Ideas for making fake logs/coal?

ChasingtheWelshdream

This is a very strange question, but I'm wondering if someone has any creative ideas for a little project?

To pretty up a redundant chimney breast, I repainted an old broken woodburner, added some plastic pipe for a 'flue' and some flickering orange candle bulbs. It's quite effective in the daytime, but I would like to somehow make a more realistic 'glow' with the electrickery. It is purely for looks and a focal point. No heat required.

I tried putting logs in, but it just looks like, well, logs with random light bulbs dotted around....   I've been looking at electric stoves for sale and they have plastic logs/coal on top of the bulbs which diffuse the light, so I'm wondering how I would go about making something similar? They also seem to have the lights directed against the back/sides of the stove so the whole area lights up. 

I wondered if I could gently heat some milk bottles/plastic packaging and sort of re-form it over some real logs to create log shapes, paint with translucent paint, then put the light bulbs underneath. I vaguely remember doing some plastic forming in school CDT (far too many years ago), but am not sure of the terms to search for? I also thought of playing with fibreglass but I'm trying to save as many pennies as possible.

I am quite artistic and reckon I can paint/shape things to be realistic enough for my needs, but I'm a bit stuck on how to start.

I realise nothing will beat a real fire for looks, but as this is sadly just too uneconomical to reinstate for the foreseeable, I am making the best of what I have. We're fortunate to have a real woodburner in another room, so get my proper hygge fill too. ;-) 

So any and all ideas are welcome for my little make do and mend space!

Bendy_House

The forming of plastic sheet over the logs sounds good, but will be unlikely to work in practice.

For a start, if you form a sheet over a log, you'll end up with the hoped-for texture on the inside of the sheet. And 'hoped-for' because the texture won't transfer unless you use something like a vacuum-former or laminating bag to really get the sheet in tight contact.

And then there's the almost certain result that plastic packaging - milk bottle etc - will resort to their earlier memory when heated enough - they'll shrink back to near-now't!

So, you really want a translucent version of real logs? One that you can then colour and tint to look like logs, but to hopefully be clear enough to allow a red glow to come through?

The only way I can think of doing this is to first use a material to take a 'casting' of the logs, but bear in mind it cannot go even half-way around a log or else you won't get it off without splitting. What to use? Plaster-of-Paris? 2-part epoxy putty? Silicone rubber (probably best option)

Even this won't be easy, as you'll need to ensure it won't adhere to the log - no mean task.

Once done (if ever...), then you cast again inside this mould using a clear product to obtain the new 'log'. Clear resin? Clear sili-rub?.

This won't be cheap, and this won't be easy.

Alternative solutions? Don't reinvent the wheel - look around on Marketplace/Ebay/Gumtree etc for cheap, even broken, electric fires which already have this feature. Yes, they are usually not very convincing, but it's a starting point. You can always add a sprinkling of wood chips and detritus on it to disguise it further. You could even share it with some real logs, part-burned if that helps.

FreeBear

For the "real flame" effect, a small fan filched from a computer blowing air upwards. Fix some thin strips of suitably coloured crepe paper above and watch it dance around.

For glowing logs, translucent coloured resin would be the way to go. Maybe take some real logs, carve slots/holes in to them and fill the voids with resin.

theoretica

A cheap and easy to try idea would be the sort of papier mache which is tissue paper layers and dilute PVA glue.  There is a sweet spot where it is still translucent but will mostly hold its shape.  Might not work, but not much lost if it doesn't.

Or give up on realism and fill the fireplace with pinecones or dried flowers or something!

ChasingtheWelshdream

Mmmm…. thanks both. Food for thought and not as easy as I had hoped.

The window of the stove is very small, I don’t think it would show too much detail inside if I couldn’t get a realistic texture, but I can see what you mean Bendy. 

I had originally looked for an old electric fire hoping to use the whole electric bit, lights and all, but couldn’t find any small enough. I hadn’t thought of just grabbing the log bed.

And resin. Mmm… potential…. to doctor some existing real logs somehow. 

Got me thinking, thanks!

ChasingtheWelshdream

theoretica said:

A cheap and easy to try idea would be the sort of papier mache which is tissue paper layers and dilute PVA glue.  There is a sweet spot where it is still translucent but will mostly hold its shape.  Might not work, but not much lost if it doesn't.

Or give up on realism and fill the fireplace with pinecones or dried flowers or something!

Ooh! I have tissue and glue so wouldn’t cost me anything to try -thanks!

I’m not even looking for detailed realism, just something to make my light bulbs softer, rather than individual flickering spots.

ChasingtheWelshdream

Thinking about it, I’m effectively after a lampshade. A very specific lampshade that doesn’t yet exist, but a lampshade nonetheless.

So that’s taken me off on another thought tangent looking at other materials that might do….

kdotdotdotdot

Why not just buy the things? On amazon (and presumably other retailers) you can buy 'glowing logs' to put into a fire.  Like this one: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Artificial-Fireplace-Realistic-Flameless-Decoration/dp/B094QW7TRH/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=glowing+logs&qid=1634755357&qsid=260-2016572-3544150&sr=8-6&sres=B07HM64NFG,B094QW7TRH,B094PR5ZTX,B094N75CMD,B07YWLDWMP,B094N2PQYC,B01KJU0GP4,B07Z5YYN4K,B08NFBPSTL,B00NIL3I2K,B071D6MG4L,B07MXZ2J21,B08SLVYVVT,B08FXP8YL1,B07H7LWCQN,B01LXU6IK2,B07W9LVH26,B08WHWXQ7F,B09BQWWBZT,B08H5SXP5X

Bendy_House

Cheaper - and more glowing reviews; https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chilits-Flameless-Fireplace-Artificial-Realistic/dp/B094N2PQYC/ref=psdc_1938331031_t2_B094QW7TRH

ChasingtheWelshdream

Sorry for not popping back folks! See, I had been googling many other terms for something like you found on Amazon, but not glowing logs!

At first glance I was a bit sceptical because the dodgy review on the first link. But the video on the second link is actually just what I am after - a sort of random diffused glow. And the window in my stove is so small I think that could actually work perfectly. 

I had wanted to try and make something for free, but I'm thinking that would do the job better. Thanks all!

Bendy_House

Looking forward to seeing the result