DIY - 30 - Square Soft Box That Folds Flat For Travel - Andrew's World

9/7/2014 DIY: 30" Square Soft Box that Folds Flat for Travel | Andrew' s World
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Home New DIY DIY: 30 Square Soft Box that Folds Flat for Travel
DIY: 30 Square Soft Box that
Folds Flat for Travel
Posted on June 6, 2011 by Andrew 24 Comments
My goals for this project were simple:
Spend less than $30.
Spend less than 8 hours building it (even taking pictures, I spent only 4).
Produce something I wouldnt be embarrassed to use in front of clients.
Produce something that EASILY folds flat for storage and transport.
Simple!
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The finished soft-box.
Broken down and packaged for travel.
Materials
Ive seen a number of DIY soft-boxes. Most are made from cardboard, wire and fabric or other
random items. None of these look very good or are very strong. I wanted something that would
hold up to some abuse and that didnt look like it was assembled from old boxes.
The primary material of this soft-box is foam board. It is a layer of foam between 2 pieces of
card stock. You might remember it from elementary school projects. It is very strong, but still
easy to cut and work with. No power tools are needed. Best of all, it is light and cheap.
All materials:
4x Elmers Foam Board ($2.99/each for a total of $12)
White Duct Tape ($4 a roll, need 10 so $1)
Blue Painter Tape (for dry test fitting only, <$1)
Heavy Duty 3/4 Wide Self Adhesive Velcro (<$10)
16 of both sides
24 of hook side only
32 of Velcro Cable Tape (<$5)
~24 of 3/4x1/8x Aluminum Bar Stock (<$3)
4x #8 x 3/8 Machine Screws and Nuts (<$1)
2x Large Fender Washers for #8 Screws (<$1)
1 yard White Fabric (~$2 for muslin)
Most of the materials: Foam Board, Industrial Velcro, White Fabric, 3/4 Bar Stock
The key is the foam board. I purchased mine at Michaels. Im sure other craft stores have it as
well.
Many of the items above I had in bulk already. For example, I keep white duct tape and blue
painters tape around. I also keep velcro cable tie around as part of my camera kit. Most of the
things that I bought, like the adhesive velcro, I didnt even come close to using up. Even so, the
list above comes in at around $30 if you guesstimate the partial cost of bulk items. The only
thing I used up completely was the foam board and fabric.
Tools
Sharp Utility Knife. If you dont remember changing the blade, it isnt sharp!
Large Cutting Board/Mat.
Large Straight Edge (at least 30)
Hack Saw
Drill + Misc Bits
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Clothes Iron
Assembly
The methods used here could be easily used to make any size or shape soft-box for which you
can get foam board. The foam board I have is 20x30. Therefore the biggest square soft-box I
could build was 30x30. If I increased the number of sides above 4, I could make larger boxes,
but the time and effort to assemble it would increase considerably.
One key to this design is to have the double angle. Without this, the shape is not rigid. It can
wobble to easily. My original prototype had this problem. Luckily, having the second angle also
helps make the box deep enough to be effective.
Step 1: Layout
Each of the 4 side panels will be made from a single sheet of foam board. Repeat this process
4 times so you have 4 identical panels. The layout of each panel is mirrored across the center
line.
1. Lay out a center line bisecting the board along its long dimension.
2. Along the bottom long edge, add marks 2 on either side of the center line.
3. Add a mark 4 down from the top along both short edges.
4. Draw lines from the 2 marks along the bottom to the 4 marks along the adjacent side.
These are referred to as line A.
5. Measure 3 from the side along line A and place a mark.
6. Connect the marks from step (5) with the nearest top corner. These are referred to as
line B.
7. Draw a line line between the two marks created in step 5. This is the score line referred
to as C.
The completed soft-box layout.
Step 2: Cutout
A sharp utility knife is key with foam board. If your knife is not sharp, the foam will tear and not
cut. This makes weak and messy edges. I find that cutting in 3 passes works best. Let the sharp
blade do the work instead of pressing down hard.
1. Using the utility knife, cut along lines A.
2. Cut along line B.
3. Score, but do NOT cut through the back side of the board, along the score line C.
Repeat this for each of the panels. Once this is done, you should be able to fold the blank
along the score line C towards the side you didnt cut through.
When the cutouts are finished, do a dry assembly using painters tape. I find the simplest way
to assemble this box is to lay all 4 piece long edges together. This will leave one large gap.
Tape the 3 seams that meat leaving a pennys width gap (to allow them to fold together). Once
you have taped the other 3 seams, stand the box up closing the gap and tape the last seam.
Then tape the lower section below the score C to create the compound shape.
Partial dry fit assembly with panels flat.
The dry assembly.
If your layout and cutting was correct, what you should have will look like the shell of a soft-box.
If not, figure out which piece(s) is messed up and make a replacement. Once everything fits,
remove the painters tape and disassemble the box again.


CAUTION: Even though the painters tape should not harm the paper surface in general, it
might if you pull from the cut edge towards the center. To avoid this, always start where the tape
is in contact with the flat of the board, not the edge.
Opps! If you pull the tape off the wrong way, the paper might pull apart.
Step 3: Finish the Edges
Wrap each edge with white duct tape. Miter and fold the corners to make everything look nice.
You are done when there are no exposed foam edges.
Tape along one edge waiting to be rolled over.
Fold the ends over to make a nice corner.
A finished corner.
All four panels with finished edges.
If you plan on breaking your box down frequently, this step is vital to protect the paper and
foam. If you intend to assemble the box once using duct tape, covering all the edges might not
be required. You would still want to cover the face edges and the rear opening edges since
they will remain exposed.
Step 4: Assemble Box
There are 2 (or more) ways to handle this. It really depends on how you will use your soft-box. If
you mostly work in a studio or fixed location and you wont be breaking your box down, you can
tape the edges together using white duct tape. This will result in a very strong and robust box.
Unfortunately, it will take up large amounts of space if you ever need to store or move it.
I need something I can break down when Im not using it. That leaves me with 2 options. My
original prototype was assembled with painters tape and this works well for short term use. The
problem with this is that it looks cheap and low end. That isnt the message I want to send.
For this box, I used short sections of velco instead. It has worked very well and looks very
clean.
Stick 1 self adhesive hook sections to the edges of the panels, then use 2 long sections of
double sided velcro cable tie to connect them and assemble the box. Because the velcro cable
ties are double sided you can attach other things on top of them in a stack. This is key later for
the diffuser.
Velcro ties holding the back of the panels together.
Place hook 1 velcro sections along the edges of each panel where indicated in the image
below.
The black tabs indicate all the locations for hook velcro on the panels. The velcro along the bottom
should be added later in the mounting the diffuser section.
Assemble using the 2 cable tie sections.
Velco cable ties holding the soft-box together.
Step 5: Make the Diffuser
For those that have never worked with fabrics before, this step may be a little intimidating. It
isnt hard, but there are some tricks. If you are new, you might ask someone with experience
sewing or quilting for help. The good news is that white fabric is very inexpensive so if you mess
up, it wont break the bank.
The end result of this step is that we will have a square with nicely finished edges with a 1
margin all the way around the front of the soft box. To mount the diffuser, we will use this margin
and velcro.
Start with a piece of fabric at least 6 longer on each edge than you need. That means you
need a pieces of fabric at least 36x36. Luckily fabric generally comes in widths no narrower
than 36, and usually wider. To be safe, buy 2 yards at least. This will give you lots of fudge
room.
The process of finishing each edge is:
1. Cut the edge straight and square if it is not already straight and square to the other
edges.
2. Fold and press a 1/4 of fabric along the edge.
3. Fold and pin another 3/4 more. This will roll the original 1/4 under out of site.
4. Pin from the outside towards the center of the fabric, NOT along the edge.
5. Once the edge is even, press it. At this point you should have no exposed fraying fabric
on the edge your are working on.
6. Using a sewing machine, stitch 1/8 from the inside edge of the fold.
Repeat this so you have a two finished edges in a right angle corner and two unfinished edges
opposite. No need to worry about exactly how long to make these finished sections. Just make
sure you finish MORE THAN 36 on these two edges. In the next steps we will trim the diffuser
to size using the softbox as a guide before finishing the last two edges.
The process of creating the finished edge.
Pressing the edge before stitching. This makes getting a consistent seam easy.Also, note the
direction of the pins.
Stitch near the inside edge of the edge fold. You can just stitch over the pins without a problem.
Place the fabric flat on the floor or another large surface. Set the dry fit soft-box on top of the
diffuser so that one corner of the box is against the newly finished corner, but leaving the folded
edge outside the box. Using painters tape, tape the two finished edges against the outside of
the box. Gently pull the diffuser tight towards the other two sides of the box.
Diffuser temporarily taped in place on one side before cutting the other edges.
Cut the fabric along the two unfinished edges so that 2 are left outside the box. Repeat the
steps above (2 through 6) of folding, pressing and stitching to finish the two remaining edges.
Cutting the remaining two edges accurately is easy using the box as a guide.
The diffuser after the remaining two edges are cut but before they are finished.
Step 6: Mount the Diffuser
1. Peel the backing off of the 1 loop velcro sections and attach them (velcro to velcro) to
the 4 hook sections already on the front edge of each panels. This will leave the
adhesive exposed.
2. Lay the cloth diffuser out flat.
3. Set the assembled soft box on top of the diffuser and center it.
4. Start with one edge.
5. Fold the center of the edge up and stick it to the exposed adhesive back of the velcro.
6. Stretch the corners away from the center and stick them to the adhesive.
7. Turn the box 180 degrees and repeat steps 5 and 6.
10. Carefully remove the diffuser by separating the two sides of the velcro.
11. With the diffuser off the soft box, firmly press each of the hook sections into the fabric to
make sure it is stuck well.
First the center two, then the outer two.
I originally tried to stitch the velcro onto the diffuser. My sewing machine didnt do so well with
that, so I abandoned it. The velcro I bought seems to stick to fabric very well once it is pressed
onto it firmly. You might try sewing the velcro on, but if you are using adhesive velcro, your
machine probably wont like it!
The diffuser finished and attached.
Once everything is finished the corners of the diffuser will actually stick on top of the black
velcro ties holding the corners together.
Stacked velcro holding the corner together and the diffuser on.
Step 7: Make the Internal Baffle
Adding a second internal baffle to help diffuse the light evenly is simple. Start with an 18
square of fabric and then use the same fold and press technique used to finish the edges of
the main diffuser. When you are finished you will have a ~16 square of cloth with finished
edges.
Internal diffuser with edges rolled and pressed waiting to be stitched.It is square even though it
doesnt look that way in this picture.
Apply 4 pieces of loop self adhesive velcro to the diffuser, one on each edge, near the corner.
Test fit the internal baffle in the assembled soft-box. Note the location of the velcro. Place 1
pieces of hook velcro inside the soft-box to match the diffuser.
The internal diffuser mounted using velcro.
Step 8: Bracket and Mounting
Because the exact dimensions of the bracket depend on the flash and trigger setup, Im not
providing a specific plan. Rather, Im going to show what I did with pictures and give some
general rules. From there, it will take a bit of trial and error to get everything positioned right
using the aluminum bar and machine screws.
The basic rules are:
1. The internal reinforcing plate, while optional, is highly recommended. This box is BIG
and even though it is made of foam board, it is still heavy. Without this internal bar, the
foam flexes more than I like where the bracket attaches.
2. Be sure to use large fender washers anywhere a machine screw penetrates the foam
board and there is not aluminum bar. If you dont, the screws will just tear through.
3. Do NOT over tighten the machine screws. You will crush the foam board and it will loose
all its strength. They only need to be snug.
4. Whatever the box is mounting on should attach as close to the front of the box as
possible. Even with the position of my tripod screw hole and heavy flash and trigger, the
assembly is very front heavy. A future version may use a bracket from the lowest screw
(at the bottom) just for attaching to the tripod. This would also raise the box higher.
Bracket and soft-box mounted on tripod.
Internal reinforcing plate.
Results
Thats it! You have a BIG ASS soft-box and it cost you almost nothing. If you were careful it
should look very good and under all but close inspection, it will appear off-the-shelf and
maybe even then.
And remember, if you totally fail as a photographer, you can always market your soft-box as the
worlds largest cone of shame.
The Strip A Pony Drama on Chincoteague Island
Look close at the center.
Posted in DIY
24 comments on DIY: 30 Square Soft Box that Folds Flat for Travel
T-roy says:
November 8, 2011 at 9:47 pm
So lets see some example shots with the softbox amigo! Nice write up and Id like to try
this out some time as well, to see how it would work for me.
Butch Davis says:
January 24, 2012 at 8:09 am
As a Design Engineer of 20 plus years, its a very nice design and I congratulation you. The
problem is your costs are way way off. First, foam core runs $5.00/sht (3036).I suspect you
got the hardware at govt job costs since the general public cannot get such small qtys. of
factory quality hdwr you used, not to mention the White Duct Tape runs ~$25.00/roll. Fender
washers have been around $1.00 ea since 1990, and the ACAD designation is 2x (oops!).
You should have specified #811/64 ($8.90/50) L.D..WSHR Zinc Plt. Recalculate your cost
(maybe using McMaster-Carr). If a job is worth doing its worth doing right and complete.
RB Davis
Andrew says:
Not sure what to say I bought my foam core sheets at Micheals and they were $2.99
Fender washers are like $0.25 at Home Depot in this size I dont order from industrial
supply places Its a DIY project, not a full industrial design I have an idea and I go to
various stores looking for things that work.
As for the duct tape, as I said, some of this stuff I have around (like white duct tape) and I
used a tiny mount of the $10 or $12 roll I already had (again, I dont buy the good stuff
apperently, just what I find on sale).
Butch Davis says:
$2.99 had to be a clearance or 1/2 off and those are not Fender Washers for $.25more
like LD Wshrs. Like I said, Ive done this for a living for over 20 years (plus another 10 as a
Tool & Die Maker)
Andrew says:
I never said some of these items were not on sale, but it seems like the Micheals here
always have foam core for that price (always on sale)
I guess one of the advantages of not being a pro is that Im ok with something I call a fender
washer that isnt one technically although, it is always what I called one and that is what
the label on the box said I was truethful in fact, I had reciptes for everything that wasnt
lieing around including the washers and foam core. That was months ago so they are gone
now, but I have no reason to lie, even if you think I do
Fred Thorsby says:
January 26, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Hey Andrew, I like it, Im going to make one tomorrow. Fender washers or not, looks good!
Fred Thorsby says:
January 27, 2012 at 11:53 pm
Andrew, purchased the foam core board at JoAnns Fabric and Crafts on sale for $1.99
each, regularly $2.99. The Fender Washers were about $.25 each. Go figure.
Andrew says:
Yeah, that sounds about right Sometimes doing it DIY is cheaper than if you did it right
and ordered stuff through the normal industrial channels I guess
Dana B says:
February 3, 2012 at 11:25 am
So I used to work for Govt too. Anything I got at McMaster could be gotten 50% less
somewhere else and 75% less if you really looked. A design engineer. Need I say more?
LOL. I will though, design engineers are the reason there are only two flash triggers with a
pass through hot shoe on the TX making most of them useless for event Photography.
Design engineers are the reason the 580exii battery door doesnt open as nicely as the
430exii or have the batteryholder like the 199A. Get over yourself and really make
something worthwhile once in your life and stop complaining about something you could
never make yourself.
Dana B says:
And so Andrew, I think its a great design. Ive been trying to see if I can modify it so that the
thing will fold flat as one piece as I have a tendency to loose stuff and I think it would be
cool. IVe helped design a couple of things, mostly stuff that gets eaten after people fawn
over it. My only claims to fame in the design dept is modifying PVC pipe to relieve stress on
optical fibers as they leave tables and pointing out to the designer of the worlds fastest laser
pulse analyzer that he needed to have a special tool built if he wanted it work in real life. So
kudos to you on designing something that we the non engineers can make and use and isnt
loaded with features we dont need and costs what the 99% can afford.
Andrew says:
February 3, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Thanks Dana. I originally tried to make it fold up, but it is just to big The Velcro assembly
makes it pretty easy to package up for transport and storage though. I have wanted to make
an improved version that uses silver mono-coat (the plastic film used on model airplanes) to
reduced the amount of light leaking through the foam board. That stuff is amazing
translucent
The other issue Ive had that I would like to fix, is that duct tape, while very sticky, lets go
slowly at the Velcro. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably notch the tape edging at
the Velcro locations so the Velcro was stuck directly to the foam-core.
Jeremy says:
March 1, 2012 at 3:35 am
Ive been looking at DIY soft boxes, and this is the one I am going to build. Our Walmart has
foam core for a couple bucks a sheet. Not sure where that guy is buying his $25 a roll white
duct tape, but last time I bought it for about $8. Fender washers at the Ace hardware up the
street are about $.20 a piece (Ive bought a lot of them over the years). Prices seem about
right on to me. I would like to see how you set this up with lighting, though.
Jeremy says:
March 1, 2012 at 3:37 am
Oops, I guess the very first picture shows it in use.
Michelle says:
September 26, 2012 at 3:14 pm
I love this idea! I wonder if I can make an octagon? Plus I can find white poster foam boards
(2030) at the Dollar Tree that I use as reflectors all the time. Im not trying to break the
bank on an experiment!
Nancy says:
October 17, 2012 at 10:50 am
Funny, here we can get decent foam core at the dollar tree too. So I think that the pro just
isnt looking in the right place. I actually think you were pretty average with pricing. You can
also find the duct tape at Walmart for about $3.85 for the smaller roll. Anyway,I will definately
be trying this. And i promise not to complain. Thanks for the help!
holger feroudj says:
October 22, 2012 at 10:30 am
Lovely Andrew, love the design! Ill try to build it with some modifications have some ideas
how to hold the box together better while still being able to easily fold and transport it. Have
to calculate how expensive this is gonna get, though, probably more! Thanks so much for
doing this and writing about it!
dam says:
November 24, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Thanks for the plans. Made two today. I like the way they came out. Made a couple changes.
I did not need them to be portable so after using the blue tape to assemble I chalked the
inside seams; Then taped all the outside edges and seams with very heavy duck tape. Very
solid. Used iron on seam tape instead of sewing the cloth parts and put elastic in the edge
so the cloth just slips on the outside. The inside cloth is held with Velcro. The last change
was my light stands use an adapter to allow using two different thread sizes. My flashes uses
the smaller tread so I use the adapter it self as the nut for the bracket support and then
mount the flash to the adapter. This allows the metal bracket to turn down instead of up like
yours and like you I used an metal strip on the inside. No washers required. Total spend for
two. about $30. Had the Velcro, tape and bolts. thanks again dan
Yvette says:
December 12, 2012 at 11:42 am
Wow, awesome , awesome job!! Ignore the gainsayers.
Alicia says:
January 11, 2013 at 10:29 am
This is a great tutorial. I am definately going to have to give it a try. Would it be possible for
you to post a photo of what it looks like (inside and out) once your flash and trigger unit are
mounted to it? I would like to see how you get your flash unit attached.
Thank you
Designer Dave says:
Love it!
Ive seen a few of these and most of them line the box with tinfoil because purchased soft
boxes have a reflective material inside of them. Have you tried this? D you think it would be
a good improvement?
I also think I may modify it so it fits a continuous light source instead of a flash.
Thanks for the instructions!
Andrew says:
@holger feroudj: I look forward to seeing the results!
Andrew says:
@Designer Dave: I considered using silver model airplane covering film but never got
around to ordering it. I suspect it would help with the leakage and efficiency. The panels
GLOW when you shoot with it because the foam core is actually pretty transparent. One of
the other failing of this is that the seams leak light like nobodies business so if you are trying
to keep the room dark except for the target of the box, it doesnt work so well. Replacing the
velcro ties with some sort of long fold over cloth hinge might fix that.
If you do try lining it with something reflective, Id love to see the results!
Abdul Sami says:
Is it reliable for 500 watts bulb ?
Andrew says:
I only use it with speed lights. Given that it is basically paper, I would be VERY careful about
any hot light source in it. A 500 watt tungsten light is a big heater and I suspect you could
start a fire rather quickly.
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