I'd like to share with everyone how to make your own smoke columns for your dioramas.
Here's how it looks:
For the large smoke columns, as seen on the downed walker and crashed snowspeeder, I used:
Sheet style polyester fiberfill (this comes in a roll in the crafts section)
Loose polyester fiberfill (comes in a pillow shaped clear plastic bag, also craft section)
Fishing line
Small clamp or chip clip
1-3 screws
Black spray paint
Lots of glue (just some school glue is fine, spray glue is much easier. The glue needs to be sticky, but not necessarily super glue)
Measure from the ceiling to desired target (vehicle on "fire", building "burning", etc.), then add a foot to that measurement, and cut a piece of fishing line.
Put a screw into the ceiling (you may want to be the owner of your home to do this).
Tie one end of the fishing line to the screw, and double up on that knot so it won't slip from the screw as weight is added. Just let the line hang for now.
Roll out the sheet style polyester fiberfill, and you'll be cutting this to match the original measurement (before adding the foot) from the ceiling to the target. With scissors, cut the sheet so that one end, longways, is about an inch wider than the other end. So, the wider end goes toward the ceiling, and the narrow end will go toward the target. 3" on one end, gradually ending up 4"wide on the other end.
Now, apply glue on one side of the cut sheet that should look like a long strip.
Fold the glue covered side to the suspended line like a soft taco, and press flat with your hands along the entire length, and attach clamp/clip to both the screw and the top of the folded sheet. This will help support the weight until the glue bonds the folded strip to the fishing line.
Let dry for 30 minutes.
Start gluing small areas on the suspended strip, and then apply loose polyester fiberfill to the glued area and press for a moment. A small amount at a time. Repeat, until the entire strip is covered. It should be smaller at the target, and grow larger as the "smoke"rises toward the ceiling.
Lightly apply black spray paint. This will also help as an adhesive to help bond the entire smoke stack together. Lightly paint the entire stack. Step back, and see how many more light coats to apply. Don't apply too much at once, since you can't remove it without redoing it. 2 or 3 light coats, with a little extra in the nooks and crannies of the smoke.
Leave the clip on for at least 48 hours.
For larger smoke columns, like on my AT AT, I used 3 fishing lines. For the crashed snowspeeder, I used one.
Have fun!
Barry
Here's how it looks:
For the large smoke columns, as seen on the downed walker and crashed snowspeeder, I used:
Sheet style polyester fiberfill (this comes in a roll in the crafts section)
Loose polyester fiberfill (comes in a pillow shaped clear plastic bag, also craft section)
Fishing line
Small clamp or chip clip
1-3 screws
Black spray paint
Lots of glue (just some school glue is fine, spray glue is much easier. The glue needs to be sticky, but not necessarily super glue)
Measure from the ceiling to desired target (vehicle on "fire", building "burning", etc.), then add a foot to that measurement, and cut a piece of fishing line.
Put a screw into the ceiling (you may want to be the owner of your home to do this).
Tie one end of the fishing line to the screw, and double up on that knot so it won't slip from the screw as weight is added. Just let the line hang for now.
Roll out the sheet style polyester fiberfill, and you'll be cutting this to match the original measurement (before adding the foot) from the ceiling to the target. With scissors, cut the sheet so that one end, longways, is about an inch wider than the other end. So, the wider end goes toward the ceiling, and the narrow end will go toward the target. 3" on one end, gradually ending up 4"wide on the other end.
Now, apply glue on one side of the cut sheet that should look like a long strip.
Fold the glue covered side to the suspended line like a soft taco, and press flat with your hands along the entire length, and attach clamp/clip to both the screw and the top of the folded sheet. This will help support the weight until the glue bonds the folded strip to the fishing line.
Let dry for 30 minutes.
Start gluing small areas on the suspended strip, and then apply loose polyester fiberfill to the glued area and press for a moment. A small amount at a time. Repeat, until the entire strip is covered. It should be smaller at the target, and grow larger as the "smoke"rises toward the ceiling.
Lightly apply black spray paint. This will also help as an adhesive to help bond the entire smoke stack together. Lightly paint the entire stack. Step back, and see how many more light coats to apply. Don't apply too much at once, since you can't remove it without redoing it. 2 or 3 light coats, with a little extra in the nooks and crannies of the smoke.
Leave the clip on for at least 48 hours.
For larger smoke columns, like on my AT AT, I used 3 fishing lines. For the crashed snowspeeder, I used one.
Have fun!
Barry
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