Benjamin Davis from dv8 Youth Ministries in Crowley, TX brings us these super lightweight and simple light boxes.
They accomplished this design with air filters, duct tape, and some LED lighting.
Benjamin bought 76 air filters ($1.30 each). Then he bought 12 rolls of duct tape ($3.40 each). Total cost: $140.
First he took four filters and taped them together. Then he cut 6.5″ squares from the cardboard boxes the air filters came in. He cut those in triangles to use at the corners of his boxes to support the shape and block light. Then he taped the triangles to the corners on top and bottom of the boxes.
Finally he taped the boxes together to create a stack. He taped an air filter on the top box to keep light from escaping too much. Then he put an LED light at the bottom of each stack to illuminate it.
I love this idea. What LED fixtures were used?
We Use ’54w LED PAR Light (EPC-54W-RGBW)’ But I would say any strong LED Par Light should do the job great!
These are fantastic! I would also like to know what fixtures you used. Are the black bottom boxes wood that hold the lights?
Thanks SO MUCH!
I answered the light question in previous. =)
The Boxes are actually cardboard Boxes covered in black duct tape, using the same triangles for the corners to block light.
The Front Two on the stage are Sub-woofers But the Back Two bottom boxes are where the lights are placed into. (A cut out i made that flips open and closes back to avoid light escaping.)
The two lights on the subs are Flat Par Lights so they sit on the speakers without really being seen.
How much we’re the lights and where did you order them? Please post a link if possible. I tried googling and the ones I found didn’t show a price.
This is brilliant!
If this had a like button, I’d Like it!
Where did he find air filters that cheap?
I actually Found them at a local grocery store. “Brookshire’s”
They are super thin filters. They had them for the cheapest i’ve seen! (Of course, I had to have them special ordered for me.)
Neat idea!
I’m curious to know more about the fixtures you used. I noticed its a china import fixture.
1) Would you buy them again?
2) Where did you get them?
3) Price range? The websites I saw said 4 units min and price negotiable.
4) Do they have a good dimming curve? Many cheaper LED fixtures don’t dim well at low intensities. Do these work well at low levels?
I hope you are having a blast coming up with creative ways of using resources to serve God and your ministry!
Sincerely,
Bill
I am curious about the LED’s mentioned and I have all the same questions as Bill.
Rick
Those look great, We plan on making some for our youth church. Do you know what brand of air filters these are and their product number. Thanks again for the great idea.
I just made some of these for our church in Scottsdale this past weekend. They look awesome! I found the filters through a local dealer AZ Partsmaster (although we chose to use smaller 16″x16″ filters instead of 20″x20″). Surprisingly the 20″ were cheaper. Only 85 cents a piece. I picked them up directly from them through will call. http://www.azpartsmaster.com/Products/Disposable-Panel-Air-Filter-20-x-20-x-1-Case-of-12__152020.aspx
I give all the props to Benjamin for this idea! I should warn you though, these took a long time to make. The fastest I could make each box was 20min. Once you add the lids, boxes below, and corners to hide light you should expect 45min-hour for each box. We made 20.
We used some cheap Chauvet LED’s that we bought recently when Musician’s Friend had them on sale for 2 for 1. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/chauvet-ledsplash-200b?tandt_rdir=1 They lit up four boxes high pretty well but I could see how a brighter led would be better. Especially if you went higher with your towers. Oh, we also put tin foil on the under side of the lid so any excess light might bounce back down and fill up the tower again. That seemed to work well.
Only other piece of advice I would add is these do bleed a little. As you can see in Ben’s pictures the walls behind them do light up a bit. We put one in front of (and below) our center screen and it bled a little. Luckily our projector is bright enough to over power it.
Great idea Ben! We got lots of compliments!!!
Will these come back white or do they have a blue tint?
What church? :)
I just did some checking, and these exact filters are $.59 at Mills Fleet Farm! (yep – I’m pumped!)
I visited their site and they don’t provide info for square filters. (i.e. 16×16 or 20×20) Are you using the rectangular filters or is there a way to find square ones? I see there is a phone number. Will they have to be special ordered to get the squares???? Help please? Thanks!
forgot to get the reply via email….
Troy, those links are pretty old now. Not sure why the pictures shows them blue. They were not blue in the picture or in person when we received them. What we got was slightly different than the picture anyway but was still what we needed. And ours were square. This is just one of many companies that offered them. You can do your own research and find them elsewhere, others have as you can read below. Or simply call that company and ask. As far as disassembly, I would say they don’t come apart once tapped. You could I guess take a blade to the seems and take them apart just to later retape them but that would be a chore, especially if you added corner pieces on tops and bottoms. That does make storing them a challenge. As far as lights, many different lights would work. Just try something and make it your own. We’ve enjoyed ours.
so where did you find filters for $0.59?? Im in Athens ga and I can’t find a good price do to this… Please help…
Here you go David – 57 cents each! http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/aaf-stratadensity-fiberglass-furnace-filters/0000000046493
Yes mike they are time consuming! But if you have the right help they shouldn’t take to long. Yes 20 mins a box is about right :)
I’m excited to see others using my idea !
Rick and Bill. Let me see where we buy them and let me get back to you. Yes they are china imports that we get and our actually pretty goog lights in my opinion.
Let me check and ill post a new comment.
Light cost? Link please? Thanks!
Troy- would love to discuss more about solutions for your space! Shoot me an email luke@vinno.co
Gonna try this, love the look
I can wait to do these for our women’s ministry. This is brilliant!! Great job!
Thank you! Praise God! Love the sharing of ideas on this site!
I was searching around for a way to make our own version of “atomic pillow walls” because renting them is cost prohibitive.
I believe these will work for that purpose as well. I’m just going to hang them together with “s” hooks, and should be able to reconfigure into many interesting designs and set changes over time!
If anyone has tried it that way, or has feedback before we go for it, please post! My only concern is how reflective they will be when uplit from the outside. I’m hoping close enough to look like a real “atomic pillow wall”.
We will be hanging them in columns of 6 or so over a black draped backdrop. Then uplighting from the stage with color led’s that are DMX controlled so we can change scenes as needed. Actually we have the ability to downlight them too, so I guess we’ll experiment with what works best!
Thanks again!
@Jeremy Schoenberger ! Yes sounds like a great idea! they should do great on a black backdrop and should glow great!
@Jeremy Schoenberger
Did you ever create the “atomic pillow walls” with the filters? If so, I’d love to see the results.
We did a variation of it, we covered the cardboard parts with black duct tape and linked them together and hung it from our truss. I can send you pictures if you’d like!
Thats exacly what we are considering. I’d love to see the pics. Please send to pbarnett @ stonebrookmedia dot com
Hi Luke!! We’re looking for some creative designs for our Teens Stage, could you send me the pics as well?? Thanks a ton!
Oops….My email address is worldovercomer.gabrielle@gmail.com
Where did you get these filters? I cannot find anything in that price range. Everything I have found has been anywhere from $5-15 per filter. I love this idea and want to try it. Any advice on where to find something similar to what you have here?
Just ordered them for $10.24 per pack of 12 with only $8 shipping from the link listed above:
http://www.azpartsmaster.com/Products/Disposable-Panel-Air-Filter-20-x-20-x-1-Case-of-12__152020.aspx
Thanks for the awesome idea!!
Could you please help me? I am VERY interested in giving this a shot for our kid’s ministry room. They appear blue in the link you’ve provided. What happens to avoid the blue? Are they white? Do you disassemble pieces? Thanks.
Forgot to click “notify via email”….
http://www.fleetfarm.com $.57/each
http://www.fleetfarm.com, 57 cents each for the 20x20x1 size. I bought 80.
Ben, you never put on here where you got your lights at. Would you care to add that? Of course, I’m scouring the internet for the cheapest ones, so it may not be necessary anyway – just wondering tho! These look great and I’m excited about giving them a try. How creative!
Like this idea! Wondering about fire hazard
Any idea where you get duct tape that cheap? Best I’m finding is a generic name on Amazon for $4.97. Thanks.
Never mind, I think the difference is the one I found was 60 yards, the cheaper ones are only 20 yard, so the one I found on Amazon was cheaper. Thanks!
We have some of the old traditional PAR can lights that we aren’t using. Could these be used instead of the LED PARs?
Thanks!
I wouldn’t recommend it. There is a risk of fire with old traditional style par cans though if your looking cheaper American DJ Mega panels can work in a pinch. They are about $99 per which is relatively cheap for this kind of application.
We just ordered 250 of these filters for a version of this for our easter set. Thanks for the idea!
LOVE this idea– thanks so much for sharing! We’re doing a stage redesign for Easter, and I’ll be making some of these asap! Thanks, everyone, for the insight… good to know it takes some time for assembly. :)
First Off I would like to apologize about the late replies. I’m so blessed that there are so many comments and people using my ideas!
LETS ANSWER THESE:
@LIGHTING QUESTIONS
WHERE:
http://tkslight.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008842693601/pdtl/LED-light/1044524714/LED-Par-Light.htm
COST:
$280ea
You have to contact them for the pricing cost.
FIRE HAZARD QUESTIONS:
The LEDs That we use have a great cooling system and they stay pretty cool.
I would NOT use regular PAR lighting. They tend to get really hot, really fast. (For this situation anyways)
DUCT TAPE QUESTIONS:
WHERE: Walmart
COST: $3.40ea
SEPARATION QUESTIONS:
After Taping them all together they become Big and hard to store.
We have since then, Cut the boxes apart and just use them as separate boxes. Many more ideas have come from this and moving them around to make new designs is a cinch.
I thought the lighting escaping would be and issue, but it hasn’t.
FILTER QUESTIONS:
Let me know if you have any still. There are some good links above already.
Love all you guys! I want to thank all of you for taking the idea God has given me and for using it all over the world.
REMEMBER: “WE ARE ALL CREATED IN HIS IMAGE,
HE IS THE BEST CREATOR.
WE ARE ALL CREATORS TOO.
HAPPY CREATING!” BENJAMIN DAVIS
Hi guys wondering if you know where I could get these AC filters in Australia ? we so love your design and lighting
thanks
Paul
Ben, As we are taping the filters together we are finding it hard to make each side the same. The tape is a wider strip on two sides due to the way the filters fit together. Yours all look uniform on all sides. How did you tape them together where you don’t have wide strip on some sides? Thanks!
It is an awesome idea and it’s exciting to see how many folks liked it! Guess our congregation will like it as well!
@Nancy at Westside
I taped the two outer filters to the two inner filters. Thus doing this you really don’t get squares. They are actually longer one way than they are the other. (Rectangle) . As long as you place your squares on top of each other properly they look square.
Thanks! That’s what we did, just wondered if it was the right way to do it. =)
Alright,I found the filters and I’m preparing to scour for duct tape. I saw that you use 2 rolls per fixture. What size roll? 60 yards? Thank you in advance!!!
They were actually only 20 yards, so 60 should get you a fixture and a half :)
Does it matter if the filters are blue?
Thanks!
Hey Kelley! I just ordered 80 white ones at 57 cents each from http://www.fleetfarm.com. There is an assortment of sizes but this cost was for the 20x20x1. Good luck!
Thank you so much Troy!
I have not tried blue filters. I wouldn’t think they would glow quite at well. Don’t take my word for it though. I feel the white helps reflect the light. Ben.
I can’t find plain white filters. The filters at the link provided (http://www.azpartsmaster.com/Products/Disposable-Panel-Air-Filter-20-x-20-x-1-Case-of-12__152020.aspx ) show up as blue.
Thanks for this great inspiration!!!
http://www.fleetfarm.com 57 cents each!!!!
Thank you, Troy!!!
You’re welcome, Bonnie!
For those of you asking about using the blue filters, we did it and it works great. Here is a link to a picture of our version:
http://s650.photobucket.com/user/mckdbooks/media/null_zps08106af6.jpg.html
The colors are a lot brighter in person than on this picture. and our lights change colors so I love the effect of the colors fading from one to the other. The tall towers on either side and the small boxes in the front are the 58 cent white ones from the Fleet Farms link above. When we set them up, it wasn’t quite enough and we didn’t have time to order more white ones, so we bought cheap blue ones locally.
The blue ones look good but it does limit your colors to darker versions. A white light glows blue, a red light glows purple and a yellow light glows green. Just like kindergarten art class!
The little boxes in the front and all of the blue ones are actually triangle. They stand up just as nice as the squares and save 25% of the cost in filters, tape and time. The letters are stuck on the front with velcro dots. They stay pretty well, but I did put one loop of thin clear thread around the top center of each letter just in case the velcro got tired.
Thanks Ben for this great idea! We are hosting 500 kids from area churches this weekend and I love the way our stage looks!
Christa Hutchins
Amite Baptist Church
Denham Springs, LA
Your welcome @Christa
And thank you! You may have given me another great ideas with the filter concept!
It looks great on the stage! :)
Hope all goes well! God bless.
Christa, what kind of lights did you use and did you have any heat issues since your light boxes were triangles instead of square?
I reside in Los Angeles can I find this boxes in downtown LA?
I have just done this for our church. We didn’t have anymore LED lights to use, so I purchased extension cords (cut off ends, and simply plug in), and basic ceiling light fixture and electrical boxes. I wired the fixtures with the extension cords on the electrical boxes, and simply place those on the floor. I used colored party CFL bulbs (curly) in order to reduce the heat inside of the filter. This lighting option cost us around $30 for the lighting option, and it looks almost as good as the LED lights. All together including the filters and tape we spent around $65
http://www.menards.com/main/lighting-ceiling-fans/lighting-hardware-accessories/shade-holders-bases/steel-shade-holder/p-2050148.htm
http://www.menards.com/main/electrical/rough-electrical/junction-boxes/new-work/4-square-box-for-conduit-case-only/p-1408652-c-6429.htm
http://www.menards.com/main/electrical/electrical-cords-outlet-adapters/extension-cords/16-2-9-brown-indoor-cord/p-2193753-c-6410.htm
http://www.menards.com/main/lighting-ceiling-fans/light-bulbs/fluorescent/mood-lites13-watt-60w-spiral-canelabra-base-green-2700k-cfl-bulb/p-1968631-c-7478.htm (we got 3 different colors)
Bill, do you have any pictures you could shoot to me at gsnpbc@me.com?
Hey, does anyone have another place to get the filters, because I tried fleet farm and they did not have enough. Please Help
Ben, I got mine at Lowe’s, they cost more but I picked them up that day.
I wish I had found this earlier but I had seen pics with no information and tried to make these. I bought blue filters, used black duct tape, everything you did except didn’t pay attention to them being squared and the ones I made where rectangle. I’m not liking the stacked effect because not even. Any suggestions?
Thanks for posting this! We are currently attempting to create a version of this for our church in Hamilton Ontario, which runs in a school!
It’s the perfect set design to put up and take down each week!
Has anyone tried using these with blacklight spotlights? I’m a wedding/event planner and I have a request for blacklight pillars and these would be perfect!! If they work, that is…
@Natalie This might be too late but I recently made one of these and threw it up on my stage under a LED light and it lit up pretty well.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8s2mw3g9tq9f583/Photo%20Oct%2015%2C%205%2046%2046%20PM.jpg?dl=0
Cool! Thanks! And no, it’s not too late!
My questions are a little different. We have just built three towers of boxes 3 high on a base. They are working the lighting out as I am typing. Question is how long do these last with regular weekly use? Do they require a lot of maintainace or upkeep?
Well, fr me I am still using them. We used them for about 2 months consistent on the stage. The only thing that we had to do was occasionally fix some tape. I made the mistake of using electrical tape and pulled it very tight. So it would pull off some, and I would have to re-tape some areas here and there. Then I put them away from our main service. Now I am doing a youth service on Sunday nights, and so I pull them out of the closet every week and set them up, then put them away when I am done. They are beginning to bend and fold and not be as strong as they were at first. However, once you get them up, any weakness is not seen from the congregation. I would say if left up on the stage as long as kids aren’t playing on them, they should last as long as you want them to. Personally I am trying to make them survive the year, then I will want to change it up and make fee it new again.
Another option for filters: http://www.bettymills.com/shop/product/view/Purolator/PUR5039701505.html
Be advised, these are a special order item that takes a few weeks.
Hi guys wondering if you know where I could get these AC filters in Australia ? we so love your design and lighting tips
thanks
Paul
where did he get those air filters?? pease advise
Hi Benja this is really creative and yet very cost effective thank you for sharing. am a worship pastor of ayoung church we planted here in uganda we are actually 3months young i like this my question is : what kind of air filters are these i have tried to google air filters and the results i get are not helping is this aspecific kind of airfilter. also i kindly request if you can do a step by step process of how these are done our little church will much appreciate. just know someone in uganda east africa found this very helpful hope to hear from you
sculptorinternational@gmail.com
Nice job sir.could you kindly show where you bought the air filters?link?
http://www.midlandhardware.com/182009.html#.VVJV49NVhHw
They are Filtrete Basic, Flat panel air filters 20x20x1
Hi..ive used this idea and it worked great at our church..wondering if theres any way to preserve these filters from tearing up? Anyone knows of a spray on to laminate or reinforce the mesh? I would greatly appreciate any input..thanks!
I just did a version of these for our VBS. After purchasing the filters over two years ago, I finally got to do it. It looked amazing! I intend on using them on the stage in our children’s ministry room. I did not stagger them, rather I made straight columns. I plan on building wooden frames for each tower to be slid inside. A cage of wood. I am so excited that those filters that have been in my garage for over two years are FINALLY being used!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k1nrykii5a66313/photo%20aug%2003%2C%204%2002%2019%20pm.jpg?dl=0
Can you send me a Link where i can buy all this Things to Build it?
Please i Really Need it.
Im from Germany :)
Hello everyone thank you so much for this great idea we are actually working on this for our 1st Youth Conference in a few weeks. Each question we had was answered by the nxt persons comment. Cant wait to pull it all together will def post pictures….
Will anyone be able to install this for my church in Houston, Tx?
Hi
I’m in Ghana is there any shop online I can order these air filters? Please help me…I need it as soon as possible
http://www.azpartsmaster.com/Products/Disposable-Panel-Air-Filter-20-x-20-x-1-Case-of-12__152020.aspx
I think you should have made your bed before taking the pictures! :-)
Your’s look AMAZING!!! I am getting ready to tackle this project for our Youth Church Stage!!
What kind of tape did you use on the edges? Trying to avoid a glare from duct tape.
did it for my church, thanks for sharing it!
Does anyone have photos of the towers using the blue filters? Those are the only ones I can find. Do they still work? Thanks