Pipe Organ Pipes?

[agentbud]

We have an old upright piano that sits in our front hall and as part of our yard haunt for halloween I make it look like an organ with the tall pipes with a witch sitting at it. It looks great and we have been doing it for a few years now but my problem is that I made the pipes for the organ out of 2" PVC. I cut them to various heights, painted them, notched out the "whistle" hole and connected them all together (so they would stand up) but that much PVC is pretty dang heavy. For next year I was wanting to replace it with something lighter, like foam tubes. I tried spraying the "good stuff" expanding insulating foam into a tube but it just adheres to the tube and cannot be extracted. Does anyone know a good way to make some foam tubes or a good place to buy them already made? They would have to be sturdy and paintable and such that I could cut them to size.

Thanks for any advice.
Mike

[Barry]

Coat the inside of the tube you are using for a mold with a release agent first (ie. vaseline).

[Jim Warfield]

There are also thinner-walled, lighter plastic pipes out there such as drain field piping.
Most organ pipes run the gammut in diameter though to achieve those different notes.
Cardboard tubes are cheap.
Sheet metal pipe also comes in various diameters and is light, just remove the galvenising so paint will stick, sand paper it or wash it with muratic acid then rinse with plenty of water.
Muratic acid eats flesh, clothing, non-leather footwear, removes sinuses(perminently) removes rust AND good metal if left to it's own devices.
An outdoor product, definately.
It's cheap and common though.

[Nightmaretony]

When I did my first haunt at 11, I used rolled up construction paper spray painted silver for the tubes and an Optigon.


Tis a good day, I ***LOVE*** after Halloween sales. Just picked up another haunted house, 175 wall panels. Woohoo!

[Lord Barnabus]

Use those foam fun-noodles that they sell as floatation devices for in pools. You can spray paint them (if the aerosol doesn't eat away at the foam), and they can easily be cut to size. You'll have to wire them together and tie them to a board or something so that they stay in an upright position. I picked up a bunch of these on sale at the end of summer for anywhere from 10-25 cents each. They are normally anywhere from $2 on up to $8 each at regular prices.

[Jim Warfield]

So you have to "Beef"-Up Those Noodles?
Noodles and Beef!
Nude Els.... Somebody STOP ME!

[Brandon_K]

FWIW, we've found that "normal" spray paint does not adhere well to the noodles at all. Krylon Fusion works ok, but still has a tendency to chip / flake off.

[Jim Warfield]

If nature had intended for your noodle to be a different color.....paint your noodle?

[damon carson]

Oh no! Jim is threatening to beat his customers again with a wet noodle!
Damon

[Jim Warfield]

AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN! Until they learn to like it and politely ask for another serving. Then we tuck in their bibb and start all over again!
The "art" is in slightly dampening the noodle not letting someone talk you into letting it get actually "wet".

[Nightmaretony]

Give Him 40 Noodles With A Wet Eyelash