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Nautilus Submarine & Fiber Optics! |
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Created, written and submitted by Ken Morgan |
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Nautilus Submarine & Fiber Optics! |
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Created, written and submitted by Ken Morgan |
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| These are two project photos of the resin Nautilus submarine model. I just wanted to say thanks again for all of your help with the fiber optics portion of this project. The fiber optic lighting added the perfect visual "pop" and brought this model to life. | ||||||||||||
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Sub Interior Attachment: At this
stage of my project, the two halves of the submarine's inside hull
has been painted with glow in the dark hobby paint. The bright LED
from
the Model Illuminator 1000M produced a sufficient amount of light
to charge the paint and give the sub an eerie green glow for up to
10 minutes after the light had been switched off. Cheap and easy,
I thought that this extra "glow" added to the lighting
effects of the model. I also added color enhancements to the two
bigger salon windows on each half of the hull. I cut a square
of clear yellow wrapping paper (Great idea, Paul!) and doubled it over
onto itself. I then used Model Masters Clear Plastic Cement
to seal the doubled up piece onto itself, creating one two ply piece of
clear yellow wrapping paper. The two ply yellow paper achieved the
desired color enhancement for the salon windows that I was looking for.
I used the same clear plastic cement to secure the yellow paper to the interior
of the sub hull behind the windows. I added four tiny strips of
scotch tape to each corner of the paper for added sticking power.
Once the two halves have been glued together, repairs would be
impossible. The two wheelhouse windows were left clear. The
color variation between the bright white of the wheelhouse windows and
the yellow of the salon windows worked well.
I used the
64 stand cable to carry the
light from the Illuminator to the model. The 64 strand worked
well for my project for several reasons. The strand's diameter
was small and therefore compatible with my 12 inch model, yet still
carried enough light from the source to the interior of the sub.
The 64 strand is also very flexible, allowing for angles and turns.
Needing to feed light to only one source, the sub's interior, the cable
was the most practical choice. The plastic sheath protected the
fiber optics from damage and contained possible light leaks.
The plastic sheath was cut away at the
very tip of the cable that carried light into the model. Using a
candle, I flared the end of the fiber optics and then buffed the flare
with sandpaper. This technique helped to scatter the light as it
spilled from the fiber optic cable. I then threaded the cable
through a hole that I drilled into the back and underneath
side of the resin model. Using Elmer's glue, (CA glue can
leave unprotected fiber optic strands brittle) I secured the cable to
the top interior of the model. I also added some Squadron Green
Putty around the drill hole for a complete seal. Once
the two hull halves were glued, I would have little concern with cable
jostling.
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Switch: After glue and final paint
applications, I attached the model/cable to the light source using Heat
Shrink Tubing (HST). The model was then set in place and the fiber
optic cable was run to the back of the diorama where the light
source was set in place. I used commercial grade duck tape to secure
the cable to the base of the display and covered over the cable with
aquarium sand. I mounted the switch of the Model Illuminator 1000M
to wooden dowels that I cut three inches tall. I
inserted the dowels into pre-drilled holes and shored them up with
more Elmer's glue. The compact and simple design of the
Illuminator 1000M made for easy hiding and easy access.
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| Thank you Ken for an awesome contribution... great detail and written guide ! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Do you have a fiber optic project or model that you built? Would you like to show it off and share it with the world? If so, let us know! You could earn some free fiber optic filament! Click here for details |
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