04/11/2026
Restoration / Replication of the All-Seeing Eye Luminaire 👁️
By Jeff Lawhorn-Harrison Oddfellows Lodge #140
4/10/26
The luminaire was carefully removed from the lodge hall and transported back to my workshop. My goal was to preserve as much of the original character as possible, and to potentially restore the original fixture making the light inside of the fixture functioning again.
I approached the teardown carefully removing hardware and retaining clips holding the glass in place. The housing appeared to be a combination of a repurposed marine-style porthole and ¾”–1” pine, which gave some insight into how it was originally fabricated.
Once the assembly was apart, I evaluated the electrical components. The lamp base and wiring showed their age, with exposed terminals and older-style connections. While it may have still functioned, it wasn’t something I felt comfortable putting back into service without upgrades. At a minimum, it would require a modern insulated base and safer wiring practices.
The glass insert had been previously repaired and painted many years ago. After testing opacity with a flood light, it was clear that very little light would transmit through the painted surface regardless of how bright the light used. The only areas allowing light through were where the paint had been scratched or worn away over the years.
At that point I decided to put the pieces back together and just make a replica of the piece rather than attempt a partial restoration that would likely fall short. Attempting to strip the paint and repaint on the original piece was out of the question.
Digital Restoration & Image Work
To preserve the original artwork prior to reassembly , I scanned the glass on a flatbed scanner and brought the image into Adobe Photoshop. From there, I manually repaired damaged areas by sampling nearby pixels—essentially rebuilding the design where scratches and wear had taken their toll.
I made adjustments to the image by making the pixels lighter or brighter in color to improve light transmission, without washing out the details of the original. The goal was to keep the character of the original while making it actually function as a lighted piece.
Once finalized, I printed the image on 3mm clear acrylic using a UV printer available to me at my local library. One intentional decision here was to avoid printing white ink. Through testing, I found that white UV ink is too opaque and would block light entirely, so leaving those areas clear allowed the light to pass through as intended. Registration marks or cross hairs were added to the print to ensure accurate alignment later in the process.
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Fabrication & Build
Back in my shop, I used the registration marks to precisely find center and laser cut the circular disc from the acrylic sheet.
I then created a second disc from white acrylic to sit behind the printed piece. This served two purposes:
• It reintroduced the “white” elements of the image that weren’t printed
• It acted as a diffuser to evenly spread the light
From there, I designed a new housing in Autodesk Inventor that would hold everything together cleanly and consistently. After exporting the model as an STL file, I 3D printed the components.
The printed parts were then finished by hand—sanded with 120 and 220 grit, with epoxy used to fill any imperfections. After prep, I applied two coats of acrylic spray paint to give it a clean, finished look.
To make the assembly solid, I heat-set brass threaded inserts into the housing, creating durable mounting points for fastening the acrylic discs.
For lighting, I installed a 3-foot LED strip along the inner circumference of the housing, paired with a plug-in power supply. This provided even illumination across the entire face of the piece. Light strip and components are held in place with pressure sensitive adhesive.
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Prototype & Next Iteration
This version is a working prototype, and overall it accomplishes the goal—preserving the look and improving the function of the original.
That said, there’s one planned improvement: I intend to add an extension or backplane to better accommodate the power supply and create more space behind the unit. This will clean up the back side and bring the overall geometry closer to the original fixture. Also it will allow for more space for the power supply where it is plugged in to the outlet.
If interested in purchasing a fixture for your lodge, please email [email protected]
Price is $375 payable by check or credit card.
Current Lead time is approximately 3-4 weeks after receipt of order.
All proceeds will be donated to: Pause for Parents, Play for Kids* (link available in post comments)
*Pause for Parents, Play for Kids is a 501c3 organization providing rest, support, connection and fun to special needs kids and their families.
About the Author:
Jeff Lawhorn is a mechanical engineering professional and entrepreneur, and the founder of Lakota Laser. With a background in material handling systems and a passion for precision craftsmanship, he specializes in combining laser cutting engraving, UV printing, and 3D printing to create high-quality custom products for both industrial and personal applications. He has been a member of Harrison Lodge #140 for 26 years serving as Noble Grand Two times and chief patriarch of Madison Encampment #60. Jeff is the active Secretary and Scribe of both groups.
