Kopykake Copycat for Under $30!

Thanks for sharing your tutorial on our blog, Hallena! Nicely done!

One question: can you tell us what projector brand/model you actually bought at Michael's. I know projectors vary a bit in quality, so I want to be sure people get something that's as high quality as the one you seem to have gotten. 

 

Thanks again!

P.S. Everyone, please note that any site member is free to post tutorials to our blog, just as Hallena just did, as long as the blog post follows these guidelines: http://cookieconnection.juliau...okie-connection-blog

 

I encourage you to do so! The more, the merrier!

 

Though, it's important to note: All posts are subject to editorial review and editing, and Cookie Connection reserves the right to post only the content it feels is suitable for the site. These posts also differ from our regular features posted by site contributors insofar as they can be contributed at any time by anyone, but they typically do not get home page placement or additional featuring by Cookie Connection in social media. 

I do apologize!  It is a Artograph EZ Tracer® Projector.

You are an angel sent from heaven!

Very intriguing idea. Do you use this yourself? It appears that the image is projected between the yard sticks. Do you find the yard sticks are in the way of your hand?

I use it all the time!  I've had it built for about two weeks and have used it for a half dozen different cookies.

Tilting the projector moves the image forward. That is why I opted for a 13in board. The clamp works wonders as you can adjust it as needed.

The image that you see is about 2.5inches tall when printed. It produces about a 4x5 sized image. Scaling the image is a bit of trial and error, but definitely worth it.

Thanks Hallena! I am pondering if I want to try to make the contraption.  Can it collapse for storage?  Can it be easily constructed by females?  

The projector can be removed from the stand, but the stand itself becomes one piece after assembly.

It's a piece of cake to make, be you male, female or questioning. I am a woman and I built it no problem

Love this!  I tried a computer projector mounted on a tripod which was clamped to a table then connected to laptop.  It worked but was way to bright.  I saw spots when done plus my projector was so bright, it discolored the lavender icing.  Never even thought about the light affecting the icing but have learned lavender is one of those colors that fades in direct light.  Your idea looks much easier on the eyes!

 

 

Thank you for posting this. I plan on making this today. Will you post a side and back view of the projector on the holder? I am trying to visualize all sides once the projector is mounted. Thanks in advance.

Men could make this too? Are you sure... its awfully simplified and easy to make, and the men I know would never stand for that! Your idea for building this is genius! I am already planning my trip to the hardware store, lol. If you want to make it collapsible, you could use a slightly thicker board (so it would not split with a slightly larger hole through it), and put through a screw and bolt instead of just a regular screw, maybe with a washer and a wingnut to tighten it so it won't fall over?

If your projector is too heavy and this way is not stable enough, simply screw in a half a yardstick (or paint stirrer) to the side of the board, a few inches away from the first. You will need to put a nut or small piece of wood (a couple short bits of yardstick sawn off from the end, would be the perfect thickness), between the stick and the board for a spacer. Simply turn your new stick until it meets the outside of your original yardstick support a few inches up, drill a hole through both, and use another bolt and wingnut to secure it. (Basically add a stick to the side to make a triangle-shaped brace.)

This diy projector is such a great idea, I am sure I am not the only one who will try it out. Thanks for sharing it!

I plan to try to make this but I am not very good at these type of projects. I will gather everything on the list, and if I can't do it I will have it all ready for my husband to finish. One thing I have found very helpful when scaling images is a microsoft program called Publisher.  It lets you import images very easily and it has a ruler built in so there is not much guessing on size involved.  You can make the image any size you want.  

I have attached a picture of the program.

Just a silly question...what is the cardboard for and were is it used?  

 

Thanks for sharing this awesome idea!

Good point Junebuggy! Perhaps to protect your surface from the glue and dust from drilling the holes? To make sure you have a right angle for your stick? Maybe to place between the clamp and the projector for cushioning? (Actually, maybe I should add some foam to mine... hmmm.) In my case, to cushion my head when I wack it against the clamp, lol. (Danger, Will Robinson!)

I love this!  I don't know if I was doing something wrong or not, but I was having trouble getting the projector far enough away for the image to focus.  I was using a very small image, too. Maybe that was the problem. Anyway, I brainstormed and made some adjustments for extending the lens.  I bought a thin aluminum round pipe (plumbing dept), cut it down to wrap around the lens of the projector and clamped it to the lens using a 1 5/16 - 2 1/4 in stainless steel clamp #28 (also plumbing dept).  The aluminum pipe now goes into the projector hole, allowing the actual lens to be further from the light source.    If there was an easier way to get my image focused, someone let me know.  I'm attaching a picture of what I did.

Hey, Everyone! Sorry for being MIA. Drowning in my day job work load.

Junebuggy: I just used an old cardboard backboard from a book. You just need something that fits flush against the projector bottom. The image won't be as crisp if light can escape.

As far as sharpness goes, truthfully, it boils down to two things.
1) Image size: The smaller the image, the harder it is to focus. I know that we try to compress a lot into one image. We'd like the full image to be on the cut cookie. Sometimes this won't work. Not with this cheapy little gizmo. I would suggest scaling the image down in Paint by 10% until you receive the desired outcome. Some images will always be slightly blurry, but it will offer you a nice template for the bare bones.

 

2) The length of the lens. Please keep in mind that these little projectors are limited. The lens is short and offers very little in the way of focusing. Sometimes I pull my lens completely out and then tape it to the machine. You can always extend the wood used to hold up the projector. Keep in mind that the further away the projector, the larger the image will become and the more you have to focus it.

 

I hope this helps.

Junebuggey: I just used an old cardboard backboard from a book. You just need something that fits flush against the projector bottom. The image won't be as crisp if light can escape.

WenD - Wow, you are super handy with those tools! I have a background in photography, but wouldn't have thought of that. Brilliant! For that matter, anyone who is building or altering their own version of a cookie projector deserves a high-five for ingenuity!