Optic Fibers - Plants

Some Plants I Have Made

I thought you might be interested to see a couple of the plants I am creating. I have being playing with optic fibers. I was VERY fortunate to acquire an old optic fiber Christmas tree. I now have heaps all for the pittance of $3.00

The plants below are created out of pearl beads that have had their pearl essence removed with nail polish remover. I placed them all in a glass container with the nail polish remover and shook them up until most of the pearl essence had come off. I then cleaned them on some tissue.  I then drilled the holes a little larger. There is a trick to that! More than once the drill bit got so hot that it got stuck!

Once all of that was achieved I then covered the bead with a mixture of white and blue sand using Tiger Grip glue. I had covered some little green plant caps that I had around and placed them on a skewer and then covered them in sand. When dry I inserted the optic fiber and cut them to be level with the bead. I then stuck on the cap and silicone everyone in place. I have now found it much better to make a bunch of 'plants' and lay them facing up not sideways or down as I have these ones as the optic fiber does not want to go the way I want it to. I then covered the silicone with 'moss'.

Pearl Beads turned into Plants

These 'plants' have been created with small bundles of optic fiber which has then been pooled together over the top of one orange (been painted with red stain glass paint to make it darker) flickering LED bulb which is then surrounded in black shrink tubing to keep them together and to force the light up the fiber not out through the sides.

Another 'plant' I have created is the one below. This one is not completely finished as I just need to pull the optic fiber stamens into the middle. I thought you would like to see them at this point. These plants have been created out of two different fake plants and have seed beads glued to the tip of the optic fiber. These plants have long lengths of optic fiber so I can place them all over the model. I will do a bundle of 5 or 6 flowers (depending on how many optic fiber I can get into the black shrink tubing that sits over the one LED. I have not chosen a colour for that yet.


A Plant I have created using pieces
from two flowers, optic fiber and seed beads.

I have decided to keep one 'plant' and 'creature' that I create so that I can 'see' what it is I have created them out of as there are soo many that I forget.

I am going to set up a display of the original item and what I have created out of it. For instance someone gave me small Christmas bells (which i have not found since) and I have created a snail and four plants out of them.

Optic fibers lit by a blue LED bulb.