marsh28 Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Part of my light show will feature a cemetery. Here are the first two tombstones I just finished...Tombstones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimswinder Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 those of us who are not registered with that Halloween forum cannot view them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlakeGravitt Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 I am registered with the Halloween Forums, and the tombstones look excellent....Nice job.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Can't see them either. How about posting a screen shot. I'd love to see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh28 Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 My Bad, here is the first one as an attachment... Attached files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh28 Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 And here is the other one... Attached files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimswinder Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 WOW..those are nice!!!Want to make my actual tombstone???I want it to read:"He may have not been too bright...but his Christmas Display sure was!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 marsh28 wrote: Part of my light show will feature a cemetery. Here are the first two tombstones I just finished...Tombstoneshow did you make them? are they lit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh28 Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 The stones aren't lit. Rather, my plan is to have individual amber spots on each one. I also have blue and green flood lights in the cemetery.The stones themselves are made out of the pink insulation foam at Home Depot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 WOW. Those look great!Sytrofoam from HD huh? how did you finish them? paint? It looks like real stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh28 Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 The indentations in the foam were made by wetting the foam and then applying a blow torch. The foam kind of "warps" and develops imperfections. Regular latex paint was used to paint the foam. After I painted each stone in a dark brown color, I applied a much lighter gray on top using a sea sponge. I aged the stones by dry brushing on various colors including yellows, browns, greens and even a little blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 marsh28 wrote: The indentations in the foam were made by wetting the foam and then applying a blow torch. The foam kind of "warps" and develops imperfections. Regular latex paint was used to paint the foam. After I painted each stone in a dark brown color, I applied a much lighter gray on top using a sea sponge. I aged the stones by dry brushing on various colors including yellows, browns, greens and even a little blue.hmm, always wanted an excuse to buy a blow torch!!! Until today NONE existed!:dude: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cray Augsburg Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 caniac wrote: hmm, always wanted an excuse to buy a blow torch!!! Until today NONE existed!:dude:You are a "prop" kinda guy (after all, look at the North Pole!). Are you not a member of HalloweenForum.com? If not, you should be -- all kinds of tips and tricks for the best looking Halloween props around. Marsh28's tombstones look great. For more similar stuff, check out Terra's tutorials on Halloween Forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Those are awesome! The pink foam should hold up to high winds better than the cheap crap at the stores too. Do you use the water and torch for the lettering and patterns too? If yes, doesn't the water bead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I have used standard solvent based rattle can spray paints to etch the pink Styrofoam, then applied latex to seal, and painted from there. When using either heat or solvent to affect the foam, do be aware that it is much denser near the surface, and much softer at the core. So if you hit it on the edge with solvent, the middle gives way noticeably faster. Or on the face, things will etch slower at first, then speed up once it melts through the face.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh28 Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 The epitaphs are the biggest pain. To make them look right, I print the letters out and pin them to the foam. In then use an exacto knife and cut around the edges of the letter. This leaves you with an "engraved" look that you see on real tombstones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 marsh28 wrote:The stones aren't lit. Rather, my plan is to have individual amber spots on each one. I also have blue and green flood lights in the cemetery.The stones themselves are made out of the pink insulation foam at Home Depot.The 9 or 12 led cheap flashlights work great for lighting up tombstones. Instead of running them on batteries, you could wire them up to a DC controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Nice Tombstones. I also registered(LOR-CF) over on the Halloween Forums since I also do a major Halloween Display and I'm always looking for new ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cray Augsburg Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 scubado wrote: The 9 or 12 led cheap flashlights work great for lighting up tombstones. Instead of running them on batteries, you could wire them up to a DC controller.On HalloweenForum.com there is a tutorial on making a system of LED spots for highlighting "graveyard" (or any other) props. It involves placing higher-power LEDs in PVC or copper pipe (as a holder). Uses surplus USB cables and hubs for power. Interesting . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Cray Augsburg wrote:scubado wrote: The 9 or 12 led cheap flashlights work great for lighting up tombstones. Instead of running them on batteries, you could wire them up to a DC controller.On HalloweenForum.com there is a tutorial on making a system of LED spots for highlighting "graveyard" (or any other) props. It involves placing higher-power LEDs in PVC or copper pipe (as a holder). Uses surplus USB cables and hubs for power. Interesting . . .You could combine the two ideas too. Drill two holes in the flashlight casings(remove battery casing), one for the wire to enter, the other for a threaded rod to stick in the ground or where ever you need it. The USB wire and hubs is a great idea. You could have three channels per each USB network. Wire each light to one of the three channels, or make RGB lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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