# I need a BIG fake fire... any pointers?



## Gothikim (Jul 25, 2005)

Howdy all! 

Now that the post-Halloween euphoria and funk have passed, I'm actively planning for next year. I'm going to make an outdoor scene in one bay of my garage. Part of this scene will be a big fake fire in a ring of stones. The stones are easy--foam & plywood! But I've never made a fake fire, let alone one of the size I have in mind--2-3 feet across. I've yet to find a fake fire how-to for a fire of this size, so I'm kinda flying blind here.

I was thinking a high powered box or round fan of appropriate size, with clear/frosted lightweight plastic as the flames, and chasing Xmas lights in red/yellow/blue underneath for the fire's light. I'd like for the flames to be about a foot, foot and a half tall, if possible. 

If any of you have built one this big, am I on the right track? What would you suggest? 

TIA for your help!


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## halloweenguy (Jun 20, 2005)

You may also want to try silver reflective fabric and Amber Flood Lights with the fan. My neighbor uses this tecnique for his upstatirs windows...looks very real!!!


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## Otaku (Sep 10, 2004)

There used to be a how-to for a "Big-A$$ Fake Fire" on the MonsterList, but it's been taken off. There may be an archive of past links that could point you to the site. I read it once, and it sounds just like what you're looking for.


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## Greencapt (Sep 13, 2005)

Here's one I saw from HauntProject.Com called 'Dragonfire':

Dragonfire


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## Gothikim (Jul 25, 2005)

Thanks for the feedback! I think the "big [email protected]@ fake fire" page is no more, but I found a site where someone used a box fan to do essentially what I want, and they were at least semi-successful. Hard to tell from still photos, though...

Maybe a combination of silk and plastic will make for a more dramatic 3D effect to the flames. Hmmm. At least 1 floodlight would make the fire brighter than just Xmas lights too. I hope I don't have to resort to a blower fan--that would be loud enough to be heard down the street 

When I get to test it out, I'll try to get decent pix to post. Thanks again!


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## LHALLOW (Aug 10, 2004)

A few years ago I did a decent size fire from a similiar method as the one described. I used one of those window fans that doesn't make much noise at all. I used thin plastic and orange, yellow and red material (similiar to silk.)
It is a really great affect but it takes some playing with to get all the pieces to flow the way you want them to.
Good Luck!


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## Long_Tom (Oct 26, 2005)

Be sure that adequate air can enter the enclosure from behind the fan. Otherwise the fan sucks air in from the front, dragging the fabric back in with it (and getting louder, too). If you enclose the fan in some sort of well, put air entry holes in the bottom.

If you want really tall flames, I seem to remember someone suspending the top edge of the fabric with 2 or 3 pieces of black thread, so the air from the fan doesn't have to do all the work of lofting the fabric.

Good luck!


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## Scooty (Sep 1, 2005)

I have some box fan fake fires that work excellent...I even got a compliment from a fireman this year, he thought the flame looked real good.

Get a $10 box fan from wally world. Round up 4 pieces of 1"x3" or 1"x4" scrap lumber 12"-14" long. Make a "table" out of the fan using the wood as the legs. Attach the legs with deck screws or sheetrock screws...just run the screws straight through the metal frame of the fan. Watch out for wiring and fan blade clearance. Make sure the fan is blowing upwards! Okay, the fan is done.

Next, go to a Jo-Anns fabric store or similar, and buy some "fake silk". It is cheap, thin, white and slippery like silk. I cut a rectangle from the fabric that was approx. 30" by 40". Next, I duct taped the 30" edge to a 36" piece of 1/2 metal conduit. Lay out the fabric rectangle and cut the top of the flames. Don't make your "vees" or "flame fingers" anymore than 12" deep or they will droop and not catch wind. My flame fingers are about 8" wide and the finger tips are different lengths to look more natural. 

Turn the fan on High. Take the conduit and put your knee in the middle so you can make a slight 3" to 4" bend in it. This bend will help stabilize the flame and keep the conduit from rolling out of place. Simply lay the conduit diagonally on the front grill of the fan. Experiment by rolling up some of the fabric on the conduit while sliding the conduit in different locations across the face of the fan until you catch the best air currents. You should be able to get a nice whip to the fabric and it will twist slightly like a flame that is burning fast. 

I find that yellow and orange floodlights installed in shielded clamp lights look the best. Light from in front and below. You can buy glass paint from hobby stores to paint your own floodlights. I did this using an orange color and they are my favorite bulbs to use and have lasted 4 seasons so far.

Now, if you need the flame to sit higher, you can sit the "fan table" on a card table or simply screw on leg extensions to the short legs you already installed.

If you want to experiment, you might try taping a larger piece of fabric to something heavy like some romex or a 6' piece of garden hose . Make a circle out of the romex or garden hose that has a diameter of 20" or 24". I'm thinking this might make an improved flame as the fabric will catch more wind. It is important to get a flame that dances real good. 

This year I had a bucky sitting in the front seat of my H2 with 3 box fans and flames sitting on the folded down rear seats. I had a fogger with a timer that I placed under the vehicle and pointed it so the wind would take it in the right direction for the effect. It was a big hit and the flames looked really good through the glass. One TOT was walking past me with his buddy and I heard him comment..."aw bummer, he's burning his hummer". I had made a great set of "kicking legs" from Scary Terry's website...I planned to jack up the hummer so I could sit the front wheel on top of the butt portion of the legs that I had reinforced with a steel frame I had welded up. I was dissappointed to learn on Halloween night that my jack would not lift the front end high enough to slide the prop under the tire...next year, there is always next year! Scooty


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