# Lighting project



## EMU (Dec 4, 2007)

Hey guys (long time no see!) 

I have a lighting project I'm looking for some advice on. I recently acquired a really amazing James Fosdike print for Trick 'r treat that glows in the dark and I really want to light it properly to really set the tone of my apartment.

I was thinking putting LEDs in a Brass museum quality overhead light bar, with some controllers to make it flicker and switch to black light LEDs - to activate the glow printing). It's a little campy, but I thought it could be an awesome effect when actives to really wow people. 

Or should I just make a three way switch that goes from white LEDs - off - to black light LEDs. I would love recommendations for controllers or tutorials or anything! I'm a total newb when it comes to light working. I'll upload pics of the print as soooooon as I figure out this tapatalk Hd for ipad app....


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## provprops (Jun 18, 2014)

Have you looked into dmx control? You can have a computer set the pattern/look you are going for. It can also be set to go off by a trigger so no one has to man the switches. Scarylady on YouTube has a complete tutorial on how to wire and activate the effect. 

This way you can have complete control over how everything acts once the program is activated.


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## imax (May 22, 2006)

Be aware of some of the UV (Blacklight) LED's - some of them fall in a wavelength that does not activate some paint manufactures red colors... 

By far, the best affordable UV sources are the simple florescent lamps that screw into a standard light socket. You can even find CFL versions of it. So, with your painting if the brass fixtures is of sufficient size you could wire it in a way where one side held a regular bulb and the other side had a blacklight CFL. A simple prop controller with 110VAC relays could be used to achieve your switching effect automatically.

Good luck!

-- I


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## provprops (Jun 18, 2014)

You have to be careful of the screw in backlight bulbs as some of those are not true black light.


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## imax (May 22, 2006)

Yes, avoid the incandescent ones like the plague. Those are just dark purple light bulbs. The CFL's do well, and so do the 2, 4 and 8 foot florescent bubs. There's also much more expensive solutions, if you have the budget for it, but for most of our haunt applications, there's not a ton of reason to spend a lot.


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