# Beta Test- Wallbreaker Ghost Mechanism



## Doc Doom (Aug 28, 2008)

Like most of you I knew I just had to have one of heresjohnny's wallbreaker ghost props from the moment I first saw it. Since I have an advanced degree in civil engineering, am a fairly accomplished wood worker and all-around handyman, I figured I could successfully built one from scratch, especially once I saw the excellent How-To heresjohnny put together. My problem, however is available time.

I contacted heresjohnny and he agreed to allow me to beta test a trial version of his wallbreaker kit. This thread will chronical my experience in assembling the kit and will hopefully help him work out any bugs. That is, of course, if Erebus hasn't found all of them first.

heresjohnny's How-To can be found here http://hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=22504.

heresjohnny's only request is that I provide an honest assessment of the kit and feedback as to the assembly process.

OK, here we go. Here is a pic of the just opened kit. It arrived today by USPS. With a weight of 7.5 lbs, USPS flat rate was easily the best shipping option at $10.70 for the Florida to California trip.









Stay tuned.


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## dave the dead (Jan 31, 2007)

Doc, I just got my kit in the mail yesterday, but can't start working on it till I get a few other projects out of the way....going to be a fun project for sure! 

Thanks for all your hard work Johnny! Have you named this thing yet???


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Well, wallbreaker seems to be the name. I cannot think of anything else at this time. Good luck with the kits you two, I am looking forward to hearing how it goes.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Oooooo... I like what I see! I did not know about a potential for kits. Good luck guys with the build. I hope things work out well.

HJ, I am very interested in purchasing a kit, if at all possible, once you feel ready. As I metioned in your thread explaining the build, that is one great concept! You deserve "Creator of the Year" for this one! Thanks


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## Doc Doom (Aug 28, 2008)

I spent about 4 hours of productive work this weekend and got pretty far. I've got all the parts assembled except adding the arm assemblies. All in all I'm VERY impressed with the kit and even more impressed with the design. As I suspected, I saved a TON of time not having to go out and purchase the supplies and then cut, drill and label the parts. It was really nice to be able to jump right into assembly.

Here is the kit right out of the box.









First thing, READ the ENTIRE how-to. Each dowel and block is clearly marked with the part number and other helpful markings referenced in the how-to. Dowels are marked for position and alignment of eyebolts and insertion depth into block holes. Blocks are pre-drilled. A couple dowels did not have insertion limits marked and one was marked at 1-3/8" instead of 1-5/8'. No big deal as long as the builder takes the time to check things over first. All in all, a remarkable job of organization. The kit is complete with the exception of motor (may be provided as an option), and glue, and includes screws, pulleys, washers, nails, fishing line, swivel connectors, screw eyes, nuts and bolts. Crank assembly came assembled.

It really helps if you mark the dowel and block numbers on the how-to diagrams as you read. Although included in the how-to, a parts list will be included in the kit.

The base comes pre-drilled with motor mounting holes and hanging holes. I did saw cut slots in the ends of the dowels to provide additional gluing surface and to make insertion easier. This also helped prevent the wood blocks from splitting. This happened twice but was easily fixed. Pre-slotted dowels may be included in future kits, but is easily completed if not. Heresjohnny is enlarging the holes slightly to mitigate splitting.

I did have two problems with holes in the blocks being off, making insertion of the dowels very tough. One was my fault for not following directions and improvising on the assembly sequence. The other was the only real quality control issue I had with the entire kit. I made some suggestions to heresjohnny which have been incorporated into the how-to and future kits that will further reduce assembly time. Heresjohnny really wants to provide a quality kit.

Here is the almost completed assembly, just prior to putting it all together.









To be honest, I did make one major mistake and had D7 and D8 going over the D14s. This problem was caught early on by Erebus and discussed in the how-to thread, but I missed it. The how-to has been updated to clarify this part of the assembly.

Here are a few more close up pics.









Please note that the following picture shows the incorrect assembly of D7 and D8 going over the D14s. 

















Once I fix D& and D*, I'm on to rigging.


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Thanks for the update Doc! 

I am checking the jig I used to make the blocks to find out how some of the holes came out crooked. And I found a 25/64 drill bit which makes the perfect hole for a 3/8" dowel, so no more problems splitting the blocks because the dowel is too tight. I am testing a 13/32 drill bit tonight, I think it will provide the perfect hole for dowels that need to spin free.


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## Doc Doom (Aug 28, 2008)

First, forgot to mention that I am not affiliated with heresjohnny and received (or will receive) no compensation for my reviews and comments here other than a discounted price on a trial version of the kit he is considering putting together. Second, forgot how great the kit is for the tool poor or tool challenged. I would really hate to try to cut and drill the blocks without a table/radial arm saw and a drill press.


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## Doc Doom (Aug 28, 2008)

Well I finally found some time and fixed my little over/under problem. A simple fix to cut off the dowels, redrill and reglue. Then on to stringing. It is really pretty straight forward. The snap swivels provided make it easy to connect the lines. I used 50# spyder wire because that is what I had.

All in all, this was a very quick build. Assembly could be completed in one day if you didn't have to wait for the glue to dry. Tools used included the following:

hammer
regular and philips scredriver
scissors
hand drill with various bits
rat tail (round) file
cresent wrench
coping saw (to cut slits in dowels)
candle (to wax moving joints)
sandpaper
tape measure

Here's a quick video clip of the finished assembly.


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Doc, thanks for testing the kit for me, I think the motion turned out real nice, and you were able to provide a lot of good feedback on improving the how-to and the kit.

Thanks!


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## Wildcat (Nov 3, 2007)

Nice job on the kit.
heresjohnny are you going to post the kit on your site?


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Wildcat said:


> Nice job on the kit.
> heresjohnny are you going to post the kit on your site?


I'm figuring that out now, will let you know as soon as I can.


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## Wildcat (Nov 3, 2007)

Cool.


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## Doc Doom (Aug 28, 2008)

I let my mechanism run last night and it went two hours without a hitch until I shut it off. I spent some time studying the three available videos of the completed mechanisms' movement. Although all three of us supposedly built the same thing, each one moves a little different. 

Oveall, this looks is a very complex project. However, when you break it down into the three basic components, (parts making, assembly, and dressing), it really is not that hard. Cutting, drilling and marking the blocks and dowels is probably the most labor intensive and critical portion. Due to the way the mechanism works, some of the tolerences are pretty tight. There is more freedom in the assembly and a whole lot more in the dressing. 

I would encourage anyone with basic crafting skills to give it a try.


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

cool thanks for all the work everyone is doing on this kit to make is easier for others here that may not as adept with tools. I am going to have to build one of these from the how to.


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## HalloweenZombie (Jul 22, 2007)

I'll say it again...this is going to be the next FCG. Great movement with an inexpensive motor.


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## dave the dead (Jan 31, 2007)

Ok guys, I have finished my beta kit. I had a few small issues with splitting wood, and have relayed a few corrections to Heresjohnny. All in all, I give this project a huge thumbs up. 
Here's a few thoughts about my experience building this:

The directions are very well written. It is a complicated build, but HJ has done an amazing job spelling it out. I had times where I wasn't sure what I was doing, but by following the directions I was able to assemble the kit in 3 evenings...all totalled approx 2 to 3 hours.

It was extremely satisfying to skip all the prepwork of cutting blocks and dowels, as well as the supply shopping that would have been necessary. Not having a ton of time this year, having the entire kit made this way more manageable. 

It was amazing to see the ghost come to life during the stringing process. If you can follow directions, HJ has the stringing down to a science.

Huge thanks go out to Herejohnny for sharing such a cool prop idea.Also thanks to , Erebus, and Doc Doom for the initial builds and comments suggestions to make the project even better.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

I also am interested in a kit, and I agree this is the next FCG. I cannot believe how much movement is attained from one small cheap motor. This prop is truly impressive with the design that went into this. We really should have a Hauntforum store here.Where Hauntforum members could build and submit their work and sell through the Hauntforum store to others. There is so much talent on this site, and potentially so much money that could be made by all these talented people. So many props are so overpriced for what you get, I think a store would be so cool and make some great hand made props available to other yard haunters. Will be looking for info on this kit, Please keep us posted.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Doc & Dave, thanks for the update and the beta testing. Things look great so far! You must be excited about your new prop. 
And yeah, what Kprimm said. This is an exciting project.

HJ, I PM'd you about a kit. I think I did it correctly. Not being impatient just making sure you got it. Thanks again guys!


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

I don't know about the next FCG, but I do think this approach has a ton of potential. One last big Thankyou to Erebus, Doc Doom and Dave the Dead for trying the kit and how-to out, they were a HUGE help. I have posted the kit for sale over in the classified.


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## Doc Doom (Aug 28, 2008)

Glad I could help out. I've spent the last five days down and out with severe bronchitis so haven't spent much time on it outside a papermacheing a head form and starting a set of hands. WIll post some more pics if I ever stop coughing.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Thanks to everyone for working on this awesome project and sharing your thoughts with us. I am stoked about building one myself!

Hope you're feeling better soon Doc.


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