Batman Multi-Layered Glass Cordless LED Night Light
Introduction: Batman Multi-Layered Glass Cordless LED Night Light
I've always loved this cover of <PERSON> "Batman The Dark Knight Returns" graphic novel not to mention the book itself was awesome! I tried to make a large version once before but felt like it was missing something; the LED lights I added just weren't right and the overall piece was way too big. So I came up with this version instead which in my opinion is 100 times cooler.
* I did not expect the IR sensor for the remote control to work through all the layers of paint and glass but it did!
Supplies
5 - 8x10 glass frames from the Dollar Store
LED strip light from Five Below
Power Bank from Five Below
Spray Paint Various Colors
Vinyl Cutter
1x4x6 foot long wood board
Wood Glue
Sandpaper
Nail Gun
Hot Glue Gun
Table Saw
Miter Saw
Drill or Drill Press
3/4 inch screws
Blue Tape
Glass Cleaner
Micro Fiber Towel
Rubber Gloves
Aluminum Foil Tape
Razor Blade
Step 1:
The power bank and LED light strips I purchased from a store named Five Below for $5 each, they are both 5V so they will work together. I purchased the five 8x10 picture frames from the dollar store. The first thing I did was remove the glass from the frames.
*Edit: I fully charged the power bank and tested how long the final piece stayed lit and it lasted more than 6 hours, which is better than I thought it would do.
Step 2:
The first piece of glass I painted "Oxford Blue" (I show all the paints I used for this in the next step) the goal here is not to cover the entire piece of glass with paint. I just misted the paint on to add some heavier and lighter areas. The third pic shows that the paint is still somewhat translucent. On this piece I did put a good coat of paint along all four edges as this will be the piece that is closest to the LED lights so I wanted to make sure it concealed the LED lights somewhat. If I did not do this then you would be able to see the shape/reflection of the LED light bulbs. By putting down a heavier coat of paint about 1/2 inch all along the perimeter of the glass will serve to diffuse the LED lights.
The next glass pane I painted "Island Splash" and again here I just lightly misted the paint on you want an uneven coat.
Step 3:
These are the paints I used Purple, Oxford Blue and Iris all went on one glass pane, the one that will be closest to the LED lights. I tried to create some shadows and lighter areas by misting the paint on to the glass. 231
There really is no wrong way to apply this just don't lay down any heavy coats the goal is to create depth by having uneven coats of paint.
The second to the last glass pane I painted Island Splash and sprayed the center of it white. Again just a light dusting to create a highlight in the background for what would be the lighting bolt.
Step 4:
Next it was time to create a stencil to mask off the lightning bolt area. I laid down several strips of blue masking tape on my cutting mat then I taped the image of the lighting bolt to the cutting mat over the blue tape. Then I used my razor knife to cut out the shape of the lighting bolt leaving me with a masking that I can use to paint the next pane of glass.
I tried to repeat this step for the silhouette of <PERSON> but I wasn't successful, I will talk about this more in a later step.
Step 5:
With the masking cut I used a pencil to make some reference marks on the tape seams so that I can transfer the masking tape over to the glass. Once I moved the masking tape stencil over I made sure to cover the exposed areas of the glass and spray painted it white. I let it dry and then removed the blue tape.
Step 6:
Here I stacked all the glass panes on top of one another to see what the final result might look like; its a little hard to see in the photos but the second and third pics are different. The third pic has the darkest colored glass pane while the second pic does not.
This quick test boosted my confidence because I could see that the multiple layers were adding depth to the final piece.
Step 7:
Here I am showing you the results of a bad masking job. The paint peeled with the removal of the blue tape and ruined the silhouette image. The good news is that Acetone will completely remove spray paint. So I removed all the paint and cleaned the glass with glass cleaner so I could re-use it. 220