Glow Ghost

by Kaptain Poiscaille in Living > Halloween

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Glow Ghost

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Solder badge Glow Ghost preview

Last year I've bought the Humble Book Bundle: Fan Faves + Digital Debuts presented by Make:!

It was a great Bundle with great books to read. While browsing for week-end projects to do with daughters, a few time before Halloween, I've noticed the Glow ghost project in "Make It Glow: Led Projects for the Whole Family" a book by Emily Coker and Kelli Townley.

It looks so great and simple to achieve with children that I had to do it.

As a DIY session with a friend and their children was scheduled for Halloween, before going out asking for treats, the project was perfect !

You can look at the initial project here : http://makezine.com/projects/halloween-2016-5-minu...

I've slightly modified it, as I was unable to get LEDs in my mess in the cellar, replacing the double glowie with some "learn to solder badge" I've got from maker faire Paris and Maker faire Lille.

Using solder badge have multiple advantages :

  • They blink
  • They change colors
  • It's a kind of upcycling
  • It is not destructive : at the end, you can disassemble the ghost and take back your badge

See in action in youtube

Materials and Tools

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For this instructable you'll need ...

materials :

  • a learn to solder skill badge, along with a batterie
  • a piece of white fabric
  • a plastic bottle, I prefer a short and large one. I used a water bottle of one liter.
  • Clear plastic lines or wire, nylon lines to hang up the ghost
  • Clear tape (I use blue only for photo illustration)

tools:

  • Scissors
  • scalpel, cutter or X-acto-knife (for the bottle neck, should be possible scissors)

Remove the Bottle Neck

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Remove the bottle neck with a cutter. It is easier than with scissors, but if you don't have a cutter use scissors.

Open the Bottle

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Use scissors to open the "belly" of the bottle.
You should be able to place the solder badge in it easily in the next step.

Place the Solder Badge

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Place the solder badge inside the bottle and tape it.

Imagine the LEDs will be the eyes of the ghost to place it best.

As the bottle will be closed, the battery must be in place and the badge already blinking.

Close the Bottle

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Close the belly of the bottle with clear tape (blue tape only for illustration : easier to see on photos).

Place the Clear Line

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Make a loop with the clear line, knot it.

Use clear tape to fix it to the top of the bottle.

Cover With Fabric

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With scissors, make a small hole in the fabric, pass the wire through it.

The fabric will cover the bottle.

Finish

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The Glow Ghost is finished !

You just have to suspend it where you want, at the ceiling or even at the handle of a bloom ;)