Thread: Large creature hand

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I'm looking for some suggestions as to how to build a large creature hand that is big enough to be seen from the street of an average size house. I want to have it hanging out of my 2nd floor window holding the arm of a skeleton while the rest of the skele dangles below. The idea is the skele was a man trying escape from the haunted house and the giant hand came out to bring him back in.
The hand needs to hold up to the elements pretty well, although I'd bring it in during a storm or high winds.

My initial thought was chicken wire frame and paper mache with some really good paint and sealer, but I don't know if that will hold up?

Any ideas?? Thanks!

What about the chicken wire then tape the whole thing off with masking tape on the outside then fill with 2 part expanding foam peel tape off then add more foam to outside for carving details?

I think you're on the right track with the chicken wire and mache. But if you want it to last a while, I would cover it with poly resin and fiberglass mat cloth. A lot of folks are intimidated by working with fiberglass, but on a project like this, there is hardly a way to go wrong. You just work in a well ventilated area, wet down the cloth with the resin, and slap in on there with gloved hands. The price would not be a lot more than a gallon of water-based poly, and the prop would last until You decided to destroy it, not just until the first time it rained and the poly sealer cracked and the whole prop just sort of collapses.

take a look at these made with pvc and great stuff: ScaryGuys - The Giant Hand

Also this link may come in handy: Zombietronix - Hand Proportion Calculator

Thanks for the ideas!!

I like the fiberglass idea, I'll have to look into that one more.

I've used the pvc/great stuff method on smaller hands, just wasn't sure how it would translate to such a large scale.

I made large creature hands last year for my pumpkin monster. They were made with cut foam pool noodles duct taped to coat hangers. The palm area started with a piece of cardboard. The wrist had a piece of PVP pipe to attach to the arm. Then the entire hand was covered with paper mache (elmer's glue, water, paper towels), then a layer of carpet latex, then painted. I put a final coat of Shellac on the outside. My only suggestion would be to use stronger wire than coat hangers because they warped a bit.