Make: Projects
Swaying Arm Ghost
Build a ghostly Halloween decoration that moves. A non-mechanical, non-motorized version of a "Flying Crank Ghost." Perfect for a porch or hanging from a tree.
This is my version of a "Flying Crank Ghost." I’m calling it a "Swaying Arm Ghost." Many years ago, I knew I didn’t have the parts, patience or skills to build a true FCG with a motor, gears and wires, let alone a location to install it. Having made a puppet costume that looked like one, I started to experiment with using the parts from the costume and hanging them, but wanted some movement. This is what I came up with. I’ve not seen a similar version anywhere else, but I hope next year, I’ll see MANY more out there!
Steps
Step #1:
Next
- The forearms and hands: The arms are the wooden dowels from old roll up blinds, but PVC or whatever you have will work. The hands are constructed from plastic packing foam blocks (from some random copier equipment). I twisted and forced a metal pipe (old tent peg) into the block to make the fingers and just cut a palm shape out of the block. Then used wire to build the hand and attach them to the dowels. (There are lots of ways to make hands, but whatever method you use, lightweight is what you're after.)
Conclusion
Construction time can be greatly extended depending on your method of fabricating the ghost's hands. 4-5 hours is based upon very basic foam hands/fingers to be seen from a distance.
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