Backlighting a stained glass window (on a budget)

[Stuart91]

Tom - that's a very good point about the barn doors. It wouldn't be out of the question to get something fabricated to suit.

 

I agree with Sandall about the original intention of the windows' design. They look good from the inside on a sunny day. The brief we've been given is to light them from the inside for the benefit of passers-by outside, which makes sense from a promotional/marketing point of view. Part of the idea is that these lights can be left on when the rest of the building is dark and unoccupied.

 

I don't think there's the budget or aesthetic appetite for theatrical style lanterns, unless we can find a way to conceal them somehow.

 

I've suggested that we come down and experiment some evening - that might be the easiest way forward.

[Don Allen]

What about trying birdies ? They are a compact light source, barndoors are available, you can get narrow beams so no wasted energy. I think you would have better choice of beam angles with 12V ones.

[Stuart91]

What about trying birdies ? They are a compact light source, barndoors are available, you can get narrow beams so no wasted energy. I think you would have better choice of beam angles with 12V ones.

 

That could be interesting. And I suspect a row of birdies on a wall will go down much better than larger floods or profiles.

[xllx]

I had to light the inside of a church window a couple of times. This particular church had deep internal window sills, probably about 50cm.

 

We used Howie battens, on the edge of the sill pointing up, I think we frosted them and they washed up the window quite effectively. It looked tidy from the inside and was pretty effective from the outside.

 

The only issue was that the bottom 50cm of the window wasn't as well lit as the rest.

 

If I was doing it now, I would use an LED batten of some sort.

Edited March 19, 2021 by xllx

[Dave m]

Could it be done with standard strip lights? I am imagining led units - possibly daylight ones- fitted into a fabricated trough on either side of the reveal. The trough could be painted to match the fabric of the church. It could also act as a semi barn door should it be necessary. Not DMX but I guess you could incorporate a DMX mains on/off?

[Charlotte_R]

Could it be done with standard strip lights? I am imagining led units - possibly daylight ones- fitted into a fabricated trough on either side of the reveal. The trough could be painted to match the fabric of the church. It could also act as a semi barn door should it be necessary. Not DMX but I guess you could incorporate a DMX mains on/off?

 

I was thinking LED tape personally. If you get the right driver, they can be DMX controlled.