Thread: How to create an ignis fatuus?

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Hello everyone!

(I don't know if the correct word in English is ignis fatuus... Here in Spain is fuego fatuo. You know, these blue little fires that float in the air to confuse lost travelers, according to the legend. I've searched the word online, and ignis fatuus is the translation. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.)

I have been thinking... Is there any simple way to make something similar to an ignis fatuus?

I have the idea of how to make it float (more or less), but I have to design the mechanism of the ignis fatuus... maybe some lantern with intermittences inside something of bluish color and that has a vaporous aspect?


Mmm... I don't have any idea. Could you help me?

Thanks,
Pablo.

(I know my English is not perfect, but I hope you can understand it...)

Your english is fine. :-) I had to look up what you were talking about, because i had never heard it called that before. I like your idea for the lantern. Would you use a light bulb of some kind or actual fire. I think a blue or green hue or paint to the lantern glass would be nice. You could probably put a piece of dry ice in it to get a slight vaporous affect.

How are you planning on using this?

Thanks for your answer!

I don't want to use real fire... I prefer creating an illusion, it's less dangerous.

I had thought in a lantern I have that projects a shiny blue light. I think I could put it inside a kind of sphere, and move it quickly... this is the basic idea, it must be improved.

I had thought in using dry ice, but I've never found it here! ¿Where is it sold?

I know you can get it here in the states at various places. I have no clue where you would get it in spain. haha Sorry!

Keep updating about this project. I'm very interested to see how it turns out.

There's a pretty simple way to create a fake flame illusion that looks great at night that can be tweaked for blue fire. You basically place a light in the bottom of a container (a basket, a flower pot, etc.) facing up. Then, place a small fan on top of the light. You then attach fabric cut to the shape and size of flames you want to the fan, turn everything on, and you have flames.

For blue flames, there's two ways to go. If you can find some blue lights (Christmas lights, perhaps?), you can use the standard white cheap fake silk fabric normally used for the illusion. The other way is how I'll be creating my flames for the haunt this year, and that's using colored tulle fabric. Tulle is the mesh-like fabric that's used for bridal veils and trims on skirts. It's very inexpensive and comes in every color you can imagine. There's various shades of blue and white that could be combined to look like blue flames with just a clear/white light under the fan.

You can experiment with the shape of the flame to get the specific effect you want. If you put the container high enough and paint it black or to hide it, it could look like the blue flame is just floating in midair.

The problem is, those lights move and sway around, like a lantern in the distance - thus travelers ending up lost in the woods or drowned in a marsh.

In folklore, the English tend to call them Will O' the Wisps. The idea was a trickster named Will was leading people astray - same legend as Jack O' Lantern. Jack was the Irish version of ignis fatuus, carrying hell's fire in a turnip (later, a pumpkin, carved with his face).

Idea - Get a decent fan. Buy LED tealights. Glue strips of blue tissue paper (onion skin or fake vellum) paper to the tealights. Hang these from fishing line at various heights. Aim the fan at these from a hidden position.
Turn on the fan and the lights.
They should sway and the blue paper should "flicker" like fire.

Thanks to all!

The idea is really good, I'll make some fires like this in my garden: they'll create a good effect.

But the "floating fire" is more difficult to make, because it has to be more little (a bit bigger than a tennis ball, more or less) and not so heavy, so I can't put a little fan inside.

The problem is here in Spain shops dont's sell the same thigs than there. I've been searching LED tealights for ages, and never found them...
That's the reason why I have to use the most simple materials... I can't make complicated crafts that includes LEDs or things like that, because I won't find them...

not as cheap but the first thing i thought when i heard this idea was to combine a prop floater with a moon jar. if you wanted a vapor trail you could even add a ultrasonic fogger in a little container of water behind the jar. I would buy most of the parts online anyway.

This is a really cool idea. Is it possible you could order the tea lights online?

(Dollartree.com)

Then you could simply attach them into a balanced hanging arrangement, a mobile, possibly attach them to an 'axworthy ghost' setup, they would appear to be floating and moving. Not sure how to arrange a mist feature though.

@ ylbissop: I really like the Moon Jar Idea! I look forward to trying this out.

One option could be a peepers ghost setup, where you have a sheet of glass/plexiglass angled towards the viewers and project the fire or image up to reflect off of the glass.