Flame Effects Planter

Inspired by a small flame essential oils diffuser, I wanted to enlarge the scale and make a planter with an ash pile and flames coming through the logs.

1 plastic planter. (Mine came from the Dollar General store)

2 G4 Orange LED lights (and sockets for the lights)

2 40x40x10 mm 12 volt PC fans

2 DC to DC buck converters, 1 adjustable, one with 5 5-volt USB output

5 volt USB Ultrasonic Mister

Red or Orange Pool Noodle

orange fairy lights

3/8 piece of plywood cut to fit the planter

various lengths of wire

Various 3d printed parts. I made some simple mounts and shrouds and even templates with TinkerCad, if you wish to use the same ones, here is the thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7145346

To get power into the planter, first drill a hole in the bottom of the planter just large enough to fit the power wire. In my case, I used 16AWG. The bottom of the planter will be filled with water, so this hole will also need to be sealed. I suggest the JB weld for this job, plus a little sealant expansion foam. The power wire will be split to power the USB buck converter and the 12-volt male socket. Mount these above the water level. I did not include the USB buck converter case in my Thingiverse because that was someone else's design.

The Ultrasonic Mister works best at a specific level of water. In addition, it shoots water droplets up and out of control as well. To accommodate this, I have designed a floater to hold the mister at a specific level, allowing the base to hold more water and making refilling less frequent. The Floater needs a piece of styrofoam cut to fit inside the circle. The splash guard can be mounted to the floater with super glue. once together, the mist will travel out, but water droplets will be controlled. The USB end of the mister can be plugged into the USB buck converer, and I would suggest some cable management devices to zip tie excess cable out of the way.

Cut a 3/8 plywood to fit into the planter. also included on Thingiverse is a template for the cutout for the mist cover hole. I had a 1-3/8th Forsner bit laying around, so I built the fan controller holder to go into that hole. It was also large enough to let the fans sit on top and move air into the planter.

For the pool noodle, cut a couple of lengths to fit roughly across. Using a sharp razor, score the noodles several times, followed by using a heat gun. this will cause the scores to separate, and it will emulate bark. once satisified with all the scoring and heating, dry brush a black and brown over the top to give it an ashy burning ember look.

Assemble all 3d printed materials on the wooden top. Ensure airflow from fans is going into the planter. The G4 socket fits tightly into the socket bracket. Mount the fairy light electronic to the underside and run the fairly lights through a small hole to the top side. Run fairly lights through the Pool Noodle Logs and place them in strategic position along the wood. sometimes some hot glue works to temporarily hold them still in some spots for the next step.

Wire everything together to a 12-volt female socket with enough extra wire to plug and unplug to the wire mounted in the box. Also I recommend using a little silicone over the G4 socket plugs to keep moisture out of them, and possibly anywhere else moisture may be a problem.

Cover the sides of the planter with Saran Wrap, then place the planter top in the planter. With the expansion foam, carefully use only small amounts to fill in the entire wooden top. Make sure not to get any on the fans, and ensure you give yourself enough room from the motor controller.

Once the expansion foam is dry, pick at the foam to give it an uneven ashy looking top. Be careful not to expose any of your orange fairy lights.

Paint the top with reds and orange colors. once the paint is dry, a dry brush of black paint can be applied to give it the appearance of smoldering ash.