Electric Flame for your Fireplace! (ITS - 21)

[@markaes]

I made roughly the same thing and been using it for about 5 years. Cost about $15. Its doors open and I have 3 bulbs in flicker mode underneath crinkled orange and yellow tissue paper with real burned logs and a speaker playing fireplace sounds. Its all triggered to turn on and off with the old fan remote control. I think these solutions are better than a commercial electric fireplace. A lot of guests assume its real before taking a close look. In the future I'd like to add rotating led light flames projecting onto the back wall or maybe put a 4k tv with fireplace screensaver behind everything.

[@StanFerris]

Adding the sounds is a pro touch, Mark! Nice!

[@gavinrichardson3918]

I did something very similar to this for a garden chimera, except I actually set the logs on fire let them burn for 20 minutes and put them out!

[@StanFerris]

Great idea, Gavin! Thanks!

[@dan5660]

Thanks for this! The same faux fireplace log effect I've been trying to engineer in my mind. Looks great👍

[@StanFerris]

Thanks, Dan. I had to replace the bulbs last year as we wore them out leaving the thing on. But we still use ours all the time!

[@wilkins296]

This is exactly my challenge now, thanks for inspiring me :)

[@StanFerris]

All the "magic" is really in the bulbs.

[@wilkins296]

@@StanFerris I'm planning to build a 'recessed' (4ft wide X 2.5ft tall) fire pit and intend to use 4 - 6 flame bulbs behind reclaimed logs with an LED strip directly underneath the wood to shine the light on wood to replicate burning embers. The biggest part would be the fact I'm intending to use a radiator behind with the intention to create a 'funnel' where the hot air will be channeled up to the base of the fire pit (hot air escape grills directly behind base of fire....and have it directed using aluminium to flow the heat directly out of the fire pit itself (obviously keeping heat from hitting lighting or any wood) Wish me luck!

[@StanFerris]

@@wilkins296 Sounds like it will be awesome! If you take pictures or post a video of it, be sure to add a link here for it!

[@wilkins296]

@@StanFerris will do!

[@arsbadmojo]

I made one very similar, but also added an "ember bed" made of a coiled string of orange LEDs covered in STUFF expanding foam and spray painted black. I really, really want to add some sort of either projected flames onto a plexiglass plane or maybe focus a red and orange LED on a piece of tulle blown by a small fan.

[@StanFerris]

Sounds really cool!

[@dalekendall1353]

Great Idea. Thanks for the info. I’m going to make one

[@StanFerris]

Thanks, Dale. I leave mine on for days at a time and so I'm on my second set of bulbs, but it gives a cozy feel to the room.

[@dalekendall1353]

Do the bulbs last a long time?

[@StanFerris]

I think so. Only my second set of bulbs in 3 years, and they run 24/7 most of the time as I forget to switch them off. Might last way longer if I used them normally. :)

[@mr.lourod6175]

Thank you for sharing. Will be making something very similar and with the same bulbs.

[@StanFerris]

We enjoy it a lot. In fact, I never got around to burning real logs this winter... just switched on the bulbs! I also made a smaller version for my 7.5" rail gauge locomotive for its fire box. Thanks for the comment, Lou!

[@sharonscaletta2417]

Do the light bulbs get hot ? I love this and I’m going to try it I already have a light in my fireplace and I had an idea to do this but you did such a great job … really looks great

[@dissonum]

Love it! Now if I only had a fireplace.... By the way, could this be scaled down as a project for something like a dollhouse fireplace?

[@StanFerris]

Definitely, just get the small voltage dc version of the bulb.