WARNING: YOU ARE WORKING WITH ELECTRICITY HERE. YOU CAN SEVERELY HARM AND/OR KILL YOURSELF OR OTHERS. BE CAREFUL. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU DIE AND OR KILL OTHERS, OR EVEN BURN YOUR FINGER. BEFORE ATTEMPTING, PLEASE CLEAR YOUR BROWSER CACHE, YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR WIFE FINDING WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING ONLINE EVEN AFTER YOU ARE DEAD. DO NOT COME CRYING BACK TO US IF YOU BLOW A FINGER OFF. REMEMBER, SORRY DOESN'T GROW THUMBS BACK.
I found this design from the Halloween Prop Master site here. And it was just what I was looking for... for a gas light effect, without using kerosene (or whale oil off the black market...)
Materials:
Cheap extension cord (I used a $1.29 6' extension cord from Home Depot)
fluorescent starter (Sylvania Part# FS-5, or FS-2, FS-4 WILL NOT WORK) - Found in the flourescent light fixture isle in Home Depot
5 Amp fuse
Mini-bulb holder (Westinghouse "Candelabra Base Keyless Sockets", part #70402, from Home Depot shown below), or, a regular light socket (cheap-o ceramic model from Home Depot, Leviton "Porcelain Lampholder", also shown below).
Light bulb
Tools:
Wire cutters
Wire strippers
Twist cap
Electrical Tape
Parts and Supplies...
Tools Required
Instructions...
Cut off the end of the extension cord
Strip the ends of the extension cord (this will connect to the lamp holder)
Splice one of the two wires up the line from the stripped end of the cord. It does not really matter where.
Strip the wire where you just made the cut
Strip the ends of the fuse holder
Insert 5 amp fuse into the fuse holder
Twist and cap off one end of the fuse holder to the splice made in the cord. This needs to go BEFORE the Flourescent Light Starter, not after. So, for reference, this would be on the end of the splice that plugs into the wall outlet for power.
Wire the two ends from the cord splice, and the fuse holder to the flourescent light starter as shown. You could even go as far as to solder them if you feel the need. Probably not a bad idea, as they will hold better.
Wire the leads on the end of the cable to the lamp holder
Tape off the exposed wires on the flourescent light starter
PLUG & PRAY!
And that's all there is to it. Simple as store-bought pie, or better yet, a Carvel Ice Cream Cake, Fudgey the Whale, mmm, tasty. Flickering may vary, due to wiring,
the starter, and the light bulb used. My best results have been with the smaller bulbs and sockets.
Other Resources and Links (credit where credit is due)
