"Let There Be Light" : Hand-made Shadow-box/Projector

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

-Genesis 1:3-5

Inspiration is key to a new idea and this is mine. I created something that showed my inspiration. Have you ever tried using a flashlight to have fun? Well I made something just for that. It is a hand made shadow-box. And guess what... It can be made into a projector.

First is the materials. I have given you a list of materials you will need below...
-plywood
-sheet metal
-hairbands or rubber bands
-wood floor protectors
-wood glue
-nuts and bolts
-light socket
-light bulb
OPTIONAL MATERIALS
-3-D printer and plastic
-primer
-magnify glass
-super glue

I started off with a piece of thin wood. I cut this into two sections. Both are 12" x 3.5". I cut the metal sheet into the same shape and size. These will hold as walls of the box. The sheets will work as walls that can be removed to access the inside to change the light bulb.

I then cut pieces of wood. Each were .75" x 3.5" x 4.75". I glued these together. Remember to clamp. I then drilled a hole into the top of the wood all the way through with 1/2 bit. This is to put the shaft down for the light socket. I then brought the wire through with the nut and bolt already on the wire. After I attached the socket to the wire and that is it.

Next is the top. I started off with a piece of wood. It was 2" x 3.5" x 3.75". I then cut a square out of it. It was 2.75" x 2.75". You are better off to drill four holes in the corners of the square you are cutting out so you can cut around. Now is the time to glue everything together. Just connect the pieces.

This is optional. Open Vector-works. Lay down a square and convert that to a floor. Make it thickness .03" x 3" x 3". Cut a section out and convert it to the largest frame a negative can be(That way you can make a second to go on top and show the secondary negative of a different size). Now print it on your 3-D printer. Spray-paint this with primer to allow no light to come through. Glue this to the top of your shadow box with super glue. Then outline that for the inside with hot glue to prevent light from getting out(to make it more light prove paint the whole, now, projector black). When you want to present pictures you need a magnify glass to see it on the wall.

You can customize your box to who you are. All you have to do is put the sheet metal side on your projector or shadow box. Have fun with it. You can have a family picture night. Make things with your hands. Do a play. The things you can do is endless.