to build a light box

[Linhof]

Start to plan to build a light box to view slide. A local store can do it to me but want to know how light should be enough to view a normal exposed slide. I think it should be measured by lux. The sources of light would be LED which could be balanced to 5400K.

[John Koehrer]

You may be over thinking the project, maybe not.

As long as the light is even and bright enough for it to be useful, does it matter?

color temp you have should be fine.

[Greg Blank]

I built a long wooden light box a few years back after seeing that 4 foot by two foot boxes went for over 500.00 USD. I built mine using ply wood which I stained. I got a piece of sign grade white translucent plexi glass and basically built a picture frame for the plexi to sit inside of. The bulb arrays were merely the standard flourescent shop type I wired them according to the instructions. Same place I bought the fixtures I bought the 5400 tubes. Total cost ommitting my time a small bit over 100 dollars US.

[ic-racer]

You should be able to get a NuARC light table for $150 to free if you want to go that route. They can be big and heavy, thus the discount pricing on the used market.

[banjo]

I have tried my hand at building a good light boxs
#1 I had made for my boss at the photo lab I used milk glass with two flourescent
tubes was not good so he had me add mirror in the box BUT that gave it brit spots
not good even light BUT is was 2x briter!!
#5 my best one I used 2 x 2" flourescent tubes 18" x 36" milk glass AND linded the box with form cor with the flourescent tubes about 4' from the glass this I did by
trial & error trying to get the best even light THEN I got the chance to look at a
NuARC light table AND there flourescent tubes about 3" away from the glass and
is all WHITE on the in side
Now if I was to use sign grade white translucent plexi glass I would put a peace
of 1/4 glass on top of it that would make it stronger [{as it seems like everybody always has to lean on my light boxs}] and No static as plexi glass DOES & not
scrach like the plexi glass would by its self!!

banjo

[nolindan]

White LED's have a poor spectrum: a hole in the cyans and a big spike in the near-UV/deep purples

The cyan hole in the spectrum isn't as big a deal as one might suspect as there is very little in nature that is cyan; even less in the average living room that is cyan. The cyan hole may make some color processes look a bit off.

You can get color-balanced flourescent tubes.

[gaylandd]

If you know anyone that works at your local hospital, ask them to check with the facilities group at the hospital. Most hospital imaging departments have gone digital and they have removed all of the x-ray light panels. I know the hospital I work at was giving them away. (I think they still have some in storage. Hospitals store stuff for a long time.)