DIY light-painting needles, whips and fiber optic

Here are the instructions to build this DIY acrylic rod / fiber optic connector.

Raw material

• 10mm acrylic rod: amzn.to/39807Uz
• 5mm fiber optic cable: amzn.to/2QvnOjj
• 0.75mm fiber optic wire cable: amzn.to/317EfnY

Non DIY options from our store

• Needles: lightpainting.store/products/needlelights
• Flex needles: lightpainting.store/products/flex-needlelights

For the connector, you will need;

• One 1-inch inner diameter PVC pipe
• One 1-inch to 1-inch PVC pipe coupler
• One ¾ inch PVC pipe glue on cap. (make sure that the outer diameter of the bottom of the cap is 1 inch)
• One roll of black tape. (we used black gaffers’ tape in the demo, but duct tape will do)

Here are some suggested tools to do the work:

• A drill
• A ½ inch drill bit
• Any type of saw suitable for pipe cutting.

Here are the steps

1. Cut a 3-inch length of pipe.
2. Put the cap upside down inside the coupler. This will allow you to drill a ½ inch hole in the center of the cap without the drill bit drifting side to side. Then flip the cap and press-fit it right side up in one end of the coupler.
3. Slide the tool through the hole you made and make a tape puck big enough to fill the inside of the cap.
4. Fit your 3-inch long pipe inside the other end of the coupler.
5. Cover everything in tape to avoid any light leak.