Silent Library – Stinky Gelatin Octopus!
I’ve never had to cast an animal before, but there’s a first time for everything. To keep the hot plaster from melting the octopus into a pile of reek, it was frozen. Its tentacles were flattened against a sheet of aluminum foil so that there wouldn’t be too many undercuts on the mold. Katie Akana [...]
Read more »Silent Library – Executive Stress Machine
This prop needed a revised mechanism to clobber Silent Library contestants in the head (I changed it to work with pneumatics instead of the original electric motors .) I also cast the giant foam balls which did the clobbering. The balls have volleyballs in their centers, to save the cost of some expensive polyurethane foam.
Read more »Silent Library – Pasta Haircut
This pasta wig was made to be eaten off the head of a senior citizen on Silent Library. I cooked the pasta lightly so that it would be flexible, but not mushy. I held all of the pasta together with some remarkably sticky gelatin. I shaped it to be one of those sideways haircuts that [...]
Read more »Kikkerland – Giant Cloud, Giant Lightning
I made a giant (12′ across!) cloud and lightning bolt for the Kikkerland booth at the ICFF this year. The components were made out of several sheets of blue foam sandwiched together, with an MDF and solid wood backing for support. I put together a homemade hot-wire cutter to shape the foam, along with my [...]
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Silent Library – Electric Chicken
This electric chicken mixer was made to scratch Silent Library contestants with its sharp talons! I removed the guts from an ordinary hand mixer and modified them so that they would fit inside a rubber chicken; I’m very happy with how it came together, especially how the power cord comes out the chicken’s mouth.
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