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Lightsaber!!

Filed under: diy, how to, kids toys, Uncategorized

When my kids started watching the new Star Wars cartoons, the result was instant fascination with lightsabers.  So we built a few.

You will need a little LED flashlight

cardboard

packing tape

an old deceased CD (we all have burned some coasters)

clear or opaque tube, I used an old golf club protector tube thingy

Sharpie

scissors

Figure out how to mount your flashlight in the tube.  I wrapped the flashlight in cardboard and taped it then slid it into the end of the tube.

If you want a colored light, you should add some colored cellophane at this point.  Wrap it over the end of the flashlight and tape it down.

Once the flashlight is where you want it in the tube, tape it there.

Next trace the end of your tube on the old CD and cut it out.

Tape the CD with the reflective portion towards the flash light.

All done but the testing.

Finished product.

Haunted House Fences

Filed under: diy, haunted house, how to, props

HH Fencing

These work pretty well for keeping people away from frights but still allowing folks to see them.

You will need:

Scrap 2×4′s
screws

saw
drill to drive screws.

Cut two uprights about as tall as you want them.  We went a little taller than waist high.

two 2x4s for horizontal bits.

2 2x4s for feet.  2 feet long is plenty.  Just enough to get a sand bag or a cinder block on it.

scrap 2x4s for bracing.

Screw it all together.  The feet get screwed into the bottom of the uprights.  The bracing gets screwed into both the upright and the foot.  The horizontal bits get screwed on the inside of the uprights (away from the public).

The horizontal bits can be put on with precision, we didn’t do this, they are not level.  I think it adds to the atmosphere.

You can paint these with something to react in  a black light or leave them un painted.

When you put these up and together, try to cover joints with some fabric covering some foam or pointed away from the public.

We use these to keep folks away from props and to direct them towards other frights.
Remember that exposed screw points or heads or points of 2×4′s are an invitation for someone to get hurt.  Which kind of ruins the experience for everyone, especially when they give you bad press or sue you.  Not to mention feeling bad that someone got hurt.

Tags: diy, haunted house, how to, props

Haunted House Well

Filed under: diy, haunted house, how to, props

We needed a well for a prop.

What you will need.

55 gallon plastic drum.
Cardboard.
Scrap 2x4s
screws
Paint.
duct tape.

We took the bottom half of a plastic 55 gallon drum.   We used a drum like the one below cut in half.  I think any large bucket or barrel would work.  I have seen large styrofoam plant pots that might work.

Screw the 2x4s about 8 inches apart around the drum vertically.  Form the cardboard around the 2x4s attached to the drum.  Tape it in place.  Paint.

In the picture above, you can see some blue inside the well.  This is the blue barrel.  You can see the red strobe light we use to light up the fog.  The skull and hand are mentioned below.

This prop has been modified many times since.  Originally we had some lights in the bottom of it and cut a 6 inch hole in the side and fed fog from a fog machine into the well.  Made for an eerie effect.  The next year we added a pneumatic system to raise a skull and paper mache hand out of the well at people through the fog.  This year the skull and hand did not move, the effect was to get people to look into the well expecting the skull and hand to reach for you and then have something behind the well grab at the person.

Tags: diy, haunted house, how to, props

Caskets and Coffins

Filed under: diy, haunted house, how to, props

I have tried to make these many times.  There are plenty of other sites that have diagrams on them, and I will add mine here.  I have used wood from freight palates (remove the planks, cut to length, glue and brad nail together), scrap paneling, ply wood (expensive and heavy, don’t do this), and have recently seen people using insulation foam (probably pretty light).  Depending on the intended use, you pretty much can’t screw this up.  Remember that people who see these usually see them in the dark and are pretty amped up.  Perfection is not necessary.

I mostly just guessed the first one I built and then copied the results after I had one that looked ok.  Use cardboard to lay it out, cut it out and assemble using tape.  Once you have something you like, trace it out on the material you want to use and away you go.

I did some searching using the Google brain.  Plans can be found here for coffin out of one sheet of plywood.

Tags: diy, haunted house, how to, props

Haunted House Mannequin – Style 2 – Part 2

Filed under: diy, haunted house, how to, props

Cut fabric the length of the arm.  Drape it over the foam.  Tape at the shoulder.  Staple the overlapping bits under the arm together.

Cut some foam to fit the chest cavity.  Stuff it in the chest.  Wrap it with some tape to hold it in. 

Measure the ground to the  top of the head.  Measure out that much fabric and double it.  Cut that much fabric off.  Fold it in half length wise.  Cut a hole for the head.  Drape the fabric over the mannequin.

Take the edges along each side and staple them to the 2×4 that forms the upright leg/torso.

Put a mask on it or add some foam and put some fabric over the foam like a hood. 

Done.

I really like this design, it is fast and cheap to make if you use repurposed materials.  I made 10 of these guys in about 2 or 3 hours.

Tags: carpentry, diy, haunted house, how to, sets

Haunted House Mannequin – Style 2 – Part 1

Filed under: diy, haunted house, how to, props

I needed a small army of guys for a hallway in this year’s haunted house.  As finding people to work the HH has always been a problem in the past, I needed to recruit some non living help. 

What you’ll need:

scrap 2×4′s
screws
foam
duct tape
landscaping fabric

saw (I used a circular saw)
screw driver (I used a cordless drill)
knife to cut foam (I used a $10 eclectic knife from the big box store)
stapler
hammer-tacker or staple gun

Note on measurements.  The results of this project will be seen in the dark by people who are (hopefully) startled.  Don’t worry about being precise.

For each guy you will need to cut the following.

A 2×4 for the shoulders.  I roughly measured mine from shoulder to shoulder and cut a 2×4 to that length.

Two vertical pieces to make the mannequin tall.  I roughly measured from the floor to my shoulders.  Then cut two 2×4′s to this length.

One piece for a waist.  Again, I measured my waist and cut a piece that long.

Two feet.  I again guestimated what it would take for the guy to not tip over and cut two.

A 2×4 scrap to put the head on.  I was using costume masks, so I measured one from the base to the top and cut a 2×4 down to that length.

Stand your two vertical lengths upright.  Put the waist bit about waist high and screw it in.

Put the shoulder bit across the top and screw it down.

Put the feet on.

Toenail the head bit on.

Cut an arm-length of foam.  Mine ended up being 4 inches x 4 inches by the length of my arm.  Tape one end of it on top of the shoulder.  Tape is cheap.  Use enough tape.  Repeat for the other arm.

More in the next post.

Tags: carpentry, diy, haunted house, how to, props

Tombstones

Filed under: diy, haunted house, how to, props

This has been done ad nausium elsewhere, so it won’t be belabored much here.  Simply cut tombstone shapes out of 1 inch insulation foam.  Attach them at the bottom to scrap 2x4s.  Paint a good stony color.  Paint witty epitaphs on them.  We usually try to put inside jokes on them.  Or your pirate name.

Tags: diy, haunted house, how to, props, Toombstones

Haunted House Wall Flats

Filed under: diy, haunted house, how to

The biggest drag of building the haunted house every year has been building walls.  Usually we would have 3 or 4 nights of just wall building.  This last year, Jason and I spent a couple of nights building some flats.  This is a trick straight from our days of working in the theatre (thanks Doane).  These walls easily go up and then are easily taken apart.  They can then be stored easily as they are also very light.  All of our non permanent walls this year went up in 4 hours.  Needless to say we had a lot more time to build other cool stuff this year and thus had more fun.

You will need

8 foot 2×4′s
Screws

Circular saw or chop saw
Cordless or corded drill to drive the screws.

Rip a 2×4 lengthwise making a pair of 8 foot 2×2′s. (these actually measure 1 3/4 by 1 3/4).

Measure the thickness of the resulting 2×2.  It should be roughly 1 3/4 inches by 1 3/4 inches.  You want the flat to be 8 feet high by 4 feet wide.  the bottom and top 2×4 should end up being 44 1/2 inches long.

Cut two 2×4′s to 44 1/2 inches long.

Cut some scrap 2×4′s to triangles.  These go in the corners for strength.

Lay out the cut wood.  Screw the uprights to the top and bottom boards.  Put a triangle into each corner.  Screw these in from the inside of the resulting rectangle.

When you put these up, you can staple cardboard to them or drape them with black plastic drop cloths.

When you stand these up they should be pretty strong.  When you put them together, 2 screws usually are enough to hold them.  You can make hallways, corners, almost anything.  When you put two together for a corner, put a 2×4 across the top of the two making a triangle and screw it into the flats.

This makes a pretty strong corner.  Its not going to survive a rugby team slamming into it, but it will hold for the purposes of this event.

Did I mention they store well?

Tags: diy, haunted house, how to

Hanging Tomato Plants – Part 2

Filed under: diy, gardening, how to

While you are waiting for the seedling or seed to root, you should inspect your hanging brackets if you already have them up or be putting your brackets up if you have not done so already.  Remember that the buckets will be heavy when wet.

Once the seedling is ready, take the bucket to the hanger.  Flip the bucket again.  Remove the cardboard or paper you added under the lid to keep the soil in.  Hang the tomato plant.  Water the plant through the hole in the lid that is now facing up.

Now you wait and care for the plant.  Eventually you will get some tomatoes.  This is the same process you will use for peppers.  I have not tried peas or cucumbers.  But I suspect that you would have no troubles with those and many other types of plants.

Notes:

I found the first summer I planted these that I never watered them enough.  I was also constantly running back in the house to refill the watering can as I watered them infrequently enough that I needed to give a gallon or more to each plant.  The next summer I added an automatic drip line to each plant.  You can see that line in most of the photos here.  That system combined with a $40 digital water timer has allowed me to experiment with the proper amount of water this year.  I water 2 times daily for about 5 or 10 minutes each time.  I think it is probably too much.  Next year I will cut that down by half.  The trick with watering these is to experiment to find the right amount.  Remember that if it is hot and if the plants get direct sun, you will need more water.  Use your judgement.

I think that these would be ideal if you lived in an apartment and wanted some fresh tomatoes occasionally.  It would leave you room for some other container gardening on your deck as well.

I have had very few problems with bugs with these hanging off the ground.

And no more problems with bored dogs playing in the garden.

I know its lazy but I have always used seedling plants.  I could probably grow from seed then transplant myself, but have always found a surprising lack of planning gets in the way of this.  I always get my seedlings from the local True Value.  You may get yours elsewhere, but I prefer them to the wally-world for stuff like this.  Always buy from locally owned stores if you can help it.

Part 1

Tags: gardening, hanging, tomatos

Hanging Tomato Plants – Part 1

Filed under: diy, gardening, how to

Hanging tomato plants

My wife loves tomatos.  We have a large yard.  The first year I planted a garden thinking that everything would be right with the world.  Tomatos, some watermellon, a few giant pumpkins, some corn and some eat-in-the-shell peas.  Did I mention that we have two siberian huskies?  Two bored Siberian Huskie puppies made short work of the garden.

I still have not found a solution for growing mellons, pumpkins, or corn.  Hanging gardens are a great solution for peas and tomatos.

To plant hanging tomatoes you will need the following:

Seeds or seedling tomatoes
1 five gallon bucket with lid and handle.
Plant hanger brackets.
Drill and hole saw or a way to cut two holes in the bucket.
Soil

There are some optional bits that I will discuss later.

You will want to be sure the bucket is clean. If it held industrial waste, i wouldn’t use it.

First take your bucket.  Turn it upside down and cut a 2 or 3 inch hole in the center of the bottom of the bucket.  This is where the plant will be planted into the pot.

Cut an identical hole in the lid of the bucket.

Fill the bucket with soil.  I have found that it helps to put a bit of paper or thin cardboard over the hole in the bottom of the bucket.  It should be easily removable when you flip the bucket over when the plant has taken root.  Once the bucket is filled with soil.  Put the lid on it.  You might put another piece of paper or cardboard on the soil where the hole in the lid will be.  Flip the bucket.  With the bucket sitting on its lid, some of the soil will compact further.  Remove the cardboard you put over the hole before you put the soil in and add some more soil.  Once you are happy with the amount of soil you have in the bucket, add your seed or your seedling.  I have always used seedlings.  Water and give it some sun.  I typically give the plants about 7 to 10 days to root out before I flip them.  There probably isn’t a right amount of time here, as long as the plant is somewhat firmly attached to the soil when you gently pull on it.

Part 2

Tags: gardening, hanging, tomatos