Synthetic Cobweb on Chicken Wire

This spray-on cobweb is used for stage sets and special effects. The word cobweb is usually used for old, abandoned spider-webs, and this effect is used for making scenes and props look instantly old and neglected. It is made of a blend of solvents and polymer resins, which, when sprayed onto a supporting framework like this chicken wire, produces the cobweb effect. As the aerosol spray diffuses the liquid resin, the solvents evaporate and it air-dries in thin threads. When sprayed onto a surface, however, the substance just builds up to become a yellowed, crispy, bubbly coating, as in the outside of this jar. Real spider silk is very strong but very elastic, and has types of chemicals in it, which make it very resistant to drying out, or decaying, unlike this ‘Kobweb’, which is fairly brittle and does not age well. Some people make their own ‘webslingers’ which produce a similar effect by modifying an air compressor and a hot glue gun.