[Tkaraoke]

I just had this righteous idea hit me today...

Working for a DJ company (weddings, private parties) we use these set of flood spotlights on a pole to light up the dace floor for these events. Each light has a colored "gel" film that covers the flood light to make a different color (red, blue, green, yellow) and they are pretty powerful. What I thought would be cool is to take a stencil (like Oogie Boogie), transfer it to a piece of white board/card board, then place it in front of the gel film so it projects a colored version of the stencil. I could make four different stencils and put the lights on a slow "flash" pattern so that every time a new color comes up, there is a different projected pattern. To steal a line from Rachel Ray..how cool is that?!

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

That would work great. Try it out and get pics.

[Tkaraoke]

That would work great. Try it out and get pics.

I went to my local Hobby Lobby (they have been seeing me there a lot in these past few weeks) and after some friendly advice from one of the gals who worked near the "framing" department, I opted for a heavy stock black "matte" paper (the kind you could border a picture in a frame with) because it was much thicker than regular paper. she tried to steer me towards some lighter paper and kept telling me that it worked really good with overhead projectors but I had to keep telling her I needed thicker paper because these bulbs are powerful...somewhere in the range of 200w a piece. I don't want any stray light to get through and I didn't want to go with wood because I just don't have the tools to work with it.

[Tkaraoke]

Well my lighting idea was a total failure. Seems that the stencil cannot be placed in a very close proximity to the light source. When you do so, the image just turns into one big blur. Guess I should have seen it coming but I do have another idea...

...getting a cardboard box and carving a stencil on the side then placing a desk lamp inside for illumination.

[Kerianne19]

That definitely sounds like you have a good idea there Tkaraoke! Keep us updated and let us know if this trial works out! It seems to have great potential!

[Tkaraoke]

I was so disheartened when my first idea didn't work but when things like that happen, I get more determined to find an idea that will work. I think the cardboard box method for projection should work since it would be kind of like how you project a pattern through a pumpkin. Now I just need a way to carve through heavy cardboard cleanly.

[Tkaraoke]

After some sleep and some think-time, the cardboard box may not yield the results I want. What I need to do is figure out a way to angle the projected pattern upward. I'm thinking about taking two pieces of cardboard and making like a "sandwich board" like sign but how would I close the sides to block the light...

[Steve-o]

I may be completely wrong, but the smaller the stencil cut-out the more focused the projected image might be?? Maybe think smaller instead of bigger in order to get the effect your looking for?

[Tkaraoke]

Actually you might be completely right on that. The same thing occurred to me as a passing thought but never followed up on it.

I bought a cardboard box and this cool halogen lamp base and bulb today and I'm going to try that. It's a 50w bulb and my concern is exactly how hot this thing is going to get.

[Tkaraoke]

I think there are sinister forces lurking in the shadows...

I took my mock up/protoype projection box outside and when I plugged in the light for the first time, the bulb burned out! I just bought the thing earlier in the day so I'm beginning to wonder if this is a fool's errand and you can guess which part I'm playing! Sheesh!

[stormqueen29]

I think the smaller stencil idea would work. Think of those expensive projectors you see to project scenes onto your house or garage. The disks are only about 3" across, but the projected scene is like 10' across. If you scaled down the stencil enough, it should work.

Gale

[Tkaraoke]

I think that's the key to my whole problem. I haven't sat down and tried to make a smaller stencil because I thought I would take some time off the project before I went mad! LOL

My prototype almost worked but I couldn't get it to focus. The smaller stencil should make this project easier. I just wish there was such a thing already made so all I have to do is provide the stencil. A friend of mine gave me the term of that kind of projection box and I promptly forgot it before I could look it up on the net. He said it's a box that has a light inside that sits on little rails so you can move the light source back and fourth to get that focusing effect.

[GUS]

Have a look at the spec of the mathmos oil wheel projector to get an idea! ..i have one of these and the size go's much bigger than stated!
www.mathmos.com

..the discs would be perfect for a ZP projection