Thread: Attaching a silicone hand to PVC ?

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Hey guys, so i have this silicone hand which i would like to put on a pvc dummy, but how should i go about attaching the hand to the dummy ?
Thanks
Phil

I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about..... is the hand solid foam or is it like a soft latex with stuffing inside it like you get from Spirit Hallowee?

I have a few of those latex hands from Spirit and put them on the PVC pipe dummy in the electric chair prop. I just cut a hole in the stump, put some Gorilla glue in there, wet the PVC pipe and shoved it in there. Then secured it with a zip tie.

I think half my yard haunt is put together with zip ties and Gorilla glue.

The hand is made completely from RTV silicone like this one.
YouTube - Mold Making and Casting: Silicone hand Part 1
The problem is that the PVC pipe is 1 1/4 inch so im thinking it will be to big to fit into the hand, i will give it a go though.
Thanks
Phil

Why not mold say a 1/2 " PVC pipe into the hand and then use a reducer to glue to your arm? In fact I would use a screw on reducer so you can easily remove he hands. You can get 1/2 threaded pvc in different lengths at Home Depot. Go to the shower or irrigation section. You may have to use two reducers to get from your 1 1/4 " down to 1/2 ".

Sounds like a great idea, i've never heard of pvc reducers before, i'm currently trying Scary Firefighters suggestion but using aluminium bar which shall be bolted to the pvc, i'll update you later on.
Thanks
Phil

Ok so the hand did stay on the PVC but soon fell off , I used silicone so i'll have a go with hot glue
Thanks
Phil

I think if you could mold new hands, you might try using a short piece of 1/2 inch pvc molded into the hand. You could even make it longer and grind or hacksaw off the top and bottom of the pipe to leave two finger extensions. A little heat will allow you to splay the finger extensions to fit into two of the finger portions of the mold. I think the index finger and ring finger would be the best choice. Now the hand will be well stabilized and easy to mount to your 1 1/4 inch pvc arms.

spinman1949: I have only made the one hand so far, so I'll be sure to try this technique on the next hand I make. Another idea I was thinking of would be to insert a aluminium bar, with holes drilled all the way down, into the silicone hand (before it has set), which should cause the silicone to seep through the holes and lock the aluminium bar in place.
Thanks
Phil

I was just going to post the same idea with the pipe. The reason I like to use pvc is because it is easy to work with. I just made a 20 ft rig to mount our Santa and Reindeer on the peak of our garage. 4 sections connected by really cool compression collars. The legs unscrew for easy storage. About 20 feet of pvc that stores in a very small area of my overhead storage area in the garage.

If you use aluminum, then you have to screw it to the 1 1'4 pvc arm. If you use the pvc reducer, it will just plug into the arm. Easy to mount and easy to store. The only thing I have found with pvc is that it does get brittle when exposed to long periods of heat and sunlight. On joints that I want to remove, I coat the pipe with a little petroleum jelly. Keeps the plastic from sticking.

The only problem is that I can't find PVC reducers anywhere, I found some for pipe alot bigger than 1 1/4 inch, but none for the size I'm using, I'm in the UK so that may be why I can't get them here.
Thanks
Phil