Make Your Own Simple Black Light
Stand
So you have black lights? Now where do you put 'em?
(If
you do not have any, click here!)
Any lighting, even 'black light' lighting should usually come from
above. Puppets look best under natural lighting conditions. Casting
lights from below, while easier to set up, is not visually the best method.
It is also a little bit dangerous to have fluorescent tube lights hanging inside
the front of your stage. It hurts the puppeteers eyes, it's bulky and in the way, and
a mishandled prop could break the bulbs.
If you are on a budget, and want a simple, cost-effective means to
professionally light your puppet stage area from above, we suggest this simple set up. (A)
Materials needed:
3 18" Black Light fixtures
1 Extension cord with a 3 plug-in end
1 can of black spray paint
1 6 foot long 3/4" x 5 1/4" board
2 6'5" galvanized pipes 1 3/4" diameter (fence pipe)
2 18" galvanized pipes 1 3/4" diameter
2 6" galvanized pipes 1 1/2" diameter
6 3 1/2" threaded bolts
4 matching wing nuts
2 matching washers
2 matching nuts
4'x2' piece of 3/4" thick hardwood (or equivalent)
16 1" L-brackets
38 1" woodscrews |
(A)
|
Directions:
(all of the pieces here have already been painted black.)
1. Make the fence pole stands. (B) You will need at least
one 4 foot by 2 foot sheet of 3/4ths inch plywood (or the equivalent
amount of lumber) plus 16 1 inch "L" brackets and 32
1 inch wood screws.
 (B)
You will make 2 of these, by cutting out 8 pieces as in (C).
 (C)
Notice how the 2 "L" brackets are holding each piece to the next. (D) Use the woodscrews with the "L" brackets.
 (D)
2. Make the poles using galvanized fencing material that is
commonly used with
chain link fences.
(E)
|
For travel purposes and portability, the next portion is
cut into parts for easy stowage and transport.
Someone at Home Depot or Lowes (or whatever hardware store you purchase
from) should be able to cut the pieces you need. Cut 2 6'5"
pipes for the main portion of the poles. (E)
Then cut two 18" pieces from the same size pipe as the 6'5"
pipes. The ones pictured are 1 3/4" diameter. Three holes
will need to be drilled through these. Take a look at (F) to see
where the holes should go.
3. Add connection pieces.
Purchase two 6 inch fence connectors. They are 1 1/2 diameter,
so they can easily fit inside the fence poles. One hole will
need to be drilled through each of these. Take a look at (F) to see where the holes should go. You may notice that the bolt on
the far left of the connector poles are simply to secure the inner pole
with the outer pole.
 (F)
 |
4. Acquire one 6 foot long 3/4th inch by 5 1/4 inch board. (G) Drill two holes in each end. Make sure they are the same distance apart as
the two holes on the right side of the connector poles above. (F)
 (G)
The holes should be about 2 inches apart.
5. Attach this board to the connector poles using the bolts and
wing nuts. (H)
 (H)
6. Add 6 woodscrews to the "backboard". They should
stick out about 1/8th of an inch from the the surface. (I) The
spacing of the screws should match the holes in the back of the black light
fixtures. (J) (Every 13 1/8th inches.) They should be evenly spaced.
 (I)
 (J)
7. Slide the black lights onto the screws in the back
board. Make sure they are secure. You may choose to wrap electrical
tape around the ends of the fixtures and the back board for added
security. Neatly pull the power cords to one end and plug them into a
simple extension cord. (K)
 (K)
8. Finally, paint the poles, back board and the stands, black. It
simply looks nicer. TIP: You may find it easier to paint the parts before assembly, but it's up to you.
Be sure to adjust the instructions for the width of your own stage.
This provides a LOT of light, is easily portable, and will make for more
professional looking lighting at your puppet shows. Enjoy!
You can purchase black light
puppets, black lights, balloons, gloves, and bubbles
from Puppet Productions. CLICK HERE |
