Our goal is to create a monster head out of a simple five gallon plastic pail.
The tools and materials you will need are:
A 5 gallon bucket.
A permanent marker.
A jig saw.
A heat gun or propane torch.
Craft paper (a wallpaper scrap will do).
A pair of scissors.
Two #8-32 X 3/4" bolts and nuts.
High strength fishing line.
Start by measuring the diameter and height of your pail. Cut a piece of the craft paper so that it wraps all the way around the pail. Cut the paper in half lengthwise and fold the two pieces at their center. Tape them back together with the folded side out and trace your monster head as shown in this picture. Once your pattern is drawn, cut the shape out with scissors. This will make the templates for the head and lower jaw. Tape the templates onto the pail and outline with the permanent marker.
Using the jig saw, cut the pail along the template lines. You should end up with two pieces similar to what you see in this picture. The style and pattern you make your monster is totally up to you. I suggest you experiment with this and have fun designing it.
Now take both the head segments and join them together by drilling, and inserting the two bolts. This will create the hinged jaw for your monster. Do not over tighten the nuts or the jaw will not pivot. I suggest scoring the threads once you have the nuts in place to keep them from working out.
Next you will shape the teeth by using the heat gun or torch. Extreme care must be taken. Once the plastic is hot enough to become pliable, it can severely burn you. Concentrate the heat at the teeth and edge of the jaw. Allow gravity to shape the teeth into the desired shape. Once you have them like you want, allow it to fully cool before handling.
After your bucket head monster has cooled, drill a small hole at the back of the top of the head. Measuring about mid-way down the snout, drill another hole, and a corresponding one in the lower jaw. Run a piece of line to the rear hole and suspend your monster. Now run another line through the top snout hole and through the mouth and tie to the hole in the lower jaw.
This will give your monster animation by moving his jaw. This can be done by a low RPM motor from above. Another option is to tie off the support line to the frame of your FCG and attach the line from the jaw to the crank arm where the FCG head would attach. You will get a very creepy effect with this movement as shown in the accompanying photos.
You're now ready to paint your monster head. Hot glue can be glopped onto the head for added effects. Be creative and add colors, or go for a bone white for a more skeletal look. Either way, your bucket monster head will add a totally different look for a number of new prop ideas in your haunt. These guys are cheap, easy, and fun to make.
Here's a shot of an earlier bucket head I used for a motor driven pop up. The rib cage is made by heat forming 1/2" PVC and covering it with foam pipe insulation. Drenched in fog and illuminated with a red flood light, this guy caused passersby to stop and watch him work. The animation and lights were rigged to a motion detector aimed at the road to trigger the prop by
passing cars.
Original author: Ironman
Original URL: http://www.theironkingdom.com/Buckethead/
The tools and materials you will need are:
A 5 gallon bucket.
A permanent marker.
A jig saw.
A heat gun or propane torch.
Craft paper (a wallpaper scrap will do).
A pair of scissors.
Two #8-32 X 3/4" bolts and nuts.
High strength fishing line.
Using the jig saw, cut the pail along the template lines. You should end up with two pieces similar to what you see in this picture. The style and pattern you make your monster is totally up to you. I suggest you experiment with this and have fun designing it.
Now take both the head segments and join them together by drilling, and inserting the two bolts. This will create the hinged jaw for your monster. Do not over tighten the nuts or the jaw will not pivot. I suggest scoring the threads once you have the nuts in place to keep them from working out.
Next you will shape the teeth by using the heat gun or torch. Extreme care must be taken. Once the plastic is hot enough to become pliable, it can severely burn you. Concentrate the heat at the teeth and edge of the jaw. Allow gravity to shape the teeth into the desired shape. Once you have them like you want, allow it to fully cool before handling.
After your bucket head monster has cooled, drill a small hole at the back of the top of the head. Measuring about mid-way down the snout, drill another hole, and a corresponding one in the lower jaw. Run a piece of line to the rear hole and suspend your monster. Now run another line through the top snout hole and through the mouth and tie to the hole in the lower jaw.
This will give your monster animation by moving his jaw. This can be done by a low RPM motor from above. Another option is to tie off the support line to the frame of your FCG and attach the line from the jaw to the crank arm where the FCG head would attach. You will get a very creepy effect with this movement as shown in the accompanying photos.
You're now ready to paint your monster head. Hot glue can be glopped onto the head for added effects. Be creative and add colors, or go for a bone white for a more skeletal look. Either way, your bucket monster head will add a totally different look for a number of new prop ideas in your haunt. These guys are cheap, easy, and fun to make.
Here's a shot of an earlier bucket head I used for a motor driven pop up. The rib cage is made by heat forming 1/2" PVC and covering it with foam pipe insulation. Drenched in fog and illuminated with a red flood light, this guy caused passersby to stop and watch him work. The animation and lights were rigged to a motion detector aimed at the road to trigger the prop by
passing cars.
Original author: Ironman
Original URL: http://www.theironkingdom.com/Buckethead/