How to make a photopolymer exposure unit for use with a UV manicure lamp
Over the holiday I've been experimenting with photopolymer plates for making textures in metal clay. The first thing I did was create my own UV exposure unit so I could accurately cure the photopolymer plates using a UV manicure lamp. I thought I would share how I created the exposure unit with you.
1) Purchase a very simple photo frame at your local dollar store. Choose one that is primarily glass held to a fiberboard backing with clips.
2) Use safety glasses to protect your eyes when you cut glass! Cut the glass to size using a glass scoring tool. For a successful break, the glass tool should make a zipping sound when it is pressed across the glass. Gently flex the glass, bracing either side of the score mark. Take care not to cut yourself. The glass should break cleanly along the scored line. Always use caution when working with glass – the edges will be very sharp at this point!! If you are unfamiliar with working with glass, I highly recommend watching this Youtube tutorial that demonstrates this technique in detail.
3) Under running water, use a 3M sanding sponge to grind the sharp edges and corners off your sized glass. Inhaling glass dust can seriously harm the lungs, so always grind glass using water and/or a particle mask. All edges of your sized piece of glass should now have a smooth frosted edge and will no longer be able to give you cuts.
Cut and sanded glass, fiberboard, and elastics
4) Use a jeweller’s saw to cut a piece of the backing fiberboard to match your sized glass.
Front side of the assembled exposure unit with fiberboard backing
5) Depending on the size of your UV lamp, you can use black binder clips, or even elastics to hold your glass and backing together. I prefer using elastic bands because they take up less space when exposing the photopolymer plate.
Back side of the exposure unit showing the arrangement of the elastics that hold the unit securely together
I personally have a second hand Orly LED lamp that can accommodate an exposure unit that measures approximately 8 x 6 centimeters, and can expose a design measuring up to 5 x 7 centimeters. UV nail lamps can vary greatly in price, and in dimensions, but you can easily purchase one that would work for photopolymer plates for around $30-40 dollars.
Exposure unit inside the UV manicure lamp
You can easily create your own designs using a black paint sharpie and printable transparency film. The only requirements for this technique is that the artwork needs to be opaque, and needs to fit between the top glass plate of the exposure unit and the photopolymer plate.
I hope all of you have had a great holiday, and will have a fantastic year in 2016!
