BUILD A FOG HEAD

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS (per fog head)

14" x 18" - 1/4" lauan plywood
hot melt glue and gun
extension cord
lamp base and colored "party" light bulb
construction adhesive
Gray spray primer
latex paint
100% clear silicone caulk

First determine if you plan to use the head for fog or just as a lighted wall sculpture. Begin by using a sharp steak knife to cut out the eye areas and mouth area if using with fog. Use a rasp file or sand paper to smooth out the inside cut edges of the mouth.

Next lay the head onto the piece of lauan plywood. Trace the outline of the head with a black marker or pencil. Also trace the inside of the mouth onto the plywood. This will help determine the best place to cut the hole for the fog duct hose. Trace a 3" hole around the mouth lines marked on the plywood.

Cut out with a saber saw or 3" hole saw. If using a saber saw be sure to keep the hole round. 4" dryer duct hose will fit tight into the hole making a good seal. Next cut out the traced shape of the head with a saber saw.

Now prepare the socket base and extension cord. Begin by cutting off the female end of the cord. Separate the wires and strip off a 3/4" of insulation. Looking on the outside of the insulation. Notice one wire has ribs or a line running down the outside and the other wire has smooth insulation. Connect the ribbed wire to the silver screw and the smooth to the brass screw of the socket base. The wires should be curved around the screws from the left side around top to the right.

Inside the head at the top mount the socket base with hot melt glue. Hot glue is use to speed up the construction process. Also cover over the screw/wire connections with hot glue. Apply a few globs of hot glue to hold the wire to the inside of the head as shown above. After the glue has cooled, apply construction adhesive over top overlapping the glue. This will prevent any heat from the light bulb from melting the glue and moving the socket. Next apply a bead of construction adhesive to the back edge of the head and glue to the plywood back. Pull the cord out through the 3" hole. Wipe off any excess adhesive from around the edges.

Lay the head on a flat surface and apply several coats of gray spray primer. Be sure to spray the inside of the mouth and eyes.

Allow to dry then screw in a 25 watt max. red light bulb through the 3" back hole. Plug in the cord and turn out the room lights. Check for areas that require another coat of paint. You want very little light glowing through the foam. After all is dry fill in the eyes with clear silicone caulk. Smooth over the silicone with a wet finger before it begins to cure. Once the silicone has cured you can dry brush the head to bring out surface detail.

Fog heads are designed to be used where access is available from behind the wall they are mounted on.This allows for the 4" vinyl dryer duct to be inserted into the back of the head. A fog blower is used to propel the fog out of more than one head.

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BUILD A CANDLE SET FIXTURE

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS (per candle set)

Metal platter or something to mount candles
hot melt glue and gun
extension cord
Metal outdoor flood lamp holders with removable ceramic sockets
(2) yellow wire nuts
Shellac base primer
White or Off white Gloss spray paint
Flicker Bulb with regular size base

Determine how many sockets you want in the foam candle set. Remove the ceramic sockets from the aluminum flood lamb holders. (For some reason it is cheaper to purchase these bulb holders instead of just the ceramic sockets.)

Using a 1 3/8" bit as shown, drill out each candle that will have a socket installed in it. Drill deep enough so that the top edge of the ceramic socket is just below the foam.

Next using a long 3/8" bit drill holes for the socket wires. Make sure to drill on an angle toward the center of the candle set. This will keep all of your final wire connections close together.

A pocket is drilled out on the bottom of the candle set base using the 1 3/8" bit. Make it deep enough for all the wires to be stuffed into.

The last hole to drill is for the power cord which will connect to the socket wires in the pocket.

Now prepare the extension cord. Begin by cutting off the female end of the cord. Insert the bulb sockets into the candles with the wires exiting out the bottom.

Run the cut cord end in through the side hole to the pocket. Separate the wires and strip off a 3/4" of insulation. Tie a knot in the power cord as shown below. Looking on the outside of the insulation. Notice one wire has ribs or a line running down the outside and the other wire has smooth insulation. Connect the ribbed wire to the white socket wires and the smooth to the black wires. Twist on yellow wire nuts until tight. Make sure there are loose strands outside of the nuts.

Tuck the wire connections into the bottom of the candle set and secure with a good amount of hot glue. Also put a ring of hot glue around the top of each socket to keep it from twisting in the candle when the bulbs are installed or removed.

Now place a wad of paper towel in each socket to protect it from paint. Use a good quality shellac based primer like Zinsser BIN primer and spray the candle set. Allow this to dry before applying a topcoat of gloss white spray paint. If you have any candles without sockets use a short piece of heavy black wire insulation as a simulated wick. Hot glue into a shallow hole. Last step is to hot glue the candle set to a tray, platter or item you desire.

Insert your flicker bulbs and test your candles. NOTE: these candle sets are designed for low wattage 120 volt flicker bulbs only. Using a higher wattage bulb will create heat and risk of fire.

Our Single Candle sticks can be cut to different lengths for creating all sorts of light fixtures. Add extra hot glue at the base of each candle to simulate melted wax. More pictures available on the Gallery Page.

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