Part 11 Working On A Dream: The O Scale Bond's Funeral Home Diorama Project
Working On A Dream: The O Scale Bond's Funeral Home Diorama Project
Part Eleven:: Making Three Needed Pieces Of Specialty Lighting
As I said in at the end of Part Nine (9). The initial parts of the lighting might be the next 2 installments. Well it is. This installment we are going to make the interior lighting for the inside of Bond's main building. Then we will make the wall sconces that are on the side of the chapel entrance door. And last but not least, we will make the Mercury Vapor yard light for the back of Bonds.
These techniques can come in handy in any other project you might be doing or want to start.
For the inside lighting, we will be using incandescent lighting and for the sconces and MV lights, white LEDs.
I made two "lighting bridges" for the main house. Each bridge has 4 screw-in bulbs (Type E5.5) 14-16V with 50mA draw. This way if bulb replacement is needed , it makes it easy. The first thing we do is I cut two pieces from a 0.05" thick styrene sheet (Figure 1). I made them 9" long by an inch wide (Figure 2).
After that, I then marked off each piece 3/4" off each end for placement of my standoffs later in the project. From each 3/4" line I made 4 marks centering the area where the bulbs will be placed. (Figure 3)
Then drill the holes for each bulb. These need a 1/4" hole to place the sockets into for a firm fit. (Figure 4)
I then took a piece of metal duct tape (Available at any home center) and ripped it evenly in two. Then I applied it to a side of the styrene strip and cut out the openings for the socket bases (Figure 5). This function acts for two important things. One, it acts as a reflector for the bulbs and two it acts as a heatsink to dissipate heat from the bulbs. Though in this case, the bulbs I am using don't produce much heat.
I cut six pieces of 1/2" baluster stock into 1 inch pieces for my standoffs. The 1/2" stock works great for me here but you might want to check the depth clearance of your sockets to make sure for your project.. I then use a CA gel glue to apply them one on each end and one in the center. (Figure 6)
Thread your wires through each hole and push the sockets in place. (Figure 7)
And there you go ! They will be applied in a future installment of this build. I will be using terminal strips in the wiring process to keep everything neat, easy to troubleshoot and repair. I did make an extra one to use on the rear are of the building by the chapel. (Figure 8)
Next we are going to make the sconces that are on the wall by the chapel entrance (See photo below). For this we are going to use four 5mm white LEDS (2 per fixture), four spacer beads of your choice, 3/64" & 3/32" Shrink Tubing and........ A white straw? Yes I white straw (Figure 9)? OK, lets start because it is easy to make.
Take your LEDs and solder your leads on them at this time. You don?t have to bother with the resistor yet. Just make your leads long enough to work with later. Now take your white straw (Don't laugh !) and make two even 1/2" long cuts. (Figure 10). These are your lens for your fixtures.
Next take two LEDs, cover each metal post with the 3/64" shrink tube and then over cover both leads with the 3/32" tubing. Carefully bend the leads at the base of the LED 90 degrees (Figure 11).
Next insert the LEDS at each end. Be sure to keep the shrink tubed lead posts are evenly aligned. Apply some CA gel glue on each LED at the tube end and let dry. (Figure 12)
Next apply the spacer bead that you chose to each end on the straw with some CA gel glue. With the shrink tubing insulating the LED leads. You won't have problem with the leads touching the metal bead (If using a metal bead) and causing a "Dead Short". This provides a nice finished look to the sconce. (Figure 13)
Lit up against a piece of Plastruct brick is the next photo. You can use a single LED if you chose so. But in this case I needed the sconce to be evenly lit so I went with 2 LEDs.. These fixtures can come in handy in an interior also. (Figure 14)
And now our last fixture I need to make up is the Mercury Vapor Yardlight on the back of Bonds by the garage / parking lot area (See photo below). They do make commercially available fixtures like this in HO scale that are really big enough for O scale but the lighting is a Grain-O-Wheat bulb and it just doesn't look right. And to try to adapt a LED inside the cobra head of the fixture I found impossible (I tried, boy I tried !). So I came up with a great solution using a 5mm white LED and you will see what else.
Again solder your wires to the LED leads like with the sconces. Carefully bend the LEDs leads 90 degrees. Make sure the LED posts are separated and not touching. Next take a piece of 0.01" styrene and punch a 1/4" hole with a hand hole punch. (Figure 15).
Next take a dab of CA gel to the top of the LED by the leads. Install the round piece of styrene you punched out to the top of the LED. Make sure it is centered. (Figure 16)
Once more install the shrink tubing the same way as the sconces. This sets up for the next step which is simulating the ballast shroud & cap style photocell.(Figure 17)
For that we use a Bullet Style Earring Clutch (Available in the jewelry / bead section of any craft store). They come in metal and rubber and make a great ballast shroud & cap style photocell for this fixture (Figure 18)
So you glue the bullet earring clutch large side down on the styrene disc. After it dries, paint the top with the clutch and disc a light grey along with some of the tubing which becomes the fixture?s arm and you are done ! (Figure 19). It closely replicates a MV yardlight nicely can be done in minutes ! You can if you need a High Pressure Sodium (HPS) instead of MV or Metal Halide (MH) make that easily too. Take Tamiya Clear Orange Paint (X-26) and thin 10:1 with Tamiya Thinner (X-20A). When painted to the LED lens it will produce a ?Peachy? color light that HPS gives out.
We hope you liked this latest lighting update on the Bond?s project. This one I know a lot of you can use on different projects you have going on with your pikes.
I wrote most of this and the next installment while in the hospital after they put me on pain-killers for the leg. I re-read it and I was like ?OH MY GOD !? and HUN?!? when I read it after they wore off. So it took a couple of days to fix and write it over again LOL.
The next installment is right in the wings !!! We are back to Bonds with the rear assembly and painting of the stone walls and a REAL NEAT IDEA FOR WINDOW DRESSINGS THAT I KNOW MOST OF YOU WILL LIKE TOO ! . Hope you enjoy 
Mark
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