# Vertical Lift of a prop



## to.serve.man (Sep 15, 2014)

I am interested in building Pneumatic that will move a prop vertically. I want the cylinder to be attached to the prop itself- i don’t have room to place a lifter mechanism . Not sure how to secure the cylinder- I want a throw of at least 10 feet. Has anyone done this? Willing to share a tutorial?


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## BillyVanpire (Apr 22, 2015)

so..you're looking for a 10 foot pnuematic cycinder? $$$

you might try an xframe lift, cut up one of these things and mount it underneath..


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

More detail would be helpful. How exactly are you wanting this to move? You say 'don't have room for a lifter', but you want it to 'throw' 10 feet? Are you picturing it literally jumping in the air with no (or minimal) control?

The scissors mechanism shown above will compact and extend quite a bit. Though keep in mind that all forces and movements will occur as factors of each other...it is pretty much a 'simple' lever. So you could probably set it up so a 1 foot movement of an air cylinder could generate your 10 foot movement, but it would only be able to move 1/10 the weight (or less, once you account for friction, etc)

Guess I am sort of picturing a mannequin riding an air powered pogo stick...maybe with a few wires to guide it up/down. Though seems in that case, you'd want the air cylinder on the ground with a set-up to 'kick' the mannequin in the air - otherwise you'd need 10 feet of air hose traveling along for the ride and the weight of the air cylinder would reduce the lift somewhat... requiring a bigger cylinder... adding more weight, etc...

Hope this helps


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## to.serve.man (Sep 15, 2014)

Thanks for the information- I'm looking to construct something like this. 
https://www.frightprops.com/catalog/product/gallery/id/42101/


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## Screaming Demons (Jul 12, 2009)

The base will be the simple part. The hard part will be all those hours of overtime you're going to have to put in to buy the cylinder.

We use some huge ones at work, like eight-foot throws, and they are extremely expensive. I think you need to rethink the prop.


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## to.serve.man (Sep 15, 2014)

Lol! I recently was given a 36” throw cylinder but I don’t know how to construct the base - that is my sticking point- looking to see if anyone has done this and has any tutorial- thx!!


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

I have made my own before.


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## to.serve.man (Sep 15, 2014)

Thank you for the info- have you ever had one explode- there is a lot of discussion out they why not to use PVC & was just wondering if you have ever had a problem- thx again


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## bfjou812 (Aug 15, 2008)

Here is a how to for the linkage, you can substitute the size material, but this will give you an idea of how to build it.


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

removed


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## bfjou812 (Aug 15, 2008)

Check this thread out. There is a lot of good information in it. Air and water have distinct characteristics when it comes to being pressurized. You can't compress a liquid and this is why when I was in the pressure gauge manufacturing business we used water to test any gauge over 1500 psi. When a breach occurs the energy is dispersed almost immediately with water. With air ,since it can be compressed it will expand when a breach occurs and the ensuing shrapnel is very damaging. Again I ask, why do the manufacturers of PVC pipe state on their product not to use with compressed gas.

https://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=39074&highlight=Pneumatics


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

removed


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## aidtopia (Sep 15, 2016)

PVC gets brittle over time, especially when exposed to UV (like sunlight or blacklights). Since, as irrigation pipe, it's normally buried, this usually isn't a big issue. I often paint PVC to hide it. That has the nice side effect of slowing the aging process, but I wouldn't rely on it to never get brittle.

I would be extremely hesitant to use PVC as an air cylinder in most circumstances. When the pipe does eventually shatter, it will throw many sharp shards in all directions. When a pneumatic cylinder fails, it's usually just two pieces and the direction of travel can get predicted. (And a safety chain is an easy solution.)


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## DavesMidnightWorkShop (Oct 22, 2019)

Rad so many options here!!


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## halstaff (Nov 18, 2009)

Although it's true that people have built and used cylinders constructed from pvc, due to the potential for injury, we don't encourage, promote or instruct members on how to do it.
The safety issue alone should convince haunters to avoid this method. Commercial cylinders designed for this purpose are easy to acquire from many sellers including on Ebay for a reasonable cost. Considering the safety issues, cost of buying the materials to build your own and the work often required to get them to work properly, I wouldn't ever consider taking the risk of injuring someone using a home built cylinder. 
For more discussion on this subject, you can check out this thread which includes info from a couple of members here on injuries sustained using PVC cylinders - https://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=39074


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

I have removed my posts that about homemade cylinders seeing as it is not a recommended practice. Halstaff has quoted me though and so some of my poor recommendations survive. Halstaff, If you feel it is appropriate would you please remove the quotation so that my bad advice is not passed along? Thanks.


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## halstaff (Nov 18, 2009)

Thank you Batbuddy. I have removed my quote although I don't mind this subject being discussed but don't want to encourage anyone to do it. Those new to pneumatics often see these discussions and wonder if it is something they should do. I must say that in the old days (yes, I am old), I did try my hand at homemade cylinders. Without access to a lathe, I struggled and spent a lot of time trying to get them to seal properly. I went to commercial versions and haven't looked back.


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

I totally understand why making your own cylinders is discouraged there really is a lot of safety parameters to consider. I have extensive fabrication industry experience and as such I have taken many precautions when using the cylinders I have made. The fact remains that for the home haunter with a small budget there is no safe alternative for long throw cylinders, other than to buy one. So unless you have similar experience or are an engineer you don't have many other options than to buy commercially made cylinders. But and engineer wouldn't be on here looking for an alternative anyway.


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