Dynamite is universal. Thanks to decades of exposure in films, cartoons, television, and books everyone has an immediate appreciation for what it does. The average person could stumble upon a stash of det-cord or a shaped charge and just shrug their shoulders, but they instantly understand that a stick of dynamite goes "Boom". That makes it perfect for airsoft and LARP games set across a wide variety of time periods.
The standard stick of dynamite is 8" long and 1.25" in diameter. That just happens to be a standard dowel size as well, so a quick trip to the hardware store will give you enough material for an entire bundle of dynamite. If you don't have access to power tools the store will usually be happy to cut your dowel into 8" lengths for a small fee.
Once you have the dowels, print out a label for each stick of dynamite. Heavy brown or red construction paper is ideal, as is the paper used in grocery bags. Trim the labels along the marked cutting lines and then wrap it around the dowel, gluing it into place. A glue stick is perfect for this. There should be an overhang of about 3/4" on either side that you can then fold down and glue in place to cover the ends.
If you want to add a conventional fuse try using jute or cotton cord wiped down with black acrylic paint. Just drill out a hole in one end of the dynamite stick and glue the fuse in place.
The label is reasonably accurate for modern-era dynamite, but you should edit out the "CLASS -A- HIGH EXPLOSIVES LOT 725-06" lines if you're using it in the 1920s-1950s time span. Right click and "Open Link in New Tab" to get the full sized PNG. You can download a PDF of the label over here.
2 comments:
I'm a new Lovecraft reader (as of 2-3 months ago) and just wanted to say that I've been having a "blast" (har har) viewing all your previous entries. I went all the way to the oldest post. I paint resin-cast and 3D-printed props as a hobby and have already found lots of cool ideas here. Thank you!
Incidentally, I came across THIS forthcoming Cthulhu figure from Chronicle Books which comes out in September (and yes, I immediately pre-ordered it). I haven't seen it mentioned here yet so here's a link.
http://www.amazon.com/Cthulhu-The-Ancient-One-Tribute/dp/145214477X
Unfortunately there are no details on SIZE available. It's a book and figurine in a box measuring 4X3X6.5 -- given the low price I seriously doubt the figurine will be bigger than my thumb, but who knows.
Recently, for a Mad Scientist costume (Girl-Genius style), I decided to have a Self-Lighting TNT stick. The tube itself was the leg extension from an old walking frame, and the fuse was made from some thick embroidery thread, yarn would probably work too, first covered in craft glue, then twisted together (around a thin brass wire to be able to bend it) and left the loop outside. In that loop I inserted a tuft of gold embroidery floss for the sparks effect. Had I had any, I think I would also have used some reflective wire, for the photos.
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