Present
2003: Feb | Mar | Apr | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec
2004: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec
2005: Blog
2006: Blog
2007: Blog

August 1, 2003

I'm running to catch up with a target hologram that I expect to consign with the Celtic Store.  The following pictures show the latest copy layout that I'm using with the ogham master I made several days ago.

Here's a shot of the final model.

I've also begun putting together the parts I'll need for the second layer of my table.  I'm adding an upper section to my table that can be used exclusively for copies so that I can continue to make masters on the lower level.

Here I'm using the temporary layout as a table for cutting glass.  I'll be using these as master and copy plates with the laminating material from Kapco.

And of course, there were some mistakes on the way to glass cutting nirvana.

August 2, 2003

Helping Andres get started on his holography table...

August 8, 2003

It's been a busy week ironing out the bugs in the ogham hologram.  I've learned a lot about model making, scene design, lighting, copying problems and framing (mostly what makes a good stock frame and what doesn't).

I've purchased a laminator and I now need to try laminating some film to glass for my final copies.

August 9, 2003

Before going off to class, I made two more holograms to show the people at the Celtic Store.  I cleaned my reference lens to remove the last of the whorls (microscope objectives are a real pain to clean) and made two bright and clean copies of the ogham (I only have one spatial filter).  I also experimented a bit with the laminator and used it to apply Oracal to the back of the new holograms (with the heat turned off).  Even cold lamination works well with the inexpensive laminator I bought although I'll need to get some thin glass to use with it so that the rollers really compress the film.

I also tried an experiment with an old piece of film.  I decided to make a third hologram using a piece of film I'd treated with TEA a week ago.  I hadn't used it because I decided to move to larger film to show off the hill that the ogham is standing on.  I figured that I wouldn't end up with a very good hologram but I was on a roll and was going to have to clean up and leave the house soon anyway and if I got a foggy hologram, well, that was better than throwing the film out.

I didn't get a foggy hologram at all.  I got a nice red-orange clean and clear image.

August 14, 2003

I managed to finally make a couple more ogham copies this morning.  It's been a busy week at work and that hasn't left me much time to spend at the table.  Unfortunately I somehow dripped TEA on one of them and ended up with an interesting (but un-sellable) image with a multi-colored streak near the middle.  The other one was fine though.

I'm also gearing up to make a dolmen hologram.  At the moment I'm working out the model layout in the hopes I can made a master in a week or two.

In addition, I'm working on a model layout for an Enterprise that I'll be giving as a gift.

I've got a bit of a gallery going at my work office and thought I'd post a few pictures.

August 17, 2003

I had someone ask about the optics I was using for mastering and copying the ogham hologram, so here we go...

Here we have the layout for the master transmission hologram.  The darker red is the reference beam and the lighter red lines represent the object beam.  The reference beam goes through the beam splitter (#1, the first object just in front of the laser) is reflected off a transfer mirror (hidden by the BS in this picture), is directed through the first lens #2 goes through the spatial filter #3, is shaped by a cylinder lens (hidden by the mount for #6), reflects off the collimating mirror #4 and is reflected onto the plate #5.

The object beam goes from #1 to a transfer mirror #6, is directed to another mirror #7, sent through a lens #8 and onto the object.  A later layout had a diffuser screen in front of the lens to take away some of the speckle and illuminate the final model more evenly.

Here we have the copy layout.  The reference beam and optic layout is left largely unchanged but now becomes the object beam, lighting the master hologram.  #1 is the spatial filter with the cylinder lens #2 in front of it to shape the beam and avoid wasting valuable laser light.  The collimating mirror #3 collimates and redirects the beam to the master hologram #4.

#5 is a lens which expands the beam onto a mirror #6 which redirects it to the copy plate #7.

In each layout the object is 3.5" from the plate holder.

August 18, 2003

I decided to quickly try a white-light transmission of the ogham and reset the table

Rather than move a lot of components around, I decided to rotate the ref mirror and add a second mirror that would serve to light the H2 from the same side as the H1.  It worked out well enough.  What did I end up with?  This:

It's backed with a silver adhesive film that works pretty well, though not ideal, for allowing the transmission to be viewed as a reflection.

August 21, 2003

This morning I had to quickly put together the lit frame for the ogham hologram so I could drop it off at the Celtic Store.

Here's a detail of the LED and the wiring casing with plug.

And, almost finished minus the brass case around the LED is the lit frame.

August 23, 2003

While trapped at work (we were in the middle of getting a milestone out for Mission Impossible) I decided to bring in some supplies and work on a few models of future holograms.

Here's my unfinished but painted dolmen model.  All I need to do is add grass and even out the contrast so that I can light it evenly.  I actually painted it in my office using the airbrush shown below.

The Enterprise model assembled, painted and with a bit of nebula mock-up.

Some of the supplies I brought with me to work.  Airbrush, paint, grass, etc.

August 28, 2003

Since the last update I've made a couple more copies of the Ogham hologram and altered my table setup to do a master of the Enterprise.

Here's the Enterprise with some preliminary nebula surrounding it.  The plate holder shown is new.  I created it last week and I'll have to post assembly pictures when I make a second one.
At the left edge of the picture is my diffuser screen (piece of milk carton).

The collimating mirror is sending the reference beam to the plate while the lower mirror directs one of the object beams (there are two) to the "top" of the model.

A bit difficult to see but the spatial filter at the upper left cleans up the beam while the lens in the middle of the picture spreads the light of the second object beam which comes from "below"

Present
2003: Feb | Mar | Apr | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec
2004: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec
2005: Blog
2006: Blog
2007: Blog