be careful if you use rope lights (very deceiving)... they actually got hot enough to melt the plastic they were in. Fluorescents were definitely the coolest/safest. I just couldn't get them into the shape I had designed. Their energy is very diffused also so you will surely need the reflective material behind.

If you make one, make your image a specific width and height that you can reproduce. Then make your corian removable. This way you can reuse the box. I did this because it was a headache to laminate and bend the wood I used. So next year for xmas, they get a slate of carved corian.

As for the time, I am in LA.

[LittleRedWoodshop]

I would like to talk to you at length about how this whole process went together...what you are doing is the reason that I bought my machine in the first place. I want to do portraits of my parents (lost them both in the last 2 years, both were 61) Please Email me or call at your convenience.

Thank you,
Jason

www.LittleRedWoodshop.com (http://www.LittleRedWoodshop.com)

CompuCarve@yahoo.com

Edit: removed phone number per forum rules

[hamburgrd]

I know I posted these before but I thought I would share them again. I use a flourecent puck light from lowes in a 4" deep box on this 5x7. I have run this litho for 6 weeks without turning it off and it was just barely warm to the touch.

[hartwoods]

Hi Jason,
I have done a few lithopanes I use the ___kiss method which is keep it simple stupid.I start by taking photo to a photo program like Adobe and change from color to black and white then invert the black and white photo. This will carve the lighter portions deeper and the darker parts will be carved higher allowing the light to resemble a photo. I use 1/4 inch corian depth set at .160 and height at 100 this seems to work well. You can see my few lithos at www.touchingheartsagain.com. I hope this helps you there are many fine people on this board who will gladly help as you learn but you seem to have the machine down preety well .Great looking signs you have done so far.

Best Regards
Don Hart www.touchingheartsagain.com

[Dan-Woodman]

Are you guys carving on the back of the corian and keeping the flat side out or what?
thanks Daniel

[hartwoods]

Dan I have always carved with the carving to the outside facing your view.Don

[rogone]

hamburgrd, what color of corian did you use? In the first picture without the backlight it looks like a tan color but in the third picture with the backlight it looks white.

[pkunk]

Here's a Corian question. The 1/2" stuff is considerably cheaper on EBay than the 1/4". Any problem is planing it down? I have a 3hp 15" planer with a carbide Shelix cutterhead.

[hamburgrd]

DO NOT PLANE CORIAN. YOU MIGHT AS WELL PUT GLASS IN YOUR CARVER TOO. LOL If you do try anyhow will you please set up a video camera so I can see the outcome.:p you know after thinking about it. I bet a belt or drum sander will work if you take little bites and speed up the feed rate.

[hamburgrd]

The color of my corian is glacier white but bone works too. The lighting in my kitchen gives the amber look.

[Bubbabear]

pkunk i would think if you had or could find one a widebelt sander would do the trick. just dang those are not cheap either but would be an option. local cabinet shop here going out of business i am going to try and get their big sander. hopefully the guy will treat me decent on it. since my dad basically gave him that cabinet shop 18 years ago.

[HighTechOkie]

DO NOT PLANE CORIAN. YOU MIGHT AS WELL PUT GLASS IN YOUR CARVER TOO. LOL If you do try anyhow will you please set up a video camera so I can see the outcome.:p you know after thinking about it. I bet a belt or drum sander will work if you take little bites and speed up the feed rate.

Why do you think Corian should not be planed? I see nothing in its chemical makeup that might cause a problem. Especially with a beast of a planer Paul is using, that helix carbide toothed head should clean up saw marks beautifully.

I like the idea of using a belt or drum sander better though as its much cheaper to replace some sandpaper than that helix head. :) You could also sand with a random orbital sander.

Rob

[pkunk]

Well, I have a 37" sander, too. My thoughts are that Corian has plastic in it's makeup and the sander would melt it wheras the planer would do it's shearing/cutting action. If you can rout it at 25,000 rpm, cut it on a saw, why not the planer?

[Bubbabear]

pkunk it would be something you could try if you are that brave. I did find some almost good comments on planeing. but forgot to get the URL's

[oldjoe]

I tried a piece of UHMD in a planer not a good idea stuck it in and it bucked and kicked and would not feed it just spit it back out at me. I think the reason for this is wood is made up of fibers and plastic isn't and you can cut it route it and carve it because the cutting surface is so small compaired to the length of the cutting blades on a planer. Maybe those fancy planers with the replaceable carbide triangles would work but a regular planner knife may as well put in a piece of Glass.
The other thing in a planer I think the material was too flexable and it was trying to lift up under the blades. Not sure on that theory but I will leave that one for Mythbusters to figure out.
Just thought I would share my own experiences on that subject. Sometime in the long run it is better to spend the extra money.

[rogone]

I tried a piece of UHMD in a planer not a good idea stuck it in and it bucked and kicked and would not feed it just spit it back out at me. I think the reason for this is wood is made up of fibers and plastic isn't and you can cut it route it and carve it because the cutting surface is so small compaired to the length of the cutting blades on a planer. Maybe those fancy planers with the replaceable carbide triangles would work but a regular planner knife may as well put in a piece of Glass.
The other thing in a planer I think the material was too flexable and it was trying to lift up under the blades. Not sure on that theory but I will leave that one for Mythbusters to figure out.
Just thought I would share my own experiences on that subject. Sometime in the long run it is better to spend the extra money.

Joe, the other reason you may have had a problem with UHMD (and I think the flexability issue is the other main part) is that UHMD by design is a fairly friction free product and therefore your planner can't really get a grip on it. A planner depends, in part, on friction to help move a product through the machine. Corian should not have this problem, or at least to the degree that UHMD does. Just my thoughts.

[oldjoe]

That is a good point I never even thought of that issue.
Thank You
Another fine example of all the brilliant people that are on this forum.

[Ultragraphic]

Hi Don,
I'm trying to email you about a Litho but your email keeps bouncing. It seems AOL thinks my SP "Cogeco" is spam. Do you have another email account?
Thanks,
Keven