Welding?

[Brandlin]

I'm thinking of making a diorama that will include someone arc welding.

I'm wondering how to do the arc welding effect? I'm guessing it would be a VERY aggressive OSL effect in brilliant White/blue-tinge and with very sharp shadows? I'm also guessing that the arc light would simply wash out the colours of anything it hits?

My alternative is to paint the model normally, but to install a flickering blue/White LED for the effect? I can do this relatively easily, but I don't believe I'll get the very bright arc effect, and it will just look dull, even in the dark?

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Scout_II]

http://www.sceneryexpress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=EZ7002

OSL done right would be nearly impossible given the intensity of arc welding light.  You would be basically looking at something that you can not see (the area exposed to the light) or the area that is black or nearly so.

[Big Sexy]

Some kind of mini strobe light might work if you could find such a thing.  They seem to have a pretty harsh white light.  Will you actually see the point of welding in the diorama or will be more indirect like flashing from behind something.

[carlos marighela]

Certainly one way of finding out who the epileptics are in your circle of friends. 

[Hammers]

Certainly one way of finding out who the epileptics are in your circle of friends. 

Always trus carlos to have a particular angle on an project. 

[Brandlin]

http://www.sceneryexpress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=EZ7002

OSL done right would be nearly impossible given the intensity of arc welding light.  You would be basically looking at something that you can not see (the area exposed to the light) or the area that is black or nearly so.

Hi Scout_II, thanks, but I am aware of the arc light simulator you link to. It's also available from micro mark with or without sound effects.

I'm not sure it would be impossible to paint, difficult yes but not impossible. That's why I'm asking how to do it.

[TheMightyFlip]

Arc welding is a white center that moves into blue, it also lights up walls blue and casts huge back shadows, hmm not really explaining that quite well.



If its gas welding your after, thats really just a gas flame, not an arc.

[Brandlin]

Thanks for all the comments guys and to mighty flip for the  pic.
Hover I know what arc welding looks lik, I'm trying to understand HOW best to portray it?

IF I go with an LED approach then I'm thinking of using this from micro mark


I've never painted OSL, but I think I could. Do you thing using both techniques would work? Have you seen anything like this done before? Pictures?

Thanks again for your interest.

[kalebdaark]

The only addition to the above I can think of is to take a small fiber optic cable, slice it open, and very carefully glue a few short strands to the strobe light in question.  That might give an arc effect to a static display.

[Connectamabob]

I'd go with the LED. I wouldn't use the micro-Mark kit though, because it'd probably be cheaper to DIY one. At the very least, there are much better LEDs (both smaller and brighter) out there now than the ones pictured in the kit.

My electro-fu is very weak, but I'll bet that board could be simplified, and thus miniaturized a lot further too. Swapping the screw connectors for soldered leads definitely, but I'll bet you could get a random-looking flicker or blink pattern by (oversimplification warning) using a few different valued caps in parallel so their discharges stagger and overlap.

[Brandlin]

That board does more than you think
http://www.heathcote-electronics.co.uk/Scenic.htm#Arc%20Welder%20Effect%20with%20Sound

[6milPhil]

I'm trying to understand HOW best to portray it?

I think with miniature and gaming folk a paint effect is what would make us all go WoW, with railway modellers they'd probably prefer the light thing like someone linked to earlier.