Making a clear piece translucent?
Moderators: DasPhule, Moderators
Making a clear piece translucent?
I've got a crystal clear part that I want to light behind, but want to diffuse the light rather than have the lights sources visible.
But I do need to tint the piece.
Any suggestions? Please?
But I do need to tint the piece.
Any suggestions? Please?
-
zombie rotten mcdonald
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott
zombie rotten mcdonald
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott
Yeah, the tinting is easy, it's the translucency I can't figure out....
Maybe a light airbrush with white?
Maybe a light airbrush with white?
-
zombie rotten mcdonald
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott
zombie rotten mcdonald
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott
-
- Posts: 2073
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 6:06 pm
- Location: Tokyo, Japan
-
- Posts: 3204
- Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 7:37 pm
- Location: Fremont, CA (near Milpitas north of Golfland USA)
- Contact:
- TER-OR
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10531
- Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2002 7:05 pm
- Location: Conjugate imprecision of time negates absolute determination of location.
- Contact:
Several options:
Dullcoat the clear bit, that will make it frosted. If dullcoated inside, it will appear translucent if outside, frosted.
Steel wool as noted above - very fine grade.
Glass wool or synthetic batting (pillow stuffing) in front of the LED to diffuse light.
A small amount of Gunze or Tamiya Flat Base in your transparent paint will also do this. You can tint Future with India Ink, too. I did that and dispersed green pearl powder to get the canopy effect here:
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/other/tm_exyamato.htm
Dullcoat the clear bit, that will make it frosted. If dullcoated inside, it will appear translucent if outside, frosted.
Steel wool as noted above - very fine grade.
Glass wool or synthetic batting (pillow stuffing) in front of the LED to diffuse light.
A small amount of Gunze or Tamiya Flat Base in your transparent paint will also do this. You can tint Future with India Ink, too. I did that and dispersed green pearl powder to get the canopy effect here:
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/other/tm_exyamato.htm
Raised by wolves, tamed by nuns, padded for your protection.
Terry Miesle
Never trust anyone who says they don't have a hobby.
Quando Omni Flunkus Moratati
Terry Miesle
Never trust anyone who says they don't have a hobby.
Quando Omni Flunkus Moratati
Some minor hot spots aren't too much of a problem, it's for the nacelles in the old 1701. The bubbles I've started with were vacuform clear, and I added Tamiya tint first, so the exterior looks bright and orangey.
I've got the VoodooFX LED chasers inside, so seeing a bit of the source will look OK....
I've got the VoodooFX LED chasers inside, so seeing a bit of the source will look OK....
-
zombie rotten mcdonald
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott
zombie rotten mcdonald
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott
- TER-OR
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10531
- Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2002 7:05 pm
- Location: Conjugate imprecision of time negates absolute determination of location.
- Contact:
I've dullcoated the clear bits on my TOS stuff. I don't know if you like the look of a clear translucent cover over colored interior, but with lighting it would look a lot better, I'm sure.
Raised by wolves, tamed by nuns, padded for your protection.
Terry Miesle
Never trust anyone who says they don't have a hobby.
Quando Omni Flunkus Moratati
Terry Miesle
Never trust anyone who says they don't have a hobby.
Quando Omni Flunkus Moratati
-
- Posts: 3925
- Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2003 11:05 am
- Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Place the part in a box or cabinet suspended over a dish with a pool of CA (superglue). The CA vapors cloud the clear plastic.
"I'd just like to say that building large smooth-skinned models should be avoided at all costs. I now see why people want to stick kit-parts all over their designs as it covers up a lot of problems." - David Sisson
sprayed the outside of the domes with dullcote. couple of coats.
Tamiya transparent orange inside. Couple of coats.
Perfect. I could sit and watch the flashy lights for hours.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Tamiya transparent orange inside. Couple of coats.
Perfect. I could sit and watch the flashy lights for hours.
Thanks for the suggestions.
-
zombie rotten mcdonald
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott
zombie rotten mcdonald
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott
just make sure the part is void of fats and acids (like fingerprints), because using the vapors from CA glue is the same method they use for taking fingerprints of surfaces that have a texture, fingerprints will become visibleseam-filler wrote:Place the part in a box or cabinet suspended over a dish with a pool of CA (superglue). The CA vapors cloud the clear plastic.
Democracy may be only a few steps removed from anarchy,
But at least it's not as loud.
You broke your little ships. See you around Ahab.
But at least it's not as loud.
You broke your little ships. See you around Ahab.