Jarred Teeth

 $10 - $15 (based on 2020 prices)

 Makes one jar

 

Little details can have the biggest impact in a haunt, reinforcing the theme and keeping guests intrigued. This is why I spend part of the building process creating small items, like this jar of rotten teeth to nestle next to the medical cabinets of severed limbs and organs in 2020’s laboratory.

• One 6 oz. container of soft modeling compound*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat white*
• One 0.44 oz. bottle of clear nail polish*
• One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in red chestnut*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic silver*
• One 1.25 oz. glass jar
• One 0.3 fluid ounce bottle of red food coloring*
• One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*
• One piece of 8” x 11.5” copy paper with biohazard labels printed on it
• At least one tablespoon of dark roasted coffee grounds
• One pan large enough to soak the copy paper
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*

1. Form the modeling compound into the shape of teeth. It may help to keep a medical book nearby for quick reference. Since human teeth are rather small, you may want to make your versions slightly larger than their real-life counterparts. This ensures that they are easier to see, especially when inside the jar.  

2. After the compound has dried, apply two even coats of white paint to the teeth. Do not worry too much if the drying process produced small cracks in the dough. They will be covered up by the paint (or you can use the cracks to make the teeth appear extremely old and worn).

3. Give the teeth a smudging of brown paint. You do not want an even coat. Rather, you want a series of lighter and darker hues with areas of white still showing. I found that apply a small amount of paint to your thumb and index finger and rubbing it onto the prop works well.  

4. To give the teeth a little more definition and additional rot, use black paint to fill in fissures along the crowns and darken the area around the roots. If you chose not to cover the cracks formed by the drying process, you can enhance their appearance too.  

5. Brush the teeth with one or two coats of clear nail polish to give them a glossy finish that simulates enamel.

6. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, paint the jar with the wood stain. Apply a thin coat and pat it with paper towels to produce a hazed appearance. Likewise, brush the opening to create the illusion of grime buildup. You do not want the coverage to be too thick, though, because it will obscure the teeth.

7. In a plastic container, pour in your desired amount of clear glue gel and slowly add red food coloring to the solution until it achieves the sanguine hue you desire. To give the blood further density, add blue food coloring and mix well. Then, coat the bottom of the jar with the blood and use a pair of tweezers to arrange the teeth. You want them as visible as possible, so try not to cover them too much with the blood.

8. As the blood glue dries, build up layers of black and metallic silver spray paint to give the jar’s lid the look of steel. It works best to apply a base coat of black followed by sliver, working in quick bursts to allow parts of the black to remain visible. Once the spray paint dries, create a wash of brown paint and use it to add a level of grime to the lid, allowing the liquid to settle in the crevices.  

9. Add the coffee to a cup of boiling water. The longer you allow the coffee to brew, the darker the stain. Likewise, greater amounts of coffee will produce a richer stain. Since I wanted irregular spots rather than a unified discoloration, I placed the copy paper on a baking sheet, splashed coffee and grounds onto its surface, allowed the liquid to sit for a few minutes, and then moved it to a space to dry.

10. Reattach the lid to the jar, cut out one of the biohazard labels, and use it to make a seal. For an alternate look, you can tie a specimen tag to the prop with a strand of twine.  

11. Use the remaining blood glue to accent the prop, building up a pool on the lid and allowing it to run downward along the sides.  

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.