CAMELOT Theatrical Special Effects

While we're on the subject of Halloween, I've received a lot of questions lately regarding "stage blood" such as "What's the best brand?" "Where do you buy it?" "How do I make it?" and "How do I clean up the mess?" I usually direct folks to the Stagecraft FAQ (see link in the list on the left.) Just scroll down to item 3 in the Special Effects section: "Stage Blood" and you'll learn everything you need to know. Hint: while yummy on hot dogs, ketchup is not the answer.

One interesting question was posed on the Magic Cafe forum in which the magician needed blood with very unique properties: it had to be sprayable on an ordinary tablecloth and then easily cleaned afterwards. Here's what I wrote:

Let the tablecloth clean itself: Make yourself some red disappearing ink (as opposed to the normal blue) which will evaporate to colorless in a few minutes, ready for the next show. The disappearing ink is made by dissolving a small amount of phenolphthalein in ethyl alcohol, then dilute it with water to consistency. The red color is obtained by the addition of a small quantity of sodium hydroxide (lye) although I would think that any base, such as baking soda (not powder!), would work and be less caustic. Juggling the percentage of water to alcohol is how you control the "disappearing" time. More alcohol, disappears more quickly. More water, disappears more slowly. A little vermouth and an olive instead of the laxative phenolphthalein and you have a "Houdini Martini" which disappears immediately!

posted by C. J. # 10:50 AM