We knew early on that we wanted some large ‘letter-lights’ to sit on the stage at our wedding, so I set to work trying to improve on the previous technique.
Mild steel, laser cut bases, with fully welded walls were put together in the workshop. As these were to be placed on a stage where there would be people milling about, I knew we had to seal the electrics away to avoid a tripping hazard. The backing in this case was simple low density fibreboard (LDF).
The lights have stood up well, even with their bare metal finish. One ‘M’ and the ampersand hang proudly on our walls at home as a constant reminder of the day.
bending the steel for the counter of the ampersand was tricky…
But once cut to length, sprung into place perfectly
Hardly any gap — perfect for welding
tack weld here and there to keep everything in the right place during fitment
One down, two more to go…
Samson being helpful and giving an impression of scale
Wiring of these lights took ages as each length between bulb holders was cut and wired-in individually. Next time, I’ll use holders that pierce the wires when screwed together
each letter was properly earthed for safety
My thumbs are sore just looking at this one… But I learnt a lot about electrics with this project
All fired up — no loose connections! Yay!
Cutting and tapping the tabs for mounting the backing board
In hindsight, I would have welded these in before securing the wiring harness
Traced onto LDF and cut out with a jigsaw
Not too bad a fit
Love these filament bulbs — shame they’re so electricity-thirsty
Test fit of the lights the day before our wedding…
