Homemade Underwater Digital Camera Housing
A housing enables you to use your digital camera underwater up to a depth of about 12 feet. A homemade housing consists of a bracket to stabilize your digital camera and a large, clear plastic bag to protect the camera yet allow you enough freedom to use its buttons and controls to take your pictures.
Create the Camera Bracket
Use a hot-air gun to soften part of a 1/2-inch thick piece of polyethylene plastic that will function as the camera bracket. The plastic should be long enough to accommodate both the length and the height of the digital camera when you shape the plastic into a capital "L." Use a wooden board to bend the bracket at the softened part in the shape of a capital "L." Hold the board in place until the plastic cools. Dip the plastic in cold water to further strengthen its shape.
Create the Bezel
Use a circle cutter to cut a ring out of polyethylene. The ring should be 6 inches in diameter. Use a spring-loaded center punch to mark and cut out a circle in the middle of the ring that is 3 inches in diameter. Discard this middle piece. Drill holes into two opposite sides of the 6-inch ring and attach it to the bracket using 1/8-inch screws. Use a drill to make a 1/4-inch mounting hole in the vertical arm of the bezel. This will hold the digital camera. Bolt the camera onto the bezel. Cut a piece of tube from a roll of paper towels or a roll of toilet paper to protect the gears of the zoom motor. The bag will be free of air and tight enough to hold the tube in place around the zoom lens.
Set the Camera Inside a Bag
Fold over a piece of clear urethane. The entire piece of urethane should be large enough to act as a plastic bag to house your digital camera. Cover the crease with a piece of aluminum foil and use a hot iron over the crease to mold the urethane so it maintains its folded shape. Set the bezel with the digital camera into a large clear plastic bag. Set a desiccant bag inside the plastic bag to absorb any moisture. Set two Alka-Seltzers inside the plastic bag to act as a visual cue in the event of a water leak. Squeeze all the air out of the plastic bag and use fishing line to tie the end of the bag. Use silicone sealant at the seal of the plastic bag to prevent leaks. The plastic bag is flexible enough so you can manipulate the buttons and controls of the digital camera while keeping the camera within the protective covering.
Tags: digital camera, digital camera, your digital, your digital camera, buttons controls, Camera Housing