# See through Dilemma...?



## zozo (14 Jul 2019)

Long time ago i bought an old vintage original Philips X-ray photo Light Box.. It hangs to the wall and for the last 4 yrears it holds the shellf for one of my tanks light fixture..

38cmx49cmx17cm it is still in original working order, tube lights, ballasts all is still in there since the 1950's.









Looking at it already for many years i can't get the idea out of my head to make a small terrarium out of it.
Replace the front panel with clear acrylic and decorate it inside with fern roots and DW etc. and plant it up.

But this also means it needs to be destroyed completely and it will lose its original purpose without a turning back. As vitage X-ray lightbox it will be destroyed beyond repair. I need to water proof it, plug old and drill new holes for ventilation, Lights etc.

My delimmal is?.. What is wisdom, keep it intact to preserve its original purpose. Not that it ever will have a X-ray photo life again in this digital era. But just for its value for what it is. I actulay have no clue if it ever will have any future value as collectible memorabilia.

Or what the heck, destroy it, terrariumize it and give it a new other rather original life? Could give it a 2 way purpose and place a see through mirror as front panel.. Than lights on, its a terrarium, lights off it's a mirror.

What do you think?... Preserve it as is.. Or take all out of the box and plant the darn thing up?  ??? 

Either way it stays a piece of oldschool coriousa..


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## Zeus. (14 Jul 2019)

If you preserve it and others after you preserve it also yes it may be worth preserving, but you or you children wont see the benefit of it.

However if you transform it you will have the joy of making it something else. I have an old X-ray viewer box its plastic and not as old as yours, I have no plans for it either way ATM


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## X3NiTH (14 Jul 2019)

Zozo

Knowing you like a good project I shall explain precisely what you should do with this.

You need to preserve its external appearance and functionality exactly as it is and you need to move it to somewhere it will be seen frequently by others than yourself for instance the reception area behind your front door so visitors to your home will see it. It also needs to be accompanied by a slot container below it that will hold real physical x-rays films of various body parts for viewing pleasure, make it interactive, let guests view the films as a piece of scientific nostalgia.

This is the fun part.

When guests swap for another film out of the pile of x-rays and remove it from the board the true 'nature' of the object will be revealed. It will indeed be a fully planted terrarium behind the frosted glass which will actually be a Smartglass panel or a glass panel covered in PDLC Opaque switching privacy film (I know it's not cheap but it is freaking cool), removing the x-ray from the board will trip a contact to switch off the opacity and reveal what's behind, with clever use of LED rim lighting around the frame you could flood the panel from the inside so that it looks like a properly lit viewing panel (these will switch off the same time as the opacity).

You could also bring the panel into the digital age by using back projection onto the opaque panel so you can show either still or moving images of modern imaging techniques, or even microscopy slides of different plant anatomies. Makes the project a lot more expensive but even more unique, something that wouldn't look out of place in an art gallery or a museum.

Geek out!


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## Zeus. (14 Jul 2019)

X3NiTH said:


> Zozo
> 
> Knowing you like a good project I shall explain precisely what you should do with this.
> 
> ...



Should keep Zozo busy for a while


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## zozo (14 Jul 2019)

X3NiTH said:


> Zozo
> 
> Knowing you like a good project I shall explain precisely what you should do with this.
> 
> ...





Zeus. said:


> Should keep Zozo busy for a while



 Yes that would be the bees knees.. Now i wish i had a museum. Or need t find one to donate it too. Could be fun too..

Tho, the idea is awsome, a smart screen about ½ the size i need is € 40.  In the required size i guess it would need a tad more expensive custom made order.

My biggest issue is artificial light vs. ventilation. I would have to sacrifice viewing panel for that or drill holes in the metal frame. Drilling the frame will distroy its originality as is... But on the other hand, plants grow in hermeticaly sealed bottles. Maybe that's an option, a very cool but sufficient light source and 0 ventilation?.


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## Zeus. (14 Jul 2019)

zozo said:


> But on the other hand, plants grow in hermeticaly sealed bottles. Maybe that's an option, a very cool but sufficient light source and 0 ventilation?.



Think you have it nailed their M8


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## Edvet (14 Jul 2019)

These things are being offered left right and centre, just transform it, no worries. ( just a metal box with a light and a opaque window, nothing "special')


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## zozo (14 Jul 2019)

Edvet said:


> These things are being offered left right and centre, just transform it, no worries. ( just a metal box with a light and a opaque window, nothing "special')



Well Ed. you're at a (medical) source, if you say so, i believe you.. Tho have been looking around and never realy found this Philips oldtimer twice in all the years i have it already. But obviously it's not the only one ever made.

I think i water proof it with fiber cloth and resin on the inside and see how it runs without ventilation. 

Thanks...


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## akwarium (14 Jul 2019)

Transform it!

stagnant air is great  for growing mold, I would definitely add a small fan to keep the air moving inside.


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## dean (14 Jul 2019)

Why not use it for almost what it was designed to do ?
Put it up somewhere you can view it then simply print out photos onto clear acetate and hang them on it 

You could even get some skeletal images from the web and print them out to put on it 


You don’t seem convinced on destroying it 
So is there a way that you could build a tank the same width and height so this can be at the rear to illuminate your new creation ?
Imagine seeing a gecko  clinging on the back glass to get warmth from it etc 
Now I think that would be unique 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## zozo (15 Jul 2019)

dean said:


> Why not use it for almost what it was designed to do ?
> Put it up somewhere you can view it then simply print out photos onto clear acetate and hang them on it
> 
> You could even get some skeletal images from the web and print them out to put on it
> ...



I already have this thing hanging around for about 15 to 20 years. I do have some old X ray pictures from my own body.. I once had an accident in Belgium, broke some bones and was in a hospital for a few weeks. In Belgium the doctors don't hold a database for files and photo's etc. It's common practice, the patient gets the dosier after beeing relieved from the hospital and have to keep it safe at home. I tried, but displaying X-rays  from my own spine with metal pins in it on display, looks like a little shop of horrors.  Used to to put family pictures to it or a poster as it has now. 

Since it hangs to the wall a couple of years back i screwed a shelf under it as a mount for the aqaurium lights. It looks like standing on the shelf, but it isn't its the piece that hangs and holds the shelf.. But i'm missing a socket to plug it in, so its not illuminated.


 

Now i can not open it to show and take the frosted panel out to show its interiour, because it hangs to close to the ceiling. Than i need to take all off the wall..
Anyway, after many years looking at it, been there done that to it.. I was more often thinking of it as a dull piece that needs a pimp. Also once thought of making a small aquarium of it, but i can't realy put a tank in it. Because of al the nuts and rails welded in it to hold the lights and balast etc,. And it would be to small anyway and a pain in the neck to maintain since it would only be accesible from the top. Than turning it to a little planted terrarium, still able to slide the panel out for seting it up and maintenance is the next best option. And since i can't get that image of it beeing a terrarium out of my head.

But since its also a rather early piece, somewhere from the 1950's or pre and still in complete working order and yet never seen a second one around for sale from this era. I indeed feel a bit reluctant to drill large holes into it to mount fans and intakes. It's a no turning back operation.

I guess i'm just beeing a nostalgic originality nerd when it comes to near antique attributes that contain history... I should stop nagging myself and go on with it.. Transform the darn thing and be done.


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## Edvet (15 Jul 2019)

Or.............keep thinking about it for another 10-15 years...............


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## zozo (15 Jul 2019)

Edvet said:


> Or.............keep thinking about it for another 10-15 years...............


 Most things that take the longest, turn out to be the best..


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## DeepMetropolis (22 Sep 2019)

It has no purpose just hanging and doing nothing, so better recycle and give it a new valuable life. I'll bet you have more joy of it then thinking about what it could have been.


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## zozo (22 Sep 2019)

DeepMetropolis said:


> It has no purpose just hanging and doing nothing



Till now it served a curiosity purpose with sticking a collection of (paper) memorabilias to it. But in a way it's true what you say, i'm done looking at it as is after 15years. That purpose is over due.

I'll make a hanging mini jungle terrarium out of it.

What held me back till now is i'm an originality nerd. And its a one way ticket, no turning back. Once turned its original purpose will be distroyed. 

But than again, it is a rather curious and original new purpose as slice of nature diorama.


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## DeepMetropolis (22 Sep 2019)

zozo said:


> What held me back till now is i'm an originality nerd. And its a one way ticket, no turning back. Once turned its original purpose will be distroyed.



I know the feeling, have the same with my vintage synth collection. Know lot of people modding them for midi or other options.. But I still use them as they are.

Looking forward to see the development of it!


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## zozo (22 Sep 2019)

DeepMetropolis said:


> Looking forward to see the development of it!



I'll sertainly will Journal it when the time comes.


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