05.
The resin gets poured into the mold. Make sure you pour slowly to avoid trapping air bubbles at the bottom. The resin dries fairly quick (10 minutes) so work fast but careful. Wear gloves!
05.
The resin gets poured into the mold. Make sure you pour slowly to avoid trapping air
Once the resin is dry, it's hard as nails, so you don't have to worry about cracking or breaking it. If you've already dug out your light hole, you're done with the cast. If not, carve out the resin with a rotary tool, and carve out from the bottom because you are going to make an opening for little clear plastic window so some white light hits your license plate.
Now comes all the fun stuff. Drill the holes for the mounting screws through the resin. Carve out a back plate for the cast (I use aluminum) and cut a hole in it to mount the 1157 socket. I also make a little rubber gasket to fit in between the taillight and the backing plate, to keep rain and moisture out. You can make this out of plumber's gasket found at any hardware store.
When it comes time to mount it to a license plate bracket, there are plenty of places to get these and modify them, but I only get mine from James Maund at Maund Speed Equipment (maundspeed.com). These brackets come in both vertical and horizontal styles, are cast aluminum, and are high quality for very reasonable prices. These brackets were cast to accept old Lucas-style lights, but you can easily modify them to look like, oh I don't know, the top of a wizard's hat or something...
Okay, that's all there is to it. It may seem like a long process, but each step is a blast, and the end result is something you can take pride in. I made my light kind of silly, but my buddy just showed me pics of his armed forces tribute light that he cast from a Vietnam-era plaque, and I was really inspired. That's what makes this DIY so cool, every light can be an individual creation.
The Lowdown
Man Hours: 8-12
Difficulty: Easy
Aftermarket Parts Used: Maund Speed Equipment License Mount
Total Cost: $60-80
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06.
Here you can see the plastic rectangle I cut out of a sandwich container and used for a plastic window that will allow white light to shine out the bottom of the wizard and hit the license plate. I attached it with some silicone.
06.
Here you can see the plastic rectangle I cut out of a sandwich container and used for
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07.
I hot-glued an 1157 bulb socket to a custom back plate I made out of aluminum. You could weld this too, but I've glued a bunch like this and have never had one separate.
07.
I hot-glued an 1157 bulb socket to a custom back plate I made out of aluminum. You co
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08.
Here's a shot from the back showing the light bolted to the Maund Speed Equipment license mount which was modified to match the design of the wizard light.
08.
Here's a shot from the back showing the light bolted to the Maund Speed Equipment lic
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09.
Here's what I used to make this. The model, mold, cast resin, some screws from the hardware store, a back plate, and a gasket. Oh, and a bulb.
09.
Here's what I used to make this. The model, mold, cast resin, some screws from the ha
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10.
And the wizard lives! If the finish of the resin doesn't look glossy when you cast it, try using some clear enamel nail polish to give it a nice shine. And learn from my mistakes; don't tell your girlfriend that you used her polish!
10.
And the wizard lives! If the finish of the resin doesn't look glossy when you cast it
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11.
Ready for magic? Here's the lighted resin. The picture doesn't do it justice. You can see every little beard hair in there, and the color is unbelievable. I usually use two screws to hold these (the resin is lightweight), and I haven't had one shatter yet, even on a hardtail. Get ready to meet a lot of ladies with this taillight (but even more dudes that are into role-playing games). You'll need all the magic you can muster when you face the hardest part of this DIY; getting a plate from the DMV before you're as old as the wizard himself.
11.
Ready for magic? Here's the lighted resin. The picture doesn't do it justice. You can