While looking at the different ways people make "Tune To" signs, I came across this AWESOME style where you Dremel tool scratch out the letters on a Plexiglass/Acrylic Sheet and shine LED lights through the top or bottom.
SUPPLIES USED
• 24" x 24" Acrylic Plexiglass Sheet ~ $30
• Dremel Tool with Engraving Cutters
- Cylinder tip for edging and Ball-Shape tip for the fill
• Sign Design on paper to trace, sketch, or cut onto plexiglass
• X-Acto blade
• Addressable LED Strip Lights
- To match the colors of the sign with the song sequences
• Wood to build the base
• Screws, Nuts and Bolts to secure sign to base
• Ground Anchors and Locks
• Blow Torch
- To melt edge of plexiglass scratches clear
First, I designed the sign in illustrator CC and printed it out to fit the 2x2 ft sheet of plexiglass. The letter font I chose is "SkyFont". I taped the design in place and left extra room at the bottom for the wood base.
I then cut the letters out with an X-Acto knife.
- 2 hours
Then I peeled off the protective paper backing from the cut letters and left the rest on (for scratch protection) until the project was complete.
This is the first time I've ever used a Dremel tool. The key was nice and slow movements, steady hands, and patience. I ran them on low speed or #2. It was quite fun tracing the outlines with the cylinder-shaped engraving tip...
( Outlining Video )
...and filling it in afterward with the ball-shaped engraving tip. The fill goes back and forth at a rough 45º angle.
I was fortunate enough to borrow a second Dremel so I could switch back and forth without having to swap out tips. This worked out great because the Dremel would get hot after several minutes of use and switching would give it time to cool down.
This is a test shining a flashlight through the side of the plexiglass.
Outlined "Tune" and finished "to FM" at the end of the 1st night of work.
- 1.5 hours
Filled in "Tune" and "91.1" on the 2nd night.
- 2 hours
Added website on the 3rd night and tested the LED lights.
- 1.5 hours
Peeled off the Protective Paper.
More LED testing. I LOVE how this turned out!
Here are some close up shots to show the detail in the plexiglass.
After creating the base, I spray painted everything flat black.
The base is made with a long 2x6 plank where I routed out the center to house the light strip so it would lie flush with the top.
Then at both ends, I used thick wood nails and placed them across the light strip. This way all the weight of the plexiglass would rest on the nails and not the lights. Routed out the bottom of a couple 2x3's to hide the nails and screw them in flush to the base. I overlapped the light strip to leave a 1/4" gap between the wood for the plexiglass sign.
I then built the end caps leaving room for the locks and routed out the inner cap and outer edge of the 2x3's.
This allowed them to interlock together and help prevent light from leaking out.
Using some hefty ground anchors, I routed out the bottom of the base so they would align flush with it.
Back on top, the locks connect to the anchors where I left room for the light strip cord to pass through. The end caps completely hide all of this leaving a clean, solid look to the base.
Testing the strip light out before final assembly!
The last thing I did was to run a blow torch along the bottom of the plexiglass sign to melt the scratches away from when the factory cut the plexiglass sheet. It left a smooth, clear edge allowing the lights to shine through more effectively.
All in all, it took me about 20 hours to complete this project. All of the routing was done by hand with my Dremel tool. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this and absolutely love how it turned out!