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Underwater Light Orbs
An-D
EnthusiastAshevilleRegistered User regular
EnthusiastAshevilleRegistered User regular
So, I'm moving into a cool little lakehouse with a dock that goes into a pretty private cove. It gets really dark down there at night though, so I'd like to light up the water so swimming in the evening isn't as creepy/scary/dark.
What I imagine making are softball-sized light orbs. Super bright LED light inside a waterproof, plastic ball tied to a little weight via some twine. I'd give them enough twine so they float somewhere in the middle of the water. It doesn't get too deep. Maybe 10 feet at the very deepest in the middle - most of it is 3-6 feet deep.
What is the best way to go about this? I'm no engineer. I just have a lot of optimism and the idea that it would look really, really cool if I had ten or so light orbs floating underwater down by my dock.
I want them to be:
1) Move-able. I plan on collecting them when I'm done at night.
2) Rechargeable. I don't want them to be one-time things. I'd like the ability to open the ball, turn off the lights or replace batteries or recharge or whatever.
3) Waterproof (obviously) and somewhat durable (in case they are accidentally kicked while someone is swimming).
I've seen some online that are either really expensive or one-time things. I'd like to make them on my own, and hopefully not spend a whole ton of money. Can I get some advice on the best way to make these? What kind of lights? Where can I find clear orbs that I can put lights in and hopefully waterproof? Is there anything I'm not considering while I imagine how cool this would look? Is this a fool's errand?
Thanks for your help!
What I imagine making are softball-sized light orbs. Super bright LED light inside a waterproof, plastic ball tied to a little weight via some twine. I'd give them enough twine so they float somewhere in the middle of the water. It doesn't get too deep. Maybe 10 feet at the very deepest in the middle - most of it is 3-6 feet deep.
What is the best way to go about this? I'm no engineer. I just have a lot of optimism and the idea that it would look really, really cool if I had ten or so light orbs floating underwater down by my dock.
I want them to be:
1) Move-able. I plan on collecting them when I'm done at night.
2) Rechargeable. I don't want them to be one-time things. I'd like the ability to open the ball, turn off the lights or replace batteries or recharge or whatever.
3) Waterproof (obviously) and somewhat durable (in case they are accidentally kicked while someone is swimming).
I've seen some online that are either really expensive or one-time things. I'd like to make them on my own, and hopefully not spend a whole ton of money. Can I get some advice on the best way to make these? What kind of lights? Where can I find clear orbs that I can put lights in and hopefully waterproof? Is there anything I'm not considering while I imagine how cool this would look? Is this a fool's errand?
Thanks for your help!
An-D on
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Disclaimer: I've never tried this before, so I don't know if it will work. But I figure as long as the lights work, and you seal the holes properly (I'm thinking with some Gorilla Glue (is that waterproof? I don't know), or some other waterproof variant), you should be alright!
Update: Gorilla Glue DOES claim to be 100% waterproof! So: Measure the beach ball holes you're cutting using whatever lights you obtain as an outline, so you don't have a big gaping hole that you can't seal again.
Furthermore, this is a cool idea, which is why I put all this work into looking this stuff up :P
So you might want something like this:
http://www.amazon.de/Ansmann-Aqua-Light-LED-Unterwasserleuchte-2-er/dp/B002BICYE4
Those things can either float or stick to surfaces with a suction cup. They need batteries and are 100% water proof. Unfortunately I can't find that product on amazon.com. Maybe you should look for big gardening or DIY stores, they will have something like that for pools or garden ponds I'd guess.
I'd also recommend that your anchoring be attached to whatever you devise to plug the hole you make (making the hole essentially the "bottom" of the sphere). That way the internal air pressure will keep water from entering, even if the plug isn't 100% air tight.
I'm worried that the beach ball might make it difficult to turn the LED off or replace batteries or whatever I have to do. Once its sealed, it would be hard to get anything back out. That's how I imagine it right now, anyway.
The hollow balls that Ruckus posted looks like you might be able to open them. I'm looking at the 150mm ones. Not sure exactly how to go about ordering them. Or how to get the number that I want (thinking 12 right now). I'm going to shop around and see if I can other ones that I don't need to buy in bulk.
You could just get some clear plastic bottles. They've already got a watertight seal built in. Then you just need to find some battery power lights.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
For the lights, I'm probably going to get those LED headband light things and disassemble them so they're just a mess of wires so I can fit them easily in everything...and so the lights kind of poke out in every direction. Its basically what I did when I made an arc reactor for a Halloween costume a few years back.
*EDIT*: I think I found a winner.
I don't think your ornament will work out. You want to make absolutely sure that your container is waterproof, which generally means a screw-on lid. Fortunately you can get such items by the fistful, for cheap, at any grocery store. Just go to the jelly aisle and pick whichever jar looks coolest. Eat or dump the jelly, and voila! Also peruse the drink aisles and possibly the canned food aisle. Olives and artichokes and the like sometimes have screw-on containers and come in interesting shapes.
I would make the screw on lid a priority. Air trapped underwater will force a lid open with very little trouble. Pressure differences and all, even only a few feet down. I also wouldn't worry overly about the shape. It won't be too visible at night, underwater. You'll mostly just see a fuzzy glowing effect which will be cool.
You will probably also have some issues getting the thing to sink. Consider just throwing the whole thing in a net, such as the type oranges come in, and weighing THAT down by the drawstring. Some bottles have convenient loops, handles, or holes, but if you want something round-ish a net might be your best bet. I'd probably start with the light and then work backwards to find a container in which it will fit. Places like Big Lots or generic ebay auctions will be your friend here.
One last thing: I'm pretty sure that you can get this idea to work, with a bit of determination. You might, however, find, that a bunch of mysterious cool looking glowing orbs down in the murky water make the lake CREEPIER rather than less so. Good luck!
I have to travel back across the state tomorrow, but within the next week, I should have everything I need and I'll document the building process and the results.
I'll probably buy some kind of heavy-duty clear tape to wrap around the center line as a 'just in case' measure.
Edit: that photographer is, I think, talking about using them as fake bubbles in a fake prop bathtub, not actually in the water.
http://www.amazon.com/Case-Clear-Plastic-Round-Ornaments/dp/B005HHSY86/ref=pd_sbs_hg_11
and then fill the small hole with a cork from a wine bottle or another type of plug.