# Leering Skeleton Questions



## bbgdesigns (Jun 20, 2013)

This year I have decided to add a leering skeleton, on a tombstone, to the yard. Im wondering:

1) What seems to be to best skeleton to use, if I plan on running the pvc through the spine?

and 2) What lanterns are you guys using? Where do I find them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You


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## The Watcher (Sep 13, 2008)

The last lanterns I got bought came from Walmart. They are cheap and can be painted how ever you like. I cut the off wick piece and use a battery flicker candle in mine.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:The best one I've seen is the one made by Big Ant, here is the thread:
http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=31288


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

This was my first animated prop based on Baird Manor's design and I love it. I used a blucky because its lightweight and easy to push PVC through it.

Yes pumpkin5, I built one years ago.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

Lunatic said:


> Yes pumpkin5, I built one years ago.


:jol:Let's see it!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Devil also made one, so his thread will be useful. He used a Walgreen's skeleton:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=30217&highlight=leering+skeleton

His design was based on the one done by steveshauntedyard:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=30348&highlight=leering+skeleton


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol:Let's see it!


I posted it a couple months ago and you commented on it. I showed pics after building them. I did not find great pics of them in the graveyard. Here you go tough guy.

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=34973


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Here is another link...this one is awesome and shows more about the skeleton workings.
http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=30348&highlight=leering+skeleton


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## bbgdesigns (Jun 20, 2013)

So when you guys talk about the "Bucky" skeleton, are you talking about the $100+ one or the cheaper, about $50 one?


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I call anything that isn't a blucky a bucky. They range in price from the $35 or so Walgreen's or Target GID versions up to the higher price, $100+ 4th quality and up medical type skeletons.

The skellies Lunatic used are bluckies. The skellies used in Devil's and steveshauntedyard's props are buckies.


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## Tokwik (Oct 12, 2011)

bbgdesigns said:


> So when you guys talk about the "Bucky" skeleton, are you talking about the $100+ one or the cheaper, about $50 one?


Keep weight in mind when building your props.

I had planned on making a leering skeleton based on BIGANT's design using a Bucky skeleton that I had previously purchased.

As it turned out, the Bucky was too heavy to utilize his rotisserie motor design and ended up having to use a 4 RPM gear motor and aluminum supports and the effect, while decent, wasn't exactly what I was looking for and will have to redesign before this season. The cheaper lightweight skeleton would have been much easier. Lesson learned.

I found a lantern at Lowes that worked well in the garden section. I think it was about $4 or $5 dollars then airbrushed it for the aging.

Hope that helps some.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Tokwik makes an excellent point. The Walgreen or Target bucky is considerably lighter than the more expensive buckies on the market.


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

I used a Walgreens one, they are pretty light. Also mine is cut in half so the motor is actually only turning the top half so it's even less weight on the motor. I want to redo the motor setup this year if I get the time.


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

Tokwik do you have any pics or video of your setup? I would love to see it!


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## Tokwik (Oct 12, 2011)

BIGANT said:


> Tokwik do you have any pics or video of your setup? I would love to see it!


No real good picks of the setup. But old Fred sat on my coffin fogger and greeted the TOT's as they came up the walk.










You can't really tell from the pics, but Fred was a full sized skeleton that I bought off of an anatomy student and boy was he heavy.

I did separate him and had the pelvis and legs on their own, so only the upper torso rotated. I ran a piece of aluminum up his arm to keep it in position and secured it to the spinal column. The steel rod that goes up through the spinal column was secured to a piece of all-thread that was mounted to the base of the coffin to support his weight. You can see the all-thread just to the right side of the lower pvc.
For the rotation, I used the skewer from the rotisserie motor attached to the crank arm of the gear motor at the bottom and a piece of flat aluminum at the top of the skull. The longer crank arm and low RPM gear motor gave him a nice slow 90+ degree turn.










Thanks for your post about your leering skeleton columns for it was the inspiration for Fred's setup.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Cool man!


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

Oh man I really dig the idea of having him on a coffin that's great!! Glad I could help inspire that!!


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## Tokwik (Oct 12, 2011)

Thanks. 

Hopefully the coffin will become more of a centerpiece this year. The inspirations come from so many members on this board.

Once the coffin was completed, it needed something else. The leering skeleton seemed to be the best fit. Welcoming, a little creepy, but not scary was what I was looking for.

Currently working on getting a real fog machine to increase the output and also working on getting Fred talking.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Bbg, do you need any more help or have any other questions?


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## dudeamis (Oct 16, 2011)

Here's a how to
http://www.spyderwood.com/Leer.html

I'm adding this to my to do list, only it will be a scarecrow on a pumpkin.


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## CLOE (Jul 8, 2012)

I made one of those last year. I used a bend and pose skeleton. The spine is split down the middle in sections and screwed together. I just unscrewed and removed the back portion and zip tied the front half over the pvc. Pole fit into the front spine well enough that you didn't really notice. It's face is not exactly creepy but for the mechanically challenged like me this part was quite easy. Getting it to move correctly was another story!


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