Help making Electricity

[mothmonty]

Couldn't find a place to introduce myself, anyways names Greg, avid costumer new to prop making. As per the title I'm looking to create a current of electricity between my fingers. My wife saw a guy in an Electro costume who could create a blue current between his fingers at Dragon con (no tubes or anything). I'm not sure if he had a wire or what but I would really like to be able to do this for my new costume project. Has anyone else attempted this?

 

[JBReplicas]

Umm they did it in Back To The Future didn't they so a Delorean, A Flux Capacitor and some wire and your set. All joking aside, welcome to the RPF :thumbsup

 

[clarence]

Wet fingers and a twin wire from wall socket would do the trick.also create new hairstyle.I had better welcome you as I suspect you might not be here much longer:angel..Welcomps ps. Good luck in your really novel idea,If you ever manage it can I have your props?and your motor

 

[micdavis]

To jump the electodes and make an arc, it takes on the order of 10,000 volts per inch.

Looked into it for the LIS Robot.

Even if you achieve it. Most convention organizers would throw you out for doing it.

My advice.

Don't.

 

[Contec]

strip a tazer and use that to get a arc between your finger

 

[mothmonty]

strip a tazer and use that to get a arc between your finger

Danger... Danger... yeah, I'll just have to learn to create force lighting through Ki energy I guess, or maybe sparks??
Here's a pic of the electro from 2004, he apparently has improved on his 'lightning' since then

 

[the_batdemon]

He did use a stripped down stun gun for an earlier version of his costume.

 

[Trooper_trent]

if instead of having an arc between your fingers, you'd be satisfied with being able to give people a zap at will when touching them, there's an aparatus that magicians use. It's not harmful or dangerous if used properly and can deliver a bigger zap than just rubbing your feet on the carpet and touching a door knob. PM me if you're interested and I'll point you in the right direction.

 

[T2SF]

Ebay:
Slim BLACK COBRA STUN GUN 500,000 volts.

A electronics guy can rig you something simple, get the arc without the amps. Rubber body suit is good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vowx9r-Nso

ebay:
magic touch, electric

 

[Newbie Doobie]

strip a tazer and use that to get a arc between your finger

lol:lol

 

[Chiok]

There's a fellow on Instructables called Plasmana who specialises in crazy things with high voltages and has guides on how to make various things such as this Marx Generator:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build_a_simple_Marx_Generator/

Insulate yourself very well and I imagine you could make some big sparks by putting the electrodes on the fingers. How you carry a power supply around, I'm not sure; might have something to do with lots of disposable camera flash units.

I personally wouldn't use the Marx generator, that many amps is just scary. How about igniting thin strands of steel wool for sparks instead? You can do that with a 9V battery.

 

[Laffo]

I personally wouldn't use the Marx generator, that many amps is just scary. How about igniting thin strands of steel wool for sparks instead? You can do that with a 9V battery.

That produces BURNING STEEL WOOL not sparks.

Laffo.

 

[Darth Lars]

If you want to make something that looks like an arc between two fingers, then you could use electroluminescent wire (EL wire), which is a glowing type of wire. You could use makeup to hide the electrodes going up your fingers.

EL wire also runs on very high voltage, but at low current and can be fully insulated so I think that it could be much safer than a real spark. You need a driver (called "inverter") for it.
There might be some old threads left about how to make lightsaber blades with EL wire.

 

[mothmonty]

If you want to make something that looks like an arc between two fingers, then you could use electroluminescent wire (EL wire), which is a glowing type of wire. You could use makeup to hide the electrodes going up your fingers.

EL wire also runs on very high voltage, but at low current and can be fully insulated so I think that it could be much safer than a real spark. You need a driver (called "inverter") for it.
There might be some old threads left about how to make lightsaber blades with EL wire.

The EL wire is probably the best and safest way to go. Thanks for the input and advice.

 

[Neon Sentry]

What about thin strands of fiber optic cable?

Give it a few sharp bends to give it the proper look, mount the ends on strobe-style LEDs, and lightly sand the surface so that the entire length illuminates and not just the (hidden) ends. Could work...

EL wire would most likely get the job done, and photograph wonderfully, but would be clearly visible when turned off.

 

[Chiok]

What's a spark if it's not a rather hot particle of metal? Wave it around you've got sparks. 9V battery and a brillo pad is one of my favourite ways of lighting a fire.

EL wire is a safe and effective alternative. I think it comes as thing as 1.2mm. Thread it through the tips of your fingers and keep you hands in your pockets at other times

 

[SgtFang]

I've never seen the movie, but Kenneth Strickfaden apparently did something close to what you want, for one of the old Fu Manchu movies with Boris Karloff.

He used copper fingernails with wiring running up the sleeve and out his pantleg, so that when Karloff caressed a prop sword, there were little arcs of lighning playing from his fingertips across the blade.

This isn't much, but it's all I can find at the moment-

Kenneth Strickfaden, Dr ... - Google Book Search

Good luck!

-Sarge