Halloween Discussion Forums, Costumes, Horror!

Ho Ho! I'm so excited!

Last night, my husband and I came up with an idea for a steampunk themed prop to make our passing out of candy a little more exciting. I don't want to give too much away at this point because we haven't ironed out the details. One of those of details is a conveyor belt-- I think it'd be fun but my husband thinks it would be too difficult. I'm thinking it'd be easy if I can modify paint rollers and make a belt out of fabric scraps. In the interests of cost, we're probably going to use foam core board for the details/structure, though some parts will have to be made from something more substantial like wood or metal.... and the contraption will need some sort of hookup for the fog machine, so it looks like steam or smoke roiling out of it.

Bwahaha! Can't wait!

Also, Simplicity *just* came out with a pattern that more-or-less looks how I want my costume to look. Woo! -- too bad I'd already started piecing together my own pattern *grumble-mutter * Ah, well. Super excited! =D

It sounds like the Inventors' cookie machine from Edward Scissorhands.

Not quite what I had in mind, but actually it IS along those lines. I may have to look into that cookie machine. =)

Along those lines...

I found this site http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/gentl ... =214448279 , I have ordered the mens bathing suit (blue stripe) and the straw boater hat for the 4th of July.

There's a lot of cool stuff in there, and they carry sizes for those of us with a greater gravitational pull.

Just an idea for your conveyor. Start with about 2 or 3 rolling pins for the belt perhaps some
webbing like the stuff ratchet ties are made from. For the main structure find yourself an old aluminum extension ladder, for the legs use saw horses, so that you have smoke or steam
pipe that into the rungs of the ladder. To move the belt you have 2 options. 1 Find a rotisserie
because it turns slowly or 2 get a small electric motor wire it up to a dimmer switch and then you dial in how fast it turns. Something to consider would be having zombie or skeleton prop
to move so that it looks like it's turning a crank for the conveyor. Just my 2 cents worth.

Good ideas, but way out of scope and budget... as well as setup time. I'm still working on costumes at this juncture.

My husband and I had a sit-down to chat about our candy dispensing apparatus last week. We canned the conveyor belt idea and, as a joke, I suggested that we build a giant Tesla coil that shoots sparks across the garage. (FYI- That's also a no-go due to budget constraints.)

What we settled on involves a simple manual gear and crank appurtenance. We'll use wood, PVC and foam core as our main support, frame and facade, respectively. We're thinking of spray paint and acrylics to distress... and the whole thing shouldn't take terribly long to design/build. It also should come apart easily and should store nicely-- that's a big factor I consider when designing Halloween props. (For example-- the gurney I built a couple years ago stores in a laundry bag and my "candy cannon" stores well in my master closet)

As much as I'd love a conveyor belt or other pneumatic prop-- I just don't have the time or bankroll to find those specific parts and put the contraption together, but I do thank you for your ideas. It sounds like you've done quite a few realistic looking pneumatic props. If I ever lean that way in future prop-making, I'll look you up. =)

I keep seeing the word steampunk. Embarrassed to have to ask, but what does that mean? (I'm still learning)

Well now that you mention it I have done a lot of prop building and making of other things
for myself. I've had to come to rely on myself for many things due to finances. However that doesn't stop me from building things from nothing. You might say that I'm a jack of all trades
as I've done many things in my time. Not bragging or anything!! I've just had to learn how to do things on a very limited or no budget. On a different note I'd be happy to help you design
things for your haunt at no charge of course. I've made the offer to others here but no replies yet. I doubt that I'll get to do an attraction this year, so I can have fun helping others with theirs. So I hope you get things up and running soon and I hope to see some pics of your stuff.
Once again my offer to help still stands I would consider it an honor to help a fellow freak.
OOps!! did I say that out loud?

Not sure how it got it's name but if memory serves the phrase is for a prop that has smoke or fog sometimes referred to as steam. Punk on the other hand not so sure.
And that's all I got to say about that. I may not be a smart man but I know what Halloween is.

Morticia wrote:I keep seeing the word steampunk. Embarrassed to have to ask, but what does that mean? (I'm still learning)

basically SteamPunk has a Victorian feel with a modern twist, like a steam driven computer with copper pipes and gauges on it, or with brass mechanisms.

Do a goggle image search for "Steampunk" and you'll get an idea of what it is

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.[1] Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually the Victorian era Britain—that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Other examples of steampunk contain alternative history-style presentations of such technology as lighter-than-air airships, analog computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace's Analytical engine.
Steampunk is sometimes compared to cyberpunk, although apart from the shared origins of the name, they have almost nothing in common. Their time period and level of technology are different and steampunk settings also tend to be less dystopian.[citation needed]
Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.

Morticia wrote:I keep seeing the word steampunk. Embarrassed to have to ask, but what does that mean? (I'm still learning)

It's a popular and up-and-coming sub-culture which began in the early-to-mid 1980's that combines Victorian Steam-Powered things with modern technology-- think Will Smith's "Wild-Wild West"... steam-powered contraptions that do things that modern technology does. The movement also has it's own clothing style-- most of it falls under "Neo-Victorian"-- which will give you some good pics if you do a web search/google it.

If you want another good look at the genre, I recommend looking up the League of S.T.E.A.M.
http://www.leagueofsteam.com/theater/

They put out quite a few web-shorts based on their steampunk characters-- a group of paranormal hunters who get into a strange series of circumstances.

Broken Dreams-
Like I said, I'll keep you in mind if I need... but it's a while yet before we get started on that contraption. Between my engineering experience and my husband's building experience, I think we have things pretty well covered at this stage.

Oh kind of like the anime movie Howl's Castle?