Lighted Pedestals

Light Choices for Your Pedestal

Adding a lighted pedestal for your artwork is one of the best ways to give it a dramatic effect. Depending on the sculpture the light source is important. That is the type of light or rather the bulb. There are many types of light options today. We use the spiral florescent light bulbs in our pedestals. They have many advantages over incandescent light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are the ones we grew up with. Today these are old school. The spiral florescent bulb today produces less heat and more light so they are much more efficient. They also come in a variety of light forms. Such as daylight, cool white, soft white, bright white and even color bulbs. They come with a variety of bases as well such as the medium base which we would consider a standard bulb. Also the candelabra base which is what we use in our smaller pedestals. We also have various wattage's to choose from with these bulbs. LED lights ?  Another thing we need to consider is the heat factor. Since the spiral florescent bulb does not produce as much heat in a confined space like a pedestal, it is a much safer way to go. We also can't forget that these bulbs are much more efficient and save energy. LED are a possibility as well. The light they produce is a little more blue . However we are keeping an eye on LEDs as they are an emerging technology now. They are also getting cheaper to manufacture. I have no doubt that LEDs lights and modules are the future of our lighting source.

Lighting Source and its Effect

You can see the dramatic effect the different lighting sources have on these pieces. From soft light to daylight, the effect is awesome. We normally send out the daylight bulb with the pedestals. As that is the brightest and most natural light to illuminate most artworks. However when you get it home you may want to play around with different lights to get the desired effect for your particular piece. The little boy bust is shown with a soft light. As the piece is pure white, we chose a soft light to give it more depth. If we had used a whiter bulb it would of course out his features. The clear Lucite piece we used a bright white bulb to help the light flow up through the sculpture. Michelangelo's Pieta sculpture, really has a dramatic effect as the light bounces off of Jesus and then on to Mary's face a dramatic look for this sculpture.The Archangel Michael slaying the devil a creation inspired by Raphael. It is one of my personal favorites shown here in a cool light. Again this statue is white so a little shift to the yellow spectrum with the cool white helps bring out the detail in this beautiful sculpture.

Custom Built Pedestals

We also do custom pedestals and display cubes. If you have a size in mind or color you would like to have built please give us a call you'd be glad to help you with your needs. We can also do stacking cubes for commercial use like trade shows and retail display stands. Nesting cubes work very well for display they also stack and store nicely. We primarily work with square and rectangular pedestals.  If you are looking for something more exotic like round pedestals or a contemporary acrylic pedestals you can try xylem design. They have pedestals of this type as well as several other designs. The have a nice selection it finish options as well.

Construction Process and Quality Design

Are pedestals are manufactured using high quality materials. We use a MDF or an equivalent. All joints have dadoes or rabbits which are then glued. We use quality commercial grade glue like TiteBond 2 and Weldwood glue have a proven history of great performance and provides superior joint bonding. We use a brand name laminate, Formica or other high pressure laminate ( HPL ) for the outer surface. Some of our custom-made pedestals may be hand done in Faux finished and covered in clear polyurethane that is normally used for floors. The tops of our lighted pedestals have Optix which is about five times stronger than glass. The Optix is frosted on one side to diffuse the light and give a even glow over your entire sculpture or art piece. The pedestal can also have a rocker switch on the backside or a step switch that is on the cord.  If you have powered turning pedestal with a light. Your pedestal will come with two switches. One for the light and one for the powered turntable. This gives you the option of running just a light or just a turntable and of course both at the same time. Got any questions about our pedestals please feel free to contact us.

Care for Your Lighted Pedestal

Your lighted pedestal for the most part is maintenance free. Other than a light dusting from time to time. If a cleaner is used I recommend a glass cleaner for the entire surface. It is the least abrasive and chemically safe for most all surfaces. When it comes to changing the light bulb. You can make a simple handle as shown in the picture. With a piece of masking tape by folding it over on itself, to lift the cover off. I do Not recommend a screwdriver or a knife to try and pry the Optix piece off. The Optix is not on very tight, it has a loose fit. If you don't have any tape handy, you can always tip the pedestal on its side. When you do the piece should come right out. Please do not replace the spiral florescent bulb with a incandescent type. The incandescent type get too hot.