Modeling House Spotlights - lit up.

If you can't find LEDs small enough, consider fiber optic cable. That way, the LED can be hidden away inside the house.

How about these 1.8mm LED's?  http://www.unique-leds.com/ind...&product_id=1645

The base is larger, but not that large.  At 2.4mm x 3 mm. the base is actually pretty small.

If you are looking for a cone shaped light you might consider looking for either the cap or the tip of a ball point pen. A grain of wheat bulb can be placed in them with the wires snaked out a hole in the back. If you are trying to represent the bulb type lights  that are on stakes you stick in the ground, use the grain of wheat bulb with a build up of clear glue in the shape you are after. Or use a piece of clear plastic sprue or a push pin that you file to shape if it does not have to light up.

Paul Goodness

Sorry that I wasn't clearer - I didn't think of other types of 'spotlights'.

Here are 2 images of what I want to model:

I have been looking all over the place, including Michael's, for something that I could cut up and use.  I'm not concerned about them actually lighting as I am them looking somewhat representative, without getting anal about it.

Even with small LEDs or the EVANS SMD chip or a fiber optic wire, I still have to mock up a shape.  So the shape is where I think I need to start.  Adding functionality is a bonus.

thanks - walt

Ah, that helps.   You might try shrink-wrap tubing. Slip a silver-colored bead (or a little LED) into a properly-sized piece of tubing and shrink it.  The empty part will shrink down to a small diameter, forming the proper cone shape.   Maybe.

maybe you could pick up a couple of these guys and remove their lights from their hands?

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/mdp/mdp70011.htm

Heres an N-scale light tower that has the size and shape right on the lights, but there would still be some kitbashing involved. Might produce the results you're looking for. (I'd also shop around for a better price, but thats just me.)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yard-L...-scale-/360613881034

Walt:

Ever look into getting a micro lathe?

You could turn those in a couple minutes.

Guys, I appreciate the many suggestions but......

I don't want to spend too much on these 2 (4 really, I guess) lights. 

I like the shrink wrap idea - I have some on hand and also have numerous sized beads on hand.  Looks like tonight's activity is laid out!

I might have also come up with something that I can modify and maybe look like lights - all that I'd have to do is paint the face silver.  What did I find?  When I was populating my passenger cars I had to cut off the legs of the people.  I found that one of the sets of legs (and they are duplicated 6 times in the packet of people) looks like a candidate for reshaping.  I'll try it too. 

But the shrink wrap is really tempting since I could light the bead from behind using a light or LED.  I did something very similar on my brother's house.  All 4 of the lights in this photo of the model are clear beads (the kind with a stem attached to them) with a light sitting inside the model:

As always, thanks - Walt

Walt,

What I was picturing was that the LED could be the "bead".   I.e., shrink the tube around the LED, with the (suitable insulated) leads going through the "shrunk" part of the tubing and the face of the LED sticking out the front.

Just a thought.

pete: you planted a seed in my head that resulted in me doing yesterday what is shown below.  I went to check a bead (even tho' I interpretted your tip incorrectly, as you pointed out) and wondered if I could modify the beads with stems that I used on the house shown above.

Bring out the Dremmel and use an attachment that I never used before - the etching attachment, if that's what it's called.

I then found some triple headed beads in the box and thought they would work perfectly if I could modify them too.

So I think as of this morning that I have 2 really good candidates.  I haven't yet put a light behind them to make sure that they'll "shine" (like those in the photo above) but I bet they do.

BTW: thanks for planting the seed!!!

Here's what I did:

Here's what I used:

Awesome Walt! Another great technique to file away for future use. It is fascinating to watch the distributed problem-solving process that works so well in this group.  Improvisational scratch building is SO much more fun than just buying stuff!

Thanks for the thread.  Be sure to post the final result.

Thanks Pete.  And yes, it's great getting a group to throw out ideas, which is one of the real pluses of this forum, as you noted.

I found that I got better using the attachment so I'm going to go back and create better versions.  The trick seems to be "slow but sure".

- walt

After playing around seeing what they looked like when I tried to light them from behind, I ruled out the "3-headed" bead.  While I think it did a nice job looking like a dual spotlight, when lit it just didn't work out.  I tried painting parts but that also dulled the light that came thru for some reason, even when I used white and silver.

I tried painting the beads with a stem on them but, again, the light was diminished for some reason so I scraped it off.

Now that I have some pictures I see that I need to do a better job making the lights round and uniform size.  Here's my first cut, also showing them temporarily lit:

I had these glued in place before I saw the pictures.  After seeing them, I wanted to try to remove them and replace them with better versions.  The glue was stronger than the bead's plastic stem resulting in this FIND MESS.  What to do now?????  Darn, why didn't I leave well enough alone - they looked OK in person.

- walt

A bit better.  Got lucky.  Was able to drill out the broken off piece and then made a new, and to me, better looking one.

- walt

I've been watching.  Way to go, Walt.  Good job.

Dennis

Where there's a will, there's a way, I always say. Good job, Walt.

This build has, by FAR, the most challenges for me than any other build that I've done.  There are so many unique things that need modeled here that I've never attempted before - remember the window screen thread from a few months back?

And it's really only starting - that's the sad part.  When I was taking pictures and measurements I told my son that this is a 2-year project at least.  I'm 8 months in and feel that 2 years is a reasonable time estimate.  I hope!

I predict that I'll be back asking for more help!!!!!

- walt

I bit the bullet and did the other location that needed the double spotlight.  It lights up nicely, just the ones shown above.

This is really a fairly easy way to model them.  SOme of you more talented folks would surely improve on the looks but I'm OK with the result.  I tried a few things to make the 'stem' part that shows look like something more than clear plastic, but I could not come up with anything that also didn't dull the light.  My solution was to show as little of the stem as possible.

- walt

OTHER LOCATION:

As always, nice work Walt!

Here's how I lit them.

I didn't want for the light to light up other parts of the house - I will do that with other internal lighting. 

So I fabricated a 'cage' to limit the light escaping. 

I also know, from experience, that the light bulb must be reachable in case it burns out and needs replaced.  Therefore I glued the bulb to a wood structure that will be removable.

- walt

I've been following your thread with interest (and admiration for your patience).  It looks like you've nailed it now.  The lights look very convincing.

Nice work.  One comment, I don't bother to make LED's all that accessible, as properly installed, they should last longer than you will.

John,

Sadly, in a way, I don't think I'll ever become an LED guy!!!  I keep reading about how extra "things" are needed with them and just give up on them.  I do have some of Evans which has everything included.

I'm happy with what I did here though.  These lights won't be 'ON' much so I think the bulbs will last a LONG time.

- walt

Valid point, but they're really not that difficult.   IMO, the benefits outweigh the downsides.