Film sildes
Photographers and hobbyists who have boxes of slides that need to be organized and digitized may find it useful to create a portable and inexpensive light box to illuminate slides. You can build a light box using materials from home improvement and budget furnishing stores. The light box provides a stable surface to hold slides and backlighting to view the images so you can take a digital photograph of the slide. You can also adapt this light box design to meet needs beyond viewing slides, such as creating a lighted picture frame, tracing surface or small, lighted display.
Instructions
1. Choose a picture frame with wide sides (such as 3 or 4 inches all around) to create a table-like top over the light box.
2. Turn the picture frame over so that the glass is facing down and place on a flat surface.
3. Remove the back plate of the picture frame that holds the picture in place.
4. Measure the area at least 1/2 inch from the picture opening (this should be slightly larger than the picture size). For example, the measurement for an 8-by-10 picture is 9-by-11.
5. Glue the glass to the frame and set it aside to dry and cure completely.
For extended use, consider replacing the glass in the picture frame with a clear, thick plastic panel (cut to the same size as the glass) and glue this sheet to the inside edges of the frame.
6. Cut the wood to the measured lengths from Step 4. For example, a measurement of 9-by-11 requires cutting two lengths of 9 inches and two lengths of 11 inches.
7. Drill a 1-inch hole on each side of a long length of wood, approximately 2 inches from the end, to accommodate the power cord for each of the LED lights.
8. Assemble the four pieces of wood to create an open box.
9. Secure the corners and sides of the box using wood screws.
10. Paint the interior walls of the box with two coats of white paint and allow to dry completely.
11. Install the compact, under-the-counter LED light fixtures on the inside of each of the shorter sides of the box. Make sure to center the light fixture horizontally and vertically on the panel and orient the light fixture so that the power cord is on the same side as the drilled holes.
12. Thread the power cords through the drilled holes and plug into a power strip.
13. Place the picture frame face down and place the light box on top of the frame. Trace an outline of the corners of the light box on the back of the picture frame.
14. Remove the light box and attach the corner brackets to the picture frame to create a guide to hold the frame top in place.
15. Turn the frame over and place on top of the light box, making sure the corner brackets fit around the outside corners of the light box.
16. Cut the translucent plastic glass to fit the picture size (for example, 8-by-10).
17.Remove the protective film on the plastic glass and place on top of the glass surface.
18. Plug the power cord of the power strip into an outlet and turn on the LED lights.
19. Place slides on top of the plastic glass to view the back-lit images.
Tags: picture frame, plastic glass, power cord, corner brackets, corners light, down place, drilled holes