Special FX: Almost-free Squirting Blood Effect

This instructable will show you how to make a Swiffer WetJet mop into a sweet squirting blood effect. Also included is a cheap way to make fake blood. Add on the optional circuitry, and you can get a pretty decent heartbeat effect to boot.

I will update this with more pics, when I make my second unit. (I mistakenly didn't take any while I made the first one.)

Step 1: The Supplies

Ingredients:

1 Swiffer WetJet - these tend to break pretty easily, so mine was free
1/4" Clear vinyl tubing - length is up to you
1 Hose clamp - as small as you can get
Something to put blood in
Fittings (If you need them for the blood container)
1 SPST switch
4 AA Batteries
Battery Holder (if you want to be fancy)

Optional:

555 Timer IC
5v regulator
potentiometers
capacitors
power transistor
(I'm not being specific on purpose. Read on for details.)

Tools:

Set of KEYED Torx wrenches - special tools that are great for lots of special jobs (See Picture)
Scissors or other cutting implement
Metal file - fine is better
Flat head screwdriver, or nut driver
Soldering Iron + Solder
Wire strippers

Comments

[Marth433]

Someone should take the sharp part and REALLY squirt blood on people.

[cvillewill]

The "blood" you used looks an awful lot like the stuff from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Somewhere I heard that they used tomato soup...

[giarme]

Could you be more specific with the fittings for the bag (sizes and where to purchase) and how you connect it to the intake of the pump. Is it possible to use the battery pack and switch that comes with the swiffer?
Thanks
Mike

[cowsfeelchicken]

on one of the DVD extras, or maybe it was the commentary, i think it was maybe terry jones who said that they used this stuff called kensington gore, theres a bit about it on addikipedia

[that_one_guy]

I've heard that elsewhere, but I don't know whether it is true or not that they used tomato soup. Seems logical though. It may just be my camera + the lighting. I happen to know that my camera's autobalance tends to be on the red side - to help bring out flesh tones. It could also be because there is a lot of green in the frame. I would also suggest that filmmakers and theater people try to do these same things, no matter their particular blood formula. (create big contrasts that favor red, like using green or blue in the background)

[incorrigible packrat]

I just gotta ask, which coffee shops get liquid coffee in a bag, rather than in bean form? Other than Tim Horked-Ons,of course, who get their coffee by tanker truck, and store it underground, like gasoline. Perhaps they use old gasoline tanks, judging from the taste...

[that_one_guy]

The bag comes from the inside of a cardboard disposable coffee dispenser. I didn't want to pack around a bunch of cardboard, so I recycled it. They are also great for heating up water on camping trips for hand washing and showering. Solar Power!

[asianwizard]

am i able to fill this stuff with paint? and use it as an air brush?

[XHorntail]

If you put a 6v capacitor in series with the batteries/motor, you'll have a dealy after flipping the SPST, but after you toggle it back off, the stream will slowly die down. You could also toss in some solid state relays and use a sort of relay/capacitor ladder to get a burst effect, but that's a bit more expensive. For those who can't code their own controllers though, it'd suffice. Although, a potentiometer you hold in your hand would probably be easoer now that I think about it.. lol. anyways, great instructabe! never thought to salvage that for a pump, tons of uses, I'm sure!

[wiebevandomburg.hotmail.com]

or -instead of using capacitors,-you could steal one of those flickering lights on the street when they're working on that street,and use the pulse generator.

[conn067]

A way of making fake blood that I've seen is mixing syrup with food colouring.

[badrang4]

try staplin the end to make the blood a scatter

[Pull and Twist]

Good instructable... very detailed. I'll have to try this one out... never would have thought about salvaging a Swiffer WetJet for the pump.

[sgt.paper]

awsome

[JWilly48519]

Film/video work in one take, with disposable costumes and disposable or waterproof props and set dressing, can use any blood formula. Theatrical work, and other contexts where you're going to do the effect more than once, need cleanability. A reasonably good theatrical blood formula is corn syrup, liquid dish detergent and food coloring as required. The corn syrup and detergent are both soluble in either cold or hot water, or dry cleaning fluid. The detergent helps to minimize binding between the dye and the fabric or other washable porous material it contacts. Definitely avoid things like chocolate milk, chocolate syrup or gelatin that contain proteins and thus can be set by the heat of a clothes dryer or iron, or sometimes by air-drying. Plus, they're difficult to dissolve with dry cleaning solvent.

[that_one_guy]

Simple problems have simple solutions. Wear darker colors - T-Shirts are best since they can be replaced Use as little fabric as possible - a probable reason for slasher films being kinda racy Tide Pen - it's your friend, and when kool-aid blood is in small quantities, you would never even know it was there 10 minutes later.

[James (pseudo-geek)]

wow cool. I wont be building this (no reason to, I dont even have a video camera) but I now know where to find a small water pump which I've been wanting for a long time...

[Chris Bilton]

will the fun never end!! it's worth the ruined cream coloured carpet for the look on their faces...whoops, I should have done it outside...

[Mr. Smart Kid]

great value wallyweorld

[MadMechanicMike]

haha i just happen to have an old swiffer laying around. seriously. lol ive been looking for something that can do this for one of my movies. i never thought of a swiffer, sweet thanks.

[zawert]

Cool idea yes, but in my movies i find that a 50 cent syringe and vinyl tubing work just as well. Funny you also mention the use of cherry powder, I regularly buy 5 pound tubs of the no name stuff at the store. In my opinion you should alaways add chocolate milk mix because i shows up better on camera and is far more realistic.

[zale]

This will be great for making an Evil Dead the Musical costume... I can't wait for Halloween.

[PetervG]

Almost-free? You need a Swiffer WetJet

[that_one_guy]

Find a broken one. $20 is what they cost, and the little plastic bits aren't really designed for scrubbing. If I had paid for every single bit of the device, including tools, it would have been well over $50. You can use the pump for other things too.

[HeresyOfTruth]

I agree. Those swiffers break pretty easily down at the mopping head. That definitely leaves you the working bits. Very cool instructable, by the way.

[CarpetGnome]

B-E-A-Utiful. As a fan of B movie/slasher flicks, I am jazzed to see more like this. Thanks and A+