Making your FCG fluorescent

[DownTown]

Hey Guys -

Just wanted to pass on something I've learned. I'm building a Flying Crank Ghost (FCG), and have looked at many sets of instructions online. My ghost is covered with cheese cloth, and of course, I want her to glow eerily under black light. At least one of the sites I read indicated that if you soak your cheese cloth in bluing for a few minutes, it will make the cloth fluorescent. "Great idea!", I thought. So I went to a local craft store or three, looking for bluing. No one had it. I tried the hardware stores. Nope, not there either. The grocery store was next. Nope, no bluing. Dang! So, I did what I should have done in the first place and ordered it on line.

A couple of days later, it arrived, and I soaked my cloth in water mixed with the bluing... took everything out and hung it to dry. Turned on the black lights and... nothing. No fluroescence at all. Rats!

I decided to try soaking the cloth in detergent just to see if it made any difference. I used Tide... I put about the same amount you use in a load of wash (a big cap full) into a gallon of water. I soaked the cloth for about 15 minutes. Took it out again and hung it to dry again. Black lights on.... and it glows great!

So, to make your white fabric glow under a black light, soak it in Tide detergent (others may work as well) and you'll be set.

Hope this is useful to some of you.

D.T.

[jerrymac]

What you need is "RIT" whitening and blueing. What makes it work is the phospherous in it. use 1 pack in a gallon of water. Soak for 10 minutes or so. Hang to drip dry (make take 24 hours). DO NOT ring out. You can get "RIT" at most large grocery stores and some big box drug stores.

[JoeKinne]

We used the RIT stuff and it works great.

[TJ Hvasta]

A little Antifreeze works well too. I used it in a rum-swillin' skeleton... small fountain pump pumped water/AF mix thru a tube along the boney arm into a bottle, into the jaw, running down the ribcage, lit by a blacklight. supossedly, ammonia works also, havent tried it

[ShaggySS]

I just discovered RIT it works wonders. I have lots of blacklights and the green spider webs just took away from the whole thing so now I buy the white ones and soak them in RIT and they look awesome.

[jerrymac]

For thise things that you can't soak, you can spray the rit/water solution onto the cloth with a hand spray bottle, works well this way (but not as good as soaking).

[scubado]

jerrymac wrote:

For thise things that you can't soak, you can spray the rit/water solution onto the cloth with a hand spray bottle, works well this way (but not as good as soaking).

]

Thanks, was just about to ask the question about spraying. If it's not quite as good as soaking, what about two coats of spraying?

[boborino]

DownTown wrote:

Hey Guys -

Just wanted to pass on something I've learned. I'm building a Flying Crank Ghost (FCG), and have looked at many sets of instructions online. My ghost is covered with cheese cloth, and of course, I want her to glow eerily under black light. At least one of the sites I read indicated that if you soak your cheese cloth in bluing for a few minutes, it will make the cloth fluorescent. "Great idea!", I thought. So I went to a local craft store or three, looking for bluing. No one had it. I tried the hardware stores. Nope, not there either. The grocery store was next. Nope, no bluing. Dang! So, I did what I should have done in the first place and ordered it on line.

A couple of days later, it arrived, and I soaked my cloth in water mixed with the bluing... took everything out and hung it to dry. Turned on the black lights and... nothing. No fluroescence at all. Rats!

I decided to try soaking the cloth in detergent just to see if it made any difference. I used Tide... I put about the same amount you use in a load of wash (a big cap full) into a gallon of water. I soaked the cloth for about 15 minutes. Took it out again and hung it to dry again. Black lights on.... and it glows great!

So, to make your white fabric glow under a black light, soak it in Tide detergent (others may work as well) and you'll be set.

Hope this is useful to some of you.

D.T.

Which version of Tide did you use?

[ToddH]

You can also use Woolite, it works just as good if not better the RIT. But any powdered detergents normally have the bluing agent. The liquids are not as strong but yes, Tide is really good or any of them that have a whitener agent to increase the whites. Clorox will not work! but again, Woolite is good and cheap!

Oh but D.T. I got a question for you. Where and what motor did you use an where did you get it?

I have mine completed all but the motor cause I can not for the life of me find one esp in time to go for this weekend. I was thinking about taking apart an oscillating fan and seeing if i can use that motor....


Todd

[DownTown]

boborino wrote:

DownTown wrote:

Hey Guys -

Just wanted to pass on something I've learned. I'm building a Flying Crank Ghost (FCG), and have looked at many sets of instructions online. My ghost is covered with cheese cloth, and of course, I want her to glow eerily under black light. At least one of the sites I read indicated that if you soak your cheese cloth in bluing for a few minutes, it will make the cloth fluorescent. "Great idea!", I thought. So I went to a local craft store or three, looking for bluing. No one had it. I tried the hardware stores. Nope, not there either. The grocery store was next. Nope, no bluing. Dang! So, I did what I should have done in the first place and ordered it on line.

A couple of days later, it arrived, and I soaked my cloth in water mixed with the bluing... took everything out and hung it to dry. Turned on the black lights and... nothing. No fluroescence at all. Rats!

I decided to try soaking the cloth in detergent just to see if it made any difference. I used Tide... I put about the same amount you use in a load of wash (a big cap full) into a gallon of water. I soaked the cloth for about 15 minutes. Took it out again and hung it to dry again. Black lights on.... and it glows great!

So, to make your white fabric glow under a black light, soak it in Tide detergent (others may work as well) and you'll be set.

Hope this is useful to some of you.

D.T.

Which version of Tide did you use?

I used Liquid Tide (original scent) in the big orange container.

[DownTown]

ToddH wrote:

You can also use Woolite, it works just as good if not better the RIT. But any powdered detergents normally have the bluing agent. The liquids are not as strong but yes, Tide is really good or any of them that have a whitener agent to increase the whites. Clorox will not work! but again, Woolite is good and cheap!

Oh but D.T. I got a question for you. Where and what motor did you use an where did you get it?

I have mine completed all but the motor cause I can not for the life of me find one esp in time to go for this weekend. I was thinking about taking apart an oscillating fan and seeing if i can use that motor....


Todd

Hey Todd -

I used a small 4 rpm, 12 volt gear motor, that I picked up from American Science & Surplus (www.sciplus.com). They are used in Chrysler cars, and was used to open an airvent (from what I understand). It was brand new, and cost $8 i think. I had seen them listed as low as $3, but that supplier was out of stock. American Science & Surplus no longer lists them...

I've found them for $12 here --> http://www.3rivers.net/~cmac/gearmotors/ast-7851-5.htm

Hope that helps.

D.T.

[JoeKinne]

I use the same motor on our FCG and it works pretty well, it does bog down a bit on the upswing but for the price I couldn't complain. We bought 2 of them so that we have a spare if it burns up.

[ToddH]

I was looking for something more along of the lines as being able to get it on the way home from work one day



I saw this at radio shack, thoughts? think this will work?



http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102827#tabsetBasic



Todd

[scubado]

You can use a rottisserie motor. Bend the motor end of the skewer at a 90 degree for your control arm. about $25 at Wally World.

[Santas Helper]

ToddH wrote:

I was looking for something more along of the lines as being able to get it on the way home from work one day
I saw this at radio shack, thoughts? think this will work?
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102827#tabsetBasic
Todd

Todd,

If this is used for a FCG, not near big enough, it has no torque, no real way to mount it and it spins at 11,000 rpm minimum so you would need a gear box to reduce it to about 6 rpm.

[Santas Helper]

Todd,

Maybe this link will help. It shows the rotisserie motor being used.

http://www.rontye.com/Projects/Easy_FCG/index.htm

Edit: I would recommend using small pullies and not just eyelets at each point when the string goes down to the ghost. The FCG will run much smoother and not put a lot of stain on the motor (depending on the weight).

[ToddH]

Thanks a Ton for the link an info, I didn't even see the rpm on that other one. Just trying to find the fastest way..again think I didn't think this one soon enough so might be stuck with a stationary ghost which is fine.

Thanks again!

[AndyK]

I bought 3 of these back when they were $3 (over the summer). It works great, just watch the weight, I was trying to use a "ghost" I already had, but the skull is a tad too heavy and the motor struggles on the up swing and I am using eyelets, will switch them out for pullies this weekend. For now I have 3 plastic pumpkin baskets floating. May keep the floating pumpkins and use one of the other motors for the lighter ghost.

[Santas Helper]

AndyK wrote:

I bought 3 of these back when they were $3 (over the summer). It works great, just watch the weight, I was trying to use a "ghost" I already had, but the skull is a tad too heavy and the motor struggles on the up swing and I am using eyelets, will switch them out for pullies this weekend. For now I have 3 plastic pumpkin baskets floating. May keep the floating pumpkins and use one of the other motors for the lighter ghost.

Andy,

What did you buy 3 of? And what was the skull you used made of?

[AndyK]

Bought 3 because they were $3 each!! (and to have an extra in case I messed up - this is my first attempt of a FCG and to have an extra on hand for other proprs if needed) The skull was part of a premade ghoul/ghost thing we already had. I savaged some styoform from another prop this weekend so I might try that and make my own FCG rig with the metal coat hangers