What sort of glass should I use for my light box?
Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at
6:09 am
I’m making a light box (for tracing) and I’m wondering what type and thickness of glass I should use for the top. Any suggestions?
Filed under: General
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
it would really be determined by how big the light box is,I built one for a client that had a 36" x 42" surface for tracing. I used a sheet of 1/2" plex that was sanded on the back for light dispersal and the client loved it. you could go thinner like 1/4" but you would need a center support for some thing that large or it would bow down in the middle.
Most light tables are made with a tempered frosted glass. I wouldn’t use paper for the opaque since a light bulb may eventually scorch it. Since you will probably be leaning on it. If you are not going to cut on it why not Plexiglas? If you are going to use glass ask the dealer what he recommends. You will find that tempered opaque or frosted glasses are expensive.
I used a white Plexiglas for mine.
6mm is enough and must be white frosted to diffuse the light
6 mm gauge is sufficient for your requirements, an easy and also the cheapest way to defuse the light is by applying a film of semi opaque paper otherwise called fine grain paper over the outside surface of the glass, fine grain paper is what video artists use when back projecting images onto windows with.