A3 lightbox, any recommendations?

[markchilly]

Hello,

Looking for an A3 lightbox that won't cost me the earth, any help?

Thanks,

Mark.

[Hoagy]

you can make your own.

http://www.newspaper-info.com/more/lightbox.htm

[pauljholden]

http://www.lightboxuk.net/

I got an A3 lightbox from there, about £90 IIRC - great lightbox, very neat - not very deep at all. Stays cool. Can't recommend it enough.

-pj
(ps Sean Phillips also recommends them)

[markchilly]

Thanks!

[Dog Deever]

making your own is easy- I used a couple of old heavy duty picture frames, face to face and hinged at one side. This gave me a lip to sit the perspex into. For perspex I bought some off cut stuff for greenhouses- there were some broken bits at a local hardware store. I got a big enough sheet for about £2. I mounted it on a bit of ply as a backing board, screwing on a couple of short strip lights I scavenged up. I only put two on because I had two- I wired them both onto the same plug as well, and taped the cables together.
It looks like shit, but it works fine and couldn't have cost me more than £5, if that. Even if you have to buy a brand new strip light, it would still be under £10.

[Smarty]

I made my own a couple of years back but I've moved from country to country since then and it's gone. I just received http://www.artdiscount.co.uk/product/a3_art_craft_light_box/  in the post today. So far so good, the base wasn't 100% flat so it wobbled a bit, fixed it with a nugget of blutack easy enough.

[pauljholden]

The problem with that ligtbox is the entire thing is slanted sideways - so a real pain for doing comics.

[Tweak72]

Mrs Tweak (Professional Illustrator) made one out of and old draw
Step 1 find large old draw from chest of draws with thickish draw bottom
Step 2 take bottom out leaving frame intact and measure it
step 3 affix light fitting to inside of box (any type of small strip light will do)and wire in appropriate cable/plug
Step 4 get pain of glass of appropriate thickness cut to same size as draw bottom
Step 5 slide glass in to grooves for draw bottom

Optional extra: you can get a sheet of lighting frost (for theatre lighting) and cut it to the same size as the glass so you have an opaque surface. if there is a theatre near you there will likely be some where that would sell that kind of thing

costs = the light fitting, cable, plug and the glass less then £30
Old draw = free if you know where to look