Dropping Real Leaves

[Amiers]

So we are doing some fall presentations. We want to drop some leaves for the added effect.

We are a small inside place so idk of I want to go the fan route even though that is the easiest way as we have an upper seating area to blow where we will be doing this effect.



That being said I would like to hear what the masses say.

 

[Skervald]

Is there any way you could set up a sling trough (like one would do for artificial snowfalls) and fill it with leaves instead? Usually there are slits along one edge for the snow to fall through but I think you'd have to experiment with different hole sizes. Maybe long rectangles? Leaves would probably disperse quite nicely depending on the distance they fall. I know you don't work in a traditional theater space so this may be impossible to rig safely but it was the first thing that came to mind. I suppose you might need to work out some sort of masking for the contraption as well since you probably can't count on a well placed border.

 

[Van]

OMG ! I designed several "Leaf drop machines" for a Director I used to work with all the time. over the years I used them to drop leaves, feathers, snow in isolated places, Paper "letters" in Eurydice.... Let me look in my machine at home tonight. I just recovered a tons of stuff I thought I had lost on a crashed Hard drive. If the design is not there I can put it together pretty easily.
It used a little shaded pole gear motor and an impeller made from pvc pipe and rubber strips. stupid easy and they were each maybe 24" so you could do real isolated areas.

*** edit: Oh and i forgot; We used "real" preserved leaves. you can order them from several places online or pick them up at floral supply places. They impregnate the leaves with Glycerin, it keeps them from crumbling when they run through the machine... and they don't turn to dust when you sweep them up... but they aren't greasy. and they don't look fake at all.

 

[Amiers]

We don't have a traditional theatre space you are correct. This effect only has to be used for 3 maybe 4 presentations. So it doesn't need to be to complex unless I can sell it for snow as well. I look forward to seeing some of your designs.

 

[Malabaristo]

In addition to the concern of crumbling and messiness, you also need to think about the fire hazard that real leaves would create. Finding fake leaves that are fire-resistant may be easier than trying to treat real leaves to be safe.

I made a machine for dropping fake flower petals that worked really well... might even have been inspired by a comment I came across here, but I don't remember for sure. The design is basically the same as a gel scroller except with a long strip of fabric instead of gel. You roll the fabric around one roller with the petals (or leaves or whatever) sandwiched inside. As the fabric unrolls from one side and rolls onto the other, the stuff inside falls out. If you have a slow moving motor drive it, this can create a very nice, even effect.

I've since used it for money and snow, but the version I made isn't really wide enough for a good snow effect. It worked in that case, because the playing area was very small.

Attached are some instructions I made when I loaned it out once.

 

[Skervald]

Love the concept @Malabaristo. What kind of motor did you use?

 

[Amiers]

Very nice concept. I need to span my seating area so roughly 60'. So that would be very visable and also rather complex. The idea is evolving into maybe an air cannon stuffed with leaves or bags and fans.

 

[Van]

In addition to the concern of crumbling and messiness, you also need to think about the fire hazard that real leaves would create. Finding fake leaves that are fire-resistant may be easier than trying to treat real leaves to be safe..

I really like that design! Similar to the original design I had for mine but it didn't hold enough leaves for my Directors 'Vision'. The cool thing about the Real preserved leaves is that they use Glycerin to preserve them; they are, therefore, IFR.

Very nice concept. I need to span my seating area so roughly 60'. So that would be very visable and also rather complex. The idea is evolving into maybe an air cannon stuffed with leaves or bags and fans.

Cool ! Love the air cannons !

Something I didn't mention, and it may not need to be mentioned but I will 'cause I'm a safety freak..... Don't reuse anything you've dropped unless you have a very foolproof method of cleaning it first. Plastic snow? Throw it away or recycle it. Fake flower petals or leaves must be thoroughly cleaned with air and visually inspected prior to loading them back into a drop device. Reloading used good is just asking for a piece of glitter or a hairball to come floating out of the grid and invariably landing right in the Leads eyeball...

 

[kiwitechgirl]

We used to use a circular flat board with a small computer fan mounted on the board. Hang off a lighting bar (we bolted hook clamps to the boards), put leaves/snow/confetti/whatever you like on the board, then switch the fan on at the appropriate moment. It will blow the leaves off the board gently enough that they don't disperse too far but the effect is really good. It was our go-to for small snow effects and it worked beautifully.

 

[Amiers]

That's not a bad idea either.

 

[Amiers]

Update:

Test cannon performed well. However common sense did not. I got to antsy and shot it off a few times which blew it apart on the 4th refill.

It blew at the reducer from 2 to 1 1/2.

Talked to a friend in aviation and said use a bushing.

So round 2 tomorrow.

Here are some pictures of the remains of cannon 1.

 

[Les]

Strange that it blew out at the joint. A good primer and glue job is usually as strong as the PVC itself.

On a different note, are you trying to release the air fast or gradually? If you want something faster, try a solenoid. I've seen people use sprinkler solenoids, but check the PSI rating. My company builds confetti cannons, but we generally use 1-5 gallon compressed air tanks and larger brass solenoids.

Another idea to propel leaves is to use a venturi blower. You might not get the distance (weight of leaves permitting), but you can get a longer flow if you hand feed a bag of leaves and use a 20-lb Co2 tank to propel them. The pressure of the Co2 tends to keep them in the air longer - at least that works for confetti.

 

[Amiers]

Strange that it blew out at the joint. A good primer and glue job is usually as strong as the PVC itself.

On a different note, are you trying to release the air fast or gradually? If you want something faster, try a solenoid. I've seen people use sprinkler solenoids, but check the PSI rating. My company builds confetti cannons, but we generally use 1-5 gallon compressed air tanks and larger brass solenoids.

Another idea to propel leaves is to use a venturi blower. You might not get the distance (weight of leaves permitting), but you can get a longer flow if you hand feed a bag of leaves and use a 20-lb Co2 tank to propel them. The pressure of the Co2 tends to keep them in the air longer - at least that works for confetti.

Like I said I didn't wait very long so the pressure blew the joint and that part wasn't "rated" for pressure.

As far as compressors and Venturi blowers. The cost vs amount of shots just isn't worth it.

The majority of the materials I already had.

Here is the upgraded section with new fitting

Now the hardest part is to wait before using it.

 

[Skervald]

While you wait, let's contemplate what a great industry we work in. You just got paid to make a leaf gun. This one might warrant a video of the final product so we can all live vicariously through you.

 

[Les]

Like I said I didn't wait very long so the pressure blew the joint and that part wasn't "rated" for pressure.

As far as compressors and Venturi blowers. The cost vs amount of shots just isn't worth it.

The majority of the materials I already had.

Haha, fair enough. If you ever do find yourself needing more capacity and/or pressure, these air tanks from Home Depot (probably even cheaper at Harbor Freight or Northern Tool) work out quite well.

 

[Amiers]

I've been thinking about shooting this thing all day.

I think a quick burst of 80PSI should be enough from both sides of the seating area to cover. We have shows this weekend so I can't test it inside but we will for sure be testing it outside tomorrow morning.

Videos to come.

 

[ruinexplorer]

So, if you get the right fan... Hand feed leaves through the hole.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Amiers]

And to think those Fans cost 300$ plus to buy.

 

[Malabaristo]

Love the concept @Malabaristo. What kind of motor did you use?

It's actually a stepper motor. The advantage to that is it was quieter than any of the gear-motors I had cheap/easy access to. The disadvantage, of course, is that you need some additional electronics to make it go.