Mad Planets Marquee Shadow Box

Phetishboy

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So I finally got around to tying up another loose end that's been dangling over my head like a 3 day old ball sac. A light box for the coolest marquee in the world, Mad Planets. I started this project about a year ago and then just lost interest. With my mural complete and a party on Saturday, I decided to finish her up. I painted it in oil-based 'Aluminum' from Rustoleum, then used real aluminum for the frame. Turned out pretty decent:

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Thanks guys, I really can't believe how long some of these little projects drag on. This will be mounted above my mural when I get some brackets fabbed.

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That looks great. Is the box wood? I couldn't tell if the frame was aluminim or the whole thing. Do you have any pictures of the box sans marquee? I've got a few Marquees around that I could build boxes for and I like the way yours looks.

Oh, and thanks for not including the picture of the shirtless guy in the shirt frame. That hurts my head.
 
That looks great. Is the box wood? I couldn't tell if the frame was aluminim or the whole thing. Do you have any pictures of the box sans marquee? I've got a few Marquees around that I could build boxes for and I like the way yours looks.

Oh, and thanks for not including the picture of the shirtless guy in the shirt frame. That hurts my head.

It's wood, but the aluminum paint makes it match the real aluminum almost perfectly. You can see the wood thickness in this shot of the power switch side:

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That looks really good Phet. Does anybody make these for sale for those of us that are too lazy... er, lack the time to make them? :D

I've been asked that very question several times by several members via PM, but every time I give the price to build them one, they run away, never to be heard from again.
 
Eighty Dollars Shipped. I think I even quoted a lower price to the first few guys that asked, but then I came to my senses and realized how much time each one takes and I realized that the Post Office started charging more to ship stuff.
 
Eighty Dollars Shipped. I think I even quoted a lower price to the first few guys that asked, but then I came to my senses and realized how much time each one takes and I realized that the Post Office started charging more to ship stuff.

All kidding aside, that seems more than reasonable.
 
Eighty Dollars Shipped. I think I even quoted a lower price to the first few guys that asked, but then I came to my senses and realized how much time each one takes and I realized that the Post Office started charging more to ship stuff.
That's it and people run? We really must be a bunch of cheap bastards. I'm sending you a PM.
 
All kidding aside, that seems more than reasonable.

Yeah, the materials alone add up quick:

Lumber/backer board/crown staples: $10
Aluminum framing: $10
18 inch FL Light Fixture: $12-15
Power Switch/crimp connectors/screws: $6
2 coats paint/primer: $5
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total: $46

Plus, each one takes about 4-5 days to build. Cut the lumber, route the back edge, staple and glue, let glue dry over night, sand and prime, let primer dry over night. Paint 1 coat, wait 2 hours or overnight, paint second coat. Install light fixture, cut and strip wires, add power switch, wire it all up and staple all the wires inside. Now it's on to test fit the aluminum, cut each of 4 pieces to length while mitering the corners. Then grinding and de-burring each piece, then measuring and laying out the screw pattern and drilling 12-16 holes, then more deburring. Now time to test fit the marquee and screw each piece of the frame in, grinding any corners that don't quite line up. In fact, in the close-up pic, you can see one of my corners is off, I grabbed the wrong piece that was laying there, as I had cut a few at a time. I need to take it off and install the right one. I think the length difference was like 1/16", but it makes a difference.

It's just one of those projects that is much more labor intensive than it looks. But, this being KLOV, everybody wants something for nothing. Not gonna get it from this guy.

In fact, Now that I've spelled it all out in detail, and forgot to add the minimum $15 shipping charge, the price has jumped to $90 shipped.
 
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I have a question: what's the best way to treat a marquee that you'll be mounting in one of these types of boxes that you're using a scratched marquee in? Can you tape a layer of tissue or waxed paper on the back side of the marquee to diffuse the light better so the scratches don't show up as much?

I only ask b/c I have a few marquees (like Colony 7, for example) that I will probably NEVER use in a cab, but it would be great to mount them in a shadow box. There are a few scratches, though, and I'd like to lessen the effect.

In black border areas, I suppose you could mask it and spray with krylon. But That won't work in the majority of the artwork area.
 
I have a question: what's the best way to treat a marquee that you'll be mounting in one of these types of boxes that you're using a scratched marquee in? Can you tape a layer of tissue or waxed paper on the back side of the marquee to diffuse the light better so the scratches don't show up as much?

I only ask b/c I have a few marquees (like Colony 7, for example) that I will probably NEVER use in a cab, but it would be great to mount them in a shadow box. There are a few scratches, though, and I'd like to lessen the effect.

In black border areas, I suppose you could mask it and spray with krylon. But That won't work in the majority of the artwork area.

Install white self adhesive privacy window vinyl or spray a light coat of white Krylon Fusion over the back of the marquee
 
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