Blood Tubes

DarSax

Active Member
Hey all,

So we're doing Dracula in a month or so, and we need blood, blood, blood. I already found the unbelievable no-budget blood and bullets site (here) in an earlier post, but we're going to need more effects like blood packs and throat slitting and baby eating.

Blood seems simple in a lot of forms to do, but I'm wondering about supplies. Where exactly does one buy that thin flexible clear plastic tubing? Plumbing supply store? Hobby shop? Pet store (fish tanks?) Is there a good place to get pumps, valves, etc. too?

Thanksus. This is going to be rock. (and I'm also going to prank so many people in the process...)
 
Check your local Medical Supply House. That's the best place for flexible surgical tubing. That's the kind they use to tie off your arm before taking blood. There are also a huge amount of valves used inline for IVs etc. Another source that has come to be invaluble for me is the local High End fish / aquarium store. The high end airline tubing is very similar to sugical rubber tubing, however it tends to not degrade by extended exposure to liquids. Again there are also a ton of higher end valves and even little in-line spigots available these can really help in regulating the flow of blood etc. There are a ton of options from the movie industry for pulsing blood flows either actor operated or remote electronically operated. When you reach some decisions on how you want to go with those I might be able to dig up some sketches / diagrams of a few devices.
I love spfx. Blood ROcks ! < is that sick or what ?> :mrgreen:
 
Another source for tubing, connectors, etc is a laboratory supply house, such as Cole-Parmer, Fisher Scientific, and VWR. Though they have online resources, you'll be better off with a real catalogue to look through.

Joe
 
We did something similar to the throat slitting years ago when I was in middle school for Hercules but ended up abandoning it because the director thought it was gruesome. Instead of trying to hid surgical tubing under latex or anything in front of the neck, we took a peice of clear flexible PVC pipe from Home Depot and rubber air piston style thing (not sure of the name for it) but it was a cylindrical accordion shaped thing. We attached the pipe to the cylinder and ran the pipe under the clothing and down the right arm, to the palm of the right hand. He had to keep the side with the tubing facing away from the audience. Then, when it was time to slash his throat, Hercules pretended to slice [him]. Similar to a stage slap [he] threw his head and upper torso with the slash, and threw his right hand over his neck. With his left hand, he squeezed the cylinder (which was filled with fake blood) so the blood would rush through the tubing and out between the palm of his right hand and the front of his neck. [He] spread his fingers slightly so the blood would ooze from in between his fingers.

I don't know if this will work for you, but it worked for us (for the time we were allowed to do it). it looked good, but there is definatly room for improvement.

That's my two cents, hope I could help.

PS. The piping I believe was 1/4 inch diameter clear tubing. That's pretty flexible.

-stephen.
 
A syringe. I think that's what you're talking about there...

That'd work well. A 5cc or 10cc syringe with some blood in it, with a tube running up to it.

I second the lab supply store recommendation for the tubing. Fisher Scientific and Cole-Parmer are really good. (Actually, I'd go to Cole-Parmer for tubing, because they make a lot of pumps and may stock more tubing because of that. I actually have a 10-year-old or so Peristaltic Pump of theirs that I'm trying to revive for use).
 
Wow, thanks for all the replies, this sounds great!
 
One other place is if theres a ambulance co. around you or a hospital, alot of times things will go out of date and need to be destroyed. I get a ton of free stuff from these places in return for an add in the program alot of times. Stuff that would normally be cluttering their supply rooms for the pack rats term of "training aids"....even though theres enough to train for the apocolypse.
 
Coupla more questions about blood.
>How can I achieve stabbing well? I need two people stabbed with THE SAME STAKE and to star bleeding. It's easy enough to have them pop their own blood pack, but one issue-they're wearing black. So I was hoping for a splatter effect?
>On that Eejit's guide, they use a pesticide bottle to store and trigger-release pressure. WHAT ELSE OUT THERE CAN DO THIS!?!?
>How do you make blood capsules? Do they just have make-your-own-pills at drug stores like I kinda think they do?
Thanksus.
 
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Coupla more questions about blood.
>How can I achieve stabbing well? I need two people stabbed with THE SAME STAKE and to star bleeding. It's easy enough to have them pop their own blood pack, but one issue-they're wearing black. So I was hoping for a splatter effect?
>On that Eejit's guide, they use a pesticide bottle to store and trigger-release pressure. WHAT ELSE OUT THERE CAN DO THIS!?!?
>How do you make blood capsules? Do they just have make-your-own-pills at drug stores like I kinda think they do?
Thanksus.
Hmm could you make the stake sort of like a collapsable knife blade and Hide a Large syringe inside it. I'm thinking the kind they use fro Chemo-therapy Really large bore. have it rigged so that when the pressure is applied to the tip it colapses slightly and presses the plunger down which squirts blood out of several well placed "ducts" around the tip of the stake. Viola ! Instant Blood spatter, Gil Grisom would be proud.


Pressure vessels can be risky remember. There are a few options out there however that might help you. Check you local paint store. there are some units that you use to make "spray paint" out of your own paint. < I can't beleive I can't remember the name> They have a glass resovoir on the bottom the you could change out for a plastic one, and a regular spray paint type nozzle on the top. you could rig a trigger mechanism to use this unit to shoot blood through a well placed tube.

Health food stores are usually a good source for gellatin capsules. Or you could check with a compounding pharmacy. Or you could order them from Norcostco
 

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