Lighting for a glass painting

My wife just finished he first glass painting.

I have the responsibility of hanging it and give it proper lighting. I
wanted to know what is the best way to use the light. I wanted to light
it from behind as that gives the best effect.

Can anyone please tell me what my options are? (using fewer wires)
Thanks much for your time.

If you are going to light it from behind, then obviously the painting was
done with no overlaps and is not traditional painting or reverse painting on
glass. Therefore it is something like stained glass where each color is
separate. If you can not hang it in a window, then I would suggest making a
frame to hold it clear from the wall which will also hold a small halogen
light (MR50 for example) that will shine on the white wall behind the glass.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit46.htm Latest notes

"DNA" wrote in message
oups.com...
My wife just finished he first glass painting.

I have the responsibility of hanging it and give it proper lighting. I
wanted to know what is the best way to use the light. I wanted to light
it from behind as that gives the best effect.

Can anyone please tell me what my options are? (using fewer wires)
Thanks much for your time.

For Mike
I need your knowledge in lighting traditional painting. I need insert some
leaded SG in boxes, to expose their in a little church (deconsecrated) but
very very dark.
Can you suggest me some ways to make a good work? overall regarding the
choice about electrical parts.

Many thanks.
Best regards to you and DNA.

Filippo from Italy

You are right in the assumption that it is not a traditional painting.
(I am new to this so sorry for any confusing words). In fact, it is a
"painting" of separate glass pieces (the bulk of the skill and work
needed in cutting the glass in the exact shape and gluing the pieces
together.)

I am trying to find MR50 halogen light on the web. I am also inclined
towards some battery operated light (to be used whenever guests are
over etc ) cause I fear the wiring to the frame might affect the
aesthetics.

I hope lamps like these will give a uniform light behind the painting
and the light is not concentrated at the source.

Can you please let me know where I can find such a light source or
MR-50?

Appreciate your time and help.





Mike Firth wrote:
If you are going to light it from behind, then obviously the painting
was
done with no overlaps and is not traditional painting or reverse
painting on
glass. Therefore it is something like stained glass where each color
is
separate. If you can not hang it in a window, then I would suggest
making a
frame to hold it clear from the wall which will also hold a small
halogen
light (MR50 for example) that will shine on the white wall behind the
glass.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit46.htm Latest notes

"DNA" wrote in message
oups.com...
My wife just finished he first glass painting.

I have the responsibility of hanging it and give it proper
lighting. I
wanted to know what is the best way to use the light. I wanted to
light
it from behind as that gives the best effect.

Can anyone please tell me what my options are? (using fewer wires)
Thanks much for your time.

An MR50 is a small (2") reflector lamp that runs off of 12 VDC and usually
is run off a transformer. You have seen them in store displays. They come
as floods, narrow floods, spots, etc. Hardware stores may have them with
sockets, etc., or you may have to go to a lighting supply or store display
store. While in theory you can run them off batteries, they pull 35-65
watts, which is (about) 3 to 5 amps per bulb which will quickly drain
anything but an automobile style battery.
The lighting that will run off batteries is rather dim (think of a
flashlight bulb without the reflector) and will kill a set of batteries in
an evening. In your setting, it might work visually, at the cost of several
dollars worth of batteries a night. You should be able to buy sockets for
bulbs at a good hardware store or Radio Shack. You might also look at the
battery lighting setups for the village buildings like Department 56.
I think you would be better off planning neat wiring, perhaps using the
concealing tube sold for the purpose for paintings. You then might consider
low voltage lamps like those used for walkway and garden lighting, which run
8-15 watts.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit46.htm Latest notes

"DNA" wrote in message
oups.com...

You are right in the assumption that it is not a traditional painting.
(I am new to this so sorry for any confusing words). In fact, it is a
"painting" of separate glass pieces (the bulk of the skill and work
needed in cutting the glass in the exact shape and gluing the pieces
together.)

I am trying to find MR50 halogen light on the web. I am also inclined
towards some battery operated light (to be used whenever guests are
over etc ) cause I fear the wiring to the frame might affect the
aesthetics.

I hope lamps like these will give a uniform light behind the painting
and the light is not concentrated at the source.

Can you please let me know where I can find such a light source or
MR-50?

Appreciate your time and help.





Mike Firth wrote:
If you are going to light it from behind, then obviously the painting
was
done with no overlaps and is not traditional painting or reverse
painting on
glass. Therefore it is something like stained glass where each color
is
separate. If you can not hang it in a window, then I would suggest
making a
frame to hold it clear from the wall which will also hold a small
halogen
light (MR50 for example) that will shine on the white wall behind the
glass.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit46.htm Latest notes

"DNA" wrote in message
oups.com...
My wife just finished he first glass painting.

I have the responsibility of hanging it and give it proper
lighting. I
wanted to know what is the best way to use the light. I wanted to
light
it from behind as that gives the best effect.

Can anyone please tell me what my options are? (using fewer wires)
Thanks much for your time.

The obvious answer is low voltage wiring, because the dimness of the
place. But in your first sentence you say painting and in the second leaded
SG. Are you lighting paintings (from the front) or Stained glass (from the
back) or a mix of both (? Paintings in stained glass frames ?)

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit46.htm Latest notes

"fipodes" wrote in message
...
For Mike
I need your knowledge in lighting traditional painting. I need insert some
leaded SG in boxes, to expose their in a little church (deconsecrated) but
very very dark.
Can you suggest me some ways to make a good work? overall regarding the
choice about electrical parts.

Many thanks.
Best regards to you and DNA.

Filippo from Italy

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 10:03:25 -0600, Mike Firth wrote:
The lighting that will run off batteries is rather dim (think of a
flashlight bulb without the reflector) and will kill a set of batteries in
an evening.

That's true of incandescent lighting, but there are lots of new LED-based
products coming onto the market now that might be able to manage a longer
time from a set of batteries. I wouldn't buy such a thing ready-made,
though, so I can't provide any useful sources unless you want to buy bare
LEDs and build your own.

--
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Hi Ron

have you an URL/link where it is possible look at more about lighting led
based??

Thank you very much.
Filippo from Italy

Hi Mike
I make both: some are all painted and somes are painted and framed by
stained glass, but always leaded.
Don't look at my sentences nearby: I was not a good student in
english....sorry.

Best regards.

Filippo

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 18:03:54 GMT, fipodes wrote:
Hi Ron

have you an URL/link where it is possible look at more about lighting led
based??

One thing you can do to find more information is to search on Google for
"white LED backlight". I haven't done that search myself, though. if I
were making such a thing I'd buy a handful of white LEDs from someone like
Chi Wing ( http://stores.ebay.com/chiwingledproductshop ) and do the wiring
myself for a result like the one Mike described, using a white wall for
diffusion.

Another option for low cost and high brightness that can be run off of
batteries (but not for more than a few hours) would be CCFLs (Cold Cathode
Fluorescent Lamps) as are used by various computer case mod enthusiasts
and in LCD display backlights for laptops and such. Again, if I were
doing such a thing I'd probably just buy the components from an electronic
parts wholesaler and assemble my own, but I don't recommend that with
CCFLs (CCFL circuits require high voltages.)

--
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