randalle 50 Posted June 24, 2014 Here is my homemade layering station. 1" pvc is super cheap. I bought a bunch of it, including T's and elbows when I was working on my own tape stand / roller - which I have now disassembled and re-used all of that for other purposes. I built a $2 big squeegee out of a piece of trim with felt on the edge and that has replaced all of my app tape roller needs. --- I have <$10 in pvc in this rig. The lights are around $9 at the big box stores. For bulbs, I put the Natural Daylight CFL bulbs in them rated at 23w / 1600 lumens. So, say another $15 - but I have these bulbs all over my office. You can't beat a 23w / 1600 lumen natural daylight bulb. I have them in my weeding lamp and they are spectacular for the $. Lastly, and this is the gotcha.... I have a 1/4" sheet of plexi for the top working surface (24" x 36"). This chunk is spendy. You'll need to shop around and find a deal on something like it. Retail on a piece like that can get spendy, fast. I'd check your local glass shops and beg for some scratch'n dents. I DO NOT recommend anything thinner. This plexi is thick enough to take pressure. It will bow when I really push on it, but it is more than sturdy enough to do the job. Here is the side view: Here is the front view: I taped plain white paper to the back side of the plexi to act as a diffuser. You can't stare into those bulbs for long! I use blue painters tape for any vinyl project that requires tape. Just a preference of mine. It sticks well, and comes off super easy too. In the front view, the 'star' inside the mouth of the skull is actually a piece of vinyl that is stuck on the plexi. This gives you an idea of how well you can see through to your bottom layers. I very much like the work angle of this rig. It's about 45 degrees. In a pinch, I have used a window before (a lot actually)... but the angle of this just crushes the window in ease of use and predictability. Excluding the plexi, I have < $50 in this setup and it is a game changer for me and layering vinyl. I shopped for a real light table for months and couldn't drop that kind of $$$ so I actually built a light table out of scraps from the shop, but eventually tossed it and built this setup as that 45 degree angle is so sweet to layer with. edit: The pvc isn't glued together at all. I just tamped it together and threw it on the table. I won't glue it because I can reconfigure it if needed. The plexi is not attached at all. The two elbows on the front act as a stop for it. Been using this for 2-3 years and never had the glass come off unless I wanted it to, so no reason to attach it. In fact, 90% of the time I'm not using this, I have it broken down and stuck somewhere out of the way. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
randalle 50 Posted June 24, 2014 and here is my coveted $2 big squeegee. : ) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smendlik 113 Posted June 24, 2014 I like it, nice simple design. I've been wanting to build a light table, I already have a 24" x 24" x 1/4" piece of plexi so I'm set there. I like this idea of this solution as I can break it down for storage if I won't need it for a while. I'm not sure of the 45 degree tilt though as seem like you will always have to work against gravity but I'll give it a try. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
randalle 50 Posted June 24, 2014 I like it, nice simple design. I've been wanting to build a light table, I already have a 24" x 24" x 1/4" piece of plexi so I'm set there. I like this idea of this solution as I can break it down for storage if I won't need it for a while. I'm not sure of the 45 degree tilt though as seem like you will always have to work against gravity but I'll give it a try. Gravity is your friend! lol, seriously though give it a shot. I hated layering on a flat surface, backlit or not. I felt like I had more "surprises" when working on the flat surface. On the other end of the spectrum, working on a window didn't have as many surprises (sections of vinyl that don't cooperate)... but the straight vertical approach was just too harsh and gravity would in fact get me from time to time. With the 45 degree setup, You get the best of both worlds IMHO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smendlik 113 Posted June 24, 2014 I'll be giving it a try for sure. My original plan was a light table to avoid gravity but your design is simple enough that I can make it very quickly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MokiDesigns 20 Posted July 9, 2014 I was planning to build myself an exposure table/box for silk screening emulsions... now I am thinking I should make a lit table that can somehow do double duty. hmmm. I like this setup a lot. How is it working in that position. I'm new to vinyl and so far I have been working on a horizontal surface without lighting. Registration marks are my friend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybyrd 3,770 Posted July 9, 2014 I was planning to build myself an exposure table/box for silk screening emulsions... now I am thinking I should make a lit table that can somehow do double duty. hmmm. I like this setup a lot. How is it working in that position. I'm new to vinyl and so far I have been working on a horizontal surface without lighting. Registration marks are my friend. I need to make an exposure unit and that is a great idea. Just use 2 different light sources so you don't have all that high UV blasting you when doing layering work. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted July 9, 2014 I need to make an exposure unit and that is a great idea. Just use 2 different light sources so you don't have all that high UV blasting you when doing layering work. Some people pay good money to get blasted with UV light. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybyrd 3,770 Posted July 9, 2014 Some people pay good money to get blasted with UV light. I prefer to avoid skin cancer myself. To each their own Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MokiDesigns 20 Posted July 9, 2014 You guys are cracking me up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted July 9, 2014 If you are like me you could probably use the UV since I rarely seem to make it out of my mancave. LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moody Blue 505 Posted July 9, 2014 I use the lightbox from an old Yudu screen printing machine I got back in college. Works great for anything under 2' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
randalle 50 Posted July 10, 2014 I was planning to build myself an exposure table/box for silk screening emulsions... now I am thinking I should make a lit table that can somehow do double duty. hmmm. I like this setup a lot. How is it working in that position. I'm new to vinyl and so far I have been working on a horizontal surface without lighting. Registration marks are my friend. I started with a horizontal box with lights under it and just got tired of it. I prefer the more vertical approach. It just flows well for me when putting on layers. Reg marks or no, the first time you layer on top of a light... you'll be VERY happy. Use a diffuser though, I just used regular white paper. Easier on the eyes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
