# How To: Flickering Pillar Candles



## loach160 (May 4, 2010)

*Pillar Candles*

So, you want to have candles in your Haunt, but you don’t want to risk burning your house down? And, the flickering battery-operated lights sold in stores don’t quite get the job done? What you need to do is to turn those tiny, dull lights into tall pillar candles.

*Supplies*


 1 and 1/2" PVC pipe
Expanding Spray Foam
Battery-Operated Tea Lights
Hot Glue Gun & Glue
Spray Paint
Tea Lights

The first step in this build is to find your tea lights. The cheaper, the better. For our project, we were fortunate to find a set of 24 tea lights for sale at Sam’s Club in a package that included an extra 24 batteries. Sam’s Club had them for sale as a seasonal item starting in early October, and they were gone by Christmas. Tea lights can be used in so many places and in so many props, that it’s always worth picking up extra when you can get a good deal.

*The Pipe*

To start, grab your PVC pipe and cut it into various lengths. Since you want your candles to have a “melted” look, it’s best to make some tall and some short. As you’re cutting, think about where you might want to display the candles. Short candles go great in front of tombstones, and tall candles work well when paired with larger features.










*The Foam*

Expanding spray foam is very sticky and it is nearly impossible to get off of something once it has been sprayed there. Keep this in mind when you prepare to fill the pipe with foam. You may want to lay down paper or some other protective covering before you begin your work.

Stand all of the pipe bits on their ends and spray the foam into them. The foam will expand very quickly, so start small and give it time to grow. The goal is to have about a 1/2 inch of foam stick out over the top of the pipe. Whatever sticks out will be cut off later. Once all of the pipes have been filled, leave them overnight to dry.

After the foam is dry, using a saw, cut the excess foam off of the top of each of the candles. Then, cut some of the foam out of the top of the pipe to create a spot for the tea light to fit. The best way to do this is to use a Forstner Drill Bit that is the same size as the pipe. This will make a nice clean cut. Whatever you use to cut, go down low enough so that the base of the candle sits below the top of the pipe, but keep it up high enough so that the “flame” sticks out above.










*The Glue*

This prop takes a lot of glue, so be prepared with an extra package. The hotter you can get the glue, the better. Start off by putting a ring of glue around the top of the pipe and then keep layering it on to mimic the look of dripping wax. It’s best to hold the glue gun still and slowly turn the pipe, pausing at points to create extra long drips. The shorter the candle, the more wax build-up you want.

When you think you might have enough glue on the pipe, go back and add more. This is one step where there’s no such thing as too much. For the best effect, you want your candles to look like they are spilling over with fresh wax.










*The Paint*

To paint the candles, find a spot with good air-flow and go for it. If your pipe has any text printed on the side, you’ll want to pay extra attention to those areas. Be sure to follow the instructions printed on the side of the can. It may take an extra coat of paint to get everything covered up just right.

For our candles, we thought that painting them black would make them look extra spooky. This turned out to be a big mistake. The candles looked great when the lights were on, but the moment we placed them in the graveyard, they disappeared into the darkness. For this year, we are planning on repainting the candles satin white so that they’ll stand out even better.










*References*

A big “thank you” needs to go out to *jimmyzdc* from Halloween Forum for the idea/inspiration.


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## function12 (May 17, 2011)

Great write up. I will be making some of these this year.


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## TrickRTreater (Mar 24, 2011)

Good stuff! Very helpful. They look great.

If that black paint was flat matte paint, I'd tell you to spray white over it, but from the looks of it I don't think it is.

Dr. Kreepy on youtube, when modifying a cheap hockey mask, sprayed the mask first with flat black paint, and then a layer or so of flat white. And it looked very rich and stark.


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## TrickRTreater (Mar 24, 2011)

Just cut my PVC pipe(I'm doing 3 candles for now, small, medium, large) filled it with foam(got a little too liberal with the foam the first spray, had to take off some excess as it was expanding which is fine) and now they're drying and waiting for me to carve out the top, paint the tealights, paint the candles themselves, and then that's it.


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## Trex (Nov 6, 2010)

Good tips loach160, I think they look great, agreed it would be difficult to see them in the dark. You may be able to dry brush them with some various shades of grey to lighten them up or redo in lighter colour. Here are some tombstones candles I finished a couple of months ago, they are spray painted white and antiqued. They show up well in the dark. 

The black may not work outdoors, but I think the black version would be fantastic indoors and might be perfect in our haunted music room!! It's on my list to try!


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## thrilltainment (Mar 5, 2010)

*what song does it play?*

did you know your tea candles are playing songs?

http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/104046-interesting-fact-about-flickering-led-candles.html


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## loach160 (May 4, 2010)

Good tips loach160, I think they look great, agreed it would be difficult to see them in the dark. You may be able to dry brush them with some various shades of grey to lighten them up or redo in lighter colour. Here are some tombstones candles I finished a couple of months ago, they are spray painted white and antiqued. They show up well in the dark. 

The black may not work outdoors, but I think the black version would be fantastic indoors and might be perfect in our haunted music room!! It's on my list to try!




Yours look great! Did you use raw umber as a wash?


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## Trex (Nov 6, 2010)

loach160 said:


> Yours look great! Did you use raw umber as a wash?


I used an acrylic paint called brown velvet, I only used that colour to get rid of the partial bottle. It turned out to be a good choice, I don't have any left for the rest of my candles.


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## MissMandy (Apr 18, 2011)

Is it possible, that when filling the pipes with foam, to just leave enough space for the tea light (eliminating the drilling step)? Of course the foam expands, so you'd have to make sure you don't go over board with the foam. I ask because I intend on making some this year, but do not have a drill.


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## loach160 (May 4, 2010)

MissMandy said:


> Is it possible, that when filling the pipes with foam, to just leave enough space for the tea light (eliminating the drilling step)? Of course the foam expands, so you'd have to make sure you don't go over board with the foam. I ask because I intend on making some this year, but do not have a drill.


Miss Mandy. I wouldn't recomend it. However, once the stuff dries, you could cut and carve the hole where the tea light goes with a small knife or a spoon even. (It might not be as pretty)

Get the foam thats for "small" cracks not "large" Im pretty sure the can is blue but double check. The can for small cracks doesn't expand as much as the foam for large cracks.

Do NOT touch the foam while it is wet with your fingers. Its like a sceen from the movie "The Blob" just don't do it.

You could also buy the drill bit and do it by hand. Bottom line is this stuff is not hard and is very easy to drill or cut holes into it. hope this helps


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## MissMandy (Apr 18, 2011)

Thanks for the tips!


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## toddsdarlin (May 30, 2011)

I like the affect of the antiquing. How did you antique the candles?


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## Immortalia (Nov 2, 2009)

Thanks for the tips!! Coincidentally, I was on the same wavelength as you last November and bought the same package of tea lights from Sam's Club.


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## Zombiegirl1 (Oct 22, 2007)

You can also get the black round foam insulation they sell at store. I think its for pipes & use that instead of great foam. It might be easier to cut & u dont need a spec drill bit either.
I lov, lov, lov the black candles!!! I think they would be fantastic for an indoor party that way u would see them. Or how about spray painting them a fluorescent color so they glow in the dark? 
Might have to order that online. I dont know if they sell that at wally world/home depot. 
Krylon makes it.
http://www.tcpglobal.com/spraypaintdepot/glowz.aspx
I so love the beautiful candles. Now I need a tutorial on a really cool 6 ft candleabra. Id be in heaven then~

Just saying.


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## camsauce (Sep 20, 2008)

Zombiegirl1 said:


> You can also get the black round foam insulation they sell at store. I think its for pipes & use that instead of great foam. It might be easier to cut & u dont need a spec drill bit either.
> I lov, lov, lov the black candles!!! I think they would be fantastic for an indoor party that way u would see them. Or how about spray painting them a fluorescent color so they glow in the dark?
> Might have to order that online. I dont know if they sell that at wally world/home depot.
> Krylon makes it.
> ...


A cheap alternative to foam and the drilling step is to use a cardboard filler. Just cut a 'sheet' of cardboard such that width is just short of the length of the PVC candle. The length of the sheet should be long enough to allow the cardboard to be rolled into a tube shape that is the same diameter of the PVC. Roll up the cardboard into a solid tube shape and stuff it into the PVC. While you are doing the hot glue step, but a bit of glue on the bottom of the candle to hold the cardboard in and seal it. You can also put a bit of glue on the top of the candle too.


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## GobbyGruesome (Sep 14, 2005)

This as such an awesome project - we cheated a little and just stuck in hunks of styrofoam in to hold up the candles. I don't think these came out too bad for a first try.


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## Zombiegirl1 (Oct 22, 2007)

I really like the black candles. I would keep them indoors & put them around a fireplace, or on a table around the food (if you have guests over for a party). I would make more for outdoors. lol. Their addictive.


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## serpensphile (Nov 12, 2008)

thrilltainment said:


> did you know your tea candles are playing songs?
> 
> http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/104046-interesting-fact-about-flickering-led-candles.html


Wow!!! You learn something new everyday. Thanks for sharing this!


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## Immortalia (Nov 2, 2009)

Loach,

Can you please explain how you did the wash? Thank you. :O)



Trex said:


> I used an acrylic paint called brown velvet, I only used that colour to get rid of the partial bottle. It turned out to be a good choice, I don't have any left for the rest of my candles.


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## Zombiegirl1 (Oct 22, 2007)

my husb drilled the foam and guestimated how low the tea light would sit. He guessed wrong. They were about 1/2 inch or more too short to hold up the tea lights. So I took packing peanuts I saved after a pckg was sent. They fit perfectly & the tea lights sat at the proper height. Might glue them in, might not. They are snug inside the pvc. 

I noticed some people's candles seem to glow from within. Not sure if it was bc they used insulation foam instead of great foam. I liked that look. My candles dont do that. I think unless they are in a well lit area they wont be noticed that much. My cheapo tea lights dont really flicker very well/are not that bright. 

I want to make some black candles for inside. I like the look of them. I might slap some primer on 1st to get rid of the writing on pvc. I sanded it down. I had red writing & black bar code things all over the pvc. After sanding my 6-7th candle I was getting bored w/that, wanted to get to the fun stuff. It took several coats of spray paint to cover the writing. So next time I would buy a can of primer to save time. Skip the sanding.


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## loach160 (May 4, 2010)

Beleive it or not they sell black pvc pipe at lowes. (wish I would of known that before I built my fence) It'll save you some sanding.


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## Xane (Oct 13, 2010)

I'm using 1 1/2" polypropylene under-sink (drainage) pipes for my candles. Stiffer than cardboard or a fluorescent tube protector, but thin enough to let the light glow through. PPE is hard to glue or paint (though whoever made the labels for it sure knew how to make a good adhesive) so I primed it with Fusion paint first. I'm going to take 3 flicker bulbs out of some tea lights (the Dollar Tree and Target ones seem to have the flicker circuit built into the bulb now instead of a separate board) and wire them to run off 2 AAA batteries for added brightness.


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## Zombiegirl1 (Oct 22, 2007)

Ive never seen that, have to go today so will def check it out. I managed to push/pull off the top 'flame part' of the t-lights. It took 3min or less. The first candle is the hardest bc I thought I would pull the whole mechanism out of the candle & destroy it. Luckily the outer flame part pops off rather easily. Its held in by 2 little clip parts at the bottom that hold it in just inside the rim of the candle hole. They pop off rather easily after you take a deep breath & pop off the first one. 
Cant wait to caulk them. I think that looks sooooo much more realistic than the ugly plastic flame part. They also look spookier too. 
I think the black candles look the best. I saw where they had black candles for sale & painted the dripping wax part red. It looked fantastic. Of course Im not going to $ for them, I can do that myself. I guess you would just spray paint the candle column first then drip ur wax, then paint that red.


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## Immortalia (Nov 2, 2009)

For anyone who has a Sams nearby, they have a package of 24 white tea lights with 24 extra batteries for sale. They are good quality and I believe they were around $15.


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## snake pliskin (Oct 21, 2011)

I just finished 12 candles and painted them alabaster white and they turned out awesome!


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## Immortalia (Nov 2, 2009)

Just finished up about 10 or so groups of candles for my graveyard Saturday. I painted them with Krylon ivory and then washed them with a red/brown color that came out awesome. My candles look like they are bleeding as they burned down. I'll post pictures this week sometime. Can't wait 'til tonight!!! Thanks for the fantastic (and VERY easy) tutorial!!!!!


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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

Do these tea lights "flicker"? Like real candles


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## loach160 (May 4, 2010)

yes they do. Sams Club has them out in their Christmas section right now.


Old Man Bakke said:


> Do these tea lights "flicker"? Like real candles


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## Immortalia (Nov 2, 2009)

Yes, and they turn out AMAZING!! I did several groupings to go in between my gravestones last year and they really added that little extra something to the whole ambiance. Your hand will get sore from the glue gun, so get a high temp one to make it easier. This is a great prop to build. I will get some pics of mine up this week.


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## CreepyCreations (Oct 16, 2011)

If you don't want to burn through batteries, take a look at this video.




Everything you always wanted to know about wiring up those little flickering tea lights to an adapter, but were afraid to ask!


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## CoreysCrypt (Oct 21, 2011)

I love these.. just made some myself. I used the foam pipe insulation you get from lowes instead of the expanding foam. Much easier and cleaner. I just buy the size that fits perfectly inside the pvc pipe and cut it to the length you need. It fits snug and holds the tea lights. Its a few bucks for 8 ft 
View attachment 130839


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