Saturday, October 19, 2013

Flicker Candles Cont.

So last time I ended with the soldering and brush on electric tape. Continuing on...
Decided to recess the dead man switch to protect the connection and ease of use.  I drilled into the dowel along the wire groove deep enough to set in the switch and protect the end connection. 

Wax dripping applied with new hot glue.

A look down the inside.  I built up a ring of hot glue to give the effect of melted wax, and also to stabilize/center the flicker wick.

Patterned out a screen cover for the flicker wick chip circuit board. Plastic window screen. I did a burn/heat test with a heat gun. It did not start on fire, melted just a bit at very close range (1"-2" away)on high heat.  Should do just fine over the circuits. Will get gaffe taped on and then Velcro tape used to secure it to the bobech.  I did a heat test by putting a screen over the chip and holding the switch on for 4 mins.  The circuit did not get hot in that time


9 v batteries white taped and 3M dual lock used.  5 of these and 3 spares rigged up if batteries need changing by the end of the run of the show.  I chose the dual lock for the batteries because it is heavy duty and could handle a lot of weight.

When the candles are on, we didn't want to see a hard line of where the dowel was inside.  We wanted the effect to be the glowing top of a candle. So to diffuse the light, I wrapped some tissue paper around the wick above the dowel.

Left candle had the tissue paper diffusing, Right candle has no tissue.  You can see the distinct line of the dowel through the glow on the right one..

Taping up the bottom rig.
Finished Candles. 4 and a spare.

Finished candle close up.  I was not satisfied with the black screen mesh.


So, I took them off the circuits and spray painted them flat white

5 done flicker candle rigs

Close up.

2 comments:

  1. I'm unclear what the final look it intended to be.... I know in your previous post you said they were hand held... what is the final treatment to disguise the battery and all or do you assume the actor's hands will cover....? Love the detailed thought process for the "drips" and the diffusion with tissue to hide the pipe ending and make that glow - very clever. Your photos are excellent and show your process well- perfect for your portfolio.

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  2. The actors enter in at the top of the show in dim light holding these candles. The batteries and circuit are hidden by their hands. They have an action of blowing them out, then they turn around giving the candles to the pianist. No more covering than the white paint and gaff tape treatment was chosen by Props Master.

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