DIY: How to Make a Goblet of Fire

There’s no shortage of attractive décor – but having the Goblet Of Fire from Harry Potter on your desk takes things to a whole new level.

It’s a cool DIY project that’s perfect for Halloween, but if you’re a Harry Potter fan, it’ll make a nifty addition to your desk all year round.

While the Goblet Of Fire looks intimidating, it is not all that difficult to make. But it’s an ambitious project that requires you to be patient and cautious, and it’ll take you at least a week to complete.

Jake Laser from the JLaservideo YouTube channel makes a true-to-life prop of it in his DIY Goblet Of Fire tutorial. The flame burns both green and red, just like in the movie!

In this post, we’ll do a simple breakdown of his method.

Supplies

The list of things you need is quite extensive:

  • Few pieces of wood (1”x1/4”)
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Clay
  • Empty paint can
  • Hot glue gun
  • Foam board
  • Paint
  • HEET anti-freeze
  • Boric acid (roach killer)
  • Energizer ultimate lithium batteries

Steps to DIY Your Own Goblet of Fire

01 Make the Frame

First, make a 10-inch square and an 8-inch square from wood, and connect the two from the edges using the popsicle sticks. Glue everything in place to mimic the slanted stone base of The Goblet Of Fire.

Next, make two equal-sized star-pattern shapes using popsicle sticks, and stick them with popsicle sticks in the same way to mimic the dormer-style openings/windows above the stone base in the movie.

The final part of the frame is the poly-sided watchtower, which Jake builds by sticking the pieces of wood together in a polygon. A chopped part of a big roll of tape is used to mimic the tower’s lookout points.

Jake demos how to make the frame at the 2:43 mark.

02 Make the Fuel Holder

Grab the paint can and cut the bottom part out of it.

Next, cut a strip of metal the size of the can’s diameter from the remainder of the can. Use it as a divider and make equal sections in the can’s bottom.

Cut off the mouth of the can and place it on the can’s bottom. Cut half of the lid off and attach another metal piece to it.

The two sections of the fuel holder will burn flames in different colors, and you’ll be able to change the color by covering different sections using the lid-lever apparatus.

Watch Jake make the fuel holder at 3:47.

03 Make the Goblet

Wrap foam board around the fuel holder using a piece of wire, and also place a piece of it under the holder.

Make strips of foam board and shape them like a cup, then attach the holder to it – Goblet’s ready, we’re halfway there!

To view this step, skip to 4:44.

04 Decorate the Frame and Goblet

Fill the gaps in the frame with foam board, wrap the Goblet with clay, and use clay in abundance wherever there’s meant to be rocky structures in The Goblet Of Fire prop.

Remember to paint it to your liking!

Jack shows this at the 5:35 mark in his video.

05 Make the Flame

Pour the HEET anti-freeze solution into both sections of the fuel holder. Carefully add boric acid to one section, and the lithium from inside the batteries to the other section.

Place the lid, and light it up. Switch flame colors by shifting the lever!

See Jack’s perfect execution at 8:15.

Full Video

Watching the video and using the provided timestamps will give you a better understanding of how to approach making the homemade Goblet Of Fire.

FAQs

Can I use POP instead of clay?

Sure! Jake only uses clay in the parts that he wants to paint brown anyway. You can make the entire Goblet Of Fire using Plaster Of Paris like DIYer Rosalina Zanca did, or mix and match both their techniques and create a Goblet Of Fire unique to your taste.

I don’t want to work with chemicals or fire. Can I still make a Goblet Of Fire?

Yes! You can replace the chemicals and flames with an aptly colored LED light. You can also mimic the flames using pieces of semi-transparent colored plastic and shine light on them for effect by placing a LED light below.

Is there a way to make the contraption safer?

You can use a lightweight fire-resistant clay pot to separate the flames from the frame completely. However, you will need to fortify the frame and make it sturdy enough to handle the weight.

Additional Tips

Remember that you don’t have to be 100% faithful to Jake’s DIY Goblet Of Fire tutorial.

If you want to make the project easier, you can make a smaller frame. Or you can skip the frame entirely and build and decorate just the Goblet.

You can also make the design more sophisticated by adding more detail to the frame and the Goblet – Jake has got the flames figured out.

If you liked Jake’s execution of The Goblet Of Fire, make sure you subscribe to his YouTube channel JLaservideo for more impressive DIY tutorials. He has over a million subscribers and uploads cool projects like this at least twice a month!

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