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Was watching a Harry Potter movie and loved the 'floating candles' in their cafeteria! How to do that???
The candle tubes are made from fluorescent light protective covers (Home Depot or Lowes), less than $2 each - I'm trying the large ones (~1.5") and the small ones (~1 1/8"). Cut them to the lengths you want (1' to 1.5') and then cut the 'top' to make it look like it's been lit a long time (lots of hills and valleys). Use a hot glue gun to add the 'melted wax' look to the outside. I spray painted them with an off white, and plan to accent the drips with a black paint pen on one side and maybe a red paint pen below the drip (simulate blood).
The flame:
I have a bunch of submersible led lights (Amazon: search for 'submersible white led lights) left over from my son's outdoor wedding a couple years ago. Mine have TWO coin lithium batteries (CR2032) that last at least a couple days).
I bought ten 10mm flickering LEDs from Evil Mad Science shop (http://evilmadscience.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/333). A good price cut from the individual price!
I tied thin fishing line through the wire leads and superglued them to the top - this is what the candles will hang from! Then I took CLEAR hot glue and SLOWLY added glue to the LED - hold it upside down/right side up - to get the form you want. USE A GLASS OF VERY COLD WATER - DIP THE LED/GLUE OCCASIONALLY - TO KEEP THE GLUE FROM SAGGING TOO MUCH. Also, use layers and be patient! Create the shape you want - it took me about three LEDs to get the look I wanted. Then take YELLOW glue sticks and add a small layer at the bottom and lower sides of the flame. Look at a candle flame and try to re-create it - the majority of the flame should be white! I also use a heat gun to smooth the outside. You now have the flickering 'flame'.
Unscrew the submersible LED. Pull out the top circuit board with the LED. Using a soldering iron, unsolder the white led. Cut off the protective semi-circle plastic that covers the LED. Take your new 'flame' and feed it thru the plastic cover and solder (add extra solder) it to where the original white LED was (+ is the long lead from the 'flame').
Now figure out how to secure the 'flame' to the candle tube. The small tubes require you to cut the tube to accommodate the slightly wider submersible led housing - the larger tubes need your imagination to hold it in place. I think mine will be a touch of superglue or hot glue. I plan on trying to either hang them from a tree, or maybe a 'mobile' type arrangement. The fish line should be painted/magic markered black from the top of the flame to where it is hung (at least 5' ???). I'm also thinking of lighting the candle itself with a submersible light from the bottom - I'll have to try that to see how it looks.
If you do this, let me know how it worked. I should be done with mine in the next few days and will try to post a pic.
The candle tubes are made from fluorescent light protective covers (Home Depot or Lowes), less than $2 each - I'm trying the large ones (~1.5") and the small ones (~1 1/8"). Cut them to the lengths you want (1' to 1.5') and then cut the 'top' to make it look like it's been lit a long time (lots of hills and valleys). Use a hot glue gun to add the 'melted wax' look to the outside. I spray painted them with an off white, and plan to accent the drips with a black paint pen on one side and maybe a red paint pen below the drip (simulate blood).
The flame:
I have a bunch of submersible led lights (Amazon: search for 'submersible white led lights) left over from my son's outdoor wedding a couple years ago. Mine have TWO coin lithium batteries (CR2032) that last at least a couple days).
I bought ten 10mm flickering LEDs from Evil Mad Science shop (http://evilmadscience.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/333). A good price cut from the individual price!
I tied thin fishing line through the wire leads and superglued them to the top - this is what the candles will hang from! Then I took CLEAR hot glue and SLOWLY added glue to the LED - hold it upside down/right side up - to get the form you want. USE A GLASS OF VERY COLD WATER - DIP THE LED/GLUE OCCASIONALLY - TO KEEP THE GLUE FROM SAGGING TOO MUCH. Also, use layers and be patient! Create the shape you want - it took me about three LEDs to get the look I wanted. Then take YELLOW glue sticks and add a small layer at the bottom and lower sides of the flame. Look at a candle flame and try to re-create it - the majority of the flame should be white! I also use a heat gun to smooth the outside. You now have the flickering 'flame'.
Unscrew the submersible LED. Pull out the top circuit board with the LED. Using a soldering iron, unsolder the white led. Cut off the protective semi-circle plastic that covers the LED. Take your new 'flame' and feed it thru the plastic cover and solder (add extra solder) it to where the original white LED was (+ is the long lead from the 'flame').
Now figure out how to secure the 'flame' to the candle tube. The small tubes require you to cut the tube to accommodate the slightly wider submersible led housing - the larger tubes need your imagination to hold it in place. I think mine will be a touch of superglue or hot glue. I plan on trying to either hang them from a tree, or maybe a 'mobile' type arrangement. The fish line should be painted/magic markered black from the top of the flame to where it is hung (at least 5' ???). I'm also thinking of lighting the candle itself with a submersible light from the bottom - I'll have to try that to see how it looks.
If you do this, let me know how it worked. I should be done with mine in the next few days and will try to post a pic.
