# Burning Timber - Fire Effect



## thxboy (Nov 10, 2009)

Hey all,

After I built my first burning log using the great stuff method I had some new ideas. I have a pirate haunt and I always wanted some of those cool burning timbers like on the pirates of the caribbean ride. (Below)









The log tutorial was great but didn't really get me the effect I wanted so I thought of a neat twist on things. Hope you all like it.

Materials:
- 2" thick pink foam board
- Great Stuff (small cracks or large gap version, I can't tell the difference)
- red christmas tree lights. I used a 100 light strand that could be either steady or flickering
- Hot glue gun
- Black Primer paint
- Light grey primer paint
- Krylon-Make it Stone! textured spray paint. Black with white speckles
- Chicken wire
- paint brushes, drywall saw, "Terras magic tombstone texturizer thingy" (i have no idaa what it actually is) TMTT for short


1. Start by cutting pink foam board into the length and height pieces you want your timber to be. I created (2) 4' X 23" pieces for the sides and (2) 4' X 6" piece for the top / bottom. Use a sharp utility knife to cut the length. I then used the drywall saw to cut the rest of the way through. 

2. Shave the pieces down with the TMTT and then glue them together. My piece were a little "gappy" so I used great stuff to fill the gap spaces and reinforce the timber. This creates a hollow piece. I decided to seal up 1 side with leftover pink board but left the other side open to refine and install the lights later.









3. Go ahead and take your drywall saw and hack a couple of holes in the side of your timber! We'll be filling them back in but we want to have the effect of "smoldering" fire that's eaten away parts of the timber. 








4. Once you have a couple of holes you like, cut a piece of chicken wire about the size of the hole and shove it in there. You want it to lay across the hole from the inside. I pulled the cut edges into the sides on the foam to hold it in place.








5. Grab your can of great stuff and spray a layer over the chicken wire. I trace the wire first and then the edges before i fill in the gaps. The great stuff is "sort" of semi-transparent (at least when the lights are behind it) but the more you use the less the lights will shine through. I try not to use too much and let it expand over night to fill in the space. You can always go back later and add a little more if you have to.









6. Texture away. I used the drywall saw first sideways to create the basic wood texture, then i gouged it and ran over everything with the TMTT. I was very agressive with texturing and found out the more is more in my case.









7. Paint it black, let dry and then give the main areas a good dusting with the Krylon Make it Stone spray paint texure. Let it dry









8. Dry brush with grey









9. Install your red lights. My lights have bulbs that if you replace the first and last, the light strand will flicker. I only replace the last bulb, so HALF the strand would flicker. I'ts not a perfect smoldering effect, but I like how it came out.



















That's about it! I'll post video soon.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Wow, that looks great! Nice effect.


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## Palmdale Haunter (Sep 26, 2010)

Looks Great!!!


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## Adam Calhoun (Sep 9, 2012)

Looks great! Thanks for this.


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## thxboy (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks! Im really pleased. Im going to be sad packing it away until next year.........


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## Northrad (Aug 24, 2010)

This is the perfect inspiration for my next year's haunt theme! ...I'm really excited to incorporate this. I've done coals but this is special.

Thanks for sharing these pictures


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Nice idea...thanks for sharing...


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## SavageEye (Aug 30, 2010)

Oh crap… another great idea that I am going to have to find storage for!!! Great job!


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## kurtnotkirk (Nov 17, 2012)

This is completely amazing looking! I was looking for a way to make burning coals that were angular, rather than with the "sprayed on" look that you see with other designs using Great Stuff. Very Cool! do you have a picture of the TMTT?


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## theundeadofnight (Aug 14, 2011)

Great version of the Pirates of the Caribbean effect . Nicely done .


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## thxboy (Nov 10, 2009)

kurtnotkirk said:


> This is completely amazing looking! I was looking for a way to make burning coals that were angular, rather than with the "sprayed on" look that you see with other designs using Great Stuff. Very Cool! do you have a picture of the TMTT?


Here she is.


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## Paulaween (Apr 16, 2011)

Looks amazing. Really good job


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## xrockonx911 (Jul 28, 2010)

wow... more and more ways to incorporate the awesome "smoldering" look... 
I really have no area I could use this in but it is so kool I might have to just do it and make up an excuse to have a smoldering beam in my haunt!


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## Mikelyte (Dec 3, 2010)

Nice.

But will it make a Smore?


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## thxboy (Nov 10, 2009)

Mikelyte said:


> Nice.
> 
> But will it make a Smore?


Hmmm... Maybe I should add a propane tank, heating element...........


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Now I don't feel so bad about sitting here painting a tombstone after eating thanksgiving dinner lol. I'm not the only one already building for next year. Awesome looking effect!


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## Candee (Oct 24, 2010)

Great effect. Thanks for shaing.


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## kurtnotkirk (Nov 17, 2012)

Ah-HA! So that is a TMTT!! I have one of those!! Hehe, now I have a new name for it. Thanks for posting the pic!!


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## Terra (Sep 23, 2007)

thxboy said:


> Here she is.


HA, HA, HA, HA!!!! I'm dying over here, lol!

Awesome, awesome tutorial too


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## thxboy (Nov 10, 2009)

Terra said:


> HA, HA, HA, HA!!!! I'm dying over here, lol!
> 
> Awesome, awesome tutorial too


Thanks! I think you should patent TMTT Terra. Maybe you could design a special edition for Home Depot?

Thanks for being the inspiration for so many great ideas too! Most of the techniques in this are things i learned from you over the years. Maybe 2013 will be the year Terra finnaly does a Pirate theme.........


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## cyberhaunt (Oct 23, 2006)

This looks fantastic! I've to try this next year.


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## thxboy (Nov 10, 2009)

Let me know if i can help. My plan now is to build a bunch of these and use a fire wall projection effect in one of my font windows. Hopefully this does not bring out the fire department. Next i need to figure iut how to make the smoke.....


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## savagehaunter (Aug 22, 2009)

That looks fantastic. Nice tut. on how to make it.


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## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

I was wanting to try and build some foam timbers to be mounted in my living room ceiling...now I'm convinced it will work (minus the smoldering effect lol)...but your timbers are amazing, very realistic looking  And I love the way you used the Christmas lights...the smoldering effect is perfect...love it


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## tbeard (May 13, 2011)

That's so awesome! I was just at Disneyland a couple of weeks ago and thinking about how cool it would be to reproduce that effect.


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## jpbaily1 (Sep 21, 2009)

thxboy said:


> Here she is.


You can get the "scraper" in the automotive section of some stores. It is used to shave down bondo when doing bodywork.

Great tut.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Had some time tonight to explore posts on HF and landed here. Wow, what a cool effect and sure does get the mind spinning on what one can do now with this terrific look. Really nice job and thanks for the great photos.

The only thing coming to my mind right now on using this however would be a goldmine tunnel with support beams charred after someone set off some dynomite and damaged the tunnel. I did pick up a few of those electronic firecrackers and a cracker plate that could be used for the explosion. Love to hear what other ideas people have.

Looking forward to the video of the effect if you end up doing one.


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## Captain No Beard (Aug 31, 2012)

that seriously amazing! Im going to have to build a couple of these this year for my haunt!


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## scourge (Jan 5, 2008)

Absolutely perfect!


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## Sublime Nightmare (Aug 2, 2009)

Awesome! I think I'm going to have to make these, too. I made burning logs last year. Now how to use burning timber?


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## newtodead (Jan 3, 2013)

WOW!! this looks very very nice. Great work. I am assuming you just stuffed the lights inside the trunk?


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## thxboy (Nov 10, 2009)

newtodead said:


> WOW!! this looks very very nice. Great work. I am assuming you just stuffed the lights inside the trunk?


I did. I used two strings of 100 lights. The chicken wire grabs them and holds in place nicely.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

I found this on instructables.com and wondered where they are putting the lights in the burning timber. In front of the foil? If its behind the foil you cant see the lights. This is a little diff than the thxboy creation. But I like the foil effect too.


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