



Why a Light Box?

Supplies

(3) PVC Pipe

(8) PVC Pipe Elbow

(6) PVC Pipe Tees

PVC Glue

(3) Clamp-Mount Lights

(3) Bright-White Bulbs

Heavy White Fabric

(6) Small Mounting Plates

Planning

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Mitre Saw

Assemble / Glue

Fabric / Lights

Clamp Mounts

Brighter lights the better

The cloth is used because it diffuses the strength of the lights, preventing ugly highlights.



Will let you position the lights further away from the cloth and create a stronger glow.

Create a Background

Miniatures stand out better against a soft background.



Curve the paper so there aren't any seems visible behind the miniature.

If there's one thing I might do down the road, it's build a form to hold the background. For now, miniatures are heavy enough to hold the background print in place while I lean it up against the box background.

BONUS!

Say "cheese" Mori!

Make sure your turtle is large enough to not get stuck underneath!

Don't build the stand so tall they can climb out of the tank!

PVC glue isn't pet safe and wasn't needed.

Use galvanized screws to hold pipes together and prevent rusting for health reasons.

Aquarium stores sell tank sealant, use this around any areas you connect the pipes to the rubbermaid container to keep water from the sand.

Drill holes in the submerged pipes if there's nowhere for water to fill in.

Have a strong support under the tank to bear the extra weight of the stand. (Unlike water, which has its weight evenly distributed in the aquarium.)

Use sandbox sand to fill the container as it will be kid-safe and won't contain chemicals. Never use calcium sand as it's not actually good for your turtle. (It's basically just tasty sand and might not pass through their system.)

If food or feeder fish (never goldfish, minnows are good) get under the stand, your turtle may go crazy trying to get under. The weight of the sand should prevent them from flipping the stand and they'll learn fish are unreachable, but you'll want to get out stuck food to prevent it from going bad.



