[Wizard Of Oz]

HI All,,

This year we are adding an electric chair to our haunted house. Our guests will be able to sit in the chair and have a "friend" push a button which will trigger a smoke machine below them. Another switch known only by the hosts will momentarily turn on a sander mounted below the seat for some "good vibration" lol. At anyrate.. I would like to stain the seat which is sheet metal with some stain that looks like others who sat there well enjoyed their trip lol. I'd also like to stain around the wrist area to simulate shocking residue and I'm thinking a blow torch might work on the wood. Over all I love the chair but it looks too new and unused. Any thoughts?

Cheers

Wizz

 

[wackychimp]

I'm not sure about the metal, but I'd find the reddest wood stain I can find to put around the wrist areas... splattered like blood.

you can also weather it with black latex paint mixed with water and sprayed from a spray bottle. Letting the mixture pool and run will help give it a weathered look. Apply, let dry then repeat a few more times as needed.

looks cool!

 

[J-Man]

Staining the metal is gonna be a little tough to do without your "victims" ending up with it on their pants. You could try lightly using the torch on the metal just to give it more of a "used" look.

 

[Wizard Of Oz]

Thanks for the ideas.. I'll try the spray bottle idea for sure. Is the mixture mostly water ???. I definitely do not want to leave stain on my guests , at least ones they don't create themselves hahahaha. It just would look really cool for a nasty stain right in the middle of the seat

 

[SkeleTom]

I would think the effect you would want would be the opposite: an oxidized sheet of metal with a comparatively shiny spot in the middle that gets polished from regular use. That's what wear patterns would look like.

Maybe use a patina agent to age the whole thing and then polish the center of the seat somewhat. Then add some grime around the edge of the polished area to represent skin oils et cetera that didn't get wiped off from the wear pattern.

 

[SkeleTom]

As far as distressing/aging the chair, I would suggest finishing it with a medium-light colored oil stain, followed by several coats of wax. Then sit in it with wet, grimy hands and watch what happens to the finish where you grip it. It should rough up the wax some and also mix dirt into the lifted surface. Also, try sitting in it with a long sleeved shirt, and notice where the buttons hit the arms. Put in some dings and scratches on the wood, in the sorts of places you can imagine the chair getting banged into during use.

 

[Nebulosity]

There's a way to oxidize metal to age it quickly... it involves spraying white vinegar. I've seen it on those home improvement shows but don't remember the details.

Oh look, here's an instructable! It might go too far but you should be able to adjust it to get the desired affect.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Produce-a-Rich-Rust-Patina-on-Iron-and-Steel-Safe/

To prevent any aging from getting on your guests' pants I'd suggest sealing it with clear spray paint or similar.

 

[Wizard Of Oz]

Ok here is where I'm at so far. I've used vinegar and a blow torch on the chair to give it this look. I'll look at that instructable now.. What about the bolts and screw heads,, any ideas on how to make them not look new?

Wiz

 

[Wizard Of Oz]

That instructable looks good

 

[Beaver State Rich]

Put some finger nail gouges on the end of the arms. Also, in states that dont pack the bowels with gauze the condemmed will evacuate and the seat will exhibit a bit of baked on nasty. Re: bolt heads a light dry brushing of brown will knock down the shine. For an aged patina dont forget about good old wood stain, wipe on wipe off.

 

[icyuod2]

Getting rid of square corners (sanding edges round) is a great way to give the illusion or age/wear.

 

[Wizard Of Oz]

Thanks everyone,, here is where I'm up too.

 

[Wizard Of Oz]

And from the side

 

[skunkman]

Looking great. I would add chin straps and replace the plastic conduit with metal conduit. Cheap at Lowes and HD. I love the sander idea. My chair used an electric drill mounted to an oval piece of would - more of a thumping than vibration.

 

[jschwinck]

Built this last year for my dad and his haunt. The picture shows it right before I gave some final touchups. I may be changing up the paint and aging as it didn't turn out what I expected but for the first try on this prop it doesn't look bad.

 

[Wizard Of Oz]

Thanks for the advice everyone.. I'll scrounge around and see what I have here in the house. Jsch your chair looks nice

 

[Wizard Of Oz]

The sander on the metal seat makes a fair bit of noise and the vibrations are certainly noticeable lol

 

[StormyNightDesigns]

Looks great, I need to build one for my living room haha.

 

[jbaum]

Ace hardware sold a paint rust kit if you want a rusty seat. I left mine original metal color. I agree with replacing the flexible conduit with EMT. Might consider putting the strobe light in the hood for the head. I had a used sander attached to the bottom of the seat and after a hour or so it almost caught on fire. Time for a new one.

 

[MattDermott666]

That's really cool! My neighbor's friend was an electrician and for Halloween they set up an electric chair and when they flipped the switch it made a loud shocking sound and scared the crap out of everyone. I'll ask him later if he happens to know how his friend set it up.