This file is one of the Wolfstone archives of the Halloween mailing lists. You can find out more, and reach the entire collection here: http://www.pobox.com/~wolfstone/_r/HalloweenArchive.html This particular archive deals with "lighting" topics. This includes: o glow sticks o dimmers and light controllers It does NOT include related topics: o wiring o black light o cross-faders - see Pepper's Ghost - - - - - Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 20:42:21 -0500 From: Lee Alder Subject: Re: HALL: What I do for Halloween Matt Brittain wrote: > Lee, > I would love some more detailed instructions on building the ghost (with a price > list of course) if you have one. Sounds like a great idea. > > matt > Matt: Most everything I use in the ghost has been recycled. The light controler might be the most expensive part. I did see a simple trak controler a year or so ago. Mine was built when I was in the 5 grade (10) and I'm 38 now. The lights inside would be the next expensive item. It's a standard 110 socket with side plugs the eys plug into the side I will try to find a trak controler, last on I found was in a Jameco catalog http://www.jameco.com - - - - - Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 22:05:12 -0400 From: Jim Kadel Subject: Re: HALL: Eyes in the Portrait Mike, Allow me to suggest an inexpensive product of HMPI that can substitute the manual (dimmer switch) operation for an automatic theater dim/brighten effect for your portrait eyes. check out: http://members.aol.com/hmpi/index12.htm - - - - - From: JMeils42 at aol.com Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 01:33:11 EDT Subject: Re: HALL: Fading light question Hi I beg to differ. The simplest method to get a light to dim off and on, isn't an electrical one, but a mechanical one. Place a low wattage bulb into a large wooden box (about a foot sq. or larger) and cut a hole in it directly above the bulb. Next, mount a slow revolution motor on the box, with a wheel mounted on it shaped like a Pac-Man. (a pie-shaped wedge cut into it) This is called a "chopper wheel". The light itself is on all the time, but the wheel, slowly turning, alternately blocks and passes the light. The only other thing you might want to add to this is a small pancake fan to keep the box cool, and prolong the life of the bulb. There is a great diagram of this in Bill Morris' book: "How to Operate a Finacially Sucsessful HH" - - - - - Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 05:23:32 -0500 From: Eddie White Subject: RE: HALL: Fading light question most ssr's have zero crossing detectors in them. you can pulse the control line, but unless your pulse generator is locked to the power line, at about 50% duty cycle you'll start getting flashing in the lamp as the pulse and zero xing detector "beat" against each other. it gets real bad down near the bottom end. eddie At 09:21 PM 8/20/98 -0400, you wrote: >Solid relays operate just like mechanical relays exept there are no moving >parts and most can except a wide range of control voltages (most common is >3-32vdc). SSRs only operate in a full ON or full OFF state. A dimming effect >can be achieved by rapidly turning the unit on and off. But varying the >control voltage will do nothing. - - - - - Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 05:38:41 -0500 From: Eddie White Subject: Re: HALL: Fading light question back in the 60's, ge published several manuals on scr's that had this as examples. they called it a "time dependant lamp dimmer." you might be able to build one if you could find the unijunction transistor. i found the plans in the "ge hobby manual" at the library. the august issue of electronics now has a blurb about a dawn simulator that is based on the ge design. the ge design would go both ways. it's a place to start. eddie At 12:28 PM 8/20/98 EDT, you wrote: >Does anyone know how to make a light fade of and on automatically? - - - - - Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 14:06:14 -0600 From: "Edwin Wise" Subject: Re: HALL: A new product I've been trying out...(kinda long) On 12/7/98, at 1:55 PM, Zale wrote: >>I recently got the chance to work with a relatively new product called >>LiveWire; the best way to describe it is that it's like flexible neon. It's I've been sitting on this link for ages, wondering if anyone would market the stuff.... cool! http://shekel.jct.ac.il/jctech/elam.html - - - - - Date: Tue, 06 Apr 1999 03:04:10 -0500 From: Ysengrin Werewolf Subject: Re: HALL: to those going to TW or went to the last one...ever Ê heard of livewire? At 11:20 PM 4/5/99 -0500, Norm wrote >A little while back, some of you were talking about a nifty little item >called 'livewire'.Ê This is supposedly a thin neon type wire that runs off >of batteries.Ê Great portable item with many purposes.Ê If anyone goes to >TW, see if you can get some info on it (like Phone#, web sites, or other >purchasing info). It's 24-gauge copper wire coated with semiconductor material (according to their flyer) and is water resistant. It's quite flexible, puts out no heat, is evenly lit along it's length, and _can_ be cut if you put a terminator block (i.e., splice) on the cut end. You can also blink the thing on and off. Live Wire Enterprises P.O. Box 670081 Flushing, NY 11367 www.livewireent.com A 4 foot length with driving electronics (uses AA battery) is $25. A 10 foot length and driving unit that needs 9v is $75. Colors are red, white, ice blue, green, lavender, magenta, orange, yellow and pink. - - - - - From: TDDoggett at aol.com Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 11:28:22 EDT Subject: Re: HALL: outside lighting At the Hallowed Haunting Grounds we have traditionally used spotlights in a clamp-on fixture clamped to a brick to keep it low to the ground and covered with a black box with a hole cut in the side to control the area of illumination.Ê The hole is is covered with appropriate color media and the lights are plugged into wall-type dimmers to control the level.Ê These can be focused at a shallow angle down a row of headstones to give an eerie look and save fixtures. We have also built some light "fixtures" out of 4" black ABS drain pipe which hold an MR16 lamp or a small halogen PAR spot.Ê The socket mounted in the pipe segment is adjustable to control the beam spread, but we usually narrow it even further using black gaffers tape and black-wrap on the end of the pipe.Ê (black-wrap is matte-black aluminum foil available from theatrical supply stores.Ê Black-Wrap is a trademark of Great American Market.Ê Similar material is also distributed by Rosco, Lee-Colortran and others.) In addition, a set of lightning fixtures are placed to illuminate the trees, the fog, the "outside" of the windows in the music room and certain other props.Ê These are standard flood lights that are colored a very pale blue for contrast with the red/amber of most of the 'candle'-motivated light.Ê These are connected to color organ channels which are driven by an audio track which is run in parallel with a thunder track.Ê Using a separate 'impulse' track to actually control the lights gives us more control over the timing and the appearance of the lightning.Ê This way we can simulate an approching storm by having the light flash slightly before the thunder is heard. Lastly, many of our props are illuminated by flickering 'candles' (miniature christmas-tree lights on flicker circuits) in the form of candelabra, sconces, votives and lanterns.Ê We also use a few real votives in controlled locations. - - - - - Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 07:06:26 -0400 From: Gary Engle Subject: Re: HALL: outside lighting ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Scott, ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ For your floodlights, you need to make your own ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ dimmer packs, for more control of your lighting. ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Buy a 6' 3 prong extension cord and cut it in half. ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ An electical box, a dimmer switch to mount in it, and ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ some wire nuts to connect everything together. You ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ will want to buy some strain reliefs for your cord if ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ they aren't built in to your electrical box. ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Wire the extension cord into the box and dimmer so ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ now it is 'in-line' with your floods. It'll take ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ longer to go to the store and buy what you need than ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ it will take to make them. You'll now be able to control ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ the lighting as you wish. ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ I have a dimmer for each flood. Very cheap to make. ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ ...GaryÊÊ gengle@erols.com At 10:04 PM 4/19/99 EDT, you wrote: >Last year I used 2 blue flood lights to light my front yard.Ê However, they >were a little bright for my taste.Ê - - - - - Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 20:18:03 -0400 From: Leon Stankowski Subject: Re: HALL: outside lighting Here's a really lazy and cheap suggestion for reducing the light of a two (flood) light system.Ê Total cost is 1 or 3 new wire nuts (less than a dollar). Wire the two lights in series instead of parallel.Ê You'll get about 2/3 the light, use 1/2 the power, produce almost no heat and the bulbs will last almost forever.Ê This is done buy making your two bulbs run at 55-60 Volts instead of the usual 110-120 Volts. If you do it then label the junction box that has the funny wiring VERY CLEARLY.Ê Otherwise you (or someone) else could be unhappy later. - - - - - Date: Mon, 05 Jul 1999 22:23:20 -0400 From: Chad croteau Subject: Re: HALL: Colored gels and tips Important note: Theatrical gel is made from a non-flammable material, whereas the cellophane wrap can burn.Ê Trust me on this, I didn't believe the difference either, so I put a lighter to a gel, and it melted, but after three minutes of constant flame it still didn't catch fire.Ê Cellophane wrap will melt in theatrical fixtures, which is a fire hazard. - - - - - From: htraver at dreamsys.com Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 22:20:22 -0700 Subject: Re: HALL: Colored gels and tips This type of cellophane should be used ONLY on the tiny par lights ro the malibu lawn lighting type of system. Those run cool and are dirt cheap. I prefer paying $4.50 per lighting fixture rather than more :) - - - - - Date: Mon, 05 Jul 1999 22:19:56 -0400 From: Chad croteau Subject: Re: HALL: Lighting basics? The interesting thing about theatrical lighting is that there are very few set rules.Ê There's methods, such as McCandless Crosslighting Method, or Double McCandless, which uses two lights placed at a 45 degree angle from the subject cross lighting him or her.Ê Basically, if it looks good, and it fits the mood, use it.Ê There's very little that you really need to worry about.Ê For haunt applications, I'd say the biggest concern is colour and angling of the fixture. Colour sets moods, hot colours for anger and aggression, and cooler colours for mystery and intrigue and depression etc.Ê Also, you might want to play with intensity, dimming a light can change everything.Ê Theater is a little different than a haunt though, so there's very little that applies from theater to haunt, except for colour theory, which was explained a little while back. Hope this helps Spooky Linda M Lestha wrote: > Lighting is arguably the most difficult part of set creation and also one of > the most essential.Ê Are there basic rules for lighting f/x?Ê I haven't seen > any "Lighting Halloween Sets for Dummies" books.Ê (I'm still waiting for the > "Animatronics for Dummies" book. )Ê Can the "lighting pros" among us give > us amateurs a crash course in the basics?Ê What to do, what not to do.Ê How > to achieve the desired effect.Ê When to use what and where.Ê Things of that > nature.Ê I welcome any and all information I can get on this topic because > it is the most elusive of skills. - - - - - Date: Mon, 05 Jul 1999 21:22:39 -0400 From: Chad croteau Subject: Re: HALL: Colored gels Try www.rosco.com or www.leefilters.com.Ê They both manufacture gels in hundreds of colours and should be able to send you a free swatchbook with samples to help you find just the right one.Ê If you want a local supplier, call dj companies or theatrical rental houses. HTH Spooky Linda M Lestha wrote: > I've been having the toughest time trying to find colored gels -- the ones > you use to color lights.Ê I've tried a hobby store, Radio Shack, etc.Ê I get > many strange looks but no one can help.Ê Anyone have any suggestions? - - - - - Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 23:29:25 -0400 From: Chad croteau Subject: Re: HALL: Comments from the Lighting Experts Please. There are a few practical solutions to your problem... Each one has it's pros and cons. First off, you should know that every time a film is shot in black and white, it's done in full colour, with black and white film. Also, with b&w, you can substitute one colour for another, a perfect example would be the blood in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. It's not fake blood, it's chocolate syrup. I know you're smart enough to know that the film is black and white, but it's important to understand that. Secondly, it's gonna be impossible to eliminate all colour from your scene. There's always going to be something. Example, a patron walks in wearing a red shirt, light hits him, red is reflected onto your scene. Not bright red, but enough that you'll see it. Now onto the solutions. First solution: As you suggested, painting everything in grayscale. This would work, it's time consuming, but it would work. As far as lighting goes, I reccomend a few theatrical lighting instruments, Be they Par 64's, 8 inch Fresnels, Ellipsoidals or floods, all gelled with a colour like Rosco #53 Pale Lavendar, or Rosco # 372 Theatre Booster 2. Reason for this is because these colours will remove all the yellow from your light, and make the entire scene more dull. A final note, your lighting will have to be either a McCandless, or a three point lighting method. I'll explain these later. Pro: Steady, good lighting. Con: using colours to dull the scene. Second solution: Strobes. Again, paint everything in grayscale, and use three or four strobes, linkable ones, at a very high flashrate, as if to simulate the flicker of an old movie reel being projected. This was once done for a play. A two hour long play. The entire thing was done in strobe... Never saw it myself, but was told that the effect was good. Pro: Easier to set up, easier to find the lights, no gels. Con: Very hard on the eyes. Ok, now for the lighting methods mentionned. McCandless is a method developped for theater, to create very realistic lighting. It consists of pointing two lights at a subject, from forty five degrees to the front of the subjects right and left. Um, that's kinda rough... Hang on... Ok, stand up and look directly ahead of you, then spread your arms out to your sides. You now have a 90 degree angle between your nose and your right hand, and your nose and your left hand, if that makes any sense... If you were to light yourself by McCandless, you would point a light at your nose from 45 degrees to your right, and 45 degrees to your left. This looks good on stage, but it does leave shadows... Thus the three point system. It consists of setting up a McCandless, but adding a light behind the subject as well, to eliminate the shadows behind him. If any of this does not make sense, e-mail me off list and I'll send you a diagram. Hope this helps, Spooky. David Buckert wrote: > I just got done watching "Young Frankenstein" for the jillianth time. It's > great. One of the things that makes it so unique is that is done in B&W, > monochrome. Color and lack of color have been used to enhance the effect > of movies since color became available, like in The Wizard of Oz and most > recently Pleasantville. Around HAL we spend a lot of time getting colors > right, like in fire caldrons, but how would a B&W haunt work? > > First start with making all the scenery, props, and costumes in blacks, > shades of grey, and shades of white. All faces made up pale white. Put a > lot of things in the room that people KNOW have color, like flowers, a coke > can, apples, bananas, and other plastic fruit (repainted in shades of > grey), a Playboy or Time magazine (use a photocopy). So far that's pretty > obvious, here's why I need some input from the lighting experts. As I > remember it, the reason Sodium Vapor lights never became popular was > because they have a VERY poor light spectrum. They only show white and > yellow, and virtually none of the other colors. So.... you have a pretty > well light room, but only use indirect Sodium Vapor Lighting (maybe a > couple of indirect black lights also, for accent on the whites). The result > should be a well light room with an erie lack of color. - - - - - Subject: Re: Projecting images From: Dave Bell Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 13:17:44 -0700 (PDT) dave ragals wrote: >If you're using a full-size plug-in projector and plan to leave the >same slide up for a long time, I highly suggest something that will >withstand the prolonged heat, like a stage light gel, rather than plain >acetate. Great suggestion! Gel is very resistant to heat, adds color in the clear areas, and I bet you could laser-print onto it, just like acetate! How about layering a few different color sheets, with overlapping clear images? You can probbaly get at least two into a slide mount... - - - - - Subject: Halloween Wall Sconce From: "Chris AKA The Horror Master" Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 22:48:07 -0400 I saw a wall Sconce made by PMG last year and I loved of course I did not = 20 a pop to get 4-5 of them. I want to make them, any ideas? I want when were = I can use two of those flicker bulbs. (flicker bulb tip: after about 3 years get new flicker bulbs, becuase they begin to loose ther flicker!)\ - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: Glowsticks From: "April Linville" Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 12:32:43 -0500 Hi Jodie! I just received my order for glow sticks from ePartyUnlimited.com. I paid $.89 for 4" glow sticks and $1.13 (I believe) for 6" glow sticks. The colors they have to choose from are amazing!! Give them a shot. Oh, and the delivery was within three days!! http://www.ePartyUnlimited.com Oriental Express (www.oriental.com) had several different colors for .90 each. I buy different colors for my pumpkins. - - - - - Subject: Flicker Bulbs/Standard-to-C7-or-C9 Adapters From: "Willy Mammoth" Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 15:24:43 -0600 For a couple of bucks at your local hardware, you can pick up adapters = that allow a C7/candelabra-base/Christmas/nighlight bulb to be used in standard-based sockets--just screw the smaller bulb into the adapter and = the adapter into any lamp in the house--or your porchlight socket. A little harder to find are C9/intermediate-base/outdoor-Christmas bulb adapters = that work the same way. There are even adapters for a few more bucks that allow you to use a standard-base bulb in a = C7/candelabra-base/Christmas/nighlight socket. I've never used mine, but I've always believed in being prepared = on All Hallows Eve. I had a fishing tackle-type box filled with all sorts of stuff like this: bare lightbulb fixtures that plug into a wall socket (insert one of the adapters above for more versatility), screw-in taps for light sockets that let you plug an appliance or string of lights or an extension cord) and so on, along with every audio/video plug adapter and patch cord known to humankind. A good thing for any haunter to put together. - - - - - Subject: Re: Howl - Slow strobe? From: "lindalee flessas" Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 05:51:17 -0500 my husband just bought a strobe light at radio shack wicked cheap! we can control the speed. He also bought a couple of spot lights for 12.90 and these things are profssional quality! He was going to pass on them until = he picked one up and realized how heavy they were. They come with different colored lenses - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: Ok was it as big as you thought? From: Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 22:17:57 EST Lorri, Obviously, the glow sticks aren't meant to be cut open. So, I don't know = how long the liquid, when exposed to air, will glow, but it's probably much shorter than if the tube was left intact. Fluorescent paints, anything = that "glows in the dark", and detergents with "whiteners" will glow under black = lights. You might try these instead. I just had a thought. We used glow sticks in pots of water on a fake = stove to make the water glow. Could we have painted the inside of the pots with = fluorescent paint and put a black light over them instead? Will enough of = the UV rays travel through the water? - - - - - At 03:57 PM 11/2/99 -0500, you wrote: >I had a really disappointing experience with the glow sticks. I broke = them >open and poured them on some of my props. The spots glowed about 1/2 an >hour and stopped. I think they were a little too expensive for 30 = minutes >of "glow". Did I do something wrong? I snapped the container then cut = off >the top and poured the liquid on my werewolf, skeleton, etc. I also = dripped >several spots on the concrete in front of my door. We had a black lite >(actually just a bulb in the carriage lamp) and we did get good "glow" at >first. Would appreciate any feed back! > >Thanks! >Lorri I'd say 30 minutes would be kind. I thought it lasted about 5 minutes and then declined very quickly. I would classify "broken glow sticks on anything" as my biggest bust of the year. - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: Glow Sticks From: "Steve Grabhorn" Date: Wed, 03 Nov 1999 13:32:15 -0800 We had the same problem with glowstick liquid on a concrete driveway. I = thought it might be due to the fact that concrete seems to really suck up liquids = like water, but a neighbor suggested it might be due to exposure to air. Some of the liquid that was put on heavy paper glowed all night though, as = did the empty tin pan we had put the liquid in. Another interesting thing. I used orange glowsticks, but once cut open the liquid we put down glowed like a standard green stick. There seemed to be = an oil & water type mixture of green and orange in the liquid we poured out of = the sticks. Our sponge only seemed to pick up the green liquid, no matter how = hard I tried to mix them up. - - - - - Subject: Hall: broken glow sticks From: "Bryan Hoerber (Webmaster)" Date: Wed, 03 Nov 1999 16:25:22 -0800 I did something similar, but the results lasted an hour. I broke the = sticks open and sprayed it all over my costume since I was going as Haz Mat (Hazardous Materials). - - - - - Subject: Shop Lites Below 55; ( was: Black Lights CHEAP) From: "Jim Kadel" Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2000 11:55:37 -0400 Just a point to be made about using shop lights. Their ballasts are cheap and as such do not work well when in temperatures below 55 F. If you are using these fixtures for black light in a haunt that's on a porch or other location where the temperature may dip, you might be affected. What happens usually is this: with temperature dropping the bulbs don't glow as bright, then if it gets worse a bulb or both may even go out completely. Beyond that fixture = won't start or if it does start, will go out very quickly. Anyway here is a solution for this problem. It can be applied when you assemble these fixtures. Just wire one of those small C7 type bulbs ( 7watt) across the incoming power leads and position it next to the = ballast. That way whenever it's powered, the fixture will have a little heater = that keeps the ballast warm. Jim =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D REF =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D At 09:51 PM 09/05/2000 -0700, you wrote: >My source is Home Depot, they sell a variety of fixtures w/o bulbs and = blacklight tubes in different sizes and yes you can swap regular bulbs = with blacklight bulbs. > >I usually buy their basic 4' shop light for around $10 - - - - - Subject: RE: Hall: Glow Sticks From: "Scott Brunell" Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 21:21:52 -0400 >We are going to make GLOW sticks available >this year at our Haunt, but does anyone know >of a good place to get them for under a buck Price depends largely on the size. You can get them under $1.00 each if = you buy by the box, just over $1 each for singles. Check out the following sites: http://www.extremeglow.com/ (3" sticks for about 60 cents each; 5" about 90 cents each) http://www.qlight.com/Products/products-ls.htm (a little higher, but some of the smaller ones are under $1) - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: black light help From: "Jim Kadel" Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 10:29:26 -0500 Sandy, I don't have any experience with the stick type. Perhaps a list member with one would test it for you? Just put it in a refrigerator (40 F) overnight and then try it. I do know that those 48 inch "shop light" ballast units ARE affected by temperatures below 55 F. So, to be sure on a cold night that these work properly I put a small incandescent bulb =3D C7 inside each unit. Mount it close to the ballast, and wire it so it is lit whenever the light fixture is = "on". Since this small bulb is used for heating, I use a dark color blue bulb. This has kept my 48 inch black light fixtures from misbehaving on chilly nights. Jim =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D REF = =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D At 08:38 AM 2/19/01 -0500, you wrote: >Can anyone tell me if black lights are sensitive to cold like fluorescent >ones? I want to use a 24" stick type. Our temps here range from 20 >degrees(or lower) to up to 80 degrees all in one day in October. Any = help? - - - - - Subject: RE: Hall: Re: Electro-Luminiscent Lighting strip (was Great catalÊÊÊÊÊ og) From: "Sam Morton" Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 12:04:34 -0600 You should look into electroluminescent wire try google... here are some quick sites... http://www.coolight.com/ cool photo gallery->freeform samples on this = site! http://www.glowire.com/Ê I'd like to see that model airplane at night! http://www.elwire.com/ - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: lightbulb paint - was - SilkFlame...so far From: "ctconnor" Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 12:34:49 +0000 Regarding light bulb paint, I think I'll try the krylon stained glass stuff. I did a little playing around with Future floor polish and dye (I used this with great results on a fake stained glass window). My thought now is to use one 25W mini spotlight with a two-tone painted color scheme. I used blue in the center of the spot and an amber color surrounding it. This actually seemed to work. The colors will of course mix but when the spot is placed below and angled up at the silk at a close range 6 to 12 inches there is a definite color difference. The only drawbacks so far are the density of the color/paint being too thin and the bulb being too bright. I think a dimmer is in order. I'll keep you guys posted on the Krylon thing. - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: lightbulb paint - was - SilkFlame...so far From: "Mad Doctor Scott" Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2001 14:19:56 -0700 (PDT) If you can't find paint for light bulbs, use stained glass paint.Ê I've been using it for years in my haunt.Ê Just dip theÊ bulb in the paint, let the extra drip back into the bottle, and there you go, colored light. I only use this on small, 12V incandescent bulbs, high wattage bulbs would probably burn the paint off.Ê You can buy the paint at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: lightbulb paint - was - SilkFlame...so far From: "Damien Stafford" Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 19:53:34 -0700 (PDT) there is a special paint out now that is used to paint dishes and porcelain, it has to be heat set to be permanent so the high temp of a bulb wouldnt hurt it and i saw it used on lightbulbs on some craft show i was watching the other day.just wish i could remember the name of it. im sure if you told the sales person at the craft store what you were looking for they could point you in the right direction. VD --- Mad Doctor Scott wrote: > If you can't find paint for light bulbs, use stained > glass paint.Ê I've been using it for years in my > haunt.Ê Just dip theÊ bulb in the paint, let the > extra > drip back into the bottle, and there you go, colored > light. > > I only use this on small, 12V incandescent bulbs, > high > wattage bulbs would probably burn the paint off. > You > can buy the paint at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: lightbulb paint - was - SilkFlame...so far From: "Lisa Duncan" Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 21:11:14 -0400 I haven't been following this thread very closely but if it's just colored bulbs what I did was went to the craft store and got the stuff you put over baskets and heat it up so it seals.Ê I have enough for years in just one box.Ê Any way I taped it to the light bulb, turned on the lights long enough to let it stay on by itself, then took the tape off. You would think it would burn or smell or drip or something but it didn't.Ê After halloween it peeled right off.Ê hope this helps. - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: MR-16's From: Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 12:35:44 EDT they do make 120 volt mr 16's. cheaplights.com (is less expensive) has = them or try a local lamp shop. sorry, most hardware stores don't carry them. - - - - - Subject: Re: Halloween-L Digest #1554 - 01/05/14 From: "Terry Simmons" Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 07:42:08 -0700 At 05:07 PM 5/14/2001 -0700, you wrote: >Subject: LEDS as Eyes >From: "Mikhel Barkan" >Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 16:56:54 -0700 (PDT) > >Does anyone have some advise for LEDS.Ê I'm interested >in adding them to my props, but I'm kind of confused. >How do they work?Ê Do you need a circut board to run >them?Ê Is it possible to just plug them in? > >Thanks, > >Mike Mike, Here are two web sites that will provide you with everything you wanted to = know, and then some, about LEDs. http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm http://www.misty.com/people/don/ledx.html - - - - - Subject: Re: Howl - pepper's ? From: Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2001 10:02:44 -0500 At 01:58 PM 06/04/2001 +0000, you wrote: >I'm setting up my PG prop but I still have one ?... >DarkMatter Hi Roy, There's a Christmas light company called Roman that makes (made?) a = single channel fader that does a decent job for about 30 bucks, I've seen them used in a few commercial haunts. With low light levels on the "uncontrolled" side a single channel fader works pretty well. - - - - - Subject: Re: Hall: Attn Electrical Know-How's (Malibu Lights) From: Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 07:49:35 -0700 >I would go for two transformers, one circuit for each side of the path. This (the use of one circuit per transformer) would not be recommended if= your power pack (transformer) has two outputs. I do, however, fully suppo= rt the use of low voltage Malibu lights. See below. >Low voltage lighting is safer than running 110 everywhere, but does >not necessarily save you any power - a watt is a watt. You can save >power by using lower-wattage bulbs. The Malibu sets have several >different wattages. I use the Malibu LX19414T 14 Light Combination Set which includes, 10 (LX1) Tier Lights with 4 watt bulbs (LV516) 4 (LX9Z) Zoom-Focus Floodlights with 4 watt bulbs (LV516) 75 feet of low voltage cable 60 watt power pack with multiple ON/OFF timer (ML60T) Expandable up to 15 lights using 4 watt bulbs and sells for about $20! I believe that this is the kit that Steve Hickma= n recommends as part of his Home Haunter's Prop Building Handbook #2. I use the (guts of) the tier lights in conjunction with the new Bucky Two= -Piece Skull (Life-Size, No Calvarium Cut, CH-S2) and they work great! Of course, this set is not suitable for the application in question. Malibu sells a ML500TW 500 watt power pack which I use for my "normal" la= ndscape lighting. You could use approximately 125 four watt bulbs in conjunction with a 500 watt power pack (you simply divide the wattage of the power pa= ck by the wattage of the bulb). It is recommended that you split the load on= the power pack between its two outputs (you would have two cables running= from the power pack). The maximum recommended run of cable is, 100' 16 gauge 150' 14 gauge 200' 12 gauge - - - - - Subject: Re: May I get a definition, please? From: Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 10:58:36 EDT Hi all: Thanks to those who responded to my question. Your responses didn't = really answer my question, though, but thanks for the suggestions. I just heard from the support line at Jameco, and their answer to my = question about the definition of "mcd" is as follows: > MCD is an abbreviation for millicandles and is a sub > division of 1 candle power. > > 1 candlepower =3D 12.566 lumens I guess my guess was pretty good after all. Now, I just need to = decide which LEDs to get. Does anyone recommend one vendor over another? = I'm not looking to get a huge quantity, so the price-per-item is = relatively important. - - - - - Subject: Re: Fiberoptics From: "David E. Basile" Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 06:59:54 -0500 I think I have that one in my favorites at home but here is a site that might help a bit. http://www.thefiberopticstore.com/ HTH David www.deathappeal.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Dennison" To: "'Halloween List'" Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2001 11:34 PM Subject: Hall: Fiberoptics > A while back I got a link from someone regarding a fiber optic lighting > page. Does anyone think they may have a link to this? - - - - - Subject: Cool light bulb idea From: "Maggie Bell" Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2001 06:27:06 -1000 I got off this Island yesterday and flew to Honolulu. Oh there is nothing like a real shopping mall . . . "Ala Moana!" any ways, I found theses colored light bulbs I had never seen. They had taken the bulb and attached, what appears to be clear silicon (the kind you would use to make a fish tank) in the shape of Hershey candy kisses all over the thing. It didn't look like much on the shelf, but when I saw it lit up in the display . . . wow . . . nice effect! It went for $9.99, the bulb couldn't be more than $1 and maybe .50 for the silicon. I had to buy just one as my demo to make sure it is silicon . . . now down to my lab to try and make some my self. As you can see, this little country bumpkin doesn't get out much and can get pretty excited over the littlest things. : ) - - - - -