[SML] Stained Glass using Fluorescent or other methods

[Don Taco]

Long ago, when I was young, someone made a stained glass window using gel, at the community theater. It was much too big to light well, went to an arched point, so it was clumsy to hang and heavy to move, used a fortune of supposedly scrap gel, and didn't have a place to store, so it got beat up and was useless in no time. I was appalled. Some designers seem to have no idea of the actual value of things, just because they were already paid for. 

I'm skeptical of the idea that UV light will give a stained glass window effect, but it might make for an attractive glow, and look good. I like the idea of a reflective surface behind the window. I don't know why you need a light box, though, unless your window has to be against a wall. I lit the aforementioned monstrosity from above and behind with a single instrument or two and got the effect of light from 'outside.' 

At the college, we once painted a sheet of the plastic you make cheap storm windows out of, to have a trendy restaurant window with a stylized flamingo in a grassy pond. Lit through from above the back it looked pretty good. I think a stained glass window done the same way would work fine. Your biggest effort goes into applying the paint without obvious brush strokes. 

Good luck with your project! 



From: "Joe via Stagecraft" <stagecraft at theatrical.net> 
To: "Dale Farmer via Stagecraft" <stagecraft at theatrical.net> 
Cc: "Joe" <jdunfee12 at yahoo.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2022 7:06:33 PM 
Subject: Re: [SML] Stained Glass using Fluorescent or other methods 

Without backlighting, I don't need to make a light-box. I can simply make, and hang it like a banner. A pure rectangle shape would only need a dowel on the top and bottom. If I go with a round or gothic-arch type of top, I would need to cut out some plywood, but that is about the structure I would need. 

The cheap, $30, DMX controllable, UV fixtures, with about a 30 Deg beam, makes it fairly easy to control where the light is going, so I don't have to wash the whole stage. Though, being from China, the light output is probably only half what is claimed. 

Plus, I don't have 72 SqFt of scrap gel to throw at this project. 

-Joe 

On Tuesday, December 27, 2022 at 08:45:11 PM EST, Dale Farmer via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote: 

Why do you want to avoid back lighting? 

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