Thread: Need help with counterweight for FCG

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I've researched flying ghost rigs (FCGs) for a few weeks and have spent the last couple of weeks building my first one. I bought a nice motor from a guy on craigslist, but it turned out to be defective, so I ended up getting a cheap mirror ball motor at the last minute. The problem is that it doesn't seem powerful enough to lift the head portion of my ghost back up. I did the standard wig head, LED eyes. coat hanger and cheesecloth construction, although it has good deal of fabric on it. I've seen many references to people using counterweights for heavier marionettes, but have never actually seen a picture or video of one. Usually, you get some generic description like, "put it on the opposite side of the heaviest item" or something like that. I'm no expert, so I need more detailed instructions. Has anybody successfully used a countreweight and, if so, how was it set up? Pictures/video link would be nice if you have them. Thanks.

Here's my rig.





As you can see there is a short bar added behind the head which carries an additional pulley. This is where you run your counterweight line. The counterweight should be less than the weight of your ghost or the lines will lose tension and cause problems, so some experimentation is required.

Hope this helps

Use some flat washers for the weights then you can add or subtract them as necessary until you get the perfect balance.

When you're hanging the ghost, how do you line up the counterweight with the ghost? Does it have to be higher than the ghost when the ghost is low or does height matter? Also, how do you know when you have too much or too little weight? I would think that if the counterweight were too light, the weight of the ghost would cause the counterweight to rise until it ran into the pulley; if too heavy, then the counterweight would drop and pull the ghost into its pulley. Please forgive my ignorance--you can tell I've never done a counterweight before.

As you can see there is a short bar added behind the head which carries an additional pulley. This is where you run your counterweight line. The counterweight should be less than the weight of your ghost or the lines will lose tension and cause problems, so some experimentation is required.

Hope this helps[/QUOTE]

I built a FCG this year with an MBT 5rpm mirror ball motor (really cheap $8!). I had the same trouble with the weight of the ghost. I used a similiar counterweight setup and 2 6oz "bank weights" (a fishing weight) as the counterweights. I still had problems with the friction the pulleys and rope created. I changed the ropes out for fishing line last night and the system works! I am still having a little trouble with one of the pulleys sticking, but with a new one of those I should'nt have anymore trouble. I will try to post a pic soon.