A big hello to all the readers of the BurningMan Jack Rabbit Speaks (JRS) Newsletter! My "EL Wire Tips to Solder On" was featured in the (BManUpdate:Vol7:#45:08.13.03) issue of the JRS.If you are not a JRS reader, the following are some pictures from my "glowing suit" EL project for BurningMan 2003. I created a similar glowing suit that was mostly built at BM 2002 but decided to re-do it for 2003 with fancy schmancy "tail wire" from my friends at CoolNeon.com.
See below for my EL Tip article from the JRS...
Hugs,
-ELdorado
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*\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/* EL WIRE TIPS TO HELP YOU SOLDER ON If you are like me, the last few days before Burning Man are spent hunched over a workbench with the smell of hot solder and burning flux wafting in the air. I have been in love with EL Wire ever since I was introduced to it at BM. Anyway, here are some tips that may help you finish your EL project and maybe actually get some sleep. 1. Plan ahead. I know this is common sense, but spend some time sketching out your project before you embark. Graph paper works especially well here and plan to buy about 20 percent more EL wire footage than you think you need. 2. Order your supplies soon. I ordered raw wire from CoolNeon.com and was happy that they included niceties like copper tape and heat shrink tubing in the package. They have many types of EL wire that cost between $1 and $1.50 per foot. 3. Try out the new Tail Wire which adds a small flap to the normal EL wire cylinder making it easy to attach to fabrics and other surfaces. 4. Instead of sewing your EL, I suggest using a fabric glue like "Unique Stitch" or Aleen's "OK To Wash-It" which should be easy to find in the adhesive section of your local craft store. Another method of attaching EL wire to fabric is to use a standard office stapler. For my project, I used a combination of Unique Stitch glue and staples. Unique Stitch dries in about 30 minutes but you should let it cure for 24 hours. 5. When attaching your Tail Wire to fabric use appropriately sized black binder clips (available from your company's supply closet). Keep advancing them to new locations as previous sections dry. Afterward, staple the EL "tail" at key stress points like corners, joints and ends. Be sure to never staple or cut the core EL wire. 6. For soldering, pickup a "third hand" from Radio Shack to help hold your wire. Also, make sure that you use flux and a clean bit in your soldering iron. Soldering instructions are on CoolNeon.com. 7. Lastly, use epoxy to seal the ends of all your EL Wire lest you like to receive little shocks every now and again. I also use epoxy to seal the ends of all my shrink tubing as an extra precaution. Pictures: http://www.powerpage.org/gallery/burningman/el/el_project_2003.html Yours in Lights, E.L.Dorado Camp Astral Headwash *\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/*