For humans, fire has always been a symbol of purification, comfort, wealth, and is the personification of truth. It is not surprising that people still dream of crackling wood in the fireplace and want to watch the play of the flames. Not every home has the opportunity to install a real fireplace. But there are technologies with which you can make an imitation. To make the picture as realistic as possible, you can make decorative firewood for a fireplace with lighting yourself.

Simulated flame

To create an artificial fire in a fireplace with your own hands, you can use other people’s experience, rich in original ideas:

• the basis of the design is the TV screen;
• fire is simulated thanks to a three-dimensional image;
• the illusion of burning is created;
• cold fire and fan;
• fire effect from the steam generator;
• real logs with special lighting.

LCD screen as the basis of the design

A TV screen of suitable size is installed inside the false fireplace; ideally, an LCD screen is suitable. Then you need to find a video with the effect of flickering flames and with a sound reminiscent of the crackling of burning logs, connect it to the TV and enjoy the spectacle. The artificial fire for the fireplace is ready.

This method is considered the most accessible. Decorating your home with a fire hologram will not be difficult. The picture in 3D format is placed in decorative fireplace so that its edges are invisible. The optical illusion occurs thanks to the LED backlight circuit.

Do-it-yourself artificial firewood for the fireplace will serve as an excellent addition to the decoration.

Create the illusion of fire

To realize the idea, mirrors are needed; they are placed in the fireplace and give the illusion of space. The angles between the glasses should be different. Additionally applied to the design of the virtual flame LED lamps. The model works as follows: the fire of an electric fireplace is reflected from a mirror surface. Due to the fact that the mirrors distort the image, a three-dimensional effect is achieved, sparks seem to fly, and flames move in all directions. You want to admire such a spectacle for a long time, because the fire is very similar to a sparkling fire.

Cold Fire

The easiest way to create a decorative fire for a fireplace is to use an ordinary fan and scraps of red fabric. The process will not take much time. Triangular pieces of fabric are glued to the edges of the cardboard box. At the corners they are attached LED bulbs, blue, red and yellow, with small mirrors and optical filters on the sides. The fan is installed so that the blown air currents moved up.

At the final stage, the product is placed in the fireplace and connected to the electrical network.

Fire created using a steam generator

Complex designs look most believable. Thanks to the water vapor generator, it turns out amazing beautiful hearth with artificial flame. This requires patience and several components at once:

• small fan;
• ultrasonic fog generators, 3 pieces;
• container for water;
• distilled water;
• LED lamp, but a simple one will do;
• cardboard box.

Fog generators are placed at the bottom of the box. A ventilation device is attached to the side. Water is poured into a container and placed on top of the ultrasonic devices. The lamp is fixed above the fan. The structure is connected to the network.

Artificial fire produced using a generator turns out to be quite realistic.

Natural logs with backlight

You can use real logs as decorative firewood for a fireplace illuminated by LED strip. LEDs yellow, red and white flowers. The logs are beautifully placed on a shelf inside the fireplace, fastened together, then randomly wrapped LED strip. Twinkling lights and natural wood complement the interior, look stylish and original.

If an electric fireplace is installed in the house, then it is better to choose special heat-resistant firewood. Artificial fireplace logs are made from ceramics. They are safe and durable. LED lights is also appropriate here.

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To date Special attention In the interior we pay attention to the issue of decoration. Most installed fireplaces perform decorative functions rather than heating. And the usual types of fuel are changing to biofuels or electricity. Therefore, making dummy firewood for an electric fireplace with your own hands is considered a fairly popular topic.

What are they needed for

Many will ask the question: why are such dummies needed? Well, firstly, it's a matter of aesthetics. And secondly, you don’t need deep knowledge of stove equipment to notice the difference between a fireplace with an electric heating element and a wood-burning fireplace.

Due to the absence of smoke and rapid heating of the room, electric fireplaces are an advantage when compared with a wood-burning fireplace. But with all this, a certain naturalness of the hearth is lost, its charm and charm are lost. If you add dummy firewood to such a design, the picture of the fireplace changes radically.

This situation is especially relevant for a city apartment, where installing a real fireplace is simply impossible.

Firewood imitation options and materials

In stores you can find many options for such products. They can be made of plastic or ceramic. Any imitation, purchased or made with your own hands, is intended to give realism to an artificial hearth to help you feel all the charm home comfort and warmth.

Imitation of firewood or coals, made of plastic, has a very simple operating principle. Typically, such objects are illuminated with red light bulbs.

It is also possible that the light bulb is located inside each element. Of course, this is not entirely realistic, but still.

More expensive fireplace models are characterized by a flickering pattern or imitation of artificial flames, which occurs due to a special mechanism in which elements rotate around the lamp, alternating transparent and shaded sectors. This type of lighting can be located either behind a dummy of firewood or inside it.

The exact same lighting system can be used to achieve a burning effect, using real coal, which is placed in the fireplace niche.

In this case, the dummy and coals are illuminated from the bottom. Imitation of plastic firewood and coals, of course, is not ideal, and it has its own errors.

To hide all the shortcomings as much as possible, artificial firewood with lighting is placed as deep as possible in the fireplace niche, and the hearth is decorated with a fireplace grate, which serves as a mask for the shortcomings.

In expensive models of electric fireplaces you can find several techniques for simulating fire. To make the picture realistic, they use not only dummies of firewood, but also mirrors with strips of foil or ribbons in which the backlight lights are illuminated, creating the illusion of flames. In addition to everything, the models are equipped with various functions, steam supply, which imitates smoke from a fire, and a sound device that reproduces sounds similar to the crackling of firewood.

If your financial opportunities If you don’t have enough for such items, then as an option, you can try making dummies of firewood with your own hands.

Production of decorative firewood

Making decorative firewood with your own hands is quite easy; for this you can use materials that almost every person has.

Stores offer ready-made firewood made from plastic or ceramics, but the cost is quite high.

Therefore, it is more advisable to make decorative firewood with your own hands with minimal financial costs.

To make a dummy you need to prepare:

• cardboard;
• paint;
• glue;
• scotch.

The manufacturing process can be divided into four stages.

• The first stage is to prepare blanks that have various sizes. Some parts of future firewood may be longer, the side parts of the logs may be slightly smaller.
• The second stage consists of gluing the cut blanks. To do this, rectangular sheets of cardboard must be tightly rolled into a roll. For gluing, you can use glue or tape. Short rolls are attached at an arbitrary angle to the workpiece for more than long size, forming the remainder of the branch.
• The third stage involves painting the blanks. To do this, you can use paint of various colors, black, white or brown. The main goal of coloring is maximum realism.
  The final step of coloring is coating the logs with varnish.
• AND final stage- this is laying logs in a niche of an electric fireplace. They can be laid in any direction, crossing or placing in a certain order.

Based on this, wood-burning imitation for a fireplace is very easy to do with your own hands, it will not require large financial expenses, and you will definitely get pleasure from the final result.

Decorative Firewood

Placing decorative firewood

Particular attention must be paid to the placement of firewood in the fireplace niche. You can do this yourself and give the hearth more aesthetic appearance, it will become more believable.
To place a fake log in the fireplace niche, you need to decide on the installation option.

Place logs in the form of a “house”.

Arrange the wood in a cone.

In a chaotic order, as your imagination suggests.

Imitation of firewood looks quite impressive in combination with other decorative elements, such as stones or candles.

If for some reason it is impossible to place artificial firewood in the depths of the firebox, you can place a separate emphasis on the firewood by placing it outside the hearth.

In addition, you can build a firewood shed with your own hands, into which decorative firewood is placed.

With a harmonious selection of stove equipment and decor for it, you can turn the hearth into an object of great attention. The combination of firewood and fire, regardless of whether they are natural or artificial, will add unique charm and comfort to any interior.

Video: How to make a fire (hearth) for a decorative fireplace

The dance of the flame fascinates with the changing dynamics of its bends. The pagan ideas of distant ancestors rise within us as forgotten memories. Ancestors who considered Fire a majestic god. And, despite the fact that we have domesticated and tamed this formidable natural phenomenon, the greatness of Fire makes us admire it again and again.

How pleasant it is in the evening in the twilight to immerse yourself in the contemplation of the flames, to feel the slightly bitter aroma of burning logs. But even the owners of private houses do not always decide to tear down walls, rearrange the attic and roof in order to install a real fireplace. And this is only the first half of the matter. During operation, you need to prepare firewood, remove ash, clean the chimney... And all these efforts are mostly aimed only at creating an atmosphere, because heating houses today is much more practical and less labor- and material-intensive.

And the atmosphere of a house with a fireplace can be completely recreated by an imitation of a flame. In this article we will talk specifically about, that is, safe methods without an open large flame, in contrast to biofireplaces, which are also successfully used to decorate rooms, but have real fire.

"Fireplace: imitation of flames with steam

In the video you can see the flame created by the steam.

This method is the most difficult of the above; it requires the skills of an electrician and special components. Here they are:

1. Fan 90 mm;
2. DMX controller Velleman K8062;
3. DMX decoder BESTEN DMX Decoder 350;
4. LED RGB luminaire MD-9P;
5. 3 Chinese ultrasonic fog generators

Some concert devices, as well as electric steam fireplaces, are made using this principle. The imitation using cold illuminated steam is practically indistinguishable from the real dance of fire. And the cost of our assembly is an order of magnitude lower than the cost of a finished electric fireplace. If you decide to use this method, keep in mind that the structure will be built into a false fireplace, which means that appropriate space must be provided.
Assembly diagram:
Pre-install at the bottom of the container under water assembled generator fog. The generator is equipped with a membrane, which, vibrating at an ultrasonic frequency, creates a reduced pressure above itself (almost a vacuum). Under such conditions, water evaporates at room temperature. The cold steam rises upward with a fan, where it is illuminated by LED lamps.

The diaphragm is installed on top. According to Bernoulli's law, the speed of air movement near a hole increases the more, the smaller the hole in it, which makes the “flame” more realistic. You can also try different diameters aperture to achieve maximum similarity.

See the video below for assembling the steam flame simulator. One of the steam generators in this build has its own lights, so you'll see the light at the very bottom. Fortunately, this lighting does not affect the “flame” in any way.

"Theatrical" fire

As the name implies, this method is used in theatrical productions, performance design, and more. But we will use it to simulate a flame.

So, we need:

1. Large fan (preferably quiet)
2. Three halogen lamps with reflectors
3. Three color filters (orange, red and blue)
4. A piece of white light silk
5. Bowl or box for making the base of our flame

Simulation assembly:

We install a fan at the bottom of the box or bowl and take the cord out.

We install halogen lamps above it on one axis so that they shine upward. We attach colored filters above them at a distance of about 2 cm. Red and orange are at the edges, blue is above the middle lamp. This touch will give our flame greater relief and brightness.

Cut pieces of different sizes from a piece of fabric. It is desirable that these are triangles irregular shape. This will make the flame more realistic.

We secure the flaps in a bowl or box around the fan. That's it, our fire is ready!

We plug the device into a power outlet. Under the influence of the fan, the flaps of fabric instantly rise up and flutter, the backlight creates a semblance of yellow - orange flame. Glares of light scatter across the ceiling and walls, reminiscent of the reflections of natural fire.

Candle fireplace

One of the most simple ways imitation of a fireplace flame, which has already become almost a traditional and favorite design solution.

Its advantages are ease of execution and a real fire, for which, unlike a wood-burning hearth, there is no need to prepare fuel. The downside is that the candles smoke.

To create a candle composition, several candles of different or the same size are used. The choice of shape and color depends on the style of the room and the wishes of the owner. In order to greatly enhance the effect of a small candle composition, use mirrors. They line the inside of the fireplace. Mirrors installed at an angle to each other create multiple reflections.

Fireplace: imitation of flames using Christmas tree garlands

Another fairly common way to create an imitation of fire. Here I will tell you how to make an imitation of a wood-burning hearth.

We will need:

1. Branches of the right size
2. Lace (can be not new, cut from old clothes)
3. Aluminium foil
4. Several stones
5. Christmas tree electric garland in yellow, orange or red colors.

We wrap branches without gaps in foil. This is necessary so that the lace does not subsequently stick to the branches.

Carefully coat the lace with glue and wrap it around the prepared branches in foil. Leave until completely dry(about a day).

Carefully cut the lace case along the branch and remove the blanks.

We lay out a circle of stones at the location where the hearth is installed. We place the garland in the middle, leaving the cord and plug outside.

We install our “lace” firewood into something like a fire. You can add a few stones for the composition. Our hearth is ready. We plug the garland into a socket and admire our imitation.

Advice : The flame will look more natural if the garland flickers.

Imitation with salt lamps

Not the most spectacular, but the most useful imitation. A salt lamp is a lamp whose lampshade is made from a single, unprocessed salt crystal. Inside the lamp is a regular light bulb. When heated, the crystal emits negative ions, which are so beneficial for our body. They bind harmful positive ions, emitted household appliances, neutralize tobacco smoke, their influence has a beneficial effect on the atmosphere of the house and the well-being of residents. In addition, pinkish Pakistani salt crystals, illuminated from the inside, resemble warm small lights or large hot coals, and, folded into a whimsical composition, will create an original lighting in your fireplace.

Like these ones simple ways decorate your home, make it more comfortable and original.

Imitation of fire is the creation of an artificial flame in a false fireplace. Many apartment dwellers dream of making a mesmerizing fireplace.

You can even do it yourself.

There are several ways to create artificial imitation fire:

• Using a liquid crystal screen.
• Simulation using .
• Illusion effect.
• Cold fire using a fan.
• Using water vapor.

Fire using LCD screen

You will need a TV screen, LCD is better screen. You need to choose a TV for a raised fireplace so that the screen fits inside the fireplace. After this, you need to find a video recording with the effect of a burning flame and record it on the TV, for this purpose in it must have a USB input.

Of course, imitation fire will turn out beautiful. But the effects from the screen will not be very realistic. You can fix this yourself.

Simulating fire using holograms

You will need a hologram with flame elements. What is the essence of this method:

• A flat picture of the flame appears to the eye in three-dimensional format. Such holograms are created using special technologies.
• We place the hologram in such a way that the edges of the picture are not visible from a distance.
• We select special lighting. We use LED lamps or halogen bulbs. Then we place the light bulbs in the electric fireplace different sides from the hologram.

Thus, from a flat drawing we get a three-dimensional image. The flames will appear real in an electric fireplace. You will feel the depth of the image, its volume. LED backlight creates an optical illusion. A small painting produces an image that will appear many times larger.

Illusion effect

The essence of this effect is as follows: we take several mirrors and place them at different distances from each other. In this case, the angles between the mirrors should be different meaning. Then we take the virtual image of a flame and place it in a false fireplace.

Read also: How to make a beautiful corner fireplace from plasterboard

Need to do special lighting using LED bulbs. The effect will be as follows: the mirrors will reflect the image underneath different angles, in the electric fireplace there are logs and flying sparks of flame will appear voluminous. The picture becomes realistic.

Cold fire with a fan

This method is very simple to implement. You will need the following materials:

• cardboard or tin box;
• patchwork fabric;
• fan;
• three LED lights: red, yellow, blue;
• three small mirrors;
• optical filters of three colors: red, yellow, blue.

On cardboard box We place the fan so that the air blows out of it upward. After this, we install three LED bulbs in the corners of the box. We also install optical filters next to the LED light bulbs, and install mirrors on the sides of the box.

From the flap we cut out shapes in the form of different triangles sizes and glue it to the box. After this we place ready product into a false fireplace, and connect it to the network. At the same time, we observe how the flames burn brightly.

Fire using water vapor

We will need:

• three ultrasonic fog generators;
• container for liquid;
• distilled water;
• cardboard container;
• lighting from RGB lamps;
• fan.

We take a cardboard container and place three ultrasonic fog generators on the bottom of the box. We attach the fan to the cardboard box. Pour distilled water into a special container for liquid and place it on the generator. The generator will generate fog. Special lighting from RGB lamps gives the effect of a burning flame. The picture seems realistic. Of course, this effect is more expensive, but effective. Artificial fire using water vapor is of higher quality.

Artificial firewood for a false fireplace

When you have an electric fireplace in your room that heats the room, you need to choose heat-resistant firewood. For this you can buy ceramic firewood, they are more expensive, but the look it will be very beautiful. Especially when using LED backlighting.

A purchased electric fireplace costs about the same as big TV with flat screen. Without a heating function, such a fireplace is actually just a “TV” showing one 3D image of an animated flame and making sounds that imitate the crackling of burning wood. This expensive pleasure, representing only aesthetic value. You can make such an electric fireplace with your own hands, saving an impressive amount. We will consider the manufacturing technology of a device with a heating function.

So, we need a device that will not only please the eye and warm the soul, but also serve as a heater. Such electric fireplaces are equipped tubular electric heater(heating element), which, when connected to the electrical network, can heat up to 900 degrees Celsius and generate heat nearby, similar to that coming from a real fire.

Electric fireplaces with a heating function are usually equipped with reflectors that are installed on top and can collect, accumulate and reflect heat.

The electric fireplace consists of two main parts:

1. , which imitates the firebox of a real one wood burning fireplace and burning flame.
2. Portal, acting as a decoration for decorating an electric fireplace.

We will not consider the technology of making a portal for an electric fireplace with our own hands - this topic is worthy of a separate article. And it’s best to do this while renovating a room where you plan to install a stationary fireplace.

We are more interested in the design and manufacture of a fireplace, which you can make with your own hands if you have the necessary elements and tools.

Device structure

An electric hearth with a heating function consists of two parts: heating and decorative elements. The first of them generates heat, the other imitates fire in the hearth

As heating element you can use regular room heater, if you don’t want to make it from scratch (which can be unsafe). Therefore, here we will not consider in detail the technology of its manufacture. Let's just say that for this you will also need a screen (reflector) to reflect the generated heat and a fan to ensure better circulation warm air in the right direction.

The decorative part of the electric fireplace consists of decorations of a stone or brick hearth, imitation fire and smoldering logs. To make all this, any available material available in the house will do.

Making a heater

As mentioned above, it is better to use some ready-made factory heater, manufactured in compliance with all safety requirements. But if you are well versed in what is written below, then go for it!

All types of electric fireplaces use heating elements for heating various types. It could be:

• spiral in a quartz tube;
• biospiral on ceramic bases;
• nichrome spiral elements.

That is, even an iron spiral in a ceramic shell is suitable for our purposes. Only such spirals may be needed some so that the total generated power is 1-2 kW.

Naturally, all this needs to be properly mounted on some kind of frame, insulated, grounded and taken care of with electrical wiring that could withstand the expected load. For the best distribution and conservation of heat, it is necessary to equip this entire structure with a reflector in the form of a hood kitchen stove, for the manufacture of which you will need a frame made of galvanized steel corners and stainless steel sheets.

A heater made in this way can be additionally equipped with a temperature controller and even sensors that turn on the device automatically. You can always find them in the store.

Decorating an electric fireplace

There's plenty of room to expand here! It all depends only on the wildness of your imagination, the flight of which can only be stopped by a lack necessary materials. To simulate fire, we will need “logs”, lighting and something very similar to live fire.

Logs can be made from ordinary cardboard, rolled into rolls and secured with tape, then wrapped in paper and painted in required colors. Also, nothing prevents you from using real dry logs for this, if you have somewhere to get them.

It is best to use the “flame” as a backlight led light bulbs, shimmering with red and yellow colors. They can be placed behind a flame or ember decoration made from sheer fabric or other material.

Here step by step process making the simplest decoration of a flame in the hearth:

1. We take the most ordinary tree branches of medium thickness (8-10 mm).
2. We wrap them in foil, onto which we glue strips of tulle or lace on top.
3. After the glue has dried, the branches are pulled out of the foil (if they are not pulled out, you can cut the foil lengthwise, and then glue the lace back into tubes).
4. Place pebbles on the bottom of the fireplace in a semicircle.
5. Place a rolled up garland in the center of the circle of stones.
6. Place logs of lace above the “hut” garland and fasten them at the top with leftover fabric or threads.

To achieve the best effect, you need a garland that alternately flashes yellow and red. But even an ordinary light bulb that burns only yellow will do.

For more advanced flame simulations, various tricks are used: mirrors, rotating light sources behind a panel depicting fire, or transparent fabric, which can be rigidly fixed to the frame, or cut into flaps and a fan installed under them, the air flow from which will make them “dance”.

Simulated flame

Modern electric fireplaces use tricks of a completely different kind to simulate combustion. In them, realistic fire is born using an ultrasonic steam generator on a quartz plate! Jets of steam from it, rising upward, fall into the rays of the backlight bulbs and become visible to the eye. Moreover, the effect is so realistic that it is scary to touch the “tongues” of this flame with your hand. Although this just steam, formed at room temperature by vibrations of a quartz plate under the influence of an electric current.

It is quite possible to make a similar steam generator at home with your own resources and resources, as the following video proves.

Doing something like this is very difficult and will require some knowledge or qualified assistance electrician

To make your own version of a realistic electric fireplace, we will need:

• Fan (cooler from a computer).
• Ultrasonic steam generators.
• DMX converter.
• LED lights.
• Waterproof box.
• Distilled water.

We attach ultrasonic steam generators (preferably several) to the bottom of the waterproof box. They will promote the evaporation of water, and a fan located on the side will drive the vapors upward, preventing them from cooling prematurely, swirling and falling.

Lamps are needed to illuminate the rising steam, which in their rays will create the effect of “burning” of decorative firewood, with which this entire cunning structure must be reliably covered.

Conclusion

I hope you don’t have any questions about how to make an electric fireplace with your own hands. Nothing is impossible for a person who is fired up with an idea. You just need to clearly define the end goal. If you need an electric fireplace in your apartment or country house just for aesthetic pleasure, you can even make it from cardboard. But more functional model will require much more time, labor and financial costs.