Halloween Bloodbath Fountain

I haven't ever participated in an Instructables contest so I thought I'd make something for this one instead of just stalking other people's projects. You can make this without breaking the bank, and the construction is pretty straight forward so anybody can make it.

Step 1 Materials

The materials you'll need are pretty inexpensive, and you may have some of them already!

• Large basin (Size and shape is really up to you! I used a large Tupperware storage bin I had in the shed. You can make a smaller or larger fountain depending on your size constrictions.
• Great Stuff Expanding Foam- I used 3 cans for my fountain. Larger or smaller ones will take more or less of course. It's twice as expensive at home improvements stores than Wal-Mart by the way.
• ""Spray Paint"" - Whatever colors you want. I ended up with Almond, Aluminum, and black.. but made it work out alright in the end. Though I should have bought two cans of black instead of one.
• Masking Tape - You'll need strong tape to both secure things until you can foam over them, and to mask off areas you don't want painted on.
• Fountain pump with tubing - If you want a large fountain you can purchase just a pump for garden use or if you want to go cheaper just buy a table fountain from the thrift shop, Wal-Mart, Dollar General, ect.
• Water - Water for the fountain of course!
• Red food coloring - Lots of this! I used a whole large bottle of red, and it wasn't enough!
• Cardboard - You just need one large section for the backing - But you can add more if you want other shapes. Foam from packages works good for this too!

Optional

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• Bones - I used a 'bag of bones' I bought on sale last year after Halloween, but you can omit this if you want just the rocks or to use something else too!


• Tea Light Candles - I thought candles made it look cooler, but you can get rid of them or probably even sub for plug in lights!
• Cobwebs - Just for show!

Comments

[xanthony69]

Here's my take on it.... I still have the pump to install and I have spaces for LEDs to provide a spooky glow...

[DIYDragon]

Cool! : D

[tinker234]

wow amazing i love the look of it i hope to make mine around hawollen

[estephensen]

Amazing idea! Can't wait to try it!! And to think, I just cleared out a bin I was going to give away...

[meganmorgan]

I make this without the fountain part, I decided to use it to decorate the trashcan that will have our keg in it. Make it look real spooky.

[zippo52]

I made my own this year. It was a huge hit, thanks!!

[amberbrowning7780]

im so excited ive been looking for a progect that i can do with my kids and i think they will love this ill just put some little paper masks on them and let them help me thank for sharing i cant wait to start!

[knobby_]

this is so cleaver and cheap! awesom

[Raycaster]

A caution on the Great Stuff, which is great stuff, and the candles. I'm pretty sure that even cured it is pretty flammable. A working fire extinguisher should always always be close by and your fake blood may not be enough in the case of an inferno. Still very nice and thanks for the instructable.

[DIYDragon]

Yes, not a good idea to leave the candles unattended. Though I made sure to position them so the flames wouldn't come into contact with the foam. If you look close at the candle to the left, up top you can see that one burning the foam. lol!

[Raycaster]

Ah, yes. I had noticed that. It was more directed at anyone putting their own together. I'd hate to see anyone's festivities ruined. :)

[crapflinger]

not being mean here but...i think it would be better if you covered up the RIP part....kind of a tacky addition to an otherwise awesome doodad... are you pumping fake blood (sorry too early in the A.M. to read the whole thing)? or do you plan on using it as a punch fountain for a party?

[DIYDragon]

Yeah.. I didn't like the RIP part after I did it either. Didn't come out as cool as I expected it.. There's not really 'fake blood' in it because.. 1.) Required too much ingredients for the size of the fountain. You need lots of corn syrup, and color per part water. 2.) I wasn't sure how well thicker substances would go through the pump since I figured it would have to work harder to move them and it's not very strong. So, I currently just have red colored water in it. Might be cool with punch though!

[OnePrettyThing]

This turned out great! I also LOVE that you did it so inexpensively. I'll be linking to this.

[derbyj]

I love it. So simple and versatile, heck you could make one for x-mas too! I can see it now Dr Seuss theme. Great idea!!

[DIYDragon]

I was actually already pondering something for Christmas with more foam! ... But not a fountain. : )

[rickyd!]

very nice, but wouldn't a stronger backing like plywood be a better idea?

[DIYDragon]

Probably, but I wanted to make this an inexpensive project using mostly stuff I had laying around. As I said you can of course use this idea with other materials. If you wanted a 'year round' fountain then yes, plywood would be grand! : ) I'm not depending on the cardboard for strength though - It just holds up the foam until it dries. The Great stuff is pretty durable believe it or not!

[GM1983]

This is awesome! Thanks for the instructable, I'll be making my own tommorow :D

[JakeTobak]

Ha! Awesome. Great Stuff expanding foam is right up there with PVC pipe and duct tape.

[canida]

Excellent idea! Embedding everything in painted spray-foam sounds dead easy - I'll have to give it a try too. Nice job.