Attacking alligator prop
Items Needed:
Tools needed:
First Step - CUTTING OUT
The first thing that you will need to do is draw the outline of an alligator on a 4' x 8' x 2" sheet of Styrofoam. Then cut the shape out with a scroll saw. You can use a hand saw but the scroll saw cuts through it like a hot knife through butter.
Once you have the first sheet cut use that to trace the shape to the other three sheets. Then cut those out as well.
Cut the head off at the neck on three of the sheets. The bottom sheet is the only sheet that I left attached to the body.
Once you have all of the sheets cut, trace the shape onto the sheet of plywood then cut that out with the scroll saw.
Second Step - GLUING
Now it's time to glue the Styrofoam sheets together. You want to glue the bottom two sheets together, then glue the plywood cut out on top. Make sure you cut the head of the plywood alligator before gluing. Finish gluing the top two sheets together then glue to the plywood. Once everything has been glued, place plenty of weight on top of your gator and leave dry for a couple of days.
Step # 3 - THE TEETH
While your glued gator dries, now is a good time to make your teeth and claws. Take your 1/2 ' dial rod and cut it into 2" to 3" lengths. I used 18 for the top of the mouth and 18 for the bottom. The claws are cut the same way using the 1" dial rod. After you have the pieces cut, you want to sand them down to points in the shape of teeth & claws.
Step #4 - CARVING
Carving the gator. I'm sorry to say that I don't have any pics of this very messy step. Have a shop vac
handy and guide the hose to suck up the shavings or you will have quite a mess to clean up afterwards. Use your Dremel tool to shape your gator. Be careful not to shave the legs too thin! I carved the body first, leaving the head for last as it will be a lot more fragile. After carving the gator body to your liking, turn him upside down and carve the Styrofoam out so that you can place a 2" x 4" down the center of the gator for stability. You will also use the 2" x 4" to attach your air cylinder.
STEP # 5 COATING WITH MM
Now it's time to add the Monster Mud. Cut your burlap into approximately 3" x 5' strips. I found that it was easier to wrap the styro gator while it was up on saw horses. I started with the tail, using shorter strips. Overlap your strips coated with MM by an inch or two. When you get to the neck, cut yourself a strip as wide as the neck and place it lengthwise from the head to the body. This will give you the flexibility for the mouth to open. Then overlap it horizontally for strength. I put the teeth and claws in before wrapping and found out that his bite can be quite hazardous and painful even without the air hooked up. The next one I make I will have the air hooked up first to keep the mouth open and making it easier to coat. Don't worry abut getting coating on teeth or claws because you can go back with your Dremel tool and give him a teeth cleaning.
Use the MM to build up around the eyes thus securing them to the head.
STEP # 6 PAINTING
Now that he has been coated and allowed to completely dry it's time to paint. I started off painting with a medium green spray paint for the body and a blood red (of course!) for the mouth. I masked the eyes, teeth and claws off with masking tape to keep them as clean as possible. I wasn't sure if I was going to paint the claws and teeth or leave them alone. I decided to leave them alone for now, (which later I was glad I did). After the paint dried, I airbrushed the details on. Then for the final touch I coated the whole piece in polyurethane. It gave it the glossy texture and a nice hard coat. Hopefully it holds up well.
Original author: Ghostmuster
Original URL: http://www.ghostmusters.com/Alligator.html
Items Needed:
- (4) - 4'x8' x2" Sheets of Insulation Board
- Several Tubes of Styrofoam Board Glue
- 4'x8' 1/2" Sheet of Plywood
- Several Lengths of 1/2" dial rod
- Several Lengths of 1" dial rod
- 10 yards of Burlap
- (1) 5 gal bucket of Monster Mud
- 4" to 6" Hing
- Dual Action Pneumatic Cylinder
- 3 Port pneumatic Solenoid
- Motion Sensor or X10 Appliance Module and Firecracker System
- Pair of 36 mm Alligator Eyes from Van Dykes Green & Red Spray Paint
Tools needed:
- Scroll Saw
- Dremel Tool
- Drill
- Scissors
- Belt Sander
- Caulking Gun
- Airbrush & Compressor
- Shop Vac
The first thing that you will need to do is draw the outline of an alligator on a 4' x 8' x 2" sheet of Styrofoam. Then cut the shape out with a scroll saw. You can use a hand saw but the scroll saw cuts through it like a hot knife through butter.
Once you have the first sheet cut use that to trace the shape to the other three sheets. Then cut those out as well.
Cut the head off at the neck on three of the sheets. The bottom sheet is the only sheet that I left attached to the body.
Once you have all of the sheets cut, trace the shape onto the sheet of plywood then cut that out with the scroll saw.
Second Step - GLUING
Now it's time to glue the Styrofoam sheets together. You want to glue the bottom two sheets together, then glue the plywood cut out on top. Make sure you cut the head of the plywood alligator before gluing. Finish gluing the top two sheets together then glue to the plywood. Once everything has been glued, place plenty of weight on top of your gator and leave dry for a couple of days.
Step # 3 - THE TEETH
Step #4 - CARVING
Carving the gator. I'm sorry to say that I don't have any pics of this very messy step. Have a shop vac
STEP # 5 COATING WITH MM
Use the MM to build up around the eyes thus securing them to the head.
STEP # 6 PAINTING
Now that he has been coated and allowed to completely dry it's time to paint. I started off painting with a medium green spray paint for the body and a blood red (of course!) for the mouth. I masked the eyes, teeth and claws off with masking tape to keep them as clean as possible. I wasn't sure if I was going to paint the claws and teeth or leave them alone. I decided to leave them alone for now, (which later I was glad I did). After the paint dried, I airbrushed the details on. Then for the final touch I coated the whole piece in polyurethane. It gave it the glossy texture and a nice hard coat. Hopefully it holds up well.
Original URL: http://www.ghostmusters.com/Alligator.html