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Project Page: Blue Ice
Blue Ice
Blue LEDs shoot out of cast resin ice cubes in all directions in this project that I learned form Make: Magazine and Kipkay. It was my first time working with casting resin, which turned out to be pretty easy to use.
I don’t have any pictures of the casting process because I was too busy freaking out after reading the warnings on the can. Contact with eyes, it read, could cause blindness! Warnings like that will get your attention.
Casting resin is mixed with a few drops of catalyst (which comes with it’s own dire warnings) so that it will harden properly. I mixed it up in a dollar store measuring cup and poured it into an ice cube tray, the LEDs suspended in the resin. After drying overnight the cubes were crystal clear.
It was a little tricky figuring out the best way to position the cubes in the cup so that their legs could be connected. I was a bit wary of soldering near the cubes for fear of melting them, but had no problems. Wires soldered to the bottom cube were run through a hole drilled in the cup and connected to a 3V battery holder and ON/OFF switch that are adhered to the bottom with hot glue.
The plastic cup that I used has a rough pattern on the inside, which diffuses the light. These cool blue cubes make a good conversation piece and a nice little night light.