Hi everyone!
So I finally managed to go see the cash grab surprisingly decent Detective Pikachu movie over the weekend. It was visually fantastic and one set piece in particular really caught my eye.
https://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire1/6bd363aa7b5ad81c6134530ddb99c3761551209855_full.png
It's a small neon sign, tucked away in just one or two shots, but I absolutely love the design. As it turns out, it's specifically for the Hi-Hat Coffee Cafe which is originally from the game series. Regardless, I decided that I really wanted one.
As it turns out, the Pokemon Company sells a neat little stamped metal sign. Cute. But not what I'm going for. I want a real neon sign, or as "real" as I can get without any experience in glassblowing or neon work.
EL Wire is typically used as a neon substitute, but on its own it's not terribly convincing. I did, however, stumble upon a method using clear plastic tubing, with EL wire embedded inside, that gives some fairly decent-looking results.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/58f0d081-cbe2-45f6-841b-916cd7eb3d4c/image.png
Next it was time to decide on physical size. In the film, the sign looks to be around 4 feet tall. That's a bit big for what I'm going for, so I decided on a rough size of 1' x 3' would be great for my kitchen area. After I had settled on that, I used the metal sign product images as a template to work out the actual dimensions of the various parts, making sure that the bend radius would actually be physically achievable.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/348424c8-0fe4-4bb0-9aa4-5df0e3fc5900/sketch.PNG
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/391c00d5-700d-42b5-8c3b-9d121cef7454/sketchdetail.PNG
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/65e6128a-8896-4aba-9124-cbb91384b2fb/modeldetail.PNG
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/ba685985-5e5c-4f2c-90a5-7b6e05abd795/model.PNG
Just for fun I decided to try out a render to see how it would look all lit up:
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/e4275bdd-c0cb-47fc-ad38-a47ae6ad0158/render1.png
I like it.
So I have my dimensions down, and the EL wire ordered. In the meantime, I made some 1:1 scale prints and started practicing my "neon" bending using a hot air gun. PC Watercooling forums are actually a great resource to learn about PETG tube bending techniques, and they've been a great help in figuring out how I'm actually going to do this.
While I was waiting for the EL wire and tubing to arrive, I worked on the backplate that would hold the various parts together on the wall. Thankfully the shop I work at has a very nice laser cutter available. I took full advantage of it to get things cut out quickly. Definitely better than a hacksaw.
After it was cut out, a few coats of black paint were thrown on and it was left to dry.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/bef106d1-49a3-4f25-aaaf-6b6410525401/IMG_7104.JPG
And that's where I'm at right now. The EL wire is slowly making its way over from some random warehouse in China, the tubing will be here tomorrow, and I get to sit around and wait doing nothing productive until everything arrives.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/7525ca48-7fc3-45a1-8a15-0e214a775eef/IMG_7105.png
Hopefully I can actually get this built in a reasonable amount of time. I debated sharing this but I figured if nothing else making the project public will force me to actually try and get it done without getting lazy or bored.
Cheers for now!
Will be keeping an eye on your progress!
Absolutetly 10/10 content, I'm really excited to see your progress on it!
I'm going to steal that neon idea. I've never heard of EL wire but that looks absolutely fantastic the way you did it.
Progress. Slow, but still progress
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/b6dfcba9-d7a0-4eb2-b13c-b2122082e47d/IMG_7123.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/3a9d3cab-316f-417d-9453-8f4ed2e5965e/IMG_7127.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/0a438b58-207d-4c5f-95aa-7ad252e0ffe3/IMG_7126.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/57d4f005-d141-49d8-b4f4-d018408d65ab/IMG_7135.jpg
Fuck. Measure once, cut twice amirite?
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/7c4e7edf-15a4-4aed-aff1-5650a2fe4af8/IMG_7136.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/bcac23c5-e805-4196-ad93-02023303a357/IMG_7137.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/170872/5f5d318f-7c6d-4455-a3b5-78f378233068/IMG_7138.jpg
It ain't perfect, but it's my first time doing any sort of bending like this. Not too shabby though.
I've got a lot to do still, and getting ready to move three states over makes things even more complicated. I'll try and make sure to keep all you guys updated!
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