Fake Camp Fire

[tvi675]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm looking for a prop camp fire, one that lights up, possibly with some sort of flame effect built in. I've had a Google and only managed to come up with ones in the States for scouting ceremonies etc, but something along the lines of http://www.amazon.com/Indoor-Campfire-Prop...s/dp/B001U9J0V0 is what I'm after. It's for use in a years worth of shows so hiring isn't really an option, and preferably as budget friendly as possible! It doesn't matter if its battery or mains powered.

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

[boatman]

Are you happy to build something? If so, will this do?

 

http://sites.google.com/site/johnfromarran/Home/files-for-download/Campfire.jpg

 

I can send you the schematic of the control box and the software. The three lamps inside the fire have separate random flickers and an overall brightness setting. The plan was to make it work from DMX but that part of the software isn't 100% debugged. It was used it with simple on/off control over 150m of mic cable. Took me about just over two days to build the lot and write the software.

[tvi675]

Ideally due to time restraints I'd like something that I can just get off the shelf and it works, but please do send them over - may find time for some project work!

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

[the kid]

Looking at "indoor camp fire" on google, they all seem to be no more than a butchered silk flame round some logs, so not that hard to make.

 

But a butchered this with no legs and some wood would be ok.

 

Depending on time I would make this and it is VERY good looking. I would even consider making it once the show is started if you don't have time before, esp if its for a year.

 

Also google scout shops I'm sure the the question has come up before.

[boatman]

Ideally due to time restraints I'd like something that I can just get off the shelf and it works, but please do send them over - may find time for some project work!

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

 

PM sent.

[back_ache]

Ideally due to time restraints I'd like something that I can just get off the shelf and it works, but please do send them over - may find time for some project work!

 

*disclaimer*I don't know enough about electronics to know the implications and havn't done this myself*disclaimer*

 

What people have done before is to use a red lamp and yellow lamp each with a flourescant starter in series which produces a random flickering and dimming.

[adam2]

Most fake fire effects are in my experience much too red, when did you last see a small fire with red flames?

Glowing embers are of of course red, but flames are normally yellow.

 

Subject to the usuall caveats regarding electrics, what about the fake flame effect salvaged from an old flame effect electric heater? These are often found in junk shops and car boot sales very cheaply.

 

They normally consist of one or more amber incandescent lamps, and small perforated metal discs placed above the lamps, that rotate in the rising warm air current.

Replacing the lamps, and cleaning and lubricating the moving parts is normally all that is required.

 

With anything home made or modified, take great care that it cant turn into a real fire ! I seem to remember a fake campfire igniting and becoming a real fire, live on a childrens TV programme!.

 

The use of LEDs or CFLs might be better than incandescent lamps on account of the reduced heat output.

[J Pearce]

I had reasonable success with ChromaQ colourblocks sat under a grate of bbq bricks.

 

Running in pixel mode (rather than block mode), I generated a square wave chase, and adjusting the spread and mark/space ratio gave a number of nice effects (the Vistas effects engine was very useful!).

[dwents]

I would say your best bet would be to buy a silk flame effect they come ready made in varoius flame heights upto six feet

then build some logs around the base to hide the unit. a simple spray of the unit brown would help it blend in.

 

you can change the bulbs for whatever colour you like so you can make the fire as realistic as possible.

 

most flame effects are the large fans found in most lighting effects maybe even 2 or 3 for the bigger ones then a piece of silk

this can be found in the form of a silk shirt from most charity shops and some colored bulbs they can be wired on all the time as

the silk flikering in the wind from the fans makes the flame look real.

[mutley]

I had to build a similar thing for going around the bottom of the cauldron for school's "Wizard of Oz", because the commercially available flame effects were prohibitively expensive, too big, and not in a horseshoe shape to fit the bottom of the cauldron!

 

You need to use the very thinnest, lightest silk available. It's called 'Habotai' and costs less than £10 for 1.5m x 0.9m from Bennetts Silks LINK. (You need to open a trade account as they will not sell to the general public)

 

Then I used 4x 120mm powerful fans underneath to blow the silk up, and a set of 50W GU10s or dichroics to light it up. Using simple wire mesh, you can sandwich the gel 'offcuts' to create an irregular colour pattern.

 

It did take quite some time to angle the vents below the silk so that the silk blew upwards at the right angle though, and the air needs to blow up BOTH sides of the silk to make it flap about, rather than flop over and die! Just tape the bottom edge onto a stiff piece of wire, that can be bent into the best shape for the flame effect.

 

I also built the step into the Wizard's "lair" by building the same fans into the bottom of it, with another piece of wire about an inch above, that the silk was stuck to. Again, some 50mm 50W GU10s or dichroics were mounted into standard ceiling downlighter fittings (although technically 'uplighters'), and again, just sandwich some random gel shapes between two layers of wire mesh and staple these over the lights.

 

I think it looked quite effective!

http://www.stestott.co.uk/news.jpg

http://www.stestott.co.uk/cauldron.jpg

http://www.stestott.co.uk/flamebox.jpg

 

PS: Both the flamebox and cauldron are for sale - PM me if you're interested!

[wycome5]

You could look at the Fake Flame from Le Maitre? Don't know how friendly it will be with your budget though.

[Ragdoll]

If you have a little time for building we made one recently for a show that took an afternoon.

 

Small fluro fitting which could be coloured as desired with two flicker bullbs also in the base.

Then chicken wire, also with gel in various colour patterns, to make the shape with twigs and small pieces of wood around to hide the lamps.

 

The effect was good and quite easy to make. Also cheap.

 

Good Luck.

[tvi675]

Thanks for the advice everyone, we ended up making one in the end. Although not quite complete it looked effective - when I've had some time to sit down and finish it properly I'll get some pictures up!

 

Matt