Rising Candelabra Prop

by BarrysPropShop in Living > Halloween

887 Views, 3 Favorites, 0 Comments

Rising Candelabra Prop

RisingCandelabraBWStill1.jpg
IMG_2961.jpeg
Rising Candelabra - First Demo on Stage

Our local high school summer theater program performed the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, "The Phantom of the Opera". The director asked me to create candelabras that rise from a foggy lake. (Maybe it should be called a "Rising CandelOpera"?)

There were several constraints; no trap doors, no available fly system overhead, the candelabras must be setup in only a few seconds, 5 to 6 feet tall, and limited budget. Ideally it would be triggered to rise automatically. As a theater prop, it must be safe and robust (or at least robust enough to survive the small number of runs and rehearsals).

I had several ideas, and prototyped some of them, until I came up with my final design. The following are some of the rejected ideas:

  • Scissor Lift
  • Pros: Low Profile
  • Cons: Complicated mechanism to extend the lift; ideas included linear actuator (expensive, and requires power), and motor (drill) with All Thread Rod (not strong enough, or requires external power). I also tried bungee cords but they were too powerful.
  • Air Bladder Lift or Air Mattress
  • Pros: Low Profile
  • Cons: Bladder has limited height, or requires air compressor, which is noisy, expensive, heavy. Air mattress may not be powerful enough to lift.

The design that I implemented was based on a seesaw mechanism. I considered different ways to raise the seesaw, including human operators hidden behind it, off-stage operator using a pole, screen door closers (not constant speed, not smooth), and bungee cords (difficult to adjust the force). I found that using a counterweight was smooth but tricky to get the weight just right to get an acceptable speed; if it was too heavy, the candelabra would rise too fast and then bounce back and forth until it settled in the vertical position. We decided to relax the requirement of being fully automated and allow an off-stage operator to control the rotation speed by releasing a string that is attached to the top of the candelabra.

There are a couple of important parameters to adjust in order to make this design work.

  1. Pivot Location
  2. Candle-Side Weight

There is a trade-off between how low the candelabra is when it is in its horizontal position, and the amount of counterweight that is required. The longer the counterweight side of the seesaw, the less counterweight is required (due to leverage), but this requires more bottom clearance to rotate to its vertical position, and hence raising its horizontal profile.

The candle-side should be as light as possible in order to keep the counterweight low and the counterweight side length small.

The candles on the top were made by modifying flickering battery-operated LED tea lights, and mounting on foam pipe insulation, which was used to keep the weight down. Originally I tried using wrought iron candle holders but the required counterweight would have been over 60 pounds (I used a luggage scale to measure the required force). The LED candles were found at dollar stores, and thrift shops. The decorative metal-work are candle holders that were found in thrift shops. The decorative piece behind the top candles is plastic edging (found at Dollar General) to keep the weight down. I wanted to control the LEDs with a single switch, so I removed the original candle batteries, soldered resistors onto each LED, and then connected the LED+resistors in parallel to a 4.5 volt battery pack with a single switch to turn them on (details below). I also connected a mechanical tilt sensor to the battery pack to allow the candles to turn on when the candelabra reached a desired angle. The tilt sensor was attached to the candelabra with removable mounting putty to allow easy readjustment.

This seesaw/counterweight mechanism can be used for Halloween props, besides a candelabra. For example, raising a skeleton, or mummy, or other character. Just keep in mind weight limitations.

Supplies

CandelabraTiltingWithWeightsAndPulley.png
CandelabraVertical.jpg
CandelabraHorizontal.jpg

Candelabra Base

The candelabra base contains two main parts; the fulcrum base, and the rotating candle support base which is attached to the fulcrum via a metal conduit tube. Please use the above pictures as a guide to create the candelabra base. The important concept is to keep the rotating candle support lightweight. I used the following, but other materials can be used. I also give an estimated cost for each of the materials. Total cost is on the order of $125 to $200, depending on options like casters, and rewiring LEDs, not including tools.

Candles

Tools

Build Rotating Candle Support Base

CandelabraTiltingWithDimensions.png
RotatingCandleSupportDimensions.jpeg

Build the rotating candle support base first. This will dictate the size of the fulcrum base. Use the above dimensions as a guide. Actual dimensions should be determined by the size of the weights and the desired width of the rotating support. Use 2-1/2 in. drywall screws for the 2x4s, and 1-5/8 in. drywall screws for the 1x3s. You may want to pre-drill holes for the screws; I use an 11/64 in. bit for the piece of wood I am attaching, and no hole for piece of wood I am attaching to (unless it is close to the end of the wood, to avoid splitting; use a smaller bit). Drill holes for the barbell handle (mine were 1-1/4 in. diameter), and insert the barbell handle before attaching the two sides together with a piece of the 1x3 at the top with 1-5/8 in. drywall screws. Drill 3/4 in. holes for the conduit pipe axel. Do not put the barbell plates on yet.

Build Fulcrum Base

FulcrumBase1.jpeg
FulcrumBase2.jpg
FulcrumBase3.jpg
FulcrumBase4.jpg

Build the Fulcrum Base, based on the pictures above.

The critical dimensions are the distance between the vertical supports, which should be wide enough and high enough to let the weights clear the inside when the rotating portion is vertical.

Two 8 ft. 2x4s are cut into the following pieces. To minimize waste, they are cut as follows (dimensions are inches):

1) 32, 24, 21, 18, (~1 inch waste)

2) 32, 24, 18, 18, (~4 inches waste)

The horizontal 21 in. 2x4 is used for two purposes besides strengthening the vertical supports; it prevents the candelabra from tilting too far forward, and limits the angle in its horizontal position. You may attach this piece now, or after putting the rotating candle support onto the fulcrum base. If done now, you may have to fine-tune it’s position later.

Drill a 3/4 in. hole in each of the two vertical supports such that the conduit pipe axel will be level. Optionally, attach four caster wheels to the bottom of the base. We like to use 8 x 1-1/4 in. Simpson Strong Tie Wafer-Head Screws for attaching casters since they are strong, have big heads, and no pre-drilling is required.

(Optional) Wire Candles to Power Pack

LEDsWithResistorsAndBatteryPack.png
IMG_4400.jpg
IMG_2818.jpg
IMG_2575.jpg
IMG_2581.jpg
IMG_2587.jpg
IMG_2590.jpg
IMG_4399.jpg

You can choose to wire all of the candles to a single battery pack, or keep each candle on their own battery. Please refer to the following link for details https://lighthouseleds.com/blog/how-to-wire-leds-101-wiring-leds-in-parallel.html. The idea is to solder a current-limiting resistor to each LED. I used 130 ohm - 1/4 Watt Metal Film, with a 3 AA Battery Power Supply - 4.5v, wired in parallel, per table in this link https://lighthouseleds.com/led-component-lighting/animated-leds-flashing-blinking/5mm-led-candle-flicker-round-top-leds/5mm-yellow-gold-candle-flickering-led-super-bright.html. Solder one resistor to the anode (positive/longer lead) of each LED. To connect the LEDs to each other, and to the power source, I used 22 Gauge AWG LED Extension Cable Wire Cord and 3-Way Wire Connectors - https://www.amazon.com/65-6ft-Extension-Connectors-Voltage-Stripping/dp/B09D17S6LR/. I soldered short segments of these 22 Gauge wires to the LEDs/resistors. I initially used Dupont connectors (picture above) to wire connectors to connect the LEDs together, but then used the 3-Way Wire Connectors since they seemed more robust and easier to connect. Wire as follows. Connect the other side of the resistors to each other and then to the positive voltage source (e.g., red wire). Connect all of the cathodes (negative) to the negative side of the power source (e.g., black wire). Note that different supply voltages, and different colored LEDs require different resistors. Here is a link to a good article on LED resistors and contains a resistors calculator https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/tools/led-resistor-calculator/.

I tested (10) LEDs (with their resistors) with the battery pack (photo above), and it lasted about 3 days straight.

Optionally, attach a tilt sensor to the positive voltage source (red wire), as shown in the picture above. Since I didn’t know how robust the tilt sensors were, I used Dupont connectors to easily remove them if they did it work well, which turned out true. I had to replace a couple of tilt sensors. Cut the positive (red) wire. Strip both ends. Place heat shrink tubing on each cut end and move the heat shrink tubing away from the ends of the wire. Solder on the tilt sensor. Slip the heat shrink tubing over the bare wires and heat the tubing so that it shrinks. I used the soldering iron to heat the tubes. The tilt sensor will be mounted to the side of the rotating candle support with removable mounting putty, in a later step.

Attach Candles to Top of Candelabra

I used foam pipe insulation as a candle stick, to give it some bulk since the candelabra was large. I attached tea lights with Gaffers Tape since this tape is non-reflective. I also secured the wires to the base with Gaffers Tape. Other ideas for candle sticks include, toilet paper rolls, or paper towel rolls. Try to keep the candles as light as possible to avoid needing too heavy of counterweights, or longer counterweight side of the seesaw.

If the candles are wired to a battery pack, test that all of the LEDs are working. If the tilt sensor is used, move the tilt sensor to the vertical position such that the LEDs are on. If they are not on, the tilt sensor may be upside down, defective, or not connected properly. Attach the tilt sensor to the rotating candle support after attaching the rotating candle support to the fulcrum base.

Attach Decorative Candle Holders to Front of Candelabra

Attach decorative candle holders to the front of the rotating candle support. I used a combination of screws and zip ties. Add more LED candles to the front holders, and connect to the battery power pack, similar to how the candles at the top of the candelabra are connected.

Attach Rotating Candle Support to Fulcrum Base

Before attaching the rotating candle support to the fulcrum base, insert the conduit pipe into the fulcrum base vertical supports. Cut the conduit pipe, leaving about an inch overhang on each side. Remove the pipe and drill an 1/8 in. hole, 1 inch from each end. Mount the rotating candle support onto the fulcrum base by inserting the conduit pipe into the fulcrum base, and into the rotating candle support holes, and then into the other side of the fulcrum base. Insert a 1-3/4 in. cotter pin into each drilled hole in the conduit pipe. Spread the cotter pins to prevent them from coming out of the pipe, and prevent the pipe from coming out of the base supports.

Attach the horizontal 2x4 onto the fulcrum base’s vertical supports, if not already attached, as described in Step 2.

(Optional) Attach Tilt Sensor to the Rotating Candle Support

F5MVX5VL7S7SUG0.jpg

Put the candelabra in the vertical position. Attach about an inch diameter of removable mounting putty on the side of the rotating candle support. Turn on the power supply. Move the tilt sensor to its vertical position such that the LEDs are on. If they are not on, the tilt sensor may be upside down. Embed the tilt sensor into the putty.

In the following steps, adjust the tilt sensor to turn on the LEDs when the candelabra is raised from its horizontal position.

  1. Rotate the candelabra to its horizontal position.
  2. If the LEDs are still on, rotate the tilt sensor while it is embedded in the putty until the LEDs turn off.
  3. Rotate the candelabra towards vertical to the position where the LEDs need to turn on.
  4. Rotate the tilt sensor until the LEDs turn on.
  5. Rotate the candelabra from its horizontal position to its vertical position and verify that the LEDs turn on at the desired candelabra angle.

Attach Counter Weights

Attach enough barbell plates and the barbell collars to the barbell handle so that the rotating candle support naturally rotates into its vertical position.

Attach Eye Screws and String

CandelabraEyeScrewsAndString.png
IMG_4405.jpg
IMG_4403.jpg
IMG_4402.jpg
Attach a 3/8 in. eye screw into the back side of one side of the rotating candle support, about 10 inches above the pivot point. The side that is chosen is the side that the operator will control the rotation speed. Attach another 3/8 in. eye screw to the fixed base, in line of the eye screw that was added to the rotating candle support. Thread the end of a spool of nylon string through the bottom eye screw, and tightly tie the end of the string to the top eye screw.

Optionally, create a spool for the nylon string out of a 6 in. piece of 1-1/4 in. PVC pipe. To transport the candelabra, I remove the two eye screws from the candelabra base and keep it with the PVC spool. I stored the spool two ways; over a nail inside of the candelabra, or adhesive backed hook and loop fasteners, as shown in the pictures, above.

Operating the Rising Candelabra

Rising Candelabra with String Spool
Rising Candelabra Prototype - Speed Control
Rising Candelabra - Testing Tilt Sensor

Here are some videos of operating the Rising Candelabra. Hold the spool with the string between the two fingers. Put the candelabra in its horizontal position, keeping tension on the string to keep the candelabra horizontal. Move yourself away from the candelabra, keeping tension on the string but unspooling as needed. When you are at the desired distance from the candelabra, let the weight of the candelabra slowly unspool the string in your hand.

Other Prototypes

Rising Candelabra Prototype - Bungee-Powered Scissor Lift
Rising Candelabra Prototype - With Weights, Without Speed Control
Rising Candelabra Prototype - Screen Door Closer

Here are some videos of prototypes of the Rising Candelabra.

Conclusion

I created the Rising Candelabra as a prop for a local high school summer theater program production of the musical, "The Phantom of the Opera".

Its design is based on a seesaw. It uses a counterweight to raise the candelabra. The advantage of this design is that it requires no external power, is quick to set up, and is robust. It is also very safe since there is only low voltage batteries, and there are no motors or high-tension springs. I rewired the candle LEDs to be powered by a battery pack with a single switch, to make the set up quick. I added caster wheels for quick setup on the stage, but these are optional for fixed setups. I added a tilt sensor to turn the LEDs on when the candelabra reached a pre-determined angle; this was not strictly necessary, but it added to the cool factor. To keep costs down, many of the materials were sourced from thrift shops and dollar stores, or reused from previous productions.

The mechanism that produces the rising effect can be used for other Halloween effects, such as making a character (e.g., mummy, monster) rise.

If this Instructable inspired you to make something, please write about it in the comments. I'd love to hear about it.

Have fun,

Barry