Input wanted - Turning an arcade marquee into wall art

[Ziggy]

So I had this idea a while back and I'm definitely gonna do it. I'd like some input/ideas if any one has any.

I have an original marquee from a Mortal Kombat II arcade. Simply framing and hanging it wouldn't be anything special, but I had the idea to put a light behind it so I can light it up like a real marquee. That would make awesome wall art, no?

My original idea was to build everything from scratch. I figured I would use a nice looking floor molding (or something similar) for the outside of the frame, then use plexiglass to sandwich the marquee in. Thing is, I don't have a router to create a lip in the molding. If you look at a frame, it has a little lip for the glass, picture and backing to sit in. Still, I figure I could screw the plexiglass/marquee sandwich to the back of the molding to hold it really tight. So since that's kinda half-assing it, I thought up another idea...

I could use an existing frame for the marquee, only replace the backing with plexiglass and maybe glue it onto the box that will house the light. Thing about this is, the marquee is 26" by 7 & 9/16" so it's not exactly a standard size to go out and buy. I might have to get it custom made. I know places that do this, I just don't know how much. Naturally, I don't wanna spend too much framing it.

For the part that will house the light, I figure I'll just build a box out of pine or whatever. I figure I can just (in a nut shell) build a box, mount a light in it, then attach the "framed" marquee to the front of the box. What I really need to find is the perfect light to use. I thought of just using a 2 foot florescent fixture, like the kind you would put under a kitchen cabinet or over a work bench or something. Thing about this is, I obviously want the entire marquee wall art to be as slim as possible. All of the florescent fixtures I've seen are something like 3 inches thick. I'm thinking the florescent bulb should be back at least an inch from the marquee so light is dispersed evenly, right? Preferably a few inches. If the marquee is right up against the bulb, there'd be a bright horizontal light going down the middle of the marquee, and the rest of the marquee wouldn't be as lit. You know what I mean? I don't think it would look good if this thing ends up being 6 inches deep, or would that be OK?

So yeah, does any one know of a good light I could use for this?

As far as the light inside the box goes, you think there would be any heat issues? I have no clue if florescent fixtures need proper cooling or something. They don't seem to heat up very much. I figure I could just make some vent holes in the top of the box, you wouldn't even see them. I also though I could line the inside of the box with foil duct tape or something like that to reflect the light, maybe it'll help light up the marquee more or more evenly. But will this cause heat issues?

As far as cosmetics go, if any one is interested, I might just stain the whole thing. If I end up making the frame out of molding I'll probably just stain it. I recently remodeled this room, and I have the stain I used left over, so it would even match. Either that or I could spray it black. Or a combination of the two, spray the box black with the frame stained or vice versa. As for turning the light on, my first choice would be to have a chain on the bottom that you pull to click on and off. I could settle for a wire with a spin on/off switch on it like a lot of light up wall art has.

So does any one have any input or suggestions? I greatly appreciate any one's ideas on the matter. What I DON'T want to hear is anything about the choice of game marquee, seriously, just save it. "Everything sounds good, but you should put a Street Fighter marquee in it instead because Mortal Kombat sucks because it has a block button." No discussion is needed about the game here, just about the project. If you feel the need to criticize MK, you can post here: http://racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30004

[Hobie-wan]

The cabinets on my cubicle have 2 foot fluorescents under them. They are in a metal box with a diffuser sheet and have no vents. Granted the metal box and the cabinet act as a heatsink, but a wooden box with some top and bottom vents might be ok.

[fastbilly1]

Take a look here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/reserec ... e-marquee/

Just make it fancier, and thinner.

[Ziggy]

The cabinets on my cubicle have 2 foot fluorescents under them. They are in a metal box with a diffuser sheet and have no vents. Granted the metal box and the cabinet act as a heatsink, but a wooden box with some top and bottom vents might be ok.

Cool, thanks. Yeah, I was pretty sure it wouldn't be a problem, but wanted to make sure. You never know!

Take a look here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/reserec ... e-marquee/

Just make it fancier, and thinner.

Lol, it's like anything you can think up, some one on the internet has already done it! Thanks for the link, fast.

[Hobie-wan]

Since you'll want to be able to get in to change the bulb anyway, you should be able to see how hot it gets and open back up to make bigger vents if needed as long as you haven't already put some super fancy finish on it.

[Ziggy]

Good point. Maybe I'll hinge the back, with the light fixture mounted to it. That'll make changing bulbs easy.

[Para]

That example is basically exactly what I was going to suggest. Either that or buy an arcade to put it in.

[fastbilly1]

Lol, it's like anything you can think up, some one on the internet has already done it! Thanks for the link, fast.

This was the thing to do about 15 years ago in my area. I never did it, but my older brother was always just about to buy a marquee for it.

[Ziggy]

That example is basically exactly what I was going to suggest. Either that or buy an arcade to put it in.

Lol, well, I would LOVE to have an MKII arcade. Actually, the reason I have this marquee is because I was gonna build one. I got the marquee in a purchase with the game PCB. I had some other parts for it as well. But I decided I really don't have the room, especially since I really want a MAME cab, which is why I decided to sell the MKII PCB. But I figured I keep the marquee for wall art!

This was the thing to do about 15 years ago in my area. I never did it, but my older brother was always just about to buy a marquee for it.

That's the trick. I gotta make myself do this project some time soon. I don't want the marquee to sit around for another few years.