I'm interested in embossed holograms so I could make casts of the imprints to produce multitudes of stickers, prints, or materials to create jewelry or keychains. I've seen some stores selling pendants, so I must assume they're producing these but I haven't been able to find many people talking about doing that on the forums here. I know Dr. Laser's shop sells these, so he must be producing them somehow. I'm also considering buying the Holography Handbook, so it would be helpful to know if that book covers the topic at all.
Is there anyone here doing this? How difficult is it to get into as far as cost of materials etc? I guess I'm open to finding a commercial producer, but I would prefer to do it myself if I can because the art I would want to make using it would be my own sculptures.
Thanks in advance!
How difficult is it to make hologram prints?
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littlespacecase
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2023 5:44 pm
Re: How difficult is it to make hologram prints?
Happy to hear of someone wanting to do new holography, but unfortunately it will be difficult to set up a studio to do as you describe. Jeff Weil in Florida was the last independent holographer shooting masters for embossed holograms in the states, and he's now retired. Those who may still sell embossed holograms do not make the masters themselves. I'd contact Peter Scheir here https://authentibrand.com/ in San Diego. He can tell you what's needed to turn your sculpture into an embossed hologram.
The Holography Handbook will be a waste of your time. It shows only 1970s technology and resources. I'd suggest contacting Ed Wesly here http://edweslystudio.com/ in Chicago. He's a master of the casting method, and can also point you in the right direction. He can also make masters for you to get started.
If you're in the Phoenix area, stop to visit the "Vintage Lasers & Holograms" in Tempe, where you'll get more practical information. https://laserhistorymuseum.com/
The Holography Handbook will be a waste of your time. It shows only 1970s technology and resources. I'd suggest contacting Ed Wesly here http://edweslystudio.com/ in Chicago. He's a master of the casting method, and can also point you in the right direction. He can also make masters for you to get started.
If you're in the Phoenix area, stop to visit the "Vintage Lasers & Holograms" in Tempe, where you'll get more practical information. https://laserhistorymuseum.com/
Re: How difficult is it to make hologram prints?
I agree it's not easy to set up your own holographic studio. It's rather specialised and expensive.
Basically, you first need an environment which is largely vibration free, such as a basement with a concrete floor or a garage (there are people who'll tell you they've made holograms on a wooden floor on the second floor next to a bus depot - take such statements with a large grain of salt!); while recording a hologram, nothing in the setup can move to less than a half the width of a human hair. Next, in order to eliminate any source of vibration, you need a solid metallic tabletop; you can make do with a box filled with sand, as the Handbook suggests, but this is mainly for the hobbyist and is too crude for your requirements. After setting up the table, you need optical components such as lenses, mirrors, beamsplitters etc (the Handbook has a list of optics required), and opto-mechanical components to hold and manipulate the optics. Depending on the sophistication of your setup, this can be tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Having said that, if you simply want to get your feet wet to get a feel for holography, you can get by with a few thousand dollars, but it won't get you anywhere near your goal to make holograms for embossing. Next you need a laser, Again, if you just want to get your feet wet, some lasers cost about a thousand or so. However, to record a hologram for embossing, you need a laser that emits a very deep blue beam and these are quite expensive - I haven't bought one for years, but I believe they range in the tens of thousands.Now you need a medium for recording, and these are specialised recording media. Again, to get your feet wet, you can get plates or film from Alec Jeong at Integraf ( https://www.integraf.com/resources/ ) who also has a set of tutorials on basic holography. But, for embossing you need a medium called Photoresist. This is expensive - again I haven't bought resist in years but I remember they cost a thousand or so. In conclusion, if you want to get your feet wet and simply make a hologram, it can cost between 5 and 10 thousand (assuming you have the right location - see above), but a setup for embossed holography it can cost 50,000 and up. Having said all that, members here on the forum have found ways to make embossed holograms "on the cheap" - https://www.holographyforum.org/forum/v ... php?t=4596.
Having made the hologram - called "the master" you then electroplate the master to get a layer of (usually) nickel. This layer of nickel contains the "data" you recorded and is peeled away from the holographic medium. Sometimes, this nickel - called the mother - is electroplated again to create what are called daughters. These nickel sheets are called the shim. Finally, the shim is used to transfer the holographic data onto stickers, magazine covers etc.
There are services that will go through the entire process from your concept to final sticker, Bob Hess has mentioned a few here in the States. I don't know what it costs - we at Triple Take Holographics converted a client concept to a product of 250,000 holograms for about $10,000 - the concept was a set of dots spread over a wall or other surface and you sometimes see our hologram during Christmas as a set of laser dots on someone's wall. However, I'm retired and Triple Take is no more. There are service that will take your hologram and make shims and stickers from them. I've found the cheapest of these are in India and China. Also, in the West, you have to make several tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of copies, but in India, we've managed to get a sheet of just a hundred.
Here is a link to holographic manufacturers from the holographic trade organisation IHMA ( https://ihma.org/), and a list of Indian companies ( https://www.listofcompaniesin.com/india/hologram/ )
Basically, you first need an environment which is largely vibration free, such as a basement with a concrete floor or a garage (there are people who'll tell you they've made holograms on a wooden floor on the second floor next to a bus depot - take such statements with a large grain of salt!); while recording a hologram, nothing in the setup can move to less than a half the width of a human hair. Next, in order to eliminate any source of vibration, you need a solid metallic tabletop; you can make do with a box filled with sand, as the Handbook suggests, but this is mainly for the hobbyist and is too crude for your requirements. After setting up the table, you need optical components such as lenses, mirrors, beamsplitters etc (the Handbook has a list of optics required), and opto-mechanical components to hold and manipulate the optics. Depending on the sophistication of your setup, this can be tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Having said that, if you simply want to get your feet wet to get a feel for holography, you can get by with a few thousand dollars, but it won't get you anywhere near your goal to make holograms for embossing. Next you need a laser, Again, if you just want to get your feet wet, some lasers cost about a thousand or so. However, to record a hologram for embossing, you need a laser that emits a very deep blue beam and these are quite expensive - I haven't bought one for years, but I believe they range in the tens of thousands.Now you need a medium for recording, and these are specialised recording media. Again, to get your feet wet, you can get plates or film from Alec Jeong at Integraf ( https://www.integraf.com/resources/ ) who also has a set of tutorials on basic holography. But, for embossing you need a medium called Photoresist. This is expensive - again I haven't bought resist in years but I remember they cost a thousand or so. In conclusion, if you want to get your feet wet and simply make a hologram, it can cost between 5 and 10 thousand (assuming you have the right location - see above), but a setup for embossed holography it can cost 50,000 and up. Having said all that, members here on the forum have found ways to make embossed holograms "on the cheap" - https://www.holographyforum.org/forum/v ... php?t=4596.
Having made the hologram - called "the master" you then electroplate the master to get a layer of (usually) nickel. This layer of nickel contains the "data" you recorded and is peeled away from the holographic medium. Sometimes, this nickel - called the mother - is electroplated again to create what are called daughters. These nickel sheets are called the shim. Finally, the shim is used to transfer the holographic data onto stickers, magazine covers etc.
There are services that will go through the entire process from your concept to final sticker, Bob Hess has mentioned a few here in the States. I don't know what it costs - we at Triple Take Holographics converted a client concept to a product of 250,000 holograms for about $10,000 - the concept was a set of dots spread over a wall or other surface and you sometimes see our hologram during Christmas as a set of laser dots on someone's wall. However, I'm retired and Triple Take is no more. There are service that will take your hologram and make shims and stickers from them. I've found the cheapest of these are in India and China. Also, in the West, you have to make several tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of copies, but in India, we've managed to get a sheet of just a hundred.
Here is a link to holographic manufacturers from the holographic trade organisation IHMA ( https://ihma.org/), and a list of Indian companies ( https://www.listofcompaniesin.com/india/hologram/ )