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I picked up some transparent plexiglass and the lithophane effect did not work. Is it because it was a transparent sheet to start with so too much light comes through or because it is plexiglass or both?
Can some spell out exactly what material I need and maybe a good place to get sheets.
It's because it's transparent. Most use corian (white or bone) to carve litho's. Either 1/4" or 1/2" (I've only used 1/4") seems to work and most seem to buy on ebay--do a search and you'll find sellers offering 8x10" sheets. You'll also find posts on here with Corian or equivalent periodically. I'm sure other's will respond with their favorite sources. Below is an example
http://cgi.ebay.com/3-Pcs-1-4-Corian...item439e964b1b
Watch using plexiglass - it can ruin the machine - always use CAST acrylic.
That said, take your random orbit sander (assuming you have one) and buff the backside of your piece until it's opaque (really as cloudy as you can make it).
Or, you could try a thin coat of white (or other light colored) spray paint - on the backside, NOT the carved side. The paint will still allow light to come through, and the carved areas will allow more light than un-carved areas. Too much light, add another coat of paint.
Ain't the best, but it can save your project. As George said, bone or white corian is the way to go.
I picked up a 1/2" thick piece. Can corian be cut with a standard table saw blade? If so, is it better to cut/rip a 1/2" piece down to 1/4" thickness or to just carve it deeper to get the lighting effect?Quote:
Originally Posted by gwhiz
Start here - should answer some of your questions:
http://forum.carvewright.com/showthr...ighlight=worth
I would be remiss not to point out that MY favorite source for material to make lithophanes would be HERE:
http://store.carvewright.com/home.php?cat=259
;) wink!!
Thanks, but already reviewed that. He used 1/2" corian and carved to a depth of 0.4". Sounds like a lot of carving and waste created by the machine. I didn't see anything on what other cutting tools that could be used get the pieces ready for the carver. Also looking for opinions on ripping 1/2" material down to 1/4" or should I just deal with the extra time/wear-n-tear of carving deeper into the 1/2" material.Quote:
Originally Posted by cnsranch
Thanks
My guess is that the only way to take 1/2" Corian down to 1/4" is to run it thru a band saw, and re saw it. Table saw wouldn't be prudent, unless you don't care to keep your fingers.
Some have used a planer, but, obviously, you lose the use of what the planer's shaving away.
Your original question was...
"is it better to cut/rip a 1/2" piece down to 1/4" thickness or to just carve it deeper to get the lighting effect?"
My answer is that it's better to carve it deeper than try and cut/rip it (unless you have the appropriate band saw).
A palm sander with, say, 120 grit paper will sand away the blade's marks if you do re-saw.
I use high density polyethylene sheeting, it carves nicely but it's messy. Its comes in different colors and it's alot cheaper then corian
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/ite...3869&catid=705
Try searching the word corian and put quotes around the word "corian" or try this link... http://forum.carvewright.com/showthr...ghlight=corian
CJ
Does anyone have a picture or diagram for a Lithophane box. I want to try making one using a picture. How do I make the box and what type of light is used?
Thanks,
Leo
I carved some 12x18 corian I bought from LHR yesterday and it turned out just fine-- flat and accurately cut.Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnfrwd
My only complaint would be that both pieces have the black factory writing on the back--and it was pretty dirty with some surface staining. It sands out just fine, but for $111 for 2 pieces of corian I expected already prepped material-- not a real biggie though
Does anyone know of a good substance for cleaning the ink off of corian without damaging it? (other than sanding) (and its not acetone, DAMHIKT)
Lawrence
I'm working on a BIG (12x18) one right now and am using white Christmas LEDs-- they are working REALLY well for VERY little money (under $20). I'll be posting pics very soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by nuchie
Lawrence
Lawrence
Try using a little bit of Acetone to wipe off the writing. This has worked for me in the past when I made desk sets.
Hi Lawrence,
If you want to avoid Acetone, try the Mr. Clean "Magic Erasers". They are a sponge-like white pad and with a little water and some rubbing, should remove the factory markings.
Leo, take a look at my litho box and how I set it up. These work out really well and with it being LED's they don't get hot and are low voltage which makes it safe around kids and pets. http://s881.photobucket.com/albums/a...%20Lithopanes/
All my lights, plugs, and power supply I pick up on ebay. I buy the lights on a reel of 300 lights for around $25. These lights can be cut to length (groups of 3) and wires soldered to the solder points provided on the circuit board.
CarverJerry
My favorite material for lithophanes has been 1/4" Corian in bone. It gives the finished image a sepia-like appearance which can be further enhanced depending on the light source. I went to a local shop that builds and installs custom countertops in Corian (and other materials) and they told me Corian had discontinued bone as one of their color options. Has anyone else heard this? I don't want to start a multi-pane project only to find I have to switch materials, or colors, half way through.
I Googled and found this,Quote:
they told me Corian had discontinued bone as one of their color options
Dupont Corian Colors to be Discontinued
In 2010 Dupont Corian will discontinue 35 colors. These colors will be added to the Dupont color library which means you will still be able to order them in large quantitites but they will not be a part of the standard palette of Dupont Corian colors.
Dupont believes that this change will help strengthen their brand and highlight the uniqueness of the materials they offer, setting them apart from "me too" colors and brands. Dupont plans to introduce 10 New colors in 2010:
The Discontinued Corian Colors are:
Aloe Vera, Aruba, Atlantis, Beachglass, Beige Fieldstone, Black Quartz, Blackberry Ice, Bone, Burnt Amber, Camel, Caribbean, Delta Sand, Desert Springs, Dusk, Eclipse, Egyptian Copper, Everest, Festival, Gobi, Gravel, Macadam, Mediterranean, Midnight, Mont Blanc, Oyster, Pearl Gray, Pepper Ivory, Prairie, Raw Silk, Rye, Stone Washed, Terra, Tumbled Glass, Whitecap, and Winter Wheat.
Attachment 45704Attachment 45705
I was a Walmart today and found these 2 cutting boards that sell for 5.97 and 6.97. Do these look like they might carve to make a Litho? Just wondering.........
Well OK... these are not the boards, but the labels of what they're made of.
I found a source for cast acrylic sheets and they come in translucent colors and I wonder if anybody thinks this stuff is a good price?
Here is the link: https://www.inventables.com/categori...erials/acrylic
I have made cut outs of letters with this stuff and painted the edges black with that rust-oleum plastic paint (I used the backing on the sheet as a mask after cutting out the edges with an exacto knife). The letters came out really nice but the guy from the company asked if I would be needing thicker sheets. I don't know if this stuff would be good for lithos or not. What do you guys think?
Alan
I tried a couple lithopanes with the cast acrylic from the Carvewright store, and my results were pretty bad. The carve bit kept on getting glops of soft acrylic stuck to it, which made for regions of "muddy" carving. And the final result was not clear enough to see the image through. I haven't tried Corian yet, but I did get some acrylic from another source and will try that as well.
@ mwolf, I have carved several lithos using cast acrylic and never had the material glob up on me. I would either say you do not have "Cast" acrylic or maybe your tool is really dull. My last litho had lines in it because the carving tool was getting dull but it did'nt glob up at all and I was using cast acrylic. You may want to contact who you purchased it from to make sure they sold you cast and not just plain extruded acrylic material.
I got the material from Carvewright! With the holidays and colder weather, I haven't had time to get the machine out in a couple of months. I'll let you know if I get better results from other material, or a newer bit, when the weather warms up a bit.