gate entrances and pillars of all kinds

[Lilly]

Show us your gate entrances or your pillars.
what did you make them with
Here is a sneak peek at mine.
I'm not done yet but it's a start.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j136/imdiamondlilly/stone%20pillar%20posts/B2finishedstonepaintreg072306-1.jpg
needs a topper yet and is upside down

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j136/imdiamondlilly/stone%20pillar%20posts/B3finishedstonepaintcloseup07230-1.jpg

made with foam from couch cushions
foam sealant
gray spray paint
color texture paint
spray adhesive glue
pics with topper to come soon

[roadkill]

Holy COW that looks real!

Great job!

[Zombie-F]

Wow. That looks outstanding! Great job!

[Vlad]

Nice original design and work Lilly. A great use of materials as well. Five stars *****

[turtle2778]

WOW!!! You did a great job. How many couch cushions did you use? Very realistic.

[kevin242]

Here are my pillars made from 2" foam. The arch is made from multiple layers of 1" pink foam glued together and carved with a Shure-Form tool.
The entire structure is free standing, anchored with 3' metal stakes and held together with 6" screws. I can assemble it by myself in about 2 hours with nothing more than a screw gun.
The vignettes are mostly lightweight props, masks, etc attached to the panels with screws and Great Stuff spray foam.

http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/assets/images/db_images/db_hauntfront31.jpg
Front

http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/assets/images/db_images/db_pillarrear1.jpg
Rear

[ShadyHallows]

Wow those are fantastic!

[gypsichic]

how about some how-to's on these pillars.............pretty please

[Ironman]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b90/Namnori/Mechs/HWGate2.jpg
These are mine, but since we have moved completely indoors, we really don't use them any more. There is a good bit more of the fence than shown here, and some more of the shorter posts. They are made of iron and steel.....of course.

[skeletonowl]

Really cool! and Ironman why not put them at the front of your yard anyway? They are awesome!

[Bone Dancer]

Iam totally amazed, great work all of you, and thanks for the inspiration.

[fontgeek]

For the gates and pillars, other than Ironman's, do you have, or worry about durability with the handling and abuse by TOTs? How does the use of the soft foam hold up with the handling and all?
While I love the workability of the foam, I have tried to keep it in areas that are out of reach from viewers. The times that I have had it in their reach, they ended up with stab marks, dings from being kicked, etc.

Ironman, just out of curiousity, what was the inspiration for the two large bowl shapes on the top of the gates?
To me, they look like a nicely shaped rear-end, or a well endowed pair of breasts, just curious to know. The whole settup looks great, it's too bad you aren't still using it, it seems a shame to keep that kind of artwork hidden.

[Vikeman]

Man, those are awesome! I have a picture of my columns, but they are just for my graveyard and don't come close to those. I don't have a walk through, just a big party. The tops and backs do come off, so I can use the inside space for extra storage. I would like to replace the bats with skulls and have some fog come out of them.

http://halloweengallery.com/albums/userpics/10028/normal_graveyard%20columns.jpg

[Lilly]

Kevin242 those are cool lucky you have a big enough front yard for that, mines to small for something that big. but i like it!


Iron Man, I really like that iron gate .. would look good for my reaper river crossing display i would like to make some day. do you sell your unused items?

[Lilly]

Vikeman , yeah that would look cool with the fogging skulls...i bought 2 fogging skulls cheap at Kmart last yr i believe they were 19 each maybe less .

[Ironman]

The columns, arch, and fence are my own design, but the gates themselves are really a copy of Stephen King’s estate gates. But yes, many folks have seen that same image in the gates. To the point that a few call them the ‘boob’ gates. You can see the original King gates here:
http://acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0027-0504-0707-2702.html

[Ironman]

We sell the gates and the arch through our web site. As a matter of fact, I'm building a pair of oversized gates to ship to Oregon right now. And even though we no longer use it for Halloween, we do use the ironwork once a year for the coffin races at Ironstock.

[Lilly]

This is the first year i will be using them ,I plan on putting a sealant on them alsoin case of rain.. I do not have a walk thru for kids, just a big ole bash for adults.
I also do not need to worry about kids touching them. We only have had maybe a total of maybe 10 kids in the ten yrs we have lived here and that is side door trick ot treating only. These will be up closer to the house in the front yard because i will have torches on them...those pics to come later

[Lilly]

cool i wil check your site out and saving my pennies

[Dreadnight]

OK, you all showed me yours, so I'll show you mine.http://www.dreadnight.com/Resources/day%20entry%20vert.jpg

[Dreadnight]

They are styrofoam and monster mud over a lightweight wood frame of redwood lathe. I custom fit them to sit up on the steps of the entry way. The back edge is really vertical and ends just behind the silk flame pots. The other piece is just a "skirt" extending back to blend the pillars in with the wall of my house better.

[Vikeman]

That looks great, Dreadnight! Did you also make the doors? The sign looks awesome. Do you use the same setup each year?

[Mr Unpleasant]

Fantastic work everyone! the couch foam idea is excellent, they look like they weigh tons. Oh and Kevin242..I'm coning to your house. I'm only 25 minutes away

[Dreadnight]

Yes, right now the skels are dressed up as Royal Navy corpses to fit with my Pirate theme, but if you go to my older website (ideal creation) you'll see how they started out with the cemetery theme. I've had 'em for five seasons now, and they're holding up really well. They get dinged every year here and there, but nothing I can't patch up in 20 minutes before they go up the next year. I actually did a full how-to on these for Haunted Attraction mag a couple years ago, and I'll be doing one for my new site soon as I can get to it.

[Dreadnight]

Oops, missed your other question. Yes, the doors are also styro, textured to look like wood with a soldering iron. They strap on to my house's real front doors as part of the house's "costume". Again, if you go to the idealcreation site, you can see photos of the web straps and velcro that hold the doors on. Happy to answer any questions you have about specifics!

[Lilly]

Nice entrance Dreadnight i like the color on the walls, bet it looks good at night. Nice paint job an all of it.including the doors.
arrrrgh.!!!!!!!!!

p.s. NICE HAT

[Dreadnight]

Thanks Lilly! I love styrofoam. I've come to believe you can make almost anything from it, if you use the right tools. I'm trying to figure out where I can purchase really large chunks of it, for carving really large stuff out of.:confused:

[HibLaGrande]

after seeing yours, I'm ashamed to show mine :D

[Dreadnight]

Well, thanks Hib.... but just cause mine are eight feet tall doesn't mean you shouldn't show yours. Everybodys ideas here are great and serve their own haunt..... please post it!

[Lilly]

don't be ashamed.. there is always something of interest in everything you do. Your idea may inspire someone else. So what are you waiting for?

[BTH]

Still a little timid when I post but you guys are my inspiration. Here is one of my pillars. I love pnuematics!
http://photobucket.com/albums/y220/indianaholmes/

[Dreadnight]

BTH - Can't imagine you being timid about that! That's a beautiful piece of work. Nice job. :eek:

[Lilly]

BTH ..Yeah no kidding that is good . Nice marble effect there. wish i could do that pneumatics stuff. Good idea!

[kevin242]

Hey guys,
We've been super-lucky with vandals, the green alien head was punched in the first year, but not too bad (we changed him out this year with a screaming skull). We now have a "no touching of any kind" policy which we seriously enforce. We also have a great big sign with the 3 rules... (no touching, running or pushing...)
This will be our 5th year with the Pillars and it's amazing how many people think they are really stone!
Here is another shot of the back with me and my Mrs. (we edited out the cars and sent this one out as our '03 Christmas card!)
http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/assets/images/db_images/db_ready_to_haunt1.jpg

[SpectreTTM]

Still a little timid when I post but you guys are my inspiration. Here is one of my pillars. I love pnuematics!
http://photobucket.com/albums/y220/indianaholmes/


Hey BTH,

Great prop. Loved the Brick work. Any techniques to share ;)

[BTH]

SpectreTTM, I cannot take credit for the creation. That goes to John Nelson on the monsterlist. Here is his link. http://www.horrorseek.com/halloween/juggernaut/columns/columns.html
I just tried to emulate his artistic talent and was completely suprised at the outcome. I am not an artist, so when it was all said and done, I was tickled. The hand is modeled after Sully in Monsters Inc. It is part of two colombs and "rot iron" fence. Now that I set that up on my street and let it run whenever a car or jogger goes by, my turnout on the big day is tenfold of what it used to be. Give this project a try, I'm sure you'll be amazed at what you can do with a little time and patience.

[Gloomy_Gus]

I bought all the supplies to build columns but I haven't started yet. This has inspired me. I love the pnumatic hand, but I want my columns closed on all four sides, which it looks like yours has to be open in the back to accomodate all the gear. Also, how do you keep it stable? Seems like it would put a lot of stress on the frame when the hand extends.

I saw a how-to on using a "douglas fur" in a tombstone. I was thinking of putting a talking skull in the column rather than something that jumps out.

[BTH]

Gloomy_gus, The whole colomb doesn't weigh more than twenty pounds. I attached a piece of plywood that is just slightly larger than the colomb and stake it to the ground thru that. Then just cover with dirt. The hand doesn't move the colomb at all. It is very light. It only takes about 30psi to activate. There are two cylinders that I made from copper tubing. The big one runs the hand and the small one runs the door. Each has an internal spring but the door cylinder has a much weaker spring so it activates first and closes last. Bought most of the parts from Ace hardware.

[allreagray]

Thought I'd add my gate to to mix. 2x4s, pink foam and a lot of carving.

http://www.halloweengallery.com/displayimage.php?album=435&pos=1

[Dreadnight]

Now that is some beautiful stonework! Great job....

[fontgeek]

BTH, what are you using to keep the columns upright?
What did you use to make the wrought iron work?

[BTH]

Fontgeek, I attached a square of plywood to the bottom of the colomb and used tent stakes to pin it down. Had some heavy winds and no issue. My "rot" iron fence is the typical 1/2" PVC and 1x2s. It is approx. 5' tall and I alternated decorative finials and some 3" skulls that I cast from a Harley Davidson gearshift knob. Don't have any digital pics but will post when I get it out of storage in another month.

[Coonce-Ewing]

Kevin242 - Can I ask for some more information on your pillars and arch? How are the winds in your area? I've got 2 8' tall pillars that are just about 2' square and I've had nothing but problems getting them to stay upright. Then I'm also trying to figure out how to build an arch across them. Is there anything inside your foam arch to help give it integrity? How is it attached to the pillars on each side? Do your pillars break down for storage? That is another problem I have, storing two 8' tall pillars. I'd need a 13' or so wide arch if I build one and I have to admit that I wonder where that would go as well.

[Coonce-Ewing]

Here is a picture of mine. They so desperately need some work. The first problem is that they are very unwieldy at 2'x2'x8'. I have a 2x4 frame with foam on the outside.

I want to "cap" them and then put some kind of arch on them. I was trying to figure out how to use PVC to make some kind of "wrought iron" cemetary name but I'm not sure how to make it strong enough as it needs to span the driveway so my wife and I can use our driveway during the month of October :-)

http://www.coonce-ewing.com/images/halloween2003/driveway.jpg

[kevin242]

First of all, let me say that I think your pillars rock!
My pillars are anchored to the ground with 3' stakes, they come apart for easy storage (we have a really big, dank 100 year old basement). The arch is 3 layers of 1" foam sandwiched together with constuction adhesive and screwed until dry, then shaped and through-bolted to the top caps that insert 4" into the tops of the pillars. The top caps are built from three pieces of foam (I used white styrofoam for the inserts).
The panels are connected at the corners with 6" coarse-thread screws. The entire structure is remakably stable, despite high winds (last year 60 mph were reported the day after Halloween and the pillars survived)
I drew a quick schematic for you.
http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/assets/images/pillarsscheme.jpg

Good luck!

[JustMatt]

I did things a bit differently than most of you. It can be windy here and I like to build 'em so they last.

This is 1/4" plywood anchored to upright 4x4s. Each pillar is bolted to a 4' square 1/2" sheet of plywood and held down with about 200 lbs. of rock.

I also attached them to the inside of the garage with steel straps, but this year I'll zip tie them to the carport (more room in the garage).

http://schie2k.com/112588f0.jpg

[Bram Bones]

I always thought this one was pretty cool from pumkinrot


http://www.pumpkinrot.com/images/2005_1.jpg

[tcarter]

here's my gate and "pillars" made these last year. thinking about redoing gate. ran out of time to do more with it last year.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m293/tcarter_02/halloween%202005/Gate_with_Tim_Far.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m293/tcarter_02/halloween%202005/GateCL.jpg

[Dreadnight]

tcarter - Those are stunning!! How about a how-to on the scythes?? Beautiful work!

[tcarter]

The scythes are just pieces of druftwood I collected from the bank of the Illinois River. I cut the blades oout of 1/4" plywood, and mounted them on the driftwood with a piece of about 8 or so inch" PVC with a slot cut down one side, I slipped the blade into the slot, screwed it in then screwed the other end into the driftwood. I then wrapped the bottom part of the PVC with some rope. This is the best pic I have showing the pipe and rope.
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m293/tcarter_02/halloween%202005/ReaperCL.jpg

[tcarter]

maybe this crummy illustration will show it

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m293/tcarter_02/halloween%202005/scythe.jpg

[ScareFX]

here's my gate and "pillars" made these last year. thinking about redoing gate. ran out of time to do more with it last year.

Those are really great! Nice work.

[Beepem]

heres mine,

wait...i dont have an entry way.

[Lilly]

TCarter:excellent reapers, like the skull heads on the gate tops also. Good work

[fontgeek]

Here is a picture of mine. They so desperately need some work. The first problem is that they are very unwieldy at 2'x2'x8'. I have a 2x4 frame with foam on the outside.

I want to "cap" them and then put some kind of arch on them. I was trying to figure out how to use PVC to make some kind of "wrought iron" cemetary name but I'm not sure how to make it strong enough as it needs to span the driveway so my wife and I can use our driveway during the month of October :-)

http://www.coonce-ewing.com/images/halloween2003/driveway.jpg
If you weld, or know someone who does, I would be tempted to make at least the framework for the arch out of rebar. Even if you leave the space for the name empty, and do the ornamentation in PVC or wood, the rebar could be left outside during the off season, and flat or satin black will tie in any lettering or ornamental work you add on. That 13' or so is a long stretch to go with PVC or conduit with any hopes of it being rigid. If you can weld, you can get premade decorations in iron from places like Ornamental Iron Works, they can be welded in, or you could use hose clamps if you want to be able to change things around in the future.

[JohnnyL]

Great gates and posts everyone, REALLY well done! This year I will be redoing all of mine (will be a lot of work but well worth it). I'm going more for a "fancy" look to go with the old estate theme. They'll all be stained and overgrown with vines as well. I'm working on ordering the lighting to go on them, which I'll have to then rewire to flicker like lanterns. A few will have urn planters on them as well. Should be a lot of fun, haha! I'll be sure to post pics.

[turtle2778]

WOW!!! tcarter, did you make the reapers holding them? Nice job if you did, they are wonderful.

[trishaanne]

OK, I've been debating posting these pics because they in no way compare to the work the rest of you have done, but here goes. These are the pics of the columns I made last year, which we are reusing this year.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/trishaanne45/album?.dir=ddd0re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/trishaanne45/my_photos

[Lilly]

trishaanne your link says;
The File You Are Looking For Is Inaccessible

Please sign in and try again or check with the owner of the file.

[trishaanne]

Thanks Lily...I had the setting wrong on it.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/trishaanne45/album?.dir=ddd0re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

that should work now.

[Vlad]

I like those Trish, but the driveway looks empty without our van parked in it, lol.

[trishaanne]

There's an easy way to cure that, my friend.........

[Lilly]

trishaanne those are cool and it gave me a great idea for some of mine that i hope to finish before the big day thanks.