# Fester D Krepid Tutorial (WIP) Part 1



## niblique71

As promised, I've begun work on a Tutorial for "Fester". I'll get as much of it done as quickly as I can. Fortunately for our forum friends I happen to be slow at work right now. So, over the next few days, hopefully I can have a more or less complete tutorial, or at least have the mechanism part completed.

NOTE: I will be updating every post as I find issues or grammar errors.

Here's the parts list for "Fester" as described in the 2011 prop Challenge

Vent Motor $2.99 Motion
12V Wall wart $.75 (Garage sale) Power supply
2" Foam scrap $.42 Hand carved Skull
Scrap 1 X 4 wood $.02 Motor Mount
Scrap 1 X 6 Wood $.06 Base
1/8 X 1/2 Aluminum flat $.81 (5") Crank arm/Linkage
3/16 round bar $1.25 (18" of 36") Pivots
Scrap 2 X 2 $.04 Main Lifting bars (Used 1' and Cut down
4 Yards CHeese Cloth $2.22 Clothing, Skin
1 5/8" Deck Screws @ .05 $.45 (Used 9)
Tiny Eye Hooks $.36 (Used 6 from an 200 pc assortment pack)
Small Extension Springs $.28 (Used 2 from a 100pc assortment pack)
Fishing Line braided $.20 (Used approx 4')
#8 washers $.46 (Used 10 from a pack of 100)
1/2" Cpvc $1.12 ( Used 40" froma 10' section) Arms
Ultra tiney wood screws $.07 (Used 7 from my own stock Price is a guess)
thin strip 1" scrap foam $.01 Teeth
Automotive Vacuum Line $.33 (4" off a 50' roll, had in stock) Retainers
3m Adhesive $.25 a few squirts here and there
Meduim Ceiling Hanger wire $.84 12' For Guards, Joints, Hands
4" wide Duct tape $.40 (Used 4') Hands
Latex Liquid n $.75 (Used about 1 oz, 40% sale at Micheals)
Cotten Balls $.15 (Used 15)
Scrap $1 store eyes $.17 (Cut one in half at 6 for $1)
10-24 machine screw $.10 (One from my own stock)
10-24 Lock Nuts $.14 ( 2 from my own stock)
1/4 20 bolt $.11 (One from my own stock)
1/4 20 Locknut $.11 (One from my own stock)
Small self Tapping Screws $.20 (4 from my own stock)
1" Pipe insulation $.04 (1" section for neck)
Soaker hose used $.15 ( used approx 1.5' ) X .03 rule
Sample can wood stain 2.33 Used approx 1/3rd (Price guess, High?)
Various Spray Paints $2.50 Less than 1/2 can total

Total--------------------$20.08

3/16" Rod-
First, a word about the 3/16th" rod. There are two kinds of rod that are considered 3/16", Hot rolled and Cold rolled. I use Hot rolled. It looks less shiney than the cold rolled and has an actual dimention that is larger than the cold rolled rod. Cold rolled steel is exactly what is sounds like. When they made it they let it cool and then rolled it as it was cool. This decreases the dimention of the rod and will not work for this tutorial since several pieces are "Press fitted" into the wood. Cold rolled steel is also harder, but more brittle. I ran into problems with this discrepancey when I did the NJ/PA MnT build of the One Armed Grave Grabber . So use the "hot rolled round rod found at HD or Lowes. It's NOT the shiney stuff.

Wood parts-
You can use any wood you want for this build, but I recomend Oak or some other hardwood for the main moving parts. When I originally built Fester, I took an old piece of scrap square 1-1/2" oak molding and cut it to the dimentions I wanted. It was tedious and Dangerous. I recomend finding some square oak pieces at a good lumber yard that measures 3/4" X 3/4" for your moving parts. If you are good with a Power Mitre saw, then you can make your pieces from a 1" X 4" oak stock. It happens to measure 3/4" X 3-1/2". I just cut it in 4 sections Longways, to make 3/4" square stock. Feel free to upgrade to aluminum square stock or Channel stock which can be found at HD or Lowes. For now I will stick close to the original build and use wood (Oak) since there would be many modifications needed to use aluminum for the moving parts AND it would be Much more costly.

Ok I started by cutting these pieces of 3/16" round stock to these dimentions (HOT ROLLED, NOT the shiney stuff).









Then I chamfered the edges to allow better insertion into the various pieces of wood, ESPECIALLY the press fitted ones.


















In the Picture above there are a few things to Note: The wood shown isn't 3/4" square stock. it's 1/2" BUT the dimensions are correct otherwise. Use 3/4" square stock.

The two tiney pieces of wood are identical, I just turned one upright so you can see the two predrilled holes to mount them to the base plate.

The other pieces have a few extra holes for adjustment in case you get the geometry wrong. They also include some adjustment holes for your "Assistance springs". Fester is VERY weight dependant and a heavy fester won't work well or last very long. I needed to use a spring to help in the lifting motion which I will cover in future posts.

Note that the two pivot arms have rounded bottoms to prevent interferance with the base plate when in operation.

Also note, I HIGHLY recomend a Drill press for ALL of holes for the main mechanism. Any holes that are not perfectly plum will cause binding and/or excess slop that will prevent fester from working properly.

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Here is a picture of which holes will need to be press fitted. Press fitting reduced the cost AND reduced the "Slop" in the mechanism. Each rod shown is in a press fit hole prior to assembly. Note thier location and be sure to use the appropriate drill to get that ultra snug fit.









To make the press fit holes a 3/16" drill bit worked perfefctly with the Hot rolled steel rod. TEST the fit on some scrap wood (Same as you are going to use for fester)

To make the other "Looser" holes, I used a drill bit 1 size larger and tested the fit before continuing. I litterrally mean a drill bit that is 1/64th" larger than 3/16" (13/64") so that the remaining pieces can rotate freely with very little slop. TEST YOUR DRILL BITS with the wood you will be using to achieve a "Press fit size and a "Snug but loose" size before proceeding to cut and drill your pieces.
In the piece called "Spine" there is a press fit hole in the end of it to accept the neck rod. You can't see it in this picture but you'll see the neck rod in later pictures This is also a "Press fit" hole.

ANY resistance will affect fester since the motor is Pushed to the max. Find a drill bit combo that will work for you.

Here's a picture of the base plate with some measurements written on it to help you locate the pivot points. It also shows the location of the motor mount wood. It will be screwed into the side between the lines shown. You will have to mount your motor and linkage and run it without it being attached to get the desired motion. it sometimes takes two people to do this. I used 1-5/8" deck screws to secure the motor mount AFTER the motor is installed. More on that later.


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## hpropman

Greg can this be done with a wiper motor?


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## niblique71

*Fester Tutorial part 2*

Here is another picture with the press fited shoulder rod and assembly layed out.


















Note that 1/8" Automotive vacuum tubing and some washers are all I used to retain all of the pivot points.









Here are a few pictures of the main assembly including strings to make his head move left and right. Note that the shoulder assembly is allowed to pivot a little.









Note in the picture below there is a small piece of wood scewed into the spine at the top to limit the movement of the shoulders. I also had to lubricate the fishing line with some soap to get a nice smooth movement. The spring at the back is there to keep tension on the line as the mechanism cycles up and down. Also note the 1/8" ceiling wire protudeing from each side of the shoulder piece. I predrilled 1/8" holes at each end to accept the wire. If the wire fits too loose just put a few gentle kinks in the section that will be inserted into the hbole. I drill these holes at least 1" deep. The arms will be mounted here in a few steps.









To create the neck swivel block I made a piece of wood about 3/4" X 1-1/4" X about 3" long. I made this as long as I could and still drill all the way through it longways. I then sliced a thin piece of oak about the same width as the swivel block and about 1/8" thick by about 3" long. I used tiny screws (in predrilled holes) to attach it to the bottom. I then used my "Loose fit Drill bit" and drilled down the middle long ways. I attached a tiney screw at the end of the lever to attach the fishing line to to activate the head movement.

I used a washer between the spine and the shoulder. then put a piece of 1/8" automotive vacuum tubing on about 1" higer than the shoulders, then another washer, and then the head swivel block assembly.


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## niblique71

Ok, So this tutorial is a new learning process for me. It truely is going to be a "Work in Progress". So be patient.

Here are a few more pictures which should be self explanatory.

















In the picture above, note that I trimmed the top of the front pivot arm to make clearance for the string tensioner spring. 
I also used my dremmel and a sanding drum to carve a rounded notch for the spring to set into at the top of the back pivot arm. This prevents the spring from occasionally falling to the side. It doesn't hurt anything when this happens as it resets itslef on the next cycle, However when it slips off it does make some "Unwanted" noise. I found it best to make this spring cradle.










In the picture below, Note the distance between the top of the shoulder and the bottom of the head swivel.


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## niblique71

hpropman said:


> Greg can this be done with a wiper motor?


My initial feeling is that a wiper motor would be too bulky, BUT someone with some savy could probably make it work if they get the motor down to 4-6 RPM's.


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## niblique71

To set up your 4 rpm Gearmotor (vent motor), Check out Spooky1's VEnt motor connector and crank arm tutorial . Pay close attention to the part that describes how to make a crank arm for the motor.

I and others have found that quite a few of these vent motors don't work right out of the box. There are some connector tabs inside that sometimes aren't bent far enolugh to make contact with the motor. Hpropman and myself prefer to open the motor up and solder wires directly to the DC motor inside. this also allows an opportunity to add a little bit more lubrication to the internal gears. They don't spend much time distributing the little amount of white grease that they do put in these things. It could make your motor last MUCH Longer. I'll get to the dimensions of my linkage assembly tomorrow and edit this post.


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## niblique71

*Motor Mount and Linkage*

In this part we'll cover the motor crank arm, linkage, and installation.

Here are the parts and sizes, and location/sizes of the holes for the crank arm and secondary linkage.









Once you have everything cut and drilled to the appropriate sizes, Assemble these parts first. Note that the crank arm and 1/4-20 jam nut were installed and tightened first on the 1/4-20 bolt, before threading into the motor. Also note that the 10-32 bolt and first nut were tightened all the way on the secondary linkage. This allows you to attach everything else loose at first to get your motor mounted in the proper position.









Next, Temporarily hold the motor mount and motor in a suitable position without the secondary linkage attached. Turn on your motor and get the crank arm to point straight down. Check for clearance with the base plate and the bottom of the crank arm. Don't get it too low, but as low as you feel comfortable with. While doing this you'll want to check to see that you have all of the motor holes in a position to get all 3 drilled into the motor mount. Check, Double check, Then hold the motor and pull the whole thing off while holding the position of the motor and carefully screw in the 1-5/8" deck screws to secure the motor to the motor mount.









Place the attached motor and assembly back against the base plate and check for clearance on last time. Note in this picture the 3/16" rod at the back end of fester. This is where your secondary linkage will attach to fester and the main crank arm. With the motor OFF, Temporarily attach the remaining linkage to the back of Fester and the motor mount. Use 2 washers and a piece of Vacuum tubing to hold the secondary linkage at the back of fester. This leaves just one Nut to add, but DON'T add it just yet. Get your 1-5/8" deck screws and get them ready by starting them in your predrilled holes at the bottom of the motor mount and be ready with your drill to run the screws in after we test for the proper motor position. While holding the Motor in the approximate position. Turn the motor on with the linkage temporarily attached. Slide the motor mount forward or backward to find a good balance of festers movement. REMEMBER! You will be adding ribs and a skull to him so LEAVE SOME ROOM at the botom of the cycle. Once your happy with his movement, Run in the Deck screws to secure the motor mount. 









Now all that's left is to add that final 10-32 nut. Tighten it all the way at first, them BACK it off approc 1/2 turn. Fester should run Smoothly all by himself.


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## niblique71

Here's a video of the basic mechanism in operation. Someone asked me a few days ago if they thought fester would be a durable prop and how many hours he had on him. The original fester now has over 50 hours on him without any sign of wear or strain. So I believe he'll be a durable prop if built properly.






Next we'll add the hands and arms and a skull.


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## niblique71

To make festers arms, use 1/2 CPVC. Don't use regular 1/2 PVC since it is much thicker and heavier. Cut 4 pieces at 10" each. On one end of each piece drill a 3/16" hole all the way through. Then take your 3/16" drill bit out of the chuck and slide it in the holes you just drilled to use as a guide to drill your 1/8" holes. If the drill bit is Plum, it, helps you keep your smaller holes aligned with your larger holes.









Now take your 1/8" ceiling wire and using BOTH 1/8" holes make hinges similar to this. If you want your elbows to look more real, wrap a little bit of the excess wire around one of the pvc sections so the joints don't flop around as much. On a real person there is very little lateral movement at your elbows and yet your shoulders and wrists are essentially ball joints. That's why I left the shoulder and wrist joints as a 3/16" hole to allow for extra movement and posability.









here are the elbow joints









And a closeup of the wrists.









The Posable hands I made were just ceiling wire, cottenballs, duct tape and Latex.


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## niblique71

Here is a picture of the finished basic prop without any covering. 









Before you add any cheese cloth, Don't forget to make some guards to keep any material away from the motor and linkages. I just drilled 1/8" holes at strategic spots and inserted the 1/8" ceiling wire and custom bent to fit in.

To Finish him Off you can make ribs from ceiling wire or anything else that is light weight. To add a Foam skull (FOAM ONLY!!), use your dremmel and the bit that looks like a drill that can cut sideways. Just make a square hole that will allow the neck block to fit inside. Just do a little bit at a time and constantly check to make sure you are happy with the position of the skull. Also, I DID NOT Glue the skull on the neck block. I just made it a "press fit" so that you can change your skull without completely making a new neck assembly.

As you add cheese cloth, Check that you don't have any snags or restrictions FREQUENTLY. I added a piece, then ran fester to make sure there were no snags or binds. I did this COnstantly as I dressed him up. Also add some soap to the strings in the areas of the sliding eyehooks to help them move more freely. You might need to make some guards to protect the fishing line from being restricted. From here he is a custom build made by you. AGAIN, Constantly check to insure there are NO snags or restrictions ass you dress him out.

If you have too much shoulder movement and can't get a good head turn as a result, you can either lock the shoulder piece or make a different restrictor at the top or the spine. Or you can move the screw that holds the fishing line closer to the pivot point of the neck rod. Also note that adding fabric to fester restricts his shoulder movement. so by the time your done dressing him it might be a mute point and his shoulders might not move much. BUT it is a nice extra motion if you can position him in a way to make the shouders move when he's "Down low"

I'm sure there will be a TON of questions, so fire away and enjoy your Fester


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## Otaku

Hi Greg,
Nice how-to! I'm going to start this project ASAP, using the materials you used. I'll build it with a view to converting to aluminum square stock, but I agree that it would raise the cost substantially. I wonder if PVC pipe could be used - the smaller OD pipe has a pretty thick wall and is quite rigid. It might increase flexing on the radiused ends, though. Oh yeah, did you use any lubricants on the moving joints?
Thanks!


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## GRP

Great thread and how to. I too would like to try to build this prop but with different stock.

Otaku
I was wondering the same about using PVC or metal instead of the wood. If you don't mind, will you lease take some pictures if you use something else besides wood for the parts? Pictures and what you did of the changes you made would be great. I am going to try different items too and I will update if I come up with something.


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## Otaku

Will do, no problem. Regarding the wood components, I was considering drilling slightly oversized holes at the pivot points and inserting a 3/16" ID plastic or metal sleeve. I haven't used the hot-rolled steel rod before but in Greg's pix the surface looks a bit rough. Good for press-fitting but not for pivoting; the wood will eventually get reamed. Greg, what're your thoughts on this?


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Will do, no problem. Regarding the wood components, I was considering drilling slightly oversized holes at the pivot points and inserting a 3/16" ID plastic or metal sleeve. I haven't used the hot-rolled steel rod before but in Greg's pix the surface looks a bit rough. Good for press-fitting but not for pivoting; the wood will eventually get reamed. Greg, what're your thoughts on this?


Actually, with a nice hardwood, and press fitting at leat one part of each joint, the mechanical slop was reduced significantly.

As far as the metal rods and the "Rust", the Wood tends to polish them up quite nicely as fester moves. I didn't lubricate the original fester bacause of the automotive vacuum tubing I used as retainers. I didn't want them to move or slide off. I but did plan on using an automotive (Thick) grease on the joints at some point. THis would add some rust protection for the rods as well. In the old days, people made very effective and long lasting wooden machines using just animal fat (lard?) for lubricant quite successfully. I did try white lithium grease (Spray on) on the second fester I used to make this tutorial. IT seemed to work quite nicely.

Obviously I would have built fester QUITE differently if I didn't have a $20 limit, so use your imagination.

Greg


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## Otaku

Cool, thanks Greg. The more I think about this project, the more I want to try the small OD PVC pipe. Let me see what's available that matches your dimensions.


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## niblique71

I might also add that you CAN use that other "Shiny" round bar if you prefer. I just didn't use it for the original build and in the tutorial I thought people would want specific drill bit sizes. So fee free to play with whatever materials you want. Just experiment with drill bits sizes to achieve the desired results.


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Cool, thanks Greg. The more I think about this project, the more I want to try the small OD PVC pipe. Let me see what's available that matches your dimensions.


I'd like to see that Gary. Feel free to build fester with "Locked" shoulders. Using PVC you can just use a "T".

Just be concious of weight if you're using the vent motor. You might need a larger helper spring, which in turn could add extra stress to the PVC. I think it will work just fine though.


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## GRP

niblique71 said:


> Actually, with a nice hardwood, and press fitting at leat one part of each joint, the mechanical slop was reduced significantly.
> 
> As far as the metal rods and the "Rust", the Wood tends to polish them up quite nicely as fester moves. I didn't lubricate the original fester because of the automotive vacuum tubing I used as retainers. I didn't want them to move or slide off. I but did plan on using an automotive (Thick) grease on the joints at some point. This would add some rust protection for the rods as well. In the old days, people made very effective and long lasting wooden machines using just animal fat (lard?) for lubricant quite successfully. I did try white lithium grease (Spray on) on the second fester I used to make this tutorial. IT seemed to work quite nicely.
> 
> Obviously I would have built fester QUITE differently if I didn't have a $20 limit, so use your imagination.
> 
> Greg


Greg,
Please be gentle, this is the first time I am participating in comments on another haunters prop.
I understand that this prop would have been built better by you if the challenge was at a higher price. I say this because I don't want you to think I am down grading your work when I add comments. Trust me, I wish I had your talent to come up with the work you do. Like they say, 2 heads are better then one, 3 are better then 2 and so on. 
With that said&#8230;.lol. I would be careful on the grease that is used. A lot of grease out there collects dirt and dust, automotive and white grease being two of these. You need more of a liquid type grease&#8230;.just a FYI.
Regarding the wood hole being reamed out, I think that Greg is right about the solid hardwood. I work with wood almost my whole life, threw time, the wood hole would be smoothed out and the prop itself would run smoother. Metal rubbing against wood&#8230;.metal will win by smoothing the wood out.
What I was thinking was a combination of the two materials in discussion. I am hoping to make the stationary wood pieces out of metal and the rest PVC. (Still thinking about this - don't have anything laid out yet). 
About the weight against the motor, maybe a counter balances to assist the motor. This could be done by filling the bottom end of the PVC tube with sand or something. Any thought?


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## niblique71

GRP said:


> Greg,
> Please be gentle, this is the first time I am participating in comments on another haunters prop.
> 
> Metal rubbing against wood&#8230;.metal will win by smoothing the wood out.
> 
> About the weight against the motor, maybe a counter balances to assist the motor. This could be done by filling the bottom end of the PVC tube with sand or something. Any thought?


About being gentle, No worries mate. I'm always open to other thoughts. That's what makes this forum tick.

I have had previous experiances with wood on metal for a pivot joint, they actually compete very well with aluminum for wear as long as it's (again) hardwood and NOT SYP.

As far as a counter-weight, Since this is a 4-bar design, I'm not sure that an actual counterweight would do much. Experiment and let me know. My intuition tells me it won't help much. That's what the extra spring is for. Check the Video in the tutorial. It gives you a very visceral look at the mechanism in operation. Perhaps you might just add a stronger spring, or alter the mounting points of the spring to store more "return" energy.

Either way, if you alter the design much from the original, you'll have to experiment to achieve the same results.


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## Otaku

I checked out the 1/2" PVC pipe tonight at HD, and even with the thick wall it flexes a bit too much. They had the 3/4" hardwood square stock at half off, so I picked up several feet. I have the use of the machine shop at my work, so making the parts will be easy. I'll get started this week.


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## Otaku

Motors are ordered - itching to get started!


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## niblique71

Looking forward to seeing your results Gary. I had a thought though, since cost is no long as restrictive. If you want a relatively bulletproof prop You could replace JUST the shorter idler arms ( the ones that rock back and forth) with 1/2" aluminum or even 1/2" steel square tubing and use bolts for the spring assist mounts. Since those two pieces don't have any press fitted "Pivot" points, it should work fabulously. That way you can still use wood for the rest of the build (base plate pivots, and the spine are all press fitted and won't wear out the wood and are still relatively light weight).

Also, I was looking to replace the string setup for the head turn. I had in mind using a smaller steel rod and bending several 90 degree angles and mounting it inside two eyehooks on the back of the spine to make the head turn. I havn't yet found a suitable pivot point to activate the head motion. I'd love to do away with the fishing line due to the difficulty in replacing it in a few years on a fully dressed prop. Besides the strings really got in the way when dressing him. I had to be quite creative about dresing fester to get a smooth unrestricted motion.


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## Otaku

I was looking at those strings, too. Did you experiment with different routing to avoid having them run down Fester's spine?


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## Otaku

Greg, in the pic where you show the parts that have press-fitted pins, the two dimensions - 3-3/4" and 9-3/8" - are those both referenced to the one end of the base plate? And are they measured to the 3/16" pin centers? I suspect "yes" on both questions, but wanted to be sure before I start cutting parts tomorrow. Thanks!


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## hedg12

Powdered graphite doesn't attract dirt, and works well as a lubricant between wood and metal. John Deere combines use graphite as a lubricant on the hardwood blocks used as bearings on straw walkers - 12 inch wide, 10 foot long metal grates that reciprocate in the heart of the machine to separate the grain from the stalk. Those bearings last several years even with the huge lateral forces they're under during use.
You can get powdered graphite at auto parts stores or locksmiths - it's used to lubricate lock mechanisms.


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Greg, in the pic where you show the parts that have press-fitted pins, the two dimensions - 3-3/4" and 9-3/8" - are those both referenced to the one end of the base plate? And are they measured to the 3/16" pin centers? I suspect "yes" on both questions, but wanted to be sure before I start cutting parts tomorrow. Thanks!


Yes to both questions. I used the back of the base plate to take my measurments, and yes they are "on center"

I could have done a more "Step by step" tutorial, but I was short on time. Besides it would have been a 4 page tutorial all by itself. I know there will be many more questions as you begin to build.


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Greg, in the pic where you show the parts that have press-fitted pins, the two dimensions - 3-3/4" and 9-3/8" - are those both referenced to the one end of the base plate? And are they measured to the 3/16" pin centers? I suspect "yes" on both questions, but wanted to be sure before I start cutting parts tomorrow. Thanks!


Yes to both questions. I used the back of the base plate to take my measurments, and yes they are "on center"

I did play around a little with the strings, but kept comming back to their current locations. I still think there is a mechanical soution to the head turn. I just need some free time to experiment some more.

I could have done a more "Step by step" tutorial, but I was short on time. Besides it would have been a 4 page tutorial all by itself. I know there will be many more questions as you begin to build.


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## niblique71

hedg12 said:


> Powdered graphite doesn't attract dirt, and works well as a lubricant between wood and metal. John Deere combines use graphite as a lubricant on the hardwood blocks used as bearings on straw walkers - 12 inch wide, 10 foot long metal grates that reciprocate in the heart of the machine to separate the grain from the stalk. Those bearings last several years even with the huge lateral forces they're under during use.
> You can get powdered graphite at auto parts stores or locksmiths - it's used to lubricate lock mechanisms.


Yes, I meant to mention graphite as a lubricant. Anyone who's done Pinewood derby knows how well graphite can work. Thanks for the reminder.


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## Otaku

Cool - thanks! I cut the blocks today and will do some drilling and fitting tomorrow. Gotta get the steel rod at HD tonight, and I'll look for the graphite lube as well.


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## Otaku

BTW, I couldn't find the 3/16" steel rod that you spec'd. The HD site lists only one 3/16" rod, but it's zinc coated - probably won't work for this project. Could be it's just not on the site, I'll see tonight.

Edit: found the hot-rolled rods. Still a very smooth surface, just darker.


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## Otaku

I'm getting ready to drill the press-fit and pivot holes in the wood blocks, and was looking at the pic of the two 2" blocks. It looks like the press-fit holes are not drilled at the center of the block, but are offset a bit. Is this just the pic, or is there an actual offset on these holes? Thanks!

Greg's reply:

The holes in the little base plate blocks centered left to right, but offset a high to give more clearance for the vertical pivot arms. Hope this helps,

Greg


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## Otaku

Greg, which steel pins go where? I want to press in the pins just once so they stay tight, but I'm not clear on where the pins go.


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## Otaku

Greg,
On the 6-1/2" block, you call out a press-fit hole with a 3-3/8" dimension. Is this dim measured from the pivot hole near the left end (in the pic) or from the left end of the block?
The reason I ask is that in the pic that shows the pins pressed into the holes, the 3-3/8" hole appears to be almost at the center of the block, which makes sense if the 3-3/8" is measured from the end of the block.


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## niblique71

All pin hole measurements are given center to center. My graphics aren't that good. Assume the first hole is about 3/8" +/- inches in from the one end, then measure your distance from there for the other "on center" hole. If I'm not mistaken, all of the measurements above the pieces are rough overall lengths, and all measurements below each piece are center to center holes, assuming the first hole is a reasonable distance from the end.


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## Otaku

Cool, thanks. I 'll still need to know which pins go where, though.


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## niblique71

The last pic in the first post has the press fitted hole locations. Look Closely at the two idler arms. Other than the mounts for the assistance spring, the idler arms have no other press fit holes. They are all loose fit for rotation. The base plate(tiny) blocks have press fitted rods, and the spine has 3 press fitted rods as shown in the pics (which includes the 5" neck rod)

I really should have done a more complete tutorial. But we'll get you going none the Less.


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## Otaku

I should have been more clear - what I need to know is which length pins go into which press-fit holes. For example, where do the 2" pins belong, and so on.


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## niblique71

At least your helping me become a post ho LOL\


5 1/2" Neck on the top of the spine
2 3/4" in the spine for the pivot points. Notice on the second post for thier depth
2" Base plate pivots (tiny blocks)
1" Idler arms for the assist spring (you don't have to press them in all the way)

You might want to make your pins a little bit long if your wood dimensions are different than mine and cut them offhafter you add your retainers


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## Otaku

Alright, that's the info I needed. Thanks much. BTW, I used 3/4" oak for the blocks. I think you used 1/2" for the how-to so I hope these pins will be long enough. I've already cut and chamfered the pins - hopefully I won't need to make new ones.
Hey, you only need 5 more more posts to make your debut as a post 'ho! I'm sure I'll have more questions; you'll make it easily.


----------



## niblique71

Gary, Here are some pics that might help. THe red marks are where the rods are "pressed in" and the yellow shows where the "Loose" holes are. Ignore the white stuff, that's the Lithium grease that I tried and it made a mess but still worked very well.

From the back









From the front









And the shoulders, Notice that I decided to lock the shoulders by drilling a 1/8" hole in the top and through to the spine piece....and sliding a piece of ceiling wire in.









I hope this makes it clearer. If you need to call me tomorow, PM me and I'll give you my cell #


----------



## Otaku

Excellent! Thanks, I was trying to figure out how the helper springs mounted on the blocks. I won't be able to get back to this until next week - I'm doing all of the drillwork in the shop at work. The motors are expected around Thursday, but once all the pins are mounted I can see how well it works (or not LOL).


----------



## Otaku

Motors came in today. I'll see about getting one wired and mounted on Friday, but work is friggin' insane right now. The linkage is assembled and ready to go. Pics are forthcoming.


----------



## Otaku

Well, that's frustrating. Apparently the wood I used in not oak, but something like poplar or other "craft" wood. When I tried to mount the 2" blocks to the base, the blocks split - even with a pilot hole that was almost the size of the screw. I'll hit HD tomorrow and get the real stuff. The rest of the armature seems OK, no splitting noticed. The pieces were labeled "oak" but obviously were something else.


----------



## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Well, that's frustrating. Apparently the wood I used in not oak, but something like poplar or other "craft" wood. When I tried to mount the 2" blocks to the base, the blocks split - even with a pilot hole that was almost the size of the screw. I'll hit HD tomorrow and get the real stuff. The rest of the armature seems OK, no splitting noticed. The pieces were labeled "oak" but obviously were something else.


Yea, I HATE when that happens. My Local Lowes doesn't have oak in the dimensions that I needed so I had to shave down a few larger pieces.

I'm looking forward to seeing some "in Progress" pics.


----------



## Otaku

I'm working on assembling the mech as we speak, but keep having a problem with the wood linkage collapsing past the arc center, causing the mech to freeze. I'm going to try drilling different holes in the crank arm and secondary link to see what works. I may try moving the 2" blocks a bit closer together, as the max vertical extension is only ~60°. I'll let you know what happens.


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## niblique71

Take some pics for me, so I can see the geometry. I know that you want to leave some room at the lowest point for festers ribs. Perhaps you're letting him go to low?? Perhaps there is a pivot point dimension that you missed??? or that I gave incorrectly??

If you take a look back at the video in the earlier posts where fester is naked, you might be able to discern some geometry from it... Otherwise, I'll help in any way that I can.


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## niblique71

Another thing I just remembered, When I was assembling the first fester, I tested the mechanical strength Needed to lift fester with my hands (from that back pivot point where the live linkage will attach). And again, you must maintain mechanical advantage for your motor by not letting fester drop too low.


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## Otaku

I just double-checked my mech and I see the problem. When I located the 2" block at 3 3/4", I measured to the end of the block, not to the pin center. The block is out of position by an inch. This is causing the mech to over-extend and collapse at the low position. I'll re-locate the block and get back to you.


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## Otaku

That did the trick, the mech now works perfectly. I don't have a camera here, but I'll post pics and video of the mech on Monday. Thanks for the pointers, Greg!


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## JustJimAZ

Thanks for posting this. Well done prop and tut!


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> That did the trick, the mech now works perfectly. I don't have a camera here, but I'll post pics and video of the mech on Monday. Thanks for the pointers, Greg!


Hmmmm, Waiting on those pics Gary. I'm anxious to see the beginnings of another version of fester and hear about your experiances while building him.

I wouldn't mind colaborating with you on a better, more detailed tutorial, including any improvements to the mech you may come across.



> JustJimAZ
> 
> Thanks for posting this. Well done prop and tut!


Thanks, and your welcome. It is my pleasure to share my creations.


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## Otaku

I couldn't get to the video/pics today - it's way busy here at work, but will get them posted tomorrow. As far as your tutorial goes, it covers everything that I've done so far just fine. The only thing to watch out for is those 2" blocks - they have to made of a material that won't split. That was the only issue I ran into, except for my measurement error LOL. You should use a drill press to get correct hole alignment, as you said. It can be done by hand, but it would be tricky.


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## Otaku

Here are a few pics of the mech and a short video. I don't have all of the hardware installed yet, as I need to do a bit more drillwork. So far the mech is working perfectly.

Fester_1.mp4 video by Otaku1031 - Photobucket


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## niblique71

Now that is very cool Gary!!! Thanks for posting. I sorta recognize that wood from Lowes or HD. It was Beech or something like that near the round dowels. It seemed very stiff but I can see why you had trouble with the little pieces cracking. The oak is heavier but way more forgiving with the small pieces. Looks great so far!


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## Otaku

Thanks, Greg, I'm really enjoying this project. I plan to use a paper-stuffed mache half-skull for the head; not sure if I'll put a jaw on it yet. I'd prefer a foam skull to keep the weight down, but I haven't seen any at BL or Target yet and I don't want to let this guy hang fire for too long. I'll try using some chicken wire for the torso, covered with cheesecloth.


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## niblique71

Think light Gary... Fester with the vent motor is a balancing act. If you encounter weight problems, increase the strength of the assistance spring. GO thin on that Mache' ,or you could carve a skull like I did. You really need to approach this project like Nasa launching the space shuttle. Every ounce counts, especially the head


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## Otaku

niblique71 said:


> Think light Gary... Fester with the vent motor is a balancing act. If you encounter weight problems, increase the strength of the assistance spring. GO thin on that Mache' ,or you could carve a skull like I did.


Will do - I plan to test various materials to see what the mech can handle but I'll go light. I wonder if a compression spring to help lift the spine might work to offset some weight? Probably be a wash, eh?


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## niblique71

All the mechanical advantage you might need can most likely be achieved with the assistance spring points. If you come in a little heavy, and the motor is straining?? just add a shorter or stronger spring.... Within reason of course.

If you notice in the tutorial there ae multiple holes on the original to move the spring points around for adjustment. Just in case I couldn't find a perfect spring??? I could move those positions around to fine tune the spring tension.


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## Otaku

Hey Greg, what are the dim's of the neck block assembly? I'll probably alter it to fit what I have in mind, but it's good to know what actually works first. Thanks!


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Hey Greg, what are the dim's of the neck block assembly? I'll probably alter it to fit what I have in mind, but it's good to know what actually works first. Thanks!


The original dimensions for the Neck block were 3" X 1.25 X 3/4'" The hole in the spine for the neck rod was press fit, and the hole in the neck block was loose fit. Use some auto Vac tubing and a washer to set the hight (about 1.5" off the top of the spine) The Tab for the head turn was about 3.25" X 1.25" and about 1/8" thick made from Oak. I used the wood grain to my mechanical advantage. If you want to use thin aluminum bar stock for the head turn, feel free.


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## Spooky1

He's a little more complicated than I initially thought. Thanks for the how-to, I'll have to give this a try some day.


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## niblique71

Yea there's a lot going on in that little guy. BUT if I can improve the tutorial someday, it won't be quite as intimidating. That's why I'm glad Otaku has taken on the challenge. He might actually be able to improve on the tutorial to make it more user friendly.


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## Otaku

Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence LOL! I'm progressing with the build and will attach the head/neck assembly and the lines for the shoulder/head movement this week. I made the arms this weekend and will attach those after I run the lines. Still looking for foam skulls to mod for the head, but FWIW the mech handles the weight of a plastic half-skull with no problems (yet). More to come.


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## Otaku

Hey Greg, some quick questions. When running the lines to the neck assembly, I'm assuming that Fester should be in the full upright position with the head facing forward, not turned to one side. For the line that attaches to the tension spring, should there be any extension of the spring?
Also, do you recommend a paticular type of line/string for these? I was planning to use medium weight cotton string, but a failure (abrasion) on the Big Night would be a pain to repair. Thanks!


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## niblique71

Hey Gary. The line I used was Power Pro 80lb test braided Fishing line. It doesn't stretch and is SUPER STRONG. I use it for all of my halloween projects.

As far as how to hook up your line, it depends on which way you want your head to turn. I had the MOST trouble with this step and re-did it 5-6 times till I got what I wanted. One thing I might do differently is to get some jewelry chain for a short section as an adjustment. You could get some fishing clasps and whatnot. OR you can do what I did and have fester standing up tall, and hook the first line up with the head turned. THen lower him and add the tension line. There is very little tension on the spring at the top of his motion. Just enough to keep everything stable in the eye hooks.

Another tip, On Fester#2 I got really frustrated and just relocated the small screw that holds the string on the neck assembly, to get the head turn that I wanted.


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## Otaku

Whoa, that Power Pro line is pricey, but if it does the job it's probably worth it. Yeah, I could attach the lines with some snap-swivels and then add loops as needed to get the right tension. Thanks again!


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## Otaku

OK, I installed the lines for the head assembly, and it's working fine. I'll get video tomorrow and post on Friday. I used plain cotton string for this test, but I don't trust it to last long.


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## Otaku

Here's the vid of Fester with the head assembly attached. The lines are cotton kitchen string and will be replaced with something that doesn't stretch. So far, so good.

Festertest_2.mp4 video by Otaku1031 - Photobucket


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## RoxyBlue

He looks great, Gary. The movement is flawless.


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## niblique71

EXCELLENT WORK!!! Thanks for posting that Gary, he looks fantastic.


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## Otaku

Thanks, guys. You know, this guy is really not hard to build at all. You just need to be able to drill straight holes and measure the locations correctly. A bad location on one the 2" blocks frustrated me for about an hour until I figured out what was wrong.

Greg's how-to covers the bases very well. I think the biggest challenge will be dressing it properly so that there's no tangling and such. I used the lightweight birch or poplar craft wood (from HD) for most of the mech except for the 2" blocks. The craft wood kept splitting, so I made new blocks from oak. You could also solve that problem by using 3/4" or 1" square aluminum extrusion for the 2" base blocks. Replace the two 3/16" pins with appropriately-sized bolts/jam nuts and you're good to go.


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## Dead Things

Beautiful work, Gary, I too have a couple of Walmart plastic skulls I'm going to try. Greg, thanks for the phenomenal design. Got my pieces cut, just have to assemble. BTW, tutorial easy to understand and measurements are dead on, thanks for the drill bit tip, works perfectly.


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## niblique71

Dead Things said:


> Beautiful work, Gary, I too have a couple of Walmart plastic skulls I'm going to try. Greg, thanks for the phenomenal design. Got my pieces cut, just have to assemble. BTW, tutorial easy to understand and measurements are dead on, thanks for the drill bit tip, works perfectly.


Thanks Dead things, I'm glad that someone else is building Fester. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.


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## Otaku

Greg, in the Prop Contest video it appears that Fester's right arm is fixed at the wrist and only hinges at the elbow and shoulder. The other arm flexes on all three joints. Do I have this correct?


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Greg, in the Prop Contest video it appears that Fester's right arm is fixed at the wrist and only hinges at the elbow and shoulder. The other arm flexes on all three joints. Do I have this correct?


All the joints are the same and can move. THe Elbow joints are 1/8 holes and the wrist and shoulder are slightly larger to mimmic a rotator joint.


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## Otaku

Thanks for the info, Greg. BTW, I've been trying to find a connector for this motor, but no luck. It's probably part of the AC wiring harness and not available separately. One thing I found was that Surplus Center's catalog page describes the motor as intermittent duty. Makes sense, given the application. I was wondering if anyone has experienced any failures or overheating with these motors.
I also tried a minor mod to a 0.010" Molex 2-pin connector and was able to get a solid connection to the two pins in the motor housing. I've read here and elsewhere that the internal contacts to those pins aren't always reliable, so opening the case and soldering new leads is probably the best way to go.


----------



## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Thanks for the info, Greg. BTW, I've been trying to find a connector for this motor, but no luck. It's probably part of the AC wiring harness and not available separately. One thing I found was that Surplus Center's catalog page describes the motor as intermittent duty. Makes sense, given the application. I was wondering if anyone has experienced any failures or overheating with these motors.
> I also tried a minor mod to a 0.010" Molex 2-pin connector and was able to get a solid connection to the two pins in the motor housing. I've read here and elsewhere that the internal contacts to those pins aren't always reliable, so opening the case and soldering new leads is probably the best way to go.


Vlad did a test for our MnT group using one of these motors for a modified ultra cheap FCG and the thing ran 24-7 for MANY days. It was under considerable strain constancly and worked fine. Most folks will only run thiers halloween night for 3-6 hours, and at that rate the motors should last for years.

As far as connecting DC to the motors, Hpropman taught me to open them up, remove the motor and solder the leads directly to the small DC motor inside. Then he fills the opening where the new wires come out with Hot glue for weather resistance and pull out restraint. You'll have to remove those metal tabs completely. Also while the motor is apart. take the time to add a little more white grease to the various gears (not a lot). They under lube them.

When you upen them up you;ll see why. Those tabs that make the connection to the little motor inside are rather fragile and often don't make reliable contact.


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## Otaku

Yeah, I've already opened one and soldered the wires per the how-to. It wasn't difficult to do, but I needed to ream out some of the plastic (I used 18 gauge wire) and that damn glass-filled polypro is a pain. Lots of burrs and such. Hence the Molex connector mod - it was easy and makes a solid contact with the pins, at least on the outside.
I'm in the process of making the arms and hands for Fester. I can't get the skull I want until Wed so can't do the final cheesecloth work yet.


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## Otaku

Hey Greg, do you have any pix of where you located the wire supports for the cheesecloth? I can't tell from the video if they're fixed to the base or attached to the shoulders and/or spine.


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Hey Greg, do you have any pix of where you located the wire supports for the cheesecloth? I can't tell from the video if they're fixed to the base or attached to the shoulders and/or spine.


I don't have any pics of the Cheesecloth guards unfortunatly. On the original I used two guards both attached to the base and motor mount. One was primarily to prevent cheesecloth from getting into the motor area, and the other was to keep the cheesecloth from getting into the scissor part of the main mech. Somehow I managed to keep the cheesecloth from snagging the fishing line. I know they weren't in a simple arc either. One or both was a coumpound bend (Picture an arch and a double "L" shape). I used 1/8" ceiling wire and drilled 1/8" holes.

I know that I Clothed the shoulders (Partially) first, and then the head second and used a small amount of 3M adhesive to keep things in place and still allow unrestricted movement.


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## Otaku

Thanks, no problem about the pix. Does the cheesecloth slide over the wire guards? I can see in the video that there is extra cloth in front of his torso and at the rear of the base. You mentioned ribs in an earlier post, and I can sorta see something that defines his chest area. Assuming that you used the ceiling wire again, were the wires attached to the spine and shoulders?

I'm trying to not re-invent any wheels here, as you've probably guessed.


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## niblique71

Otaku said:


> Thanks, no problem about the pix. Does the cheesecloth slide over the wire guards? I can see in the video that there is extra cloth in front of his torso and at the rear of the base. You mentioned ribs in an earlier post, and I can sorta see something that defines his chest area. Assuming that you used the ceiling wire again, were the wires attached to the spine and shoulders?
> 
> I'm trying to not re-invent any wheels here, as you've probably guessed.


For the original Fester I used some recycled "Flat" soaker hose foir ribs and used self tapping screws to attach it to the spine. In hindsight, some ceiling wire would probably be better since you don't really see any definition of the ribs themselves through the cheese cloth.

On the original Fester, I built the ribs before discovering that I could make the head turn, so there were no fishing lines in the way. I had in mind to use ceiling wire for the tutorial and drill holes in the side of the spine for maybe 2 or 3 ribs. Just test each rib with Fester running so there's no interfereance.

I'm sorry abou the lack of detail on this part. It was just such a slow process of building and testing him when each Phase was done.


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## Brad Green

Where'd all the other 'Festers' go?, I was kinda hoping to see some progress shots of others being fleshed out.


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## bobzilla

Great tutorial!!!


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## Otaku

Brad Green said:


> Where'd all the other 'Festers' go?, I was kinda hoping to see some progress shots of others being fleshed out.


Yeah, guys, I can't believe I'm the only one making a Fester!?


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## Brad Green

Wellll, um, not the only one....I was just kinda waiting to see how anyone else handled the 'dress-out' stage.


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## Otaku

That's where I'm at right now. I'm finding that I need to experiment a bit to get the right fit and look. Gonna take some time.


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## psyko99

Otaku said:


> Yeah, guys, I can't believe I'm the only one making a Fester!?


I have one on my list to get to this year. But I'm beginning to think of renaming my haunt 'Spawn of Procrastination' with everything else I've had going on.

I'm actually debating using re-purposed tubing from our busted folding lawn chairs vs wood.


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## Otaku

Here's a short concept video. I still need to add more color and shred the cheesecloth to give him a more scruffy look. I may add some long hair to the skull; would that make this a Festerina?

Festertest_3.mp4 video by Otaku1031 - Photobucket


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## niblique71

Looking GREAT Gary, It's nice to meet a possible "Festerette", Or Festereene?


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## Brad Green

I LIKE IT!...now, how'd you do it?


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## niblique71

Brad Green said:


> I LIKE IT!...now, how'd you do it?


I assume you mean "how do you dress him up" ??

This is such a personal preference that it'll be kinda difficult to describe. But here goes (Gary, feel free to add).

I just used Cheescloth and 3M77 adhesive spray. Just keep the adhesive spray AWAY from the eye hooks and fishing line. it will cause resistance and binding and Festerette won't have very smooth action

I started by unraveling a 2 or 3 yard piece of cheesecloth so you have just one layer. I cut a piece for each arm MUCH larger than you think 1 square yard??) and just wrapped it LOOSELY around the arms. You don't want it to be too tight especially around the arms and hands and shoulders. I Used the wrists as a good starting point, and didn't make the cloth square. In fact I think I had it at a 45 degree angle). Let it hang low enough to cover the wrist pins and part of the palms. You can start in the middle if you want and then trim stuff off AFTER the entire covering process is more or less complete. I prefer to bunch it up a little bit and go around the arms 2-3 (or more) times as your wrapping. Then just fluff, primp etc till you get a nice look, and spray a few spots with the 3M adhesive. Any extra cloth, I sort of draped around the shoulders, or neck, or back. Do both arms this way. \

For the chest area I took another 1 yard piece or larger piece. I made sure Fester was as tall as he gets. I centered the cheesecloth and from the front I draped it around his chest and like a scarf, I temporarily wrapped it around to his back. I then used the Spray adhesive, and tacked his neck area in place, and made a cut in the cheesecloth in the armpit area so I could get a nice wrap to the back around his ribs. the extra will just hang there for now and can be drapped anywhere where it won't interfere with the Fishing line or Eye hooks. Before I adher the fabric around the ribs though, I Spray a little bit of adhesive on the base plate and make sure I have enough cheesecloth to stretch it all the way down. Spray that down (wait a few minutes for it to get nice and tacky or even dry) then you can stretch the remainder of cheessecloth around the ribs and to the back area. Again being VERY aware of your eyehooks and Fishing line. I then run fester for a few minutes while the Adhesive is still tacky to make sure there isn't any overt resistance in your arms and rib area.

Ok, lastly, On mine I took a final piece and draped it right over his head and face and down his back. I made this piece really large so it could potentially cover the back AND the front again. This time I set Fester to his Lowest position (Chest down) positoned the cloth so it will reach all the way to the back of the base plate (Motor guards etc). I started at the very back and sprayed adhesive down there, Gently stretched the cheesecloth up over the skull and sprayed a little spray there as well. THEN if you don't wan it covering his face, Cut a hole (Smaller than you think for now) for his face to stick through and then work the fabrick back over to the ront again. Stand fester up again and just akk All of the extra fabric and work it around to areas that seem a little bare.

I then took any remaining cheesecloth, and added smaller pieces to his arms, neck, shoulders or any other area I thought needed it... All the while I checked for binds in the cheesecloth and possible interferance with the Fishing line and or eyehooks.

Hope this was a little helpful... It was totally trial and error for me. In the end I just kept adding, Cutting, Distressing and playing with the cheesecloth till I got the look I was after.

Greg


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## Otaku

I just followed Greg's tutorial. The dress-out part is still in-progress, as is the coloring. I want to get this guy (gal?) done and get started on the next project. Crunch time is coming up fast!
One tip - get a can of the 3M #77 spray adhesive. It works great for tacking the cheesecloth onto the frame.

Edit - Greg posted just seconds before me. I see he advocates the 3M #77 as well!


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## Brad Green

Thanks to you both, gentlemen! I have all the mechanics completed, I was just a bit fuzzy in the 'fleshing out' department. There had been mention of 'ribs' and try as I might, I couldn't get a good grasp of how these would be attached and not prove to be a problem with the line traveling up the back. Sorry if I appeared a little obtuse.


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## niblique71

Brad Green said:


> Thanks to you both, gentlemen! I have all the mechanics completed, I was just a bit fuzzy in the 'fleshing out' department. There had been mention of 'ribs' and try as I might, I couldn't get a good grasp of how these would be attached and not prove to be a problem with the line traveling up the back. Sorry if I appeared a little obtuse.


If you want to make ribs and a collar(ish) bone or sturnum. Use 1/8" ceiling wire and use a 1/8" drill bit to drill holes in the "SIDES" of the spine for each rib. Now..... the wire will fit less snug than desired Unless you take Needle nose plyers and put 2 or 3 quick crimps (Bend the wire left and right and then back to the left again). It'll look like a bobby pin for about 1/4"... Then that will slide in and have "Grip" in your drilled hole. If that doesn't work as nicely as you'd like... coat the wire in hot glue or Elmers glue and slide it in after test fitting... the crimps will work with The glue.

For a surnum you can use just about anything.... a thin slice of wood or Hot glue built up.... But you really just want some shape to the rib area with the cheese cloth on... So Play around with materials and ger your ribs where you want them.. TEST TEST TESt before using any adhesive.,


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## psyko99

Otaku said:


> get a can of the 3M #77 spray adhesive. It works great for tacking the cheesecloth onto the frame.
> 
> Edit - Greg posted just seconds before me. I see he advocates the 3M #77 as well!


I guess I'm off to Lowes again tomorrow.


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## Hauntiholik

I moved psyko99's pictures and related comments to their own thread in general props.


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## heresjohnny

Otaku said:


> Here's a short concept video. I still need to add more color and shred the cheesecloth to give him a more scruffy look. I may add some long hair to the skull; would that make this a Festerina?
> 
> Festertest_3.mp4 video by Otaku1031 - Photobucket


Nice!


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## mroct31

Hope I'm not overstepping Nibs, but as I like hard copies of instructions I created a PDF of this tutorial exactly as it was presented. If you like hard copies as well I've posted it on Google docs. It has all written instructions and pictures associated with those.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...jctZmZhOS00NmVjLTg3NDEtYzVhN2EyNzEzNmM3&hl=en


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## niblique71

Well that certainly makes it easy when The NJ Hookerman group does it's Fester build early next year. I don't mind. 

I assume I could use this in my upcomming website or blog??

Thanks for putting the work into that. Keep in mind that through subsequent bantor between Gary and myself we have flushed out a few more details that were missing in the original pages. Feel free to include any pertinant points discussed later in this thread.


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## mroct31

Absolutely use it...it's really yours!

I opened the document up for editing so if anyone has new pertinent information to add they have access to do it but only those who use the link I posted here can see or edit it with any additional information.


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## ouizul1

mroct31 said:


> ...I created a PDF of this tutorial...


Nice. Thanks.


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## dionicia

That's mighty nice of you MrOct31. I'm going to save this for my 2012 projects.


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## HighlyUnstable

*My version*

Here is my attempt at building Fester, he also has the honor of being my first Halloween prop ever. He isn't finished yet though, I still have to tatter his clothes and redo his hands. Thank you for the tutorial Niblique!


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## Otaku

Nice work! The motion is really smooth. He'll look great after you set up his new wardrobe.


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## Dixie

Thats awesome HU, thats one heckuva first post AND first prop!!! Welcome to Haunt Forum, you are rockin it already!!!


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## psyko99

That looks great HU. The movement looks good and I like the corpsing you did.


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## niblique71

Awesome work HU!! Welcome to the forum and the Fester Army


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## niblique71

Anyone else build one??? I would Love to see more versions. So far every one I've see is Unique and very well done.

On a Side note: We'll be doing a "Fester" build in the NJH MnT Group this spring. ANYONE within driving (Road Trip!!!) distance is welcome to come and build one. We haven't set a date yet but would love some feedback if anyone else is interested in attending.


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## FAULKNAD

*Google Doc*



mroct31 said:


> Hope I'm not overstepping Nibs, but as I like hard copies of instructions I created a PDF of this tutorial exactly as it was presented. If you like hard copies as well I've posted it on Google docs. It has all written instructions and pictures associated with those.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...jctZmZhOS00NmVjLTg3NDEtYzVhN2EyNzEzNmM3&hl=en


I seem to be having an issue downloading this Google Doc. I love you took to the time to put it together and would love to be able to use it. Has the link changed?


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## Otaku

The link worked for me, I clicked File - Download and the download dbox popped right up. Do you have your browser or AV set to block any downloads (except by admin)?


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## SuperCreep31

Hey Niblique, maybe I'm wrong but I bet Spirit "borrowed" you're contraption a bit to make one of their new props: http://www.spirithalloween.com/product/lunging-mad-dog/
Was browsing their new animated props for this year and as soon as i saw the movement it looked very familiar to me.


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## mroct31

FAULKNAD said:


> I seem to be having an issue downloading this Google Doc. I love you took to the time to put it together and would love to be able to use it. Has the link changed?


Sorry I'm a bit late on this but it's all still there and available.


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## niblique71

SuperCreep31 said:


> Hey Niblique, maybe I'm wrong but I bet Spirit "borrowed" you're contraption a bit to make one of their new props: http://www.spirithalloween.com/product/lunging-mad-dog/
> Was browsing their new animated props for this year and as soon as i saw the movement it looked very familiar to me.


Thanks for keeping an eye out. I did check that item out and it seems to have a different mechanism than Fester.



mroct31 said:


> Sorry I'm a bit late on this but it's all still there and available.


Thanks MrOct31 for keeping that link alive.

So has anyone else made a Fester??

I plan to redesign fester after this halloween. I have some ideas how to improve the mech and I want to try to retrofit another motor to replace the vent motor. I've been watching the Vent motor replacement thread closely to see who finds what. So far HeresJohnny found a pretty interesting possible replacemnt.

Has anyone else made Fester??


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## Headless

Even the thought of making him scares the heck out of me! He is probably one of my favorite props on the site. Love him.


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## LRB ScareCrow

A friend and I had a "Fester" build yesterday...we decided to try using the "new motors" even though we were still able to get our hands on some of the old motors (the ones in this tutorial). A few things we did a bit differently:
- New motors had to be mounted on the backside of the motor mount with a hole drilled in the middle for the bolt to go through. Also, the motor mount block had to be mounted on top of the base instead of on the side.
- We used pieces of clear plastic tubing from a fish tank air pump. We got 4 ft of it for about $2.50 at a Petsmart and it snuggly fit the ends of the rods.
- We used 30lb test line...just 1 string...not braided. It seems to be ok for now, but may need to be replaced after a lot of use...

Will post pics/video later...we only got through the mechanics and none of the cosmetics.


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## Otaku

Cool, the Fester Army is growing...


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## niblique71

I agree, Very cool, and I'm glad to hear that there are still a few Fester Die Hards out there. We're looking forward to your pics.


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## suzanne329

*Fester Parts*

[Where can we get the vent motor for Fester. 2.99 is a great price, but we cannot find it. thanks

QUOTE=niblique71;553092]As promised, I've begun work on a Tutorial for "Fester". I'll get as much of it done as quickly as I can. Fortunately for our forum friends I happen to be slow at work right now. So, over the next few days, hopefully I can have a more or less complete tutorial, or at least have the mechanism part completed.

NOTE: I will be updating every post as I find issues or grammar errors.

Here's the parts list for "Fester" as described in the 2011 prop Challenge

Vent Motor $2.99 Motion
12V Wall wart $.75 (Garage sale) Power supply
2" Foam scrap $.42 Hand carved Skull
Scrap 1 X 4 wood $.02 Motor Mount
Scrap 1 X 6 Wood $.06 Base
1/8 X 1/2 Aluminum flat $.81 (5") Crank arm/Linkage
3/16 round bar $1.25 (18" of 36") Pivots
Scrap 2 X 2 $.04 Main Lifting bars (Used 1' and Cut down
4 Yards CHeese Cloth $2.22 Clothing, Skin
1 5/8" Deck Screws @ .05 $.45 (Used 9)
Tiny Eye Hooks $.36 (Used 6 from an 200 pc assortment pack)
Small Extension Springs $.28 (Used 2 from a 100pc assortment pack)
Fishing Line braided $.20 (Used approx 4')
#8 washers $.46 (Used 10 from a pack of 100)
1/2" Cpvc $1.12 ( Used 40" froma 10' section) Arms
Ultra tiney wood screws $.07 (Used 7 from my own stock Price is a guess)
thin strip 1" scrap foam $.01 Teeth
Automotive Vacuum Line $.33 (4" off a 50' roll, had in stock) Retainers
3m Adhesive $.25 a few squirts here and there
Meduim Ceiling Hanger wire $.84 12' For Guards, Joints, Hands
4" wide Duct tape $.40 (Used 4') Hands
Latex Liquid n $.75 (Used about 1 oz, 40% sale at Micheals)
Cotten Balls $.15 (Used 15)
Scrap $1 store eyes $.17 (Cut one in half at 6 for $1)
10-24 machine screw $.10 (One from my own stock)
10-24 Lock Nuts $.14 ( 2 from my own stock)
1/4 20 bolt $.11 (One from my own stock)
1/4 20 Locknut $.11 (One from my own stock)
Small self Tapping Screws $.20 (4 from my own stock)
1" Pipe insulation $.04 (1" section for neck)
Soaker hose used $.15 ( used approx 1.5' ) X .03 rule
Sample can wood stain 2.33 Used approx 1/3rd (Price guess, High?)
Various Spray Paints $2.50 Less than 1/2 can total

Total--------------------$20.08

3/16" Rod-
First, a word about the 3/16th" rod. There are two kinds of rod that are considered 3/16", Hot rolled and Cold rolled. I use Hot rolled. It looks less shiney than the cold rolled and has an actual dimention that is larger than the cold rolled rod. Cold rolled steel is exactly what is sounds like. When they made it they let it cool and then rolled it as it was cool. This decreases the dimention of the rod and will not work for this tutorial since several pieces are "Press fitted" into the wood. Cold rolled steel is also harder, but more brittle. I ran into problems with this discrepancey when I did the NJ/PA MnT build of the One Armed Grave Grabber . So use the "hot rolled round rod found at HD or Lowes. It's NOT the shiney stuff.

Wood parts-
You can use any wood you want for this build, but I recomend Oak or some other hardwood for the main moving parts. When I originally built Fester, I took an old piece of scrap square 1-1/2" oak molding and cut it to the dimentions I wanted. It was tedious and Dangerous. I recomend finding some square oak pieces at a good lumber yard that measures 3/4" X 3/4" for your moving parts. If you are good with a Power Mitre saw, then you can make your pieces from a 1" X 4" oak stock. It happens to measure 3/4" X 3-1/2". I just cut it in 4 sections Longways, to make 3/4" square stock. Feel free to upgrade to aluminum square stock or Channel stock which can be found at HD or Lowes. For now I will stick close to the original build and use wood (Oak) since there would be many modifications needed to use aluminum for the moving parts AND it would be Much more costly.

Ok I started by cutting these pieces of 3/16" round stock to these dimentions (HOT ROLLED, NOT the shiney stuff).









Then I chamfered the edges to allow better insertion into the various pieces of wood, ESPECIALLY the press fitted ones.


















In the Picture above there are a few things to Note: The wood shown isn't 3/4" square stock. it's 1/2" BUT the dimensions are correct otherwise. Use 3/4" square stock.

The two tiney pieces of wood are identical, I just turned one upright so you can see the two predrilled holes to mount them to the base plate.

The other pieces have a few extra holes for adjustment in case you get the geometry wrong. They also include some adjustment holes for your "Assistance springs". Fester is VERY weight dependant and a heavy fester won't work well or last very long. I needed to use a spring to help in the lifting motion which I will cover in future posts.

Note that the two pivot arms have rounded bottoms to prevent interferance with the base plate when in operation.

Also note, I HIGHLY recomend a Drill press for ALL of holes for the main mechanism. Any holes that are not perfectly plum will cause binding and/or excess slop that will prevent fester from working properly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a picture of which holes will need to be press fitted. Press fitting reduced the cost AND reduced the "Slop" in the mechanism. Each rod shown is in a press fit hole prior to assembly. Note thier location and be sure to use the appropriate drill to get that ultra snug fit.









To make the press fit holes a 3/16" drill bit worked perfefctly with the Hot rolled steel rod. TEST the fit on some scrap wood (Same as you are going to use for fester)

To make the other "Looser" holes, I used a drill bit 1 size larger and tested the fit before continuing. I litterrally mean a drill bit that is 1/64th" larger than 3/16" (13/64") so that the remaining pieces can rotate freely with very little slop. TEST YOUR DRILL BITS with the wood you will be using to achieve a "Press fit size and a "Snug but loose" size before proceeding to cut and drill your pieces.
In the piece called "Spine" there is a press fit hole in the end of it to accept the neck rod. You can't see it in this picture but you'll see the neck rod in later pictures This is also a "Press fit" hole.

ANY resistance will affect fester since the motor is Pushed to the max. Find a drill bit combo that will work for you.

Here's a picture of the base plate with some measurements written on it to help you locate the pivot points. It also shows the location of the motor mount wood. It will be screwed into the side between the lines shown. You will have to mount your motor and linkage and run it without it being attached to get the desired motion. it sometimes takes two people to do this. I used 1-5/8" deck screws to secure the motor mount AFTER the motor is installed. More on that later.







Where did you buy the motor. We cannot find it. thanks[/IMG][/QUOTE]


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## niblique71

The Vent motor we all used to use seems to have been discontinued. The entire haunt community has been searching for a suitable replacement at a reasonable price. No luck as of yet. It's a shame....

However. If you are desperate, You might find one at a junkyard as it is an automobile air conditioning vent (Door) motor. Sorry I forgot which manufacturer (Ford , Chevy , Mopar?)


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