Step Two - Taping
Now you’re going to want to start applying double-sided tape to the dull side of your piece of aluminum
foil. Apply enough to ensure it sticks, but no need to overdo it, either. Then, carefully stick your foil
onto the carboard panel. Do this as nicely as possible, but remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect! You
can also use spray adhesive instead of double-sided tape for this step, if you prefer.
So now you’ve got two pieces,
a “charger” and a light, which
look like the ones pictured to
the left. So far, really easy!
All we have left to do now is
put these two parts together.
The cardboard/foil side will
be “wrapped” as a refelector
around the blacklight fixture.
Step Three - Attaching the Charger
There are a few ways of doing this. Black
industrial-
grade adhesive velcro holds best, and creates
a very professional-looking finished project. But we’re
using household items right now, so duct tape it is!
For a classy look, black duct tape is a great idea. For
the sake of these pictures, we chose the classic silver
color so you can see clearly what we’ve done.
Run a strip attaching the charger to the bottom of the
fixture, foil side in. Then fold the charger over like
the letter “U”, and tape the other end of the charger to
the other lip of the lamp. This will create a reflective,
cylindrical enclosure around the bulb.
When the light is turned on, and a stick is dipped
into the “chamber”, the light reflections in the foil
will charge the stick instantly from all directions.
The enclosure also serves the purpose of muting
the ambient light from the blacklight, so it doesn’t
interfere with the light from your sticks.
And that’s all it takes! We told you it was simple!
Just lean it against your floor tom, or whatever is easiest or
most preferable for you. Just like that, you’ve got a holster
that instantly charges your Hiptrix Drumsticks. Submerge
the sticks for an instant, remove them, and you’re all set!
You can, of course, tinker with these same ideas to come up
with your own custom charger designs. Keep safety in mind!
Remember that even though blacklights are designed safely,
and don’t overheat when running properly, blacklights can,
in rare occurrences, overheat. The materials used in this
how-to are not fire treated! Again, we’re not responsible for
injury or damage to property resulting from your experiences
with this project! Use common sense, monitor the light when
in use, and unplug the blacklight when you’re done with it!
Here’s a variant design, featuring a more professional
look. Instead of cardboard, we substituted a vinyl-type
material from a science surplus store. Instead of using
Aluminum Foil, we used a thin silver mylar, and then
attached the charger to the light using black velcro.
Although the end result is quite slick looking, it must
be noted that a cardboard/foil charger is actually more
sensible, and just as effective.
However you choose to charge, good luck, and if you
create something cool, feel free to let us know of your
success, or send some pics our way! We’d love to see!
>>>CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO TIPS AND TRICKS<<<<
