Road Flare (The Thing)

[Boneman]

Been searching for a while now and haven't been able to find any kind of prop Road Flare, so I'm taking a stab at making my own, complete with LED effects. This came about as a wanted costume accessory for my MacReady Final Battle Cosplay Costume (The Thing). I wanted the flare to light up bright with some red LEDs, perhaps hidden in a small amount of polly-fill smoke.

LED Lighting

I started out by contacting Evan Designs, who manufacture various mini and micro LED products use for scale model kits and train setups. I outlined what I was trying to do and they immediately got back to me with a combination of several products that fit the concept I was needing. They set me up with the following:

1. Red "Lightning Effect" LED/circuit (LED Size: Mega)
2. Several "Flickering LEDs"; 2 Red, 1 Orange (LED Size: Mega)
3. 2 AA Battery stick holder (for 3VDC operation)
4. Micro Switch - momentary ON function (press to turn ON, release to turn off)

Cost of LEDs was $38.55 USD

Did some initial testing and I think I'm happy with the result. I think I need to find some small gems or crystals to bounce and scatter the light around a bit more so I'll be thinking on the best way to achieve that, but for now they seem to do the trick. I don't think it will be as bright as I would like it, but I'm dealing with a very compact size and limited power source. The LEDS are controlled by a momentary ON micro switch.

Flare Body/Construction

I'm using some 1.075" OD electrical conduit with about 0.75" ID to store the batteries and electronics. Road Flares seems to vary in length between 16" and 12.3" as semi standard sizes, based on burn times (15min vs 30 min). The batteries and holder JUST fit inside, like JUST!

I plan on drilling a hole for the micro switch to be mounted up inside the body, with the button poking through to the outside so I can press to activate the flare.

More to come over the next few weeks....

 

[Astyanax]

Love this! Following with interest, hoping I might learn a new skill or two!

 

[Boneman]

Worked on digitally creating the flare 'wrapping' today. Spent a lot of time searching the web for all the info and text printed on an Orion road flare. Probably would have been easier to just go out and buy some. Anyway, I got close and close will be good enough considering I will be holding it in my had and covering up 80% of it. I will print it out on some dark red construction paper, then wrap and glue it to the conduit.

Fun fact, the manufacturing date is the release month and year of 'The Thing' movie and the bar code is "The Thing 1982".

 

[chibobber]

I have lite hundreds of these. Coat your label in melted wax. Get that genuine feel. Also if it is a road flare/fusee, it will have a nail spike at the cold end to drive into the ground or asphalt.( or the trunk of a car as it blows through your stop command.)

 

[Boneman]

I have lite hundreds of these. Coat your label in melted wax. Get that genuine feel. Also if it is a road flare/fusee, it will have a nail spike at the cold end to drive into the ground or asphalt.( or the trunk of a car as it blows through your stop command.)

I plan to use a craft sealer like the one I used to give my dynamite sticks that waxy look.

No spikes as theree were none in the movie (and nails/spikes are not Comic Con friendly)

 

[Boneman]

Did a test print on plain 8.5 x 14 Legal paper and checked the sizing and fit of the wrapping graphics. I then laser cut some end caps out of arcylic.

Since I'll need to access the batteries, I secured the bottom end cap with 3 small screws and added alignment markings.

 

[CB2001]

Looking good so far.

 

[Boneman]

Ideas keep changing as I think and re-think how best to go about making this.

Push Button
I was originally going to have a momentary on micro switch poking out of the body about half way up. However actually trying to install one in this position, inside a 0.8" ID tube is not exactly easy. Plus I would have to extend the button itself as it would be too short/small to poke through the conduit wall thickness. So I'm opting to go with a latching On/Off push button in the base of the flare. Aesthetically this will look better as nothing will be protruding out the side of the flare and less visible. I will have to re-work the bottom end cap again to accommodate this new switch.

Making Flames
Been thinking of a way to 'scatter' the LED light a bit and came up with using some plastic 'crystals' in a plastic bottle (old Krazy Glue container). The plastic container fits very well over the conduit and I trimmed the 'cap end' off for a cleaner fit.

I also have some small glass bottles that fit INSIDE the conduit perfectly. Smaller diameter and less room for crystals, but I may go towards this direction. I plan to pour epoxy inside the container to secure everything and for added protection.

I will add some poly-fill 'smoke' around the outside to further help hide and defuse the LEDs.

Here is a test video of the LEDs within the container.

As with most projects, the design is constantly changing on the fly, which is always part of the fun of making something! Stay tuned!

 

[Boneman]

The Latching ON/OFF push button switches arrived so got busy reworking the end cap to accept the switch. I ended up cutting two, 1/8" end caps to beef it up and to give me more area for drilling and lining up the set screws that secure it in place. This worked out very well and also has the set screws no longer right at the end of the conduit. Went with 2 set screws instead of 3 (trimmed off the conduit end a bit to get rid of the previous holes). I also inset the whole switch/end cap assembly up into the conduit to both help hide and protect the switch.

Some black paint and highlighted the alignment marks and we're looking good!

A Happy Accident!

Had one of those "lucky/no fricken way" moments when it came to figuring out the flame end in regards to the clear 'cap' on top. I was thinking of a way to secure the clear cap from my previous post, when I found my pack of mini glass jars I bought from the Dollar Store a few months back. Well, turns out they were a prefect, and I mean, PERFECT fit inside of the conduit! The jar cap was a nice pressure fit and stopped on the flange. This now gave me a base to secure and screw in the glass top!! This also makes it removeable should I ever need to get into the flare from the top or to fix/replace something!

I'm using one set screw to pinch the cap seated into the top of the conduit and cut a hole into the cap to allow for the LEDs and wiring to pass through.

Worked a bit more on starting to wire everything up. Now just have to figure out cutting down some of the plastic gems to fit into the smaller diameter glass jar and arrange the LEDs. Once that's figure out, I'm probably going to fill the glass jar with clear, or slightly tinted (red) epoxy. This will lock everything in place and give it some additional strength and protection.

 

[chibobber]

You can look into a smoke generator for an added effect. I think they have small ones for model railroad steam engines. Looking great.

 

[Boneman]

You can look into a smoke generator for an added effect. I think they have small ones for model railroad steam engines. Looking great.

Yeah I was going to look into that and is a cool idea, however smoke generators are not allowed into Comic Cons.

 

[chibobber]

Bummer!

 

[Boneman]

Bummer!

I know, right!

 

[greenmachines]

I plan to add some smoke effects on my Bill and Ted's booth and hadn't remembered the train effect. Noted.

 

[Boneman]

Printed out the flare text/details on two differnt colours of red 12" x 12" construction paper. I was looking for 8.5 x 14 (Legal) but couldn't find any, so trimmed the paper down to 8.5 x 12 to fit in the printer and told it it was 8.5 x 14.

I chose to use the more burgundy red and trimmed it out to fit the flare body. It's funny how incredibly difficult it is to keep everything straight when trying to apply it around a cylindrical object! I only needed some minimal trimming when finished. I used some thinned wood glue and secured it 8n place with cable tie wraps while it dried.

Once dried, I applied two coats of a craft sealer. This provides both a protective finish to the paper wrapping and gives the flare a simulated waxy finish that I wanted.
I used the same product on my dynamite sticks for my MacReady costume.

Wiring to the battery and switch is complete. Now to figure out and finialze the LED flame effect....

 

[Rymo]

Great idea using the craft sealer. It really does give it a shiny waxy coating look.

 

[Boneman]

The first version of my LED Road Flare is pretty much complete. I tried out a few different ideas and options for the 'flame' end and different LED placements and decided to just go with the following. It's not as bright as I'd like, but limited with the amount of LEDs and power sources I have (3VDC). In the dark it's actually the effect I'm going for, but not so much under normal lighting.

I cut some slightly opaque thin plastic (a cutting sheet from the Dollar Store) and inserted it into the glass top container so it will help diffuse and hide the LEDs. I then put in a small amount of polly fill stuffing for additional defusing and 'look'. After much mucking around, I decided not to bother with the plastic 'crystals' for scattering the light as once since the container is now defused, there wasn't much need for them. Keep it simple.

I cut some foam spacers on the laser cutter to help arrange and hold/support the LEDs.

Buttoned everything up and tested it.

A couple videos in different lighting conditions. I might add some polly-fill smoke around the outside of the top. Not sure yet as this setup is nice and durable.

Ended up making a protective cap out of an old 35mm film canister (yeah I'm that old). This acts as both some protection when transporting, as well as simulates the actual striking cap on a road flare. I laser cut some additional foam collars to give the cap a snug and secure fit around the glass flare head.

Thanks for joining me in this little endeavor. I think this will be a nice little addition to my RJ MacReady cosplay at the next convention. I'll update this thread with any pics of me with the flare at upcoming Comic Cons. If you haven't already, check out my RJ MacReady Cosplay build!

 

[greenmachines]

The first version of my LED Road Flare is pretty much complete. I tried out a few different ideas and options for the 'flame' end and different LED placements and decided to just go with the following. It's not as bright as I'd like, but limited with the amount of LEDs and power sources I have (3VDC). In the dark it's actually the effect I'm going for, but not so much under normal lighting.

I cut some slightly opaque thin plastic (a cutting sheet from the Dollar Store) and inserted it into the glass top container so it will help diffuse and hide the LEDs. I then put in a small amount of polly fill stuffing for additional defusing and 'look'. After much mucking around, I decided not to bother with the plastic 'crystals' for scattering the light as once since the container is now defused, there wasn't much need for them. Keep it simple.

View attachment 1754395 View attachment 1754400

I cut some foam spacers on the laser cutter to help arrange and hold/support the LEDs.

View attachment 1754416

Buttoned everything up and tested it.

View attachment 1754418 View attachment 1754419 View attachment 1754420

A couple videos in different lighting conditions. I might add some polly-fill smoke around the outside of the top. Not sure yet as this setup is nice and durable.

Ended up making a protective cap out of an old 35mm film canister (yeah I'm that old). This acts as both some protection when transporting, as well as simulates the actual striking cap on a road flare. I laser cut some additional foam collars to give the cap a snug and secure fit around the glass flare head.

View attachment 1754437 View attachment 1754438

Thanks for joining me in this little endeavor. I think this will be a nice little addition to my RJ MacReady cosplay at the next convention. I'll update this thread with any pics of me with the flare at upcoming Comic Cons. If you haven't already, check out my RJ MacReady Cosplay build!

That is a critical win for cosplay accessories!!! Talk about making the impossible happen. Walking through a CON with a lit road flare! And best of all the crazy application this would have for real world Halloween night. You just created the world's best safety flashlight and costume accessory.

 

[undeadpizza]

Looks fantastic!!

 

[OasisSupernova]

Been searching for a while now and haven't been able to find any kind of prop Road Flare, so I'm taking a stab at making my own, complete with LED effects. This came about as a wanted costume accessory for my MacReady Final Battle Cosplay Costume (The Thing). I wanted the flare to light up bright with some red LEDs, perhaps hidden in a small amount of polly-fill smoke.

View attachment 1749613 View attachment 1749603

LED Lighting

I started out by contacting Evan Designs, who manufacture various mini and micro LED products use for scale model kits and train setups. I outlined what I was trying to do and they immediately got back to me with a combination of several products that fit the concept I was needing. They set me up with the following:

1. Red "Lightning Effect" LED/circuit (LED Size: Mega)
2. Several "Flickering LEDs"; 2 Red, 1 Orange (LED Size: Mega)
3. 2 AA Battery stick holder (for 3VDC operation)
4. Micro Switch - momentary ON function (press to turn ON, release to turn off)

View attachment 1749591 View attachment 1749592
Cost of LEDs was $38.55 USD

Did some initial testing and I think I'm happy with the result. I think I need to find some small gems or crystals to bounce and scatter the light around a bit more so I'll be thinking on the best way to achieve that, but for now they seem to do the trick. I don't think it will be as bright as I would like it, but I'm dealing with a very compact size and limited power source. The LEDS are controlled by a momentary ON micro switch.

Flare Body/Construction

I'm using some 1.075" OD electrical conduit with about 0.75" ID to store the batteries and electronics. Road Flares seems to vary in length between 16" and 12.3" as semi standard sizes, based on burn times (15min vs 30 min). The batteries and holder JUST fit inside, like JUST!

View attachment 1749606 View attachment 1749607

I plan on drilling a hole for the micro switch to be mounted up inside the body, with the button poking through to the outside so I can press to activate the flare.

More to come over the next few weeks....

I just used a real one. Lol. Ignited it, and then quickly put it out. Wasn't able to re-light it either. I like yours better.