2020 Summer of Scenery - Part 3: Explosion markers

 Kaboom!  Who doesn't love some light-up explosion markers?

An AFCFA patrol comes under heavy fire from Commonwealth artillery.

 A very quick and easy project for a Sunday afternoon with Number 1 son.  Hot glue gun, tea-lights, black spray paint and a pair of pliers are the starting point for this.  Inspiration came from Black Magic Craft which has loads of great ideas and is well worth a look if you haven't already come across it.

Tools and materials.

The first task is to remove the plastic caps over the tea-light LEDs.  Number 1 son was pleased to get a go with the pliers for this part.

Removing the covers over the tea-light LEDs.

This should let the light from the LEDs fill the smoke cloud a little better.

Tea lights ready for glue.

Next, we need some polyester fibre stuffing.  I suddenly realised that I'd forgotten to get out this key ingredient but I knew we had a bag somewhere...

Don't forget the polyfibre!

We pulled off 4 good tufts of polyfibre of a suitable size for smoke clouds.

Smoke clouds.

Now the hot glue, the part to which Number 1 son had been most looking forward.  A circle of glue on the top...

Hot glue around the top of the tea-light.

... is followed by a wiggly line around the side.

More glue round the sides.

The polyfibre tufts are squidged onto the glue.  Once the glue has cooled and set, the smoke columns are gently shaped.

Don't look like much yet.

The next step was undertaken by just me, spraying the smoke black.  This particular brand of spray is especially pungent so best used outside.

Pffffft.... nice black oily smoke!

Once the paint had dried, I decided to add an extra spray coat of matt varnish to make them a little more resilient.

First coat of black paint done.

Altough not visible in these pictures, the flickering action of the tea-lights really adds to the effect of the explosions.

Kaboom!  Whump!  Kathoom! etc.