Custom Light-Up Sign ─ BuzzFeed Nifty

Forget expensive neon lights - now you can make your very own custom light-up sign with leftover scrap wood!

Here is what you'll need!

Custom Light-Up Sign

SUPPLIES
Scrap wood
Sandpaper
Water-based polyacrylic protective finish
Dishwashing or other waterproof gloves
Photocopy or laser jet print of your own design (note: ink jet prints won’t work)
Drill
Portable or under-bench LED light wand or strip
U-shaped saddle clamp/pipe clip (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sand the edges and surface of your scrap wood until smooth to the touch.
2. Wipe or blow off any excess saw dust before applying 1-2 liberal coats of the polyacrylic finish to the wood.
3. Before the finish dries, carefully place your printed design face down on the wood.
a. Remember if you are using text or do not want a mirror image in the final piece to horizontally flip your design before printing.
4. There is a little time to precisely align your design in place before the transfer starts. Once you’re happy with placement, smooth out the paper to remove any wrinkles and air bubbles.
5. Let it dry for 2 hours.
6. Once dry, spritz or pour a small amount of water onto the design. Let it soak for 1-2 minutes before gently rubbing away the layer of the paper.
a. If you haven’t been wearing your gloves up until this point, they will really help your fingers now!
7. Try to be careful and patient wiping the paper off, as it’s possible to rub the transfer off the wood. The soft side of a dish or bath sponge can also help clean away the build up of wet paper.
8. Once clean and dry, tape or clamp your wood piece on top of more scrap wood. Drill holes on your picture where you want light to shine through. Experiment with different drill sizes to change up the hole sizes to create texture and dimension.
9. Depending on the kind of wood you are using, you may need to clean up your drilled holes with something smooth like a small screwdriver or a skewer.
10. Once you’re finished, give your wood piece a final light sanding. Also optional is one last coat of polyacrylic finish.
11. Attach your light wand or strip per the instructions on the back of the wood. If you need something extra to secure your light wand, u-shaped tube clamps/clips are great. Otherwise a bit of duct tape is sufficient.
12. To get different colors showing through, try taping squares of colored cellophane or other transparent plastic sheets to the back of the board.


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MUSIC
Licensed via Audio Network