Category: Product Reviews

FSP Limited! (and some new projects.)

Like I was mentioning, I’ve had this plan to bring some high voltage into the Lab setup.

First and foremost among those plans was a Jacob’s Ladder.

I have been researching on how and where to buy or acquire the parts, and plans, and having little in the way of luck. Now, sure, there were “free plans” out there. They all left something to be desired…

And, other places wanted upwards of $20 just for the plans.

As mom will attest, I’ve had a long and glorious history of really screwing up with electricity. Including knocking out the power to our house at 4 years old, and being close enough to lightning on several occasions to see the plasma linger in the air as the bolt dissipated, feeling the heat, and once being knocked back (a metal door I was next to, I was inside, was hit)

So, I was not about to go about my typical muddle through it exercise with this one.

Finally, I stumbled upon FSP Limited.

Not only did they have NEW transformers for a reasonable price, but plans specifically for THAT transformer, and a kit to build a science kit for Kyle that included a couple experiments other than the Jacob’s ladder.

For us, it was a no-brainer.

Parts arrived promptly, and the instructions were clear and concise.

So, Kyle demonstrated his project to his scout troop last night, wowing everyone there, including the adults. (They’re working on the engineering badge) We’ve even agreed to take the entire lab setup over in a couple weeks to show them all the engineering they’ve been working on. Pulleys, switches, circuits, and catapults. Bob and the Lab bring it all together, so I get a test run, and the kids will get to have some fun.

Now, the thing is mine to adjust just a tad for a more Halloween-centric purpose.

If you’ve EVER wanted a Jacob’s ladder, or just want a project for your kid’s science fair, or similar, you really can’t go wrong with FSP Limited’s Kit.

From Lab

NOW, I’m thinking I might actually have use for their jet kit as well…but more on that later.

Anyhow, obviously, the Jacob’s ladder will be added to the lab. I want some slightly taller poles for it, and I’m going to enclose the ladder to keep any wandering fingers in that setting.

If it weren’t raining now, I’ld also be working on the ‘generator’ I intend to build.

The fan case just screams ‘generator’ to me. We’ll get some video of the intended effect as soon as my wife wakes up and can tell me where she’s hiding the video cam…

From Lab

Colorflame.

Another little product review. (yes I’ve been shopping lately…)

Colorflame.

From Halloween buildup 09

Now, long time readers will know, I have had a long history of searching for a viable means of creating green flames for my torches. From shopping, to creating my own formula:

From Halloween buildup '08

So, it’s no surprise when I saw this stuff at the local grocer (of all places), I had to give some a try.

Now, the colorflame comes with a new wick, and 8 oz of fluid.

One immediately notes the short wick…

The instructions state that colorflame will only work with fiberglass wicks, and is best used with a new wick, and not mixing colors.

So, our first test was to put some of the purple colorflame into an empty oil candle in the bedroom. Since the oil candle has a smaller wick, I carefully cut the wick, which was actually a number of smaller wicks woven together, and removed one of the smaller ones, and inserted it into the oil candle.

Allowing to soak, we lit the wick. Well, we attempted to. Allowing to soak much longer than recommended by the instructions, it lit…into a small orange flame…

This is the same trouble I was having with my home brew. The brew would burn (insert color here) just fine, but add a wick, and orange is what you got. From the wicks themselves burning, I assume. Still, perhaps it was contamination from oil used in the candle years ago?

Tried it with the candle’s original wick. Same problem.

Undeterred, we grabbed a full size test.

Brand new Lamplight Farms replacement canister for a tiki torch. No chance of contaminating the fuel.

Results?

From Halloween buildup 09

Well, it’s KINDA green…

It’s actually more green in person, just won’t photo quite right.

From Halloween buildup 09

But, it’s nowhere near the homebrew’s pure, clean, GREEN.

From Halloween buildup '08

Color me unimpressed. (yes, bad puns abound…)

The fuel FEELS thicker than your standard lamp oil, and this may explain the apparent wicking problem. The short wick they provide, and the smaller canisters they SALE make me believe they are aware of the wicking, and have figured the maximum length into their kits.

Still, if you want the colorflame for a short (2 hour) use, it may well be worth the novelty.

For me, Green Fire will await my further refining of the home brew.

The Island King: 2009 redesign

It was brought to my attention that Lamplight Farms has redesigned the Island King Tiki Torch in 2009.

As such, my little review there is out of date. So, we set out and purchased one of the 2009 Island King Tiki Torches this weekend.

From Halloween buildup 09

Gone is the 3 piece pole that so troubled me with the 2008 version. Single piece construction makes for a much sturdier and hassle free pole.

Also new, the canister now sits directly on top of the pole. In 2008, the canister was offset.

From

I have no doubt this was done for safety measures, as the directions state, there are 3 means of securing your Island King.

1. Use a Tiki brand torch stake
2. Use a Tiki brand torch stand
3. Bury at least 8″ in the ground.

Only makes sense that the pole is more sturdy with the weight centered on the pole.

Ironically, however, there is now no pole to strike to achieve those 8″ to bury the thing. I can’t exacty fault them for attempting to push those stakes and stands on us. Good business sense, if annoying…

The canister itself seems to be a touch on the flimsy side. In fact, I visited 3 Wal-Marts looking at these. The first Wal-Mart contained no Island King Torches that were undamaged. Presumably during shipment and handling. The second Wal-Mart had mostly intact torches, but I decided it unwise to attempt to cram one into my little car. The third (closest to home with the bigger vehicle) had a mix of damaged and undamaged.

2 points seem to absorb the damage. The decorative wind break at the top, and, more concerning, the area where the canister attaches to the pole.

From left to right: 2009 Island King ($15), 2008 Island King ($20), $2 Tiki Torch

From Halloween buildup 09

As mentioning last time, to get the most of your Island King out of the box, er, wrap, as it is now, you need to modify that pristine wick.

From Halloween buildup 09

Cut those outside strings, and fan it out just a bit to make it look like the natural wear a wick receives.

From Halloween buildup 09

The 2009 redesign does have a slightly smaller canister than 2008, but if there is any less capacity, it was imperceptible to me when filling and carrying. And, that smaller size does not appear to affect the performance.

Again, from left to right: 2009 Island King ($15), 2008 Island King ($20), $2 Tiki Torch

From Halloween buildup 09
From Halloween buildup 09

Out of curiosity, I placed my ‘mini island king’ modification, an unintended side effect of the witch skulls, on the $2 torch.

From Halloween buildup 09

So, what’s the verdict?

Finding some undamaged Island Kings might be a challenge, and there would be the concern of damage occuring during storage. The cheaper cost is certainly attractive, and if you find them on clearance, all the better. But, is it worth 7X the cost of a regular torch? Well, that’s up to you.

Edit: I was in Home Depot checking out some different torches someone had pointed me at, and I noticed the Home Depot version of the 2009 Island King Tiki Torch STILL comes with the 4 piece pole in a box, but it now screws into the BASE of the canister, much like the WalMart version. I’m not shelling out $15 to see if the pole connections have been improved, but the CANISTER appeared to be of a higher quality than the WalMart cansiters, feeling a tad more durable. The boxes sure prevented shipping damage MUCH better as well. The Island Kings there were in pristine condition.

Horror Flesh, Spirit Gum, and Liquid Latex

Figured I may as well do some product reviews as long as I’ve been trying some out.

Now, first off, a little history. Back when I was 8 or so, I decided to start experimenting with my own makeup. Back then, there were none of these fancy prosthetics you just buy and glue on, but there were the tools to make whatever you want. I became rather good at it…to a point where I was asked to leave work (burger king) because my makeup was making some customers sick.

However, It’s been 8 years since I touched the stuff at all, and 15+ years since I have seriously used anything. Opting for masks as opposed to makeup because kids sometimes need to be showed it’s pretend.

That’s changing for the school carnival. And, I set out to make some prosthetics for myself. (None of the premade ones were right.)

Then, I saw Horror Flesh in the store. I had seen this stuff previously, and have always wanted to give it a try.

From An UnOrthOdOx Halloween

The stuff is supposed to make cracks, wrinkles, and etc easily. The big “wash with soap and water” was the first red flag.

The package reveals 2 means of using the product: “Apply a thin layer for an aged look, or use the stippling sponge to provide a zombie look.”

Ok, fair enough. I spread half in a thin layer with my finger, attempted to use the stippling sponge, only to get the sponge all gunked up with this stuff, but proceeded with it anyway.

Within 15 minutes it was dry, and cracked, and looked very much like the picture on the package. I was prepared to write how wonderful it is.

THEN….it started falling off. Everywhere. This was definitely more pronounced with the stippling than with the smooth layer.

So, overall, I’d give this stuff 2/5. It’s ok for the smooth layer ‘aged’ look, and good for a photo shoot, but worthless for wearing it for several hours.

Next up came Spirit Gum. This was a product new to me. Used to Liquid Latex, and failing to find it ANYWHERE in the stores, this spirit gum claimed to be used for gluing on prosthetics, which is all I really needed, so we gave it a shot.

Spread on, let dry, adhere the prosthetic. Simple idea. The stuff makes a sticky goo that never truly “dries”, and has about as much adherence as a post it note. Absolutely worthless for wearing it for hours.

A closer inspection of some of the KITTED prosthetics revealed they came with spirit gum AND liquid latex. Seems the spirit gum is really there to hold the item in place long enough for the latex to dry. That makes sense, actually. It’s unnecessary, but it makes sense. 2/5 for misleading packaging.

FINALLY, I had to seek out over the internet to acquire some Liquid Latex.

From An UnOrthOdOx Halloween

After having seen it in NONE of the stores, I ordered it through Amazon. Of course, then a few days after, I saw Fundaze and Holidaze had restocked some…so, anyone in Utah looking for some, that’s the place. (In fact, they have the BEST of everything around this year, period)

THIS stuff is where it’s at. You can do ANYTHING with it. You want to be a zombie, or you got a kid wanting to go the grotesque route? THIS is the stuff you’re looking for.

Need to glue on a prosthetic? Apply a thin coat to your skin where you want it, AND a thin coat to the back of the prosthetic. Let both dry, then attach it. An instant bond will hold the item in place while you blend in the edge.

Want wrinkles? Stretch out an area of skin, apply latex, let dry, let the skin go back, presto, wrinkles.

How about a nice rotting flesh, or burns, or etc? Apply desired makeup to your skin, let dry, apply the latex and let dry, peel up the latex how you want, the makeup color will come with the latex. Now paint in the ‘bloody’ area under where you just peeled, and add some fake blood if you so want.

(it’s important to paint a undercoat before applying fake blood to make it look ‘right’)

(And, the skin is green because that’s what I have on hand. I also don’t have any fake blood right now, but you get the idea…)

From An UnOrthOdOx Halloween

Easily 5/5. Still the best stuff on the market (for us amateurs).