My first attempt at lithophane boxes

[brdad]

I made two identical lighted lithophane boxes, they will be given to the brothers featured on the lithophane (my new stepsons, many years older now). Since both are technically minded, I wanted a box where the lithophane could be easily removed, for hands on viewing.

The first three pics are of the box itself. I didn't use the CW for these, it was much easier on a router table. The lithopane is held in my a 5/15 slot cut on the sides, bottom, and top. The wood is maple, I think the stain was walnut, and I used tung oil instead of poly for the shine, I am not too good with poly. I am mostly happy with how they look, but appear a bit like a shrine or a tomb?

I had not decided if I was going to paint the inside of the boxes or not, and then I remembered I had a roll of aluminum tape. It is great stuff and I use it a lot for other projects, and you can't get more reflective! It was great to have two identical projects to compare lighting with and without the inside of the box being reflective. The last two pics somewhat show the difference between using the reflective tape or just leaving the dark wood inside. The first picture is with the tape; the second without. The pictures don't do great justice, but I can tell you the light is much more uniform and a bit brighter with the tape. definitely worth it, and possibly the aluminum dissipates any heat a bit. there is an 1/8 inch crack between the cover and the base to help any heat escape.

If you decide to use this tape, I recommend you make sure when you buy it is is aluminum; they make some that is plastic - just as shiny, but I feel the quality is better with the real stuff.

[Kenm810]

brdad,

Great job on the Lithos and the Dispaly cabinets
(look to nice to just call them light boxes)
and thanks for making me think about the aluminum tape
I have a roll of it and never thought to use it to reflect the light.

Thanks for sharing your project photos and ideas

[brdad]

Being the inquisitive guy I am, I ran both boxes for about two hours and then inserted a digital thermometer inside to see if there was a difference between the aluminum lined unit and the bare one.

With a 72° ambient air temperature, the bare box had an internal temperature of 93.1° and the aluminum lined one had an internal temperature of 91.7°. Not much difference, but I checked both a few times and got consistent results. I even swapped bulbs. So, my theory that the aluminum would help dissipate any heat appears to be true.

Now the only question is, how much will the bulb life be threatened by being run in this warmer environment? Tomorrow I will leave one box open and one closed, and read the temperature of the surface of the bulb, which will help determine the actual operating temperature of the light.

[Lin]

I have to say. Your project turned out great. Your box displays and the lithos themselves both are very nice. Thumbs up.
Lin

[HelpBot3000]

brdad, those came out wonderful! I am getting ready to jump in head first thanks to everyone on this forum and their information and try my hand at my first Litho. If that was your first attempt then I have new hope that I can get it right. :) I am anxiously awaiting your results with the aluminum tape and heat testing. Again, those boxes look awesome!

[brdad]

Thanks, this was not my first test of a litho, only the box - my fist lithos were not great, but most of the issue there was the material. Corian is much much better than acrylic.

Anyway I left the box without foil open and litho removed so the light would have good air flow and left the box with the foil closed. I Let them sit for a few hours to get to maximum temperature...

I was totally surprised by the results. The surface of the light in the open box was 138.8° and the light inside the closed box was 137.4°. They both ran warmer then I expected, but being inside the box amazingly didn't make the actual light run any warmer.

[Betty Woodall]

Very nice workmanship... BW