# Black light suggestions and help and OMG...please tell me....



## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

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Hey Forum Peeps! Okay, so my goal for 2014 is to have my whole front porch hung with various ghosts of different sizes, different looks and the fabric will be soaked in RIT whitener so that when black light is applied, it will glow fantastically. But....I have to find a way to light up my whole front porch with black light to make it work. This is my porch...any ideas?









I was thinking four foot black lights on the back side of the four columns, but I didn't know if that would provide enough black light. Has anyone ever used a black light cannon and do you have an idea of how much that light that puts out? I have read that it will cover 40 feet in black light, but I want something that I can put on a timer so that at 5:30 pm the black lights come on and bathe the whole front porch in the glowing light, so it is waiting for me when I get home. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I fear this is going to be quite expensive, so I have to start now so that come October 1st, I'm not scrambling for black lights. Thanks for any suggestions or ideas and any information from your own experiences that you can give me. 


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

Wow...really??? 15 people have viewed this thread and not one thought amongst them?? Really?


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Awesome house and porch. Sorry, I don't know anything about lighting, but would love to visit on Halloween.


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## bethene (Feb 12, 2007)

I don't know much about it, but have you ever tried the cfl black lights? in a flood light holder could be put anywhere, close to a ghost and will light the individual ghost up. your porch ceiling is quite high, so not sure about how to light that, sorry. how are the ghosts going to be displayed? I saw on the other forum you mentioned black light canyons, never heard of them but they sound interesting. Love your porch. And the way the skellys are hanging is great. sorry I am not much help,, i would love to come visit too!


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## Trex (Nov 6, 2010)

I think no one is responding because most people are saying WOW amazing porch.....wish we had that!! I know Darklight makes a very good UV/Black light with wide throw like you will need to light your porch. It will need a fEw lights I would think? 

BTW your porch is amazing, I just bought some beef netting, can't wait to use it next year!


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

You may have to experiment a bit to get the look you want. We used 2 four foot strip ligts in a 20 foot long canopy last year to illuminate several hanging ghosts, and got a very nice effect. The inside was lined with black plastic sheeting so they really stood out. I think the idea of a strip light on each column would work well. I know they run about $25.00 each which isn't too bad. Another option would be to try some blacklight spots aimed at the facade at different angles. I know Spirit carries them. It actually might look pretty cool to have the entire front of the house bathed in black light.

The canopy from last year.










Our front door ghost lit by a four foot BL strip.



















Hope this helps a bit.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

I bought these last year for a hallway and dining table - and they were more powerful than the CFL's. http://www.goldengadgets.com/l-a3w-uv-110v-ac-3-watt-uv-led-light-bulb.html

The best way to go is the longest tubes blacklight you can find too. Too bad you didnt get them at Spirit day after halloween 50% off sale they had the super long ones on sale back then. I passed by and when I went around to get some, they were gone!!

Also, if you are adding any color - neon acrylic paint. Not GID stuff. Neon looks great in blacklight. GID not so much - actually not all.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Here's a cfl (notice how close it has to be light the area)








18inch tube:








At 2:40 you can see my hallway (this was filmed at dusk so it has a bit of light) this is the goldengadget.com bulb:


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## mejess68 (Mar 24, 2012)

last year I found some black light LED spots at Big Lots, I think they put out a good bit but I also think I may have had them too close because it washed things out a bit








you may also want to check out Spencers Gifts, located in most malls


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## booswife02 (Apr 2, 2013)

I would not suggest these
http://www.spirithalloween.com/prod...kes&UTM_campaign=Search:SC:black light stakes

or these

http://www.partycity.com/product/black+cfl+light+bulb+13watt.do?from=Search&navSet=black light&bypass_redirect=1

There was a thread right after Halloween that said something about what did you learn from this year and what were the mistakes you made. This is what I posted about. I spent $150 + on black lights and was not happy at all with the results. These are the two items I went with. The spot lights did not project far enough, They were fine for a single prop but did not project enough for even a small area. The light bulb I put on my front porch and it simply glowed purple. It lit up a small area as well. I learned on that thread that I should have used these.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_147959-371-...1&currentURL=?Ntt=black+light+bulb&facetInfo=

along with the light fixture, I could have saved tons of money and gotten a better result if I had went this way. I had multiple people tell me this. I went to lowes and priced the bulbs and fixtures and still decided against it since they were large, I felt like the storage wouldn't be worth it. They aren't very expensive but sensitive in storing so the bulbs don't get blown. If you truly want your black lights to work, just go with these. The storage is worth it and they are fairly inexpensive compared to the alternative.

You can see some of my lighting in my albums, its not great examples but it will let you know what not to do, haha... I have a pic of the light bulb on my porch on there. Unfortunatley I didn't get great pics of each prop with the black lights on. I do have a large street light in front of my house so im sure it could have been some better without that but you will get the idea.


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## booswife02 (Apr 2, 2013)

Great theme by the way. I love the ghostly stuff. You don't see it as much

I would say, go with the 4ft black light tubes, put them on the inside of your porch columns and over your front door and window sills. This way they aren't sticking out in plain site, they will blend in a bit better. Im terrible when it comes to hooking up things with timers so ill let someone else handle that.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Your BEST bet as several have mentioned already is to get 4ft tubes on the inside edge of all those pillars, thus the light stays hidden from the audience. Lowes has some good cheap fixtures for reasonable prices that will work. Spirit has some that come with a bulb for cheaper, but IMO, it's better to buy a good utility socket and blacklight bulb than one of those 'halloween' ones that are plastic. Couple years back I saw some blacklight 'towers' which were just fixtures meant so stand the bulb up on the floor, those would work fantastic for you, but haven't seen them in a few.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

OMG your pourch is awsome that would make a killer nightmare before christmas diney mansion .


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## Kevin B (Dec 31, 2013)

What about simple flood lights with black lights in them? You can find timers at any hardware store to have them turn on at a certain time and you could post multiple lights all around. Also I worked on a 3D Blacklight haunted house before and we lit up the entire thing using these string of cage lights. You can find them at Home Depot or Lowes. They're just strands of light and there are little cages you can screw in black lights to. Theres probably like 20 per string. Also some amazing paint that reacts super well to black light is Wildfire paints. They have some invisible paint that only shines under black light too that you can get some awesome effects with. They make these things called "Peekaboo Controllers" at frightprops.com that you can control different lighting and sound effects with. It takes some getting used to but once you figure those things out you can pull off all kinds of effects with the black light. If you ran them through the controller you could put your black light to a controlled rhthym and have it flash to music or whatever. Could be an awesome project. Hope you can pull something out of this post to help you in some way!


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## Rclsu13 (Aug 23, 2011)

Im not sure what financial situation is we are talking here, but I've been to several concerts where darn near the whole stage was blacklit. Maybe consider going that route, guitar center in my area has pretty good stage/DJ lights. The down side is these can be very VERY expensive. Otherwise, Id say get your hands on as many 4 footers as you can get and do what you were thinking with lining the columns. The shear size of the area needing light is what I'm sure is pushing a lot of posters away from this thread. Blacklight isn't great for covering a large area. Start with one light per column, light it up and see what your'e dealing with. Add a set of lights each column until you get something you like. Keep your eyes peeled for sales, I know Walmart has four footers for not bad pricing. Keep us posted, please. Id love to see that porch blacklit up!!


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

I think the big issue that's been missed here is, how much other light is hitting the porch. Black light in closed area works great, wide open areas with a lot of ambient light, not so good.

I too recommend going to Lowes for the bulbs and fixtures..even Walmart carries them. While the packaging at Spirit is prettier, the results are the same. If you go today, you can test them out tonight. 

As for storage of the four footers, I just leave them in the fixtures and stack the fixtures on top of each other gently on a shelf in the garage..I've never had issues with that.


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## annamarykahn (Oct 4, 2009)

i have a similar, but less awesome porch ...

the best pic that i can come up is a composite from 2010









the black light effect here is over exposed ... it looks better in person and i got rid of the sidewalk skulls to further improve the effect

if this is what you're thinking of doing, let me know & i'll spill more details

take a look at my albums => http://www.halloweenforum.com/members/annamarykahn-albums.html for further pics although i still haven't gotten around to uploading my '13 pics ... which look way better, as everything is evolving/improving/progressing ... 

amk


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

That is a lot of space and a lot of white area. I put two 4' black lights in our garage which was mostly in black. Everything glowed really well in this enclosed environment. I believe that black light would diffuse in your area. If I were you, I would use green floodlights to give a ghastly glow to your porch. Then I would put black lights hidden behind the pillars and make sure anything you want to glow was set up near those areas. From a distance, I think that would look really nice with the green and then that kind of bluish glow emanating out from the pillars. You can check out this link. I've been saving pics of how people have set up lighting in their yards. You might get some ideas. http://www.pinterest.com/zim2/halloween-lighting-ideas/

The best thing to do would be to buy a 4' black light and kind of experiment in the summer. You'll get a feel for the perimeter of your "glow field."


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes, has to be dark. Or else none of this works. The curly CFL made by FEIT are the best.(home depot/lowes) I posted awhile back I had tried Walmart's CFL's and they were terrible. CFL's BL are good for small spaces. Kind of a BL "spot" light if you will. And, they have to be up close.

Sounds like you need the big kahuna tubes - Pumpkin 5. And lots of darkness. Good luck.




Scatterbrains said:


> I think the big issue that's been missed here is, how much other light is hitting the porch. Black light in closed area works great, wide open areas with a lot of ambient light, not so good.
> 
> I too recommend going to Lowes for the bulbs and fixtures..even Walmart carries them. While the packaging at Spirit is prettier, the results are the same. If you go today, you can test them out tonight.
> 
> As for storage of the four footers, I just leave them in the fixtures and stack the fixtures on top of each other gently on a shelf in the garage..I've never had issues with that.


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## booswife02 (Apr 2, 2013)

Jdubbya, UnOrthodOx and Scatterbrains you all helped me with my black light issues (Thank You again). You helped me figure out that my biggest downfall was the street light in front of my house. Pumpkin if your surrounding area is fairly well lit you could be facing an up hill battle. As others have said black light doesn't really project very far and if there is any other white back light it totally washes it out. My lights looked like I had little purple lights shining on my props and that was not what I was going for at all.

Scatterbrains I only have storage issues because we are military and get moved all over the place. I have a nice size garage and an attic but we are constantly getting packed up by moving companies and have even had everything shipped by boat to Europe! When movers see 40 totes labeled halloween they just think its silly and throw it around like its junk. super frustrating. So long term for me it doesn't make since but what I did with the spots and bulbs was a total waste of money. Maybe my next base will not be so well lit, haha... or maybe my Reaper victim will ask for black lights


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## booswife02 (Apr 2, 2013)

I love dawnskis idea by the way. green or blue flood lights and back light things with the black lights.


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

WOW, thanks guys for all the suggestions! You guys ROCK! Okay...to answer some questions and give more information, my house is not on the end of the block and my neighbors NEVER cut their front porch lights on, so it's pretty dark. The nearest street light is on the next block, so as far as darkness, it's pretty dark. Here is my FCG who is on my screened side porch and I have three black light fixtures on her. Three 48 inch single tube types, because I wanted her to come on when the timer clicked, so I could have the black lights that you have to hold down to get the tube to light.








As you can see, the only lights are mine, and I can control that.








And this is where I "cheated" in my cemetery and used blue spotlights...it made it look like black light...sort of. You can see my FCG, Lily on the side porch and then the ghosts








I guess I want the look to be like the one on my FCG....she is just awesome when lit and I love the "other worldly" Haunted Mansion look of black light. I think I am going to invest in the four foot fixtures...(maybe two per column??) and then search on craig's list for a black light cannon. I have a few black light spotlights that I bought last year and I am going to try them out. Storage is always an issue, but I have to have the blacklights....I WANT THEM! I just have it all set in my mind how it will look.... As for the cost, I want to keep it low as possible, but I want to pull off the look I want, so I will buy what I have to. I don't travel, I don't buy expensive jewelry or crazy amounts of shoes.... I do Halloween....I think I deserve the black lights.


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## doto (Nov 20, 2009)

> I don't travel, I don't buy expensive jewelry or crazy amounts of shoes.... I do Halloween....I think I deserve the black lights.


I am a Halloween Enabler.....You Deserve Them!!!


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## Icepick (Nov 24, 2013)

I just gotta say, pumpkin5, awesome home!! A couple years back, I made a bid on a very similar home (identical on outside except porch on left) but didn't get it. I was bidding to get away from HOA communities, and the ability to have a great canvas for seasonal decorations. Sorry I couldn't give any advice on the blacklights, but I agree with most on using the four footers. I have a streetlight a couple houses up from me in either direction, and I was able to illuminate a 12' diameter spiderweb with just a single 2' fixture. Sorry, no pics.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes you do deserve them - the tubes AND the cannon. You go girl!


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## booswife02 (Apr 2, 2013)

Anytime my hubby says to me "Did you really need another tombstone, potion bottle, costume?! I say some girls buy shoes and some girls buy tombstones!!! You deserve them pumpkin!!


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

HA HA! Thanks Matrixmom and BoosWife! I agree, and it's not like they'll go to waste...I will ALWAYS have a need for black lights for Halloween parties, outdoor decorating, etc.. But even when the orange fence lights and the blue spotlight, Lily still glows fantastically








In this photo I only had two 18 inch black light fixtures wired in the tree, and the ghosts soaked in RIT still glowed pretty great.


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## Tconahaunter (Jun 20, 2012)

As many have mentioned it depends on several factors. Ambient light, Effect (how bright do you want things to glow) and Budget. If the area is fairly dark you can probably get away with a few (4-6) 4ft fluorescent fixtures. If you are dealing with excessive ambient light, or just want a more intense glow wou could concide looking at high output mercury vapor blacklights. They are 400w fixtures and usually sell for around $200 per unit. They are not cheap, but do throw A LOT of light. Another option is H/O LED blacklights. Also sold for around $200 per fixture and available online at most DJ supply stores, these are another good option where alot of light is needed. That being sait it really comes down to budget and what you can/or are willing to spend. 

I use a mix of 4ft fluorescents, CFL bulbs and LED for my haunt and all see to have their neich where each work best.
Hope this helps.


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone that replied to this thread and all the great suggestions. You've no idea how much you all have helped! I am going to Wal Mart this weekend and buy one of the four foot light fixtures and two 48 inch black light bulbs, just to give it a try on my front porch. I have used black lights in the past and I think the tube fixtures are the way to go. I have a couple of black lights I bought in 2012 that are the LED bulb kind and inserted into a flood light type fixture... They just don't give that BRIGHT glow....and I want it to be BRIGHT! My goal is to have a huge line of cars stopping in front of my house each night, ohhhing and ahhhing over the "Glowing Ghostly Ghost House".  I just can't imagine how much fun that will be for all the kids, waiting to see what ghost I add each night. If the four foot fixtures work, then I think I will go two per column and see how that looks, then maybe add one or two of the H/O LED blacklights or Vapor Black lights, but that will be a try them and see kind of thing. I have been collecting cheesecloth for the last three years with this whole ghostly front porch theme in mind and I am in process of creating lots and lots of spooks! I so appreciate all the responses and as always I owe so much to all the great minds that are here. A special thanks to jdubbya, Matrixmom, mejess68 and annamaykahn for those amazing pictures! I just love what you guys did with black lights and your haunts look just amazing! I hope very soon to follow in your footsteps! Thank you everyone!


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## Icepick (Nov 24, 2013)

Hopefully your local walmart has the t-12 type fixtures for the bulbs. Mine only carries t-8 fixtures. The have the t12 bulbs though. Can find t-12 fixtures at lowes and homedepot and wire a plug to them if need be.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Here is something I pinned from pinterest that might interest you for ideas:

www.blacklightattractions.com


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

Thanks MM, lots of great information, you're a doll baby!


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Started following some of your boards on pinterest......like this place, its addicting too.


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## scareu72 (Jun 3, 2012)

Well I had a good experience with Spirits LED Blacklight Spotlight and also there Red and Green spotlights. The trick is however, you have to set them up a good distance from the area you want lit up. If you get the light to close it does not project light very well but from a distance it does a great job. Heck when we were setting up and goofing around with the green spot light from Spirit we could make it reflect off a stop sign that was four blocks down the street lol.


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## booswife02 (Apr 2, 2013)

hhmmm maybe that was one of my problems as well scareu72 I just had them to close to the props. I had to much light from the street light and I had the lights to close to the props. I had one under Victorias dress in my graveyard and it just looked purple under her skirt. The rest only lit up the bottom of the props purple, so I didn't even turn half of them on that night, I tried a few different things but just couldn't get it to work out. That was my first attempt ever at lighting so I am going to try again this year. Going to go with colored spots and string lights inside props. I wont attempt black lights again until I live somewhere with no other lighting.


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## scareu72 (Jun 3, 2012)

One thing you could try also booswife02 is talking to your city or town about putting a shield over your street light during the few weeks of Halloween season. I have heard a few people who do big yard haunts in smaller towns doing this and the town obliging. Doesn't hurt to ask at least. But yeah I have learned its just a matter of trial and error and practice. 2014 will be my 5th year of doing our haunt and looking back its unbelievable how much I have learned since the first year just from forums like this one and trial and error and experimenting.


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## GamblinFool (Sep 18, 2013)

If you can...Tape a small light on the photosensor on the street light. 
Turn the small light on and the street light will turn off thinking its day time.


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## Dr. Phibes (Nov 10, 2010)

Get 5 or 6 of these. You can angle them any way you want and you can pound a wooden stake in the ground and clip these on. Can hide with those graves placed in front of them.

http://t.homedepot.com/p/HDX-75-Watt-Incandescent-Clamp-Light-CE-200PDQ/100354513/

Believe it or not, these blue bulbs work very similar to black lights for illuminating white surfaces and are much brighter than the black lights.

http://t.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Elect...e-Spiral-CFL-Light-Bulb-BPESL13T-B/100539203/


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

GamblinFool said:


> If you can...Tape a small light on the photosensor on the street light.
> Turn the small light on and the street light will turn off thinking its day time.


Where is the photosensor???? This is a great idea, but its prob way at the top.


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## GamblinFool (Sep 18, 2013)

Yes usually a little window at the top... Some lights are controlled by the city but most are photo sensitive


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

How about a well aimed BB pellet???


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## scareu72 (Jun 3, 2012)

We have tried several lights, spotlights, etc aimed at the street lights but it would never work lol. And if the city noticed you would probably get in trouble anyway.


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## mariposa0283 (Aug 15, 2012)

holy cow i LOVE your house! and your porch. good lord, can i move in with you? the things i could do to a porch like that.

as for lighting suggestions, i have none... i just use one 18 inch black light from walmart to light my black light webbing i hang under it and it does a piss poor job but that probably has more to do with the fact that i have purple, orange and candy corn lights strung on my porch as well, making the black light less effective. but i dont think that the bar lights would really be as powerful as you'd like for the effect you're after.... the cannon sounds intriguing!


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## Jason Voorhees 2009 (Jul 17, 2009)

Pumpkin5,

I have givin a suggestion on blacklights in the past with some resistance from other members because of cost. However, if your willing to spend some money on effective lighting, here's my suggestion to you. 
I called a lighting store and asked them what clubs use for their blacklighting. He said they use Blacklight-B fluorescent bulbs (B stands for Blue). They cost between $25-$30 dollars. I also suggest to get an "open" fixture design to put them in. You don't want a fixture with sides to direct the effect in one direction. That way the bulb is almost fully exposed. I used one of mine in a 2 car garage, and it filled the whole room. 

This is what I bought: Sylvania Blacklight B 
F40/BLB


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## booswife02 (Apr 2, 2013)

Great idea Dr Phibes, I live on a military base so im super limited. I cant have the SP's coming to get me, haha....Pumpkin I thought about the bebe gun, that's what I would have done back home in WVa but better not on the base,, haha....I have a million other ideas so im just going to file my black light stuff away until I move to another base (maybe ill get the house at the end of the street). I have so many themes I want to do I figure why fight a losing battle, ill just do something else. Im going to do a sleepy hollow theme this year so I wont have to worry about the street light. I can not wait to see your set up though. Everyone has had such great ideas!


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## Dr. Phibes (Nov 10, 2010)

http://www.amazon.com/Master-13547-6-Outlet-Sensor-6-Foot/dp/B001XCWLVK

I picked one of these up a couple years ago and it works out real nice. I had all of my outdoor lights fed from this. It has a sensor on it to detect dark and light and you can set it to turn on at dusk and set it to stay on 2, 4, 6, 8 hours or until dawn. Nice product and made for the outdoors. Its nice for Christmas lights too cause it gets dark before I get home from work so arrive home to a lit up house.


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## bobzilla (Nov 15, 2008)

Did you ever get your new black light?
You know, the one that will burn your eyes if you look directly into it


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

bobzilla said:


> Did you ever get your new black light?
> You know, the one that will burn your eyes if you look directly into it


Actually I did....the black lights behind the columns didn't work, the porch is too deep for the lights to bathe the whole porch in black light. (Wow this is an old thread) I failed to make my haunt dreams come true in 2014, but I'm off to a good start for 2015. I did some research and talked to Tim at blacklights.com and he had some great suggestions. I ended up going with a powerhouse of a black light and bought it on their Black Friday sale in 2014. Saved me about $100 which is very helpful. I may have to get one more to completely cover the porch, but the dang thing is awesome! (Keep in mind, that was my Christmas gift this year...and I love, love, love it!)
http://www.blacklight.com/items/WFEM441V1


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## redmms250713 (Apr 28, 2014)

for those looking for black lights, im a DJ on the side and they now make LED black lights and let me tell you they are BRIGHT!!! of course you can get them off ebay too! I got two open boxed smaller ones for like $50 shipped each, and work well in my arcade! I tried the larger one in a bowling alley, and it light up the pins from way back before the bowler is even in lane, and was about 3-5 lanes wide!

Here is a smaller version: http://www.amazon.com/ADJ-Products-...qid=1427151195&sr=8-1&keywords=american+dj+uv

Here is a larger version: http://www.amazon.com/ADJ-Products-...qid=1427151195&sr=8-4&keywords=american+dj+uv


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

Well, I have some of my ghosts hung and this is the beginning of what my haunt is going to look like this year......



















Not too shabby for my first black light year.... More to come but this is the start.....


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## Rev. Noch (Sep 2, 2008)

That porch is awesome!


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

Thank you Noch-Noch, it's getting there. I've got lots left to do yet...but I have 8 days....right?,


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## annamarykahn (Oct 4, 2009)

lookin' gr8! bet they can see you from the international space station 

i've always lusted for the wildfire black lights ... too rich for my blood, unfortunately ... i mean they're awesome and all, but i get most of their effect for way less $$$ ... i'm all about "bang-for-the-buck" and i haven't been able to rationalize their fixtures :-( ... maybe some day

right now, i'm more into purchasing props that have a look that i like and modifying them ... this obviously takes a ton more time, but then i have an unique one of a kind prop ... but i never thought i'd get to this point, but i'm running out of room in my front yard ... expanding into the back yard isn't something that i want to do, so maybe i'll be getting a wildfire fixture sooner that i thought 

boy, i sure started to ramble on here ... its been a long stretch getting my props & yard ready ... so, i'll stop now 

amk


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## slcjeeper (Mar 17, 2011)

I've never been a fan of led UV lights until I started using these. http://www.adj.com/eco-uv-bar-50-ir These are the 18" model and comes with a remote and offers several strobe modes. If you want to 
Iight up your porch, you could probably do it with 2-3 of these or 2 of the longer ones.


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## Mr Grimsley (May 8, 2008)

Pumpkin5, your UV haunt is fantastic! I just read your whole thread and it was great to see the progression from idea to exexution!


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

annamarykahn said:


> i've always lusted for the wildfire black lights ... too rich for my blood, unfortunately ... i mean they're awesome and all, but i get most of their effect for way less $$$ ... i'm all about "bang-for-the-buck" and i haven't been able to rationalize their fixtures :-( ... maybe some day


 Bless your heart......


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

Mr Grimsley said:


> Pumpkin5, your UV haunt is fantastic! I just read your whole thread and it was great to see the progression from idea to exexution!



 Thank you Mr Grimsley, I've had this "dream" of my haunt since 2012, before then my haunt was a hodgepodge of lots or props just standing around with no real cohesive them. I'm not saying the kids didn't like it, but for me, it was just not what I wanted. My_ Burton Meets Haunted Mansion_ theme I can use for the next 10 years, building on the haunt each year. As the years go by I'll add more tombstones, more handmade props until it becomes what is in my twisted little mind. (Ha, ha)


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## lilibat (Aug 10, 2015)

I need to read through this thread. I used this ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V0XOZU2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage ) this year and they are almost burnt out after only 264 hours. I really need something that will last multiple seasons. :-(


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## Hilda (Jul 31, 2011)

I actually squealed when the photo scrolled up into view.
WOW. I mean wow wowwow! That is incredible vision!
I would LOVE to see it in person. SPOOKTACULAR job!!


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## capo33 (Oct 9, 2015)

Looks unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Rich B (Sep 23, 2005)

slcjeeper said:


> I've never been a fan of led UV lights until I started using these. http://www.adj.com/eco-uv-bar-50-ir These are the 18" model and comes with a remote and offers several strobe modes. If you want to
> Iight up your porch, you could probably do it with 2-3 of these or 2 of the longer ones.


These are the lights I use in my DJ business, they have a great spread and throw!!


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## MrNightmare (Mar 2, 2009)

That looks stunning Pumkin5! Look forward to seeing what more you add. I bet your Jack-o-Lanterns would really stand out with that UV wash.


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

Thanks everyone! (Hilda, I love making you squeal!) And MrNightmare, I'm painting the pumpkins today. I'll post a picture when they are in place.


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## Malaki (Sep 18, 2014)

Great job! I just read the entire thread and I'm glad you found something that works for you. Looking forward to more pictures.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Pumpkin5 said:


> Well, I have some of my ghosts hung and this is the beginning of what my haunt is going to look like this year......
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Spectral-tacular, P5!!!


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## thehoghunter (Jul 24, 2007)

Awesome...great job so far with the ghosts and blacklights....some look like they could be FCGs...are they?


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

thehoghunter said:


> Awesome...great job so far with the ghosts and blacklights....some look like they could be FCGs...are they?



Not on my porch, my FCG Lily, is on the side porch. This is my first year trying for a cohesive haunt theme, and the theme is NBC meets HM, so the glowing ghosts is the first year. I'm going to make the graveyard more detailed in coming years and next year I want to make several of heresjohnny's Wallbreaker ghosts coming out of my windows. I think that little bit of movement will take it to the next level.


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## annamarykahn (Oct 4, 2009)

slcjeeper said:


> I've never been a fan of led UV lights until I started using these. http://www.adj.com/eco-uv-bar-50-ir These are the 18" model and comes with a remote and offers several strobe modes. If you want to
> Iight up your porch, you could probably do it with 2-3 of these or 2 of the longer ones.


always on the lookout for uv leds 

unfortunately, the wavelength of these is more purple (Wavelength: 390-410nm) than ultraviolet 365nm which is produced by the wildfire lights that pumpkin5 is using

if you're looking for a brightly lit scene then these leds would be killer

if you want everything blacklight reactive to glow and everything else to be dark, look for products that produce 365nm wavelength

amk


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## weeping angel (Oct 27, 2012)

So gorgeous! I love how it all turned out! 

...contended sigh as I stare at your pictures....


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## lilibat (Aug 10, 2015)

slcjeeper said:


> I've never been a fan of led UV lights until I started using these. http://www.adj.com/eco-uv-bar-50-ir These are the 18" model and comes with a remote and offers several strobe modes. If you want to
> Iight up your porch, you could probably do it with 2-3 of these or 2 of the longer ones.


I am shopping for next year already. Do you use this thing outside, I am understandably paranoid about moisture now. Also do these get really hot?


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## annamarykahn (Oct 4, 2009)

if you're looking for "pure" uv light, the adj eco uv bar isn't what you want as it's output Wavelength: 390-410nm ... these leds will light up your scene more than just lighting up your black light reactive props ...

for economical generation of 365nm uv light, fluorescent blb are just about the only option if you only want to just have your black light reactive props "pop"

amk


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## Miss Phantom (Jul 13, 2010)

Amazing porch first of all 
Those tubes linked from Lowes look like an efficient way to go. Two behind each column would be great. I think you need to consider how you will block other light that may wash out your black light. Is there a street light that lights up your yard? Also, your white siding may just light up along with everything else. Like jdubbya was saying, black plastic or even that black weed block that comes in rolls would help tremendously behind your props and ghosts.


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## Castart (Aug 29, 2010)

I skipped a few pages, most of what I would have said was already covered. I find blacklights to be hard, "Lilly" works so well because of the dark background she is surrounded with. When buying blacklight style spots, make sure you can return them. I have found them to be rather weak, often times more painted lights than true UV. The curly ones and the tube ones are the only style that seem to work well for me... I have had some limited success with the ones that spirit sells, the "U" shaped tubes that screw into a regular socket... curly ones seem to do a lot more for the money.


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## ReelSore (Jan 19, 2015)

That turned out awesome!!!

How did you make the ghosts?


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

ReelSore said:


> That turned out awesome!!!
> 
> How did you make the ghosts?


 

Thank you! I used wire mesh to form the heads and fence wire for the arms. Duct taped it all together and then draped with a tons and tons of RIT soaked cheesecloth. The hands are from the 99 cent store, all in all, they turned out better than I expected. I think I have about 60 yards on each ghost....


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## ReelSore (Jan 19, 2015)

Pumpkin5 said:


> Thank you! I used wire mesh to form the heads and fence wire for the arms. Duct taped it all together and then draped with a tons and tons of RIT soaked cheesecloth. The hands are from the 99 cent store, all in all, they turned out better than I expected. I think I have about 60 yards on each ghost....


Thank you! I gotta try and make some of those. That will be added to my to do list.


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

^ I'm hanging them in the attic this weekend so I'll shoot you some pictures in a PM over the weekend. They look REALLY cheesy, the armatures I mean, but draped in cheesecloth they are fabulous! The two front specters are actually hanging ghoul props that had some really flimsy paper-type costumes on. I quickly ripped those off and draped them in cheesecloth. The more ghosts I made, the easier it became. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.


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## Rev. Noch (Sep 2, 2008)

Tutorial coming?


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

^I hadn't thought of that, but sure, if you guys want me to, I will. It's not that difficult, and I think most anyone (especially haunters) can do it. WARNING: Just go ahead and buy a butt-load of cheesecloth and RIT whitener!!!


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## bobzilla (Nov 15, 2008)

Do you need another black light fixture?
Found one at the flea market for $1 
Believe me? Just one of those Wildfire black light fixtures


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

^ You already know I want it!


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## hopelesslyinsane (Sep 6, 2013)

I can't wait to see what you pull this season, Pumpkin!


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## SkeleTom (Oct 5, 2007)

Pumpkin5, your ghosts are awe-inspiring! Having so many flying around like that is incredible.

Late to the thread, and it looks like most of it has already been covered, but my 2 cents are to mention that if someone wants to go for spot UV effects (as opposed to a solid wash), you can incorporate the intensity fall-off due to distance into your design to your advantage. Hanging a spot above the head of a ghost will cause the head and shoulders to glow brightly, while the glow fades away farther down. The effect is of the ghost fading out to nothingness. This works best with ghosts made of wedding tulle, because they are naturally more transparent than cheesecloth.

I can't help wondering whether one of those whirl-a-motion ghost spots on the wall would be a good effect. Maybe too cute to fit in with your very scary ghosts, but it would add some motion to the scene.


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