# Swaying Motion



## BadMonkey (Sep 7, 2011)

I've seen a few animated zombie props on suppliers websites that feature a left to right swaying motion. Very cool and VERY expensive. So, I'm determined to recreate the effect on my own.

Wondering if my fellow Haunters might have a suggestion on how the mechanics of this would work. I have a gear motor and LOTS of pvc waiting to be put into action.

Here's an example of what I'm looking to do - 




Any help would be appreciated!


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Perhaps a version of what jaege did for a $20 challenge would work:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=26997

Video of the motion is on page 2 of the thread.


----------



## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

Do you want it to move slow like in the video you showed or have more violent movement?

I've seen shiatsu massagers used to create what you are talking about, but at a much more violent rate of speed. I'll see if I can find the relevant threads and post the links here.

Ok, found one of the threads started by Joker here:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=15610&page=4

There are a few good ideas in that thread to get you started.


----------



## Allen H (Feb 13, 2010)

http://www.robives.com/mechanisms/bellcrank this could work for you I think. A wiper motor could handle it I bet.


----------



## BadMonkey (Sep 7, 2011)

Amazing input! Thanks! I'm diggin the shiatsu massager concept, Jaybo. Allen, I was looking for that site cause I'd seen it in a previous thread. I'm not mechanically inclined so this is gonna help me big time!!


----------



## Joiseygal (Sep 3, 2008)

If you fool around with different ways to get the movement you want I would suggest a Shiatsu Massager. I made a zombie with a Shiatsu Massager a few years ago and it is still holding up pretty good. I changed a few things since this video, but I would say that would come pretty close to the movement.


----------



## BadMonkey (Sep 7, 2011)

Joiseygal said:


> If you fool around with different ways to get the movement you want I would suggest a Shiatsu Massager. I made a zombie with a Shiatsu Massager a few years ago and it is still holding up pretty good. I changed a few things since this video, but I would say that would come pretty close to the movement.
> Shiatsu Massager Zombie - YouTube


Very cool!

When my wife asked what I wanted for my birthday I told her - two used shiatsu massagers from ebay. She just rolled her eyes and said, "Not even gonna ask".

LOL!


----------



## bradbaum (Jul 26, 2008)

You can pick them up cheap at the thrift stores (Goodwill, ARC, Salvation Army)


----------



## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

One of the cheapest and easiest ways to achieve a similar effect to this is by using a standing oscillating fan. You just remove the fan parts, as all you want is the side to side action of the motor. By setting it on the lowest setting, it will mimic the action of the zombie you posted. I used one in a prop last year and it works very well.


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Something you need to understand about using fans, oscillating or not, is that the fan motor depends upon the air being pulled through by*the fan itself to keep it cool. You could mount a small cooling fan from a computer so that it keeps the fan motor cool, but you need to be careful and think your projects through.

Something else to help on the movement side of things is to use springs rather than rigid frames and supports for your props. Making the armature for your scarecrow, or pop up with garage door springs for the main spine, and then lighter duty springs to work jaws and such can let you get a fair amount of movement just from wind, or miner mechanical assistance.


----------



## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

fontgeek said:


> Something you need to understand about using fans, oscillating or not, is that the fan motor depends upon the air being pulled through by*the fan itself to keep it cool. You could mount a small cooling fan from a computer so that it keeps the fan motor cool, but you need to be careful and think your projects through.
> 
> Something else to help on the movement side of things is to use springs rather than rigid frames and supports for your props. Making the armature for your scarecrow, or pop up with garage door springs for the main spine, and then lighter duty springs to work jaws and such can let you get a fair amount of movement just from wind, or miner mechanical assistance.


Good point Fontgeek. Yes, you do have to allow for air flow, something I forgot to add. We just left the back of the head open, with the back of the fan motor sticking out. I painted the back of the fan motor black too, so you didn't see it in the dark. You also have to take the piece off that rotates the blades. Some people just cap something over the spinning part that rotates the blades. You need to have a prop light enough for the fan motor to be able to turn back and forth, which requires a little creative thinking. Though I don't have any photos of the creepy guy that we made, I found a lot of props made with an oscillating fan online. Here is a link to one of many: 
http://www.hackolog.com/2011/01/02/another-version-of-animated-werewolf/

You can also use these types of fans to animate ghosts and things hanging up. Though I have not tried this, it looks pretty cool. I found a link for one of those too
http://www.halloween-haunted-house.com/how.html


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

The fan blades themselves create the airflow through the fan motor. While you can operate the fan motor without the actual fan blades, the motor tends to get very hot in a short period of time. Too hot, and you'll fry the motor, and or cause a fire. If the surrounding materials are flammable, this could be a major issue.


----------



## Uruk-Hai (Nov 4, 2006)

jessjaja said:


> I found a lot of props made with an oscillating fan online. Here is a link to one of many:
> http://www.hackolog.com/2011/01/02/another-version-of-animated-werewolf/


That's the werewolf I made and I should clarify that it was built on an older stand up oscillating fan that was more robust and able to withstand the weight of the body. The motor did eventually burn out (mainly because it got left on by mistake and ran continuously for 3 days straight!) but I never had a problem with it overheating on Halloween since it had lots of airflow and the nights in October are cooler here in Canada which helped. I've tried to replace the fan and get it running again but the newer fans are all plastic and made very cheaply so they can't stand up to the motion. It failed and broke almost immediately. For now the werewolf is static but I have plans to fix it properly using a wiper motor.


----------



## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

Uruk-Hai said:


> That's the werewolf I made and I should clarify that it was built on an older stand up oscillating fan that was more robust and able to withstand the weight of the body. The motor did eventually burn out (mainly because it got left on by mistake and ran continuously for 3 days straight!) but I never had a problem with it overheating on Halloween since it had lots of airflow and the nights in October are cooler here in Canada which helped. I've tried to replace the fan and get it running again but the newer fans are all plastic and made very cheaply so they can't stand up to the motion. It failed and broke almost immediately. For now the werewolf is static but I have plans to fix it properly using a wiper motor.


You did a great job making it! Too bad it was left on and over heated. The newer fans will not support much weight at all, they are really only suitable for something small and very light such as maybe a head. I don't know that I would try a new fan at all, but it might be suitable for something like that. My dad had an old one that we used. I hope you didn't mind that I used it as an example, I just randomly picked one that had good photos and description.


----------



## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

fontgeek said:


> The fan blades themselves create the airflow through the fan motor. While you can operate the fan motor without the actual fan blades, the motor tends to get very hot in a short period of time. Too hot, and you'll fry the motor, and or cause a fire. If the surrounding materials are flammable, this could be a major issue.


Fontgeek has a good point again, if you decide to use this method, it should only be used a short time, and the materials should not be flammable. The guy I made was switched on as a crew came by, then switched off after they passed. If you plan on running a prop for a long time, then I would stay away from a fan. The massager would probably work better for longer periods without rest, or wiper blade motors. No matter what method you use, you should test your prop before hand to make sure it has adequate ventilation for the motors propelling them and does not over heat. I think the massagers have a built in mechanism that automatically shuts them off if the motor gets too hot. You should also always try to use non flammable materials with any kind of prop using a motor if at all possible.


----------



## gypsyrose (Mar 24, 2012)

I have used fans and they worked well with no problems. Just take off the fan apparatus and remove the propeller "bolt". I did not run mine for a whole night without stopping, but it did run for several hours with no problems. I did leave room for ventilation, and kept a close eye on it. I know several people that use them without problems in their Halloween props. But as mentioned above, the newer fans will not hold much weight. A good rule is to make your prop not much heavier than the fan cage & blades. The fan will support those and run with them intact, so something of equal weight will work as well. A light weight foam head weighs practically nothing.


----------



## Uruk-Hai (Nov 4, 2006)

jessjaja said:


> You did a great job making it! Too bad it was left on and over heated. The newer fans will not support much weight at all, they are really only suitable for something small and very light such as maybe a head. I don't know that I would try a new fan at all, but it might be suitable for something like that. My dad had an old one that we used. I hope you didn't mind that I used it as an example, I just randomly picked one that had good photos and description.


Not at all!!!  As much as I take what others have done and make my own versions I'm always very flattered when my own work has inspired others.


----------



## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

gypsyrose said:


> I have used fans and they worked well with no problems. Just take off the fan apparatus and remove the propeller "bolt". I did not run mine for a whole night without stopping, but it did run for several hours with no problems. I did leave room for ventilation, and kept a close eye on it. I know several people that use them without problems in their Halloween props. But as mentioned above, the newer fans will not hold much weight. A good rule is to make your prop not much heavier than the fan cage & blades. The fan will support those and run with them intact, so something of equal weight will work as well. A light weight foam head weighs practically nothing.


They can be if used for a brief time and you have to keep an eye on them. I think Fontgeek's point is important, and has made me decide it is not worth the trouble to use mine again this year. As many of the members on this forum do professional or annual haunts, they don't have time to keep checking on their props. They need something they can start up and let it do it's thing without worrying about it again until the end of the night. I had an actor turn mine off/on as a second job, and they could check the fan motor when they shut it off too. I simply don't want to use my man power for it this year, as I have bigger fish to fry this time. I also don't want to deal with needing some sort of a back up if my fan craps out on me LOL. I did not consider these things until reading this thread. If you just wanted it for a prop on your porch or yard where you could check it and turn it off when there were no ToTs, it would probably work ok for that. As far as a prop that has to run continuously all night, I don't think I would want to try that after reading all of this thread. I value Fontgeek's opinion much more than my own since he has been at this a lot longer than I have. I figure if he says it sucks, then it sucks


----------



## Brad Green (Jul 29, 2004)

OK, hope I won't incur any wrath for pointing you towards another forum, but I think someone has come up with a very inexpensive solution to your problem here, http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/114564-almost-gone-zombie.html


----------

