Table of Elements

I collect small samples of many element samples. Many, not all, of course. Radioactive elements are out, as are super-poisonous ones like Astatine. The rest you can get for various prices depending on the volume you need. Many were obtained from https://luciteria.com/, which sells them in sealed 1 cm cubes:

My first version was made of blackened 1/8" pine strips glued in the classic shape of the element table. Unfortunately, while it worked the black color made it difficult to see the elements, the backing text as also hard to read.

Enter "Version 2": I resolved to make a frame with a back-lit display. FedEx has the ability to print artwork on a process that prints on mylar sheets, which allows transparency. It works "ok", the blacks are about 80% at best, so the colors are not very saturated.

The frame is made from 1/8" Maple strips, the lighter color reflects more light and shows off the cubes better.

Behind the lighting is an 18650 lithium cell powering a current-mode LED driver, and LED strips on a panel. There's a switch and charging port on the right.