Modding Plexi glass etched picture frame.. How's it look? Or do i trash and get a dozen roses

Well, thanks to fohkus for my inspiration on this project....

I thought i'd try something similar but with red + blue leds... here's a teaser picture.. The rest can be found at www.modit.net/images/pictures/

The rest can be found at



Well, trying to decide what to get this girl for valetines day, for reference, we're 16 yrs old (if that means anything for the gift i made below)...


Now i'm thinking my attempt at making something cool might not have worked out, do i still give it to her? Or trash it and get a dozen roses? Or both...

I've talked to a couple guys.. both think it's really cool, and she'll love the "thought" put into it...

a couple other guys thought it looked totally ghetto

Sent a few pictures of it to this hella fine ass girl at my school for her "proffesional" opinion.. and she said.. I quote "wow!!!!!!!
how did you do that? geez... i'd love it. give it to her don't think twice!"


Anyways.. Right now i have it powered via wall adapter.. but i'm planning on sticking the frame into her locker so when she opens it up. VWALAH.. but to do that.. i'll have to hook up a 9v battery to it... sooo.. i think i'll leave the wall adapter hooked up so when the battery dies after approx the full school day (4 bright leds probably will drain it decently quick)...

And i can safely assume that even after she's plugged in the wall adapter.. and the battery is still hooked up, that no problems will be caused by that? i don't want to get a call from her mother saying a battery exploded in her daughters face!
EDIT::: ** Just asked my friends, they say DO NOT DO THIS< so i'll use my easy "pull off" wire splicing connector thingys... so she can easily un plug.. and plug into wall adapter when battery dies
-Brian

 

trust the girl's opinion, unless she's completely different from the girl you plan on giving it to.

was gonna suggest putting stuff around it while i was looking at the pictures, then i read the rest of your post. she'll probably like it.

 

That looks really good! I was thinking about making something along those lines for my girlfriend too. Perhaps you could make a black border around it (or black squares on the sides) to cover up the actual LED's. I think it would look much less "ghetto" if the LED's were not visible, just the light that they produce. Let me know if she likes it!

 

Yeah, i'm trying to decide what to do to cover up the actual leds.. can't paint the border, cause it'd have to be even and that would cover up part of the heart.. Oh yeah.. asked another girl..

" THAt looks sooooo good!
make me one!"

 

dude any joe smoe can buy roses. that looks sweet. I know my wife would like that.

 

ugh, its spelled D-E-R-E-K, not Lisa! and I hate roses!


jk do what I said before

 

so wheres the pick of sara?

 

ahhh i knew it, i'll try to remmember to bring digi cam tommorrow (and be, uh, like "SMILE FOR YEARBOOK PICTURE" *evil snickering*)


Oh yeah, she is a cheerleader.. and we have a bball game tommorrow, so she should be wearing her purty outfit

 

OH frick, oh frick oh frick, i'm hella scared....

I put a streak of glue on the bottom.. and a few dabs up top.. i pressed down on the plexi to the wood.. and watched the glue spread out.. only a bit went out the inside and left an itsy streak on the bottom... But then i realised if i didn' t get pressure on it, the plexi would pull up and leave the glue non-clear.. kinda like full of bubbles/crystals almost.. so i ran downstairs into the garage and placed the bottom part with the majority of glue into the clamp with a towel inbetween it.. THen used my two little hand clamps i got with my dremel and stuck a used mousetrap (only thing i had handy!) onto the backside so it could have more pressure by not letting the clamp get so far closed...


Based on what i'm seeing right now, looks like i may be in for a bit of trouble..

Gosh dangit, i shoulda gotten a thicker frame so i coulda screweed.. but i probably wouldn't of.. woulda been nervous i'd crack the plexi or something while drilling.. Oh well. gonna check back in about 45 minutes when it should be dry.. definattely looks like you'll be able to see where the glue was applied.. hopefully not too noticeable..

Hrm.. how much are a dozen roses again? lol

 

Local Sam's Club has nice ones in a boquet for 25.95...

Screwing through plexi isn't bad, I would however suggest you screw into the other material, and make the plexi hole drilled to JUST over the right size... I used screws for this...

I threaded the aluminum on the back side, and used bolts, gave it a big fat "like it's supposed to be there" look.

 

edit: it's f'd.. ain't gonna dry right....



My last remaining option = remove it from the frame.. get out the 1500 grit sandpaper.. sand it (hopefully) all even.. and find some other way to secure it...


I'm bout to shoot myself.. i was depressed today on it, but it really did look good, now i've f'd it over

 

ug. fun begins, started off with about 30 grit sandpaper to really grind it down.. then went to about 55-60..

then to 400.. gonna go 800,1000,1200,1600 grits tommorrow....

Lmfao, if i can pull this off and have it look good after sanding down the border.. whoa, i'm gonna be amazed and happy with myself... if it still looks like crap... then well.. i'll shoot myself and then buy a dozen roses!

(disclaimer, no, i'm not "that" depressed... i'm bummed... but hey, this is nothing compared to 6months ago when i tried for about 3 weeks-> 1 month to figure out wtf was making my computer not work.. (still havn't fixed it, gave up and got a whole new one)...
I am able to laugh at the situtation...

and plus, as u can see in below image, the smoked effect makes the whole thing glow! (dunno if it'll be same once i sand w/ 1600 grit etc..)

But hey! might be a blessing in disguise.. or maybe a sign i shouldn't give this girl a v-day gift.. maybe the battery was gonna blow up and kill her or something..




-Brian

 

neat!

i like that

 

It's kinda ghetto.. like all her friends are coming up to me and going "omg you like her? !!!???" Which in turn of course is putting a lot of pressure on me to get a good gift.. so i was thinking something to the likes of get her out of class first period on friday and go up to starbucks or something with some roses
.... but all her friends are like "uhhh no.. smaller is better.. otherwise it will look cheesy.. and that makes it seem like you're coming on a little strong" :-/ so oh well.. um yeah, they say if my frame works out, to get a teddy bear + card and a non-rose flower :-/

Gah, girls are too confusing for me

-Brian

(oh yeah, thats what i was planning.. frost down the whole border etc... gonna head out and work on it with the comforting company of a couple bottles of bawls.. will update with pictures etc.)

Any ideas on how to attach to my current frame? The glue marks on it will not show cause the plexi will be frosted.. but still need to find a better way to attach it.. hrmm..

 

Looks pretty zesty man except I would recommend a bigger frame and then use the plexiglass as the glass on it instead of putting it over the frame. That would hide the LED's and then make it look sweet.

 

alright, i give up, too much work.. and it looks bad.. Plan #2...? thats where i need you guys.. i give up on a picture frame idea.. too much work and i'm damn sick of it... Help me come up with another idea to "light something" up.. I do have a buncha cathodes lying around.. anything i could put that under to make it "glow" ?

 

el sheet...

 

you can always buy the roses.

 

Perhaps you could make something like this, except with a collage of pictures of you guys together. Then etch a line between each picture, kinda giving it a stained glass shaped effect. Might be pretty cool!

 

Hrm.. i found a really cool use for the led's though

http://www.modit.net/images/car/

Talk about major illegal.. not only are they a distraction (causing driver to look at road instead of car in front of them) but also cause it's red/blue.. cop colors... i'm gonna just take a drive around my "development" and try to get a friend to take a quick video.. then i'll turn them off except for special occasions

teaser: