Pioneer Winter
New Member
I saw it in a dance competition a few years ago - it wasn't anything crazy looking - two 2'x2' surfaces that two little girls tapped on and they could produce sparks with the taps on their shoes.
I know that's not much to go on, but I've been experimenting a bit with trying to create my own version of that. The ONLY information I've been given is this sort of vague e-mail from a local tech director, who doesn't have much more info on it beyond what he sent me:
Almost any metal will spark, the deck is the key.
I did this effect for Tommy Tune, a portion of the deck had a thin layer of concrete.
With his regular tap shoes he was able to make sparks at will.
Fail: These are some of the things I've tried and I just have not been able to produce sparks:
Fail: Sheet of steel from Home Depot and applied quick-dry cement. The cement didn't hold to the steel and it just chipped off with the force of the tap shoes.
Fail: Tapping directly on a grinder wheel that is laying flat on the floor.
Fail: Cutting steel sheet and attaching it to bottoms of tap shoes. Tried this both on the grinder wheel as well as asphalt outside the theater.
Fail: I wiped lighter fluid (odorless charcoal lighter fluid) on the grinder wheel and still nothing.
Any suggestions? Anyone done this before? Am I forgetting something?
I know that's not much to go on, but I've been experimenting a bit with trying to create my own version of that. The ONLY information I've been given is this sort of vague e-mail from a local tech director, who doesn't have much more info on it beyond what he sent me:
Almost any metal will spark, the deck is the key.
I did this effect for Tommy Tune, a portion of the deck had a thin layer of concrete.
With his regular tap shoes he was able to make sparks at will.
Fail: These are some of the things I've tried and I just have not been able to produce sparks:
Fail: Sheet of steel from Home Depot and applied quick-dry cement. The cement didn't hold to the steel and it just chipped off with the force of the tap shoes.
Fail: Tapping directly on a grinder wheel that is laying flat on the floor.
Fail: Cutting steel sheet and attaching it to bottoms of tap shoes. Tried this both on the grinder wheel as well as asphalt outside the theater.
Fail: I wiped lighter fluid (odorless charcoal lighter fluid) on the grinder wheel and still nothing.
Any suggestions? Anyone done this before? Am I forgetting something?