How do you make fake corn stalks?

Tiff · #1 09-12-2008

I apologize if this has been asked before. But I'm doing a haunted house and my room, which is based off of the movie "Jeepers Creepers", requires corn stalks. I would love to use real ones, obviously, but unfortunately it's against fire code. So I need to make or possibly buy fake ones. The cheaper the better.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Systematic Chaos · #2 09-12-2008

Maybe crate paper? Seems like that would be against the same fire codes though. I'd try that and maybe very thin pvc.

joker · #3 09-12-2008

Found this on another forum thought it might help with ideas:

Quote:

Well, you can find pretty small PVC at most hardware places like Lowe's and Sears and such. The 1/2" is what you want. To paint it you'd have to make sure to buy plastic covering paint. If you get paint for metal it will just flake right off.

The leaves could be done easily enough out of scraps of material, the fake silk stuff or something similar. You can usually pick that stuff up pretty cheap, even some Wal-Marts have it. Just cut out the proper length and hot glue it to the PVC. If you want a little backbone to the leaves, it would be simple enough to glue pieces of drinking straws to the back where you couldn't see it.

The tassles might be a little harder to do, I'm thinking maybe you could buy one of those craft type corn broom things, and use clumps of that for the tassles by tying some together and sticking it in the top of the tube. They'd be easy enough to save for a few years and then replace if need be.

Lilly · #4 09-13-2008

I have thought about making these also and even started one but never finished. (I would need about 200 )
Roll up newspaper to make thicker if needed around a small dowel to stalk size you want. tape ends together
Get some old sheets and tea dye them to desired color
for corn you can use a piece of styro, glue your silk to end ( maybe real stuff or make some up)and glue leaf sections on (no wire in these)
after corn is attached, I would suggest you add some wire to end of corn.. this way you can duct tape it onto rolled paper or dowel before adding the colored sheets to stem.
Then a layer of thin glue as you attach strips to wind around or up and down length of dowel,

For leaves use same color sheet and cut out 2 leaf sections, with thin wire outline the leaf , glue down, then add glue to top of wire and place other on that wire..
you can then bend leaf to how you want it.

hope this makes sense

bolt · #5 09-13-2008

It might just be cheaper and easier to spray real corn stalks with fireproofing.....

Tiff · #6 09-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by bolt

It might just be cheaper and easier to spray real corn stalks with fireproofing.....

I'm really thinking about going with this idea. Only because it will save time and it will look a lot better. And maybe save money after buying all the materials to make them. Would you, or anyone for that matter, know where I can buy this and how much this stuff is? I know it'll probably be pretty pricy...

Also is anyone familiar with fire code? I know it's probably different everywhere, but just general things. If so, do you think I could get by if I just wet the corn stalks down each night before the haunt? Just squirt them down with a spray bottle or something every night? Idk.....just trying to save money!!

Joiseygal · #7 09-13-2008

Not sure if you want to go this route, but they sell fabric with corn stalks on it. I was a scarecrow one year and used if for the thing that was around me so it would give the effect of being in the cornfield. Oh and hunting supply stores might have something also. Good Luck!

Tiff · #8 09-14-2008

Alright, sweet! Thanks to everyone with ideas. I'm gonna try some of them and see what happens.
Thanks again!

Zombie-F · #9 08-26-2011

I was contemplating this the other day as I tire of finding corn stalks every year. Did a google search and came across this thread.

Then I got to thinking... if Bamboo stakes were used as the base for these, leaves could easily be made from paper or some other thin material and then stapled to the bamboo.

Then, coat the paper with something to protect it (latex perhaps?). A quick paint job and it would essentially be done... except for the tassel at the top.

Just thinking out loud (or typing out loud... lol).

Bascombe · #10 08-26-2011

I made a cornfield for Oklahoma out of bamboo tiki torches. I went to Biglots and bought up all their tikis at the end of the season, took the torch part out, then used floral tape to wrap cattail leaves and iris leaves up. I got some fake corn ears and put in them in a few places. For the tassel I went to the craft store and bought picks for Christmas trees. Spray painted the whole thing and had a cornfield. Here's a pic
http://entertainment.webshots.com/ph...03267948lOvFpF