{"id":111936,"date":"2018-10-24T20:39:22","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T18:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=111936"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:50:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:50:16","slug":"spice-up-your-halloween-costume-with-electroluminescent-lights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/spice-up-your-halloween-costume-with-electroluminescent-lights\/","title":{"rendered":"Spice up your Halloween costume with electroluminescent lights"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lights<\/p>\n

If you’ve ever wondered how to work those crazy lights and wires into your costumes, here’s a simple guide! By the end, you’ll realize EL work is easy, affordable, and freakin’ awesome.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, for your viewing pleasure:<\/p>\n

Spice up Halloween costumes with electroluminescent lights!<\/h2>\n

\"Loights\"<\/p>\n

Choosing Your EL Product<\/h3>\n

First, ask yourself: what do you need for your costume? An outlined design, a few stripes, a logo? Once you have your vision in mind, consider the main\u00a0three types of electroluminescent products:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0EL wire<\/a>: the single-strand original.<\/p>\n

\"Livelywire\"<\/p>\n

You’ll see EL wire used more often than not. Why? Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!<\/strong> Wire forms difficult shapes with ease, attaches to costumes readily, and holds up when cut for soldering!<\/p>\n

For our Halloween cosplay project – the Fortnite Drift skin – we used pink EL wire purchased on\u00a0Amazon.com<\/a>\u00a0for just $7 a strand. There are plenty of other affordable options in multiple colors!<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0EL tape<\/a>: a wider light strip.<\/p>\n

\"Tapeworm\"<\/p>\n

EL tape looks bright and colorful when used on a costume.<\/p>\n

The problem? It’s m<\/strong>uch harder to use!\u00a0<\/strong>Unlike the EL wire, you cannot easily bend the tape in any direction. Also, it is virtually un-solderable: if you cut off a piece, bid the lost end farewell.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0EL panel<\/a>: it’s a square, Benny, a square!<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Sorry, we needed to reference “The Sandlot.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

EL panels are much wider than tape or wire. They can be cut into shapes or\u00a0masked<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Pokepanel\"
A Pokemon panel design.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Purchasing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Remember: lighting can become complex. If you’re new to EL lights or looking at a large project, map out your design on paper first, and then decide what is required.<\/p>\n

Once you’re ready to buy, order those lights!<\/p>\n

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Top 5 apps to prepare you for Halloween<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

How Does it Work?<\/h3>\n

The full EL package looks something like this.<\/a>\u00a0There are three parts we want to address:<\/p>\n

\"Wiyah\"<\/p>\n

1. Battery pack<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most EL products use a standardized battery pack that runs on two AA batteries<\/strong>. They often have four settings\u00a0installed: off, on, slow blinking, and fast blinking.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Connector clippy doodad (CCD)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to the CCD, you can disconnect the EL wire and battery pack in a jiffy. This helps for battery replacement, light attaching, and soldering work.<\/p>\n

3. EL portion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, as expected, you have the electroluminescent component: wire, tape, or panel. ‘Nuff said!<\/p>\n

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Guide to carving the perfect pumpkin for Halloween<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Attaching EL<\/h3>\n

Battery<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Before attaching your lights, remember to place the battery in a convenient location… a pocket, perhaps? It has to stay somewhere all Halloween night, and you probably don’t want it dangling in midair!<\/p>\n

If you can’t comfortably wire the lights through your costume, you may need to visit our section on “soldering”<\/strong>\u00a0below!<\/p>\n

The wire<\/b><\/h4>\n

From our experience, there are two routes for attaching EL: sewing<\/a>, and glue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sewing works great on clothing because it securely holds wires in multiple locations. Movement can easily break glue, but thread will secure the lights without breaking in the event of a costume dance battle.<\/p>\n

\"Sooooo...<\/p>\n

Glue (whether hot, super, or epoxy) works better on hard surfaces. It’s far easier to use than thread, and should remain strong on hard materials that won’t shift. When you don’t need<\/strong> thread, use glue!<\/p>\n

\"Glooo\"<\/p>\n

Although… for our Drift costume, we used both<\/a>!<\/p>\n

\"My<\/p>\n

Fishing line couldn’t keep the wire formed properly, so we started using Gorilla Glue.<\/a> After that, we secured everything with fishing line for the long run. So far? No problems whatsoever!<\/p>\n

Darth Vader cosplay.<\/a> from r\/StarWars<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Soldering<\/h3>\n

At this point, hopefully, you’re finished! The wire has been attached and strung, everything is in place…<\/p>\n

But sometimes that’s not the case!<\/p>\n

You may need\/want to lengthen the battery wire, or extend the EL lights to another place without sending the light itself through your costume. To do so, you’ll have to employ the magic of soldering.<\/p>\n

Into the darkness<\/b><\/h4>\n

Okay, it’s really not that bad! Soldering just means connecting wires with “solder,” a metal that has an unusually low melting point. For this part of the project, you’ll want something like a soldering iron kit.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\r\n $18.99<\/a>\r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n \r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
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\r\n ANBES Soldering Iron Kit Electronics, 60W Adjustable Temperature Welding Tool, 5pcs Soldering Tips, Desoldering Pump, Soldering Iron Stand, Tweezers<\/a>\r\n

\r\n From: Amazon<\/strong>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n Learn More \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

This kit will provide the wire cutters to strip the electrical wires, the iron to melt the solder, and a mount so you can leave the sautering iron up while working the wires together.<\/p>\n

You may also want:<\/p>\n

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\r\n $8.99<\/a>\r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n \r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
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\r\n 560PCS Heat Shrink Tubing 2:1, Eventronic Electrical Wire Cable Wrap Assortment Electric Insulation Heat Shrink Tube Kit with Box<\/a>\r\n

\r\n From: Amazon<\/strong>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n Learn More \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n
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\r\n $11.99<\/a>\r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n \r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
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\r\n Mini Hot Air Gun, ZeopoCase Portable Mini Heat Gun for DIY Embossing Shrink Wrapping Drying Paint, 300W Multi Function Electrical Heat Tool<\/a>\r\n

\r\n From: Amazon<\/strong>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n Learn More \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

These heat shrink tubes<\/a> go over the recently sautered wires for their protection.<\/p>\n

With your materials in place, it’s time to learn how to solder!<\/p>\n