How to build a Lightbox

The very best way to build your own lightbox is to get yourself one of these:

These are optional extras…

Here are a few measurements for a decent sized lightbox.  For the base you will need a piece of MDF that is 390 x 382 mm.  2 sides of 390 x 150 mm, 2 sides of 350 x 150 mm.  The MDF is 15 mm thick. You will also need a piece of perspex that is 355 x 350 mm to fit into the top.  Get the men at the shop to cut it up for you – they have big machines to do all the work for them, they just measure the wood and press a button.   Wish we had one of those.

You will also need some little flouro lights, a switch, an electricity cord – and a person (see above) who will fit them all together for you.

Once the box has been built and you have turned the electricity back on (maybe your husband didn’t know as much about wiring the lights and switch together as he thought he did) it’s nearly done.  It’s your turn now.  Don’t worry, all the hard work has been done for you.  Get yourself an iron (one of those cute little quilting irons is perfect) and some iron-on melamine edging. A brayer is good for pressing it down too.  Cut about a million little strips to cover all the edges that are left unfinished and use the iron to melt the glue on the edging strip.  Prepare yourself, it sounds easy but it takes forever and your arm will hurt at the end of it.  Don’t forget to tell your husband how hard you worked, he will really appreciate hearing it.

Pretty soon, you will have one of these.  Hopefully without listening to too much swearing.  And all you had to do was bring him a cool drink, keep the kids out of his hair and drive back to Bunnings to get a new piece of MDF cut, due to “measurement issues”.

If your husband is extra clever,  he will even put a hinge-y bit on the bottom to raise it up like an easel.

Turn it on and find something to trace!

Remember to thank your husband enthusiastically and for extra points, don’t take 6 months to blog it or he will get surprisingly snippy and make a “pointed” comment every time you want to photograph the dinner you just cooked to blog it.

Tagged as: build, light box, lightbox, make, trace, tracing