Colouring LED's

[skt]

I want to add some LED yard lights to my layout but am struggling to get them with warm white LED's. I believe I can change the colour of the white ones by painting or varnishing but wondered if anyone had actually done this with success and if so what material did they use.

[corax67]

Tamiya produce a number of translucent colours amongst their acrylic range

 

http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list/acrylic_1.htm

 

There is a yellow and an orange available which you may use to 'warm' your LEDs and they are fairly easy to get hold of too.

 

Humbrol used to do some too but I cannot find mention of them in their current colour list on their website.

[Mark 37]

Anytime I've had to colour lights I've used a cheap glass painting kit that was purchased from "The Works Publishers" in the high street for 2 or 3 quid at the time. It came with some plastic window charm things.

 

Mark

[corax67]

If the LEDs are inside a structure then you could use bits of cellophane off Quality Street sweets over the top.

[Penrhos1920]

It's much easier to buy these:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30x-SMD-LED-0603-SUNNY-WHITE-WEISS-mit-Litze-warmwhite-/321148825898?pt=DE_Modellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item4ac5f6312a

 

They are absolutely tiny.  You can thread the wires down the inside of the lamp post.  For less than 50p each I think they are a bargain. 

 

The same seller also sells dual sunny white and red LEDS for loco head lamps.  All his LEDs are available with wires or without wires (at a significant saving) if you really think you can solder the wires yourself and are insane enough to try!  (I was insane enough to try, but not insane enough to succeed.)

[Gwiwer]

I've had success in both warming and dimming the light emitted from LEDs by the application of white or off-white acrylic paint.  It isn't so apparent wham applied to the unfitted unit but when powered up and compared with an unpainted one the effect becomes noticeable.  

[skt]

Many thanks for your replies and very useful suggestions. Think I will use acrylic paint and experiment with different colours and mixes. I especially liked the idea of using Quality Street wrappers as it means that I now have an excuse to open the tin that we had purchased for Xmas.

[Merc435]

A quick dab of Varnish turns the Bright white LED's to a more subtle yellow/warm white shade.

 

Good old "Does exactly what it says on the tin"

 

Andy.

[brian777999]

I have ordered some warm white and yellow LED lights. Which do you think is closest to replicating the incandescent bulbs of the 1960's ? I remember most lighting of the time to be quite yellow ;  house lights, industrial  lights and most street lights had a strong yellow tinge.

Edited June 18, 2020 by brian777999

[d00m]

If the actual led itself is not 'in view' sharpies work.

 

 

[DCB]

The yellow ones work for me for older filament lamps with orange for gas lamps and pre WW2 electrics which were lower wattage generally.  White I would keep for the strip light era of the Seventies on.   You can use coloured film but its too fiddly for me.