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Homemade Tombstones for Light Show


marsh28

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I am still at a loss as to what to do for my graveyard, love the home made tombstones but don't have the talent or the patience to make ten of them. Have seen the Coro ones with LED/Incandescent and they just don't wow me. Any thoughts/suggestions?

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caniac wrote:

I am still at a loss as to what to do for my graveyard, love the home made tombstones but don't have the talent or the patience to make ten of them. Have seen the Coro ones with LED/Incandescent and they just don't wow me. Any thoughts/suggestions?


I do understand about the patience. When I start a new project, I want it to be done yesterday. Otherwise it just drags on, and I get tired of it.

I don't mean to belittle Coro's tombstones. But the foam ones are SO cool. That's why I suggested Terra on the halloween site. Some of hers are time-eating masterpieces -- truly would be worthy of standing in a cemetary. But she has a little video tutorial that shows her tricks. (mind you, I have yet to start even the first one -- but as will probably be engraved on MY tombstone "Someday . . ."
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scubado wrote:

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.
your sig reminds me of a song my son use to listen to from a group named KORN.
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Here are some unpainted pics of a tombstone I'm working on right now. It gives you and idea about what they look like prior to painting.


Attached files 246917=13431-020.jpg

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Here's the new stone finished and weathered. I may be an attorney by trade but secretly still wish I was a Disney Imagineer!!!




Attached files 247004=13439-095.jpg

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marsh28 wrote:

Here's the new stone finished and weathered. I may be an attorney by trade but secretly still wish I was a Disney Imagineer!!!




Those are really the best looking tombstones I've seen in a very long time! Wish I had your talent to do that! Those are truly fantastic!

I just beat up and enhance those store bought ones to the best of my ability. But those can't even compare to your craftsmanship.

Just WOW, and boy oh boy would I love to have some of those in my cemetery scene!

I agree with the other person that said something to the effect you should creat and sell them! I'll bet you could sell quite a few too!



BTW: how do you hold them down? Do you stake them through the base to keep them in place, or do you have another secret way of keeping them from blowing over in the wind?
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Orville wrote:

marsh28 wrote:
Here's the new stone finished and weathered. I may be an attorney by trade but secretly still wish I was a Disney Imagineer!!!




Those are really the best looking tombstones I've seen in a very long time! Wish I had your talent to do that! Those are truly fantastic!

I just beat up and enhance those store bought ones to the best of my ability. But those can't even compare to your craftsmanship.

Just WOW, and boy oh boy would I love to have some of those in my cemetery scene!

I agree with the other person that said something to the effect you should creat and sell them! I'll bet you could sell quite a few too!



BTW: how do you hold them down? Do you stake them through the base to keep them in place, or do you have another secret way of keeping them from blowing over in the wind?
Thanks for the compliments. To keep the stones from moving, I drill a 1 inch hole in the bottom and pound a 2 foot piece of rebar into the ground and put the stone on top of rebar. So far, this technique has held up in some pretty goods storms. This stone is alot bigger so it will be interesting to see if I have to do other things to keep it in place. I have heard that other people keep the stones in place by attaching a wooden board to the bottom and then spiking the board into the ground.
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marsh28 wrote:

Thanks for the compliments. To keep the stones from moving, I drill a 1 inch hole in the bottom and pound a 2 foot piece of rebar into the ground and put the stone on top of rebar. So far, this technique has held up in some pretty goods storms. This stone is alot bigger so it will be interesting to see if I have to do other things to keep it in place. I have heard that other people keep the stones in place by attaching a wooden board to the bottom and then spiking the board into the ground.


LOL. I tried HOT Gluing a few as a test one year to see how that would work. Unfortunately the Florida Sun did the hot glue in, and the stones ended up being at some strange angles.

Would have looked great if they'd have stayed like that, looked like an old abandoned graveyard. Problem was after 3 days, the tombstone had seperated completey from the wooden planks and were lying in the yard.:(

Thought about trying some clear or possibly black silicone next time, just not sure if that stuff will eat the styrofoam and hence, have the same issue, only now instead of a gooey tombstone, I'll have a dissolved one. Yikes!:shock:

Wonder if anyone has tried the silcone method and how well it did, or did not work? Anyone try it?

Or do I have to be the guinea pig and see what happens? :D LOL
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Orville wrote:

marsh28 wrote:
Thanks for the compliments. To keep the stones from moving, I drill a 1 inch hole in the bottom and pound a 2 foot piece of rebar into the ground and put the stone on top of rebar. So far, this technique has held up in some pretty goods storms. This stone is alot bigger so it will be interesting to see if I have to do other things to keep it in place. I have heard that other people keep the stones in place by attaching a wooden board to the bottom and then spiking the board into the ground.


LOL. I tried HOT Gluing a few as a test one year to see how that would work. Unfortunately the Florida Sun did the hot glue in, and the stones ended up being at some strange angles.

Would have looked great if they'd have stayed like that, looked like an old abandoned graveyard. Problem was after 3 days, the tombstone had seperated completey from the wooden planks and were lying in the yard.:(

Thought about trying some clear or possibly black silicone next time, just not sure if that stuff will eat the styrofoam and hence, have the same issue, only now instead of a gooey tombstone, I'll have a dissolved one. Yikes!:shock:

Wonder if anyone has tried the silcone method and how well it did, or did not work? Anyone try it?

Or do I have to be the guinea pig and see what happens? :D LOL
I hear crickets chirping so I guess that means you have to be the guinea pig, I will stand back a ways in case it is combustible!!
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caniac wrote:

Orville wrote:
8< snip >8

Thought about trying some clear or possibly black silicone next time, just not sure if that stuff will eat the styrofoam and hence, have the same issue, only now instead of a gooey tombstone, I'll have a dissolved one. Yikes!:shock:

Wonder if anyone has tried the silcone method and how well it did, or did not work? Anyone try it?

Or do I have to be the guinea pig and see what happens? :D LOL
I hear crickets chirping so I guess that means you have to be the guinea pig, I will stand back a ways in case it is combustible!!



I don't think silcone is combustible, but I could be wrong. Don't have a tube handy here to read it and know for sure.

So instead of a boring cemetery scene I'll have one with some fantastic pyrotechnics if the stuff combusts in heat or from lights....oh wait, I use LED's in my graveyard...Ah well, guess I won't have that pyrotechnic show after all.:(

I have my doubts though since this stuff is used on engine components and we all know how hot that gets! So I don't think it's combustible.
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Orville wrote:

caniac wrote:
Orville wrote:
8< snip >8

Thought about trying some clear or possibly black silicone next time, just not sure if that stuff will eat the styrofoam and hence, have the same issue, only now instead of a gooey tombstone, I'll have a dissolved one. Yikes!:shock:

Wonder if anyone has tried the silcone method and how well it did, or did not work? Anyone try it?

Or do I have to be the guinea pig and see what happens? :D LOL
I hear crickets chirping so I guess that means you have to be the guinea pig, I will stand back a ways in case it is combustible!!



I don't think silicone is combustible, but I could be wrong. Don't have a tube handy here to read it and know for sure.

So instead of a boring cemetery scene I'll have one with some fantastic pyrotechnics if the stuff combusts in heat or from lights....oh wait, I use LED's in my graveyard...Ah well, guess I won't have that pyrotechnic show after all.:(

I have my doubts though since this stuff is used on engine components and we all know how hot that gets! So I don't think it's combustible.


well if i can use PVC cement in a space that may or may not be well ventilated even after I clearly read it could cause dame bramage (like anyone would notice the difference with me) the least you could do is take one for the team even if you combust like Michael Jackson in a Pepsi commercial.
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caniac wrote:

well if i can use PVC cement in a space that may or may not be well ventilated even after I clearly read it could cause dame bramage (like anyone would notice the difference with me) the least you could do is take one for the team even if you combust like Michael Jackson in a Pepsi commercial.

hmmmm . . . I seem to recall from an earlier life using contact cement to place Formica laminate on a large countertop . . . in an enclosed, barely vented basement. Didn't affect me at all. At least not any of the few parts I remember . . .
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  • 1 month later...

Here's my latest Tombstone. Catherine Eddowes was the 3rd victim of Jack the Ripper



Attached files 255865=14050-232.jpg

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