The Making of a Laser Etched Epoxy Light Box Display (Part 2 of 3)
This is the second of a 3-part blog series that highlights the project build of Doug Chan’s Laser Etched Epoxy Light Box Display. Doug is a member of Maker Cube, a makerspace based in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
To see Part 1, click here.
Building the Mold and Casting Epoxy
The next step was to build a simple casting mold to house the acrylic for the epoxy pour. This mold needs to be water tight and should hold the piece snug. I used the laser cutter to cut the exact pieces for the frame, simple strips that would go along each edge and a base to hold it all. In retrospect, I should have spent a bit longer designing the box so the edges would join more cleanly or interlock. Instead I just used packing tape to hold it all together and provide a non-stick surface for the casting.
Just prior to casting the epoxy I drew a little bit of white acrylic paint near the eyes to get the glowing effect that would stand out against the background and image.
The epoxy itself was left over from another casting project I was working on. The pigment added in is a metallic powder pigment called ‘Ocean’. Since I’m only casting no more than ¼” thick, I added quite a lot in order for the color to really pop. Any less and it would have been more of a translucent blue tint with no definition. The pouring process is quite satisfying to watch.
The epoxy takes 3 days to fully cure and harden, however, I unmolded it after only 2 to check if everything was okay. It was fortunate I did this as epoxy had seeped underneath to the other side of the acrylic and it needed to be peeled off while the epoxy had not completely hardened.
You can find Part 1 by clicking here and Part 3 by clicking here.
Are you interested in learning how to make things? Maker Cube offers weekly classes in welding, woodworking, 3D design and printing, laser cutting, and many other types of fabrication methods.
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