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MY INDEPENDENCE DISPLAY


G8RMANJAX

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I too had this in another post and just copied it to this forum.

I had a display and show... I am a newbie and wanted to have a test run so to speak to make sure I knew what I was doing prior to setting up for Christmas. I had 6 songs using 22 channels and 4200 lights. Unfortunately, the flag washed out the video alot, but it looked great live.

This is the order of my show....Tell me what you think. I will be happy to upload pictures and info regarding the making of the Flag and firework if interested.

- Pledge of Allegiance

- Grand Old Flag

- Star Spangled Banner

- God Bless the USA

- Some Gave All (cut down)

- Taps

Attached Image (viewed 29 times):

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Jeff Millard wrote:

Please, please, please, please, please post close ups and how-tos of your Flag. I love it. I've been dying to make one but haven't had the time. It's absolutely beautiful! Great job!

Jeff


Thanks Jeff.

I can not take full credit for creating this flag as I saw several topics within this and other forums on how others made them or what companies sold them. I looked over these and came up with the idea on how I wanted to do it.

I am working on typing out all the steps and hope to have it completed within the next day or so and I will post it using a pdf file.
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  • 9 months later...

Jeff... and others, my sincere apologies for taking so long to post the information on how I made my flag. I have no excuse other than not taking the time.

First, I bought a 4' x 4' piece of pegboard @Lowes and counted down 26 rows of holes and had them cut it on the 27th row. Thus leaving me with 2 rows for each of the 13 stripes.

Then I purchased the following items from Lowes & Hobby Lobby:


  • 1- quart of white rustoleum Door Enamel
  • 1- pint of gloss red valspar latex enamel
  • 1- 12 oz spray can of blue valspar gloss interior/exterior
  • 1- large bag of self adhesive stars various sizes but used the 1.5"
  • 1- roll of 2" painters tape
  • 2- 1" x 3" x 8' boards (as straight as possible)
  • 8- 2.5" wood screws
  • 8- 1/2" x 1/2" x 3" right angle braces.

I painted the pegboard white with 3 coates, making sure to cover the outside edges and the insides of each hole completely. This helps protect the pegboard from the weather and helps to fill in the holes slightly in order to make the lights fit tight. Of the approx 1400 lights used only the 50 for the stars and about a dozen of the red-white-blue had to be hot glued in order to secure them.



Attached files 314755=17186-2011-06-23 19.46.30.jpg
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Once the board has dried completely for a couple of days, I place the self adhesive stars in place making certain to leave the holes around the stars open for the blue lights. Make certain that all the edges of the stars are pressed down completely, so that paint does not run underneath. Once all 50 are in place, tape off and cover other parts of the flag. I chose to use spray paint after failing with a brush and it seemed to cover all the corners of the stars much better. Allow to completely dry and remove tape and stars carefully so not to peel other painted areas. then make sure there is a hole in the center of each star. I had to drill about half of the stars.




Attached files 314756=17189-2011-06-23 19.48.00.jpg

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Use 4 x right angle braces and place one in the middle of each piece of board 1/2" from the center. Then take the bottom section and the two sides of the frame and put them together using 4 of the wood screws.
Set them around the flag and securely place the the back side of the right angle braces in place. Make sure they hold the flag tight.

Then stand up right and place the top section in place and secure accordingly.


Attached files 314762=17196-2011-06-28 19.26.24.jpg

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Then push the lights through the holes in the peg board. I used M5's for everything except the stars, where I used conical lights, so the stars could be seen better.

Attached files 314763=17197-2011-06-28 21.54.08.jpg

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Then I used some 1-1/2" pvc pipe and couplings (2 T's & 2 elbows) to frame it for display. I did not glue any sections of the pvc in order to make take down and storage easier, but I did use a mallet hammer to make sure it was stable. I used zip ties to secure the flag to the pvc frame.

This can be seen in the top picture from front view.

This is what it looks like from the rear.


Attached files 314765=17198-2011-07-06 11.44.15.jpg

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Awesome, awesome, awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. It looks like a project for me in the next couple of months!

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CKSedg wrote:

Awesome, awesome, awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. It looks like a project for me in the next couple of months!


Well, as I stated, I can not take full credit for this design, but I am glad for all that it may help to do an Independence Day show. Because if you think about it, Independence Day is the only holiday that does not get what I feel its just recognition. I say that with this funny thought in mind, we never say Merry 25th of December or Happy 1st of January or Happy last Thursday of November...but we always say Happy 4th of July, when we should really be saying...

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! :)

Seriously though, if people on this forum and part of the LOR family never shared ideas or designs, then there would really be no need for the site....glad I could help.
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Love the idea of using the peg board. My suggestion would be to datto a grove in the frame to recess the flag into allowing you to eliminate the brackets from interferring with the light layout. Another possibility would be to use red and white led ribbon for the stripes, but don't know how it would look with the current idea of the blue field and stars.

I noticed you used all clear bulbs, did you try using red bulbs in the red stripes? Did the white stripes look pink?

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