[Scary Firefighter]

Can somebody direct me to some pics and maybe step-by-step instructions or advice for electric chair props they have made in the past? I think that is going to be the prop I build for this Halloween.

I'm probably not going to make it "live" or anything like that.... what I'm thinking is letting trick r' treaters sit down in it and take a picture or I'm just going to put a skeleton or dummy in it.

Thanks.

 

[Mr.Death]

Here is an Electric chair I built in 2008.
If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them.
The dummy is made out of pvc. There is a drill mounted to the bottom of the chair with a piston mounted in the chuck to make the dummy move up and down. The drill when mounted to the bottom of the chair makes a the great sound. I had kids taking pictures with him all night. If you didn't want to put a dummy in there and wanted have the kids sit in it. Mount the drill to the bottom anyhow. When you turn it on the vibration from the seat and the sound really scares them. They will come flying off the seat. LOL
Anyhow here is the link

Good luck

 

[halloweenpropmaster]

Heres a pic of the electric chair so far still have put a dummy and a drill on it. Sorry about the other soon coming prop on the chair.

 

[Scary Firefighter]

That is awesome!

I'm sure I'll have lots of questions as I started actually trying to build something like that.

 

[hauntcrazy]

Here is my electric chair tutorial that I posted last week.
I have some basic dimensions and construction info.

 

[Scary Firefighter]

I'm assuming that the tuperwear attached to the sander is to increase the sound it makes?

 

[hauntcrazy]

Yea
I guess I forgot to explain that.
I was kinda of quite until I did that.

 

[Thorn Kill Creek]

Looks great. Can you feel the sander vibrating when you sit in the chair. Is it enough to give someone the impression of an electrical shock at first?

 

[Village_Haunt]

Here is my shot at building one of these...

 

[hauntcrazy]

You can feel the sander a lot.
I didn't expect to be able to feel it. I only wanted the sound.
The entire base of the chair vibrates.

 

[hauntcrazy]

Village Haunt
Do you have any trouble keeping the sander glued to the underside of the metal seat?

 

[Scary Firefighter]

What are some other ideas from some small motors that can be used to make the dummy move? And are there timers that you can buy that will turn it on and off in short intervals? Maybe something like a security timer you put on lights in your house to ward off people who might want to break in.

I also wonder about different ways to mount a sander or drill underneath so you can take it out and actually keep using it for it's intended purpose. I have a small sander that might work but I don't want to mount it forever on the underneath of the chair.

 

[Scary Firefighter]

Also, how hard is the PVC dummy to make? Can you just get PVC joints and put one together like a giant set of tinker toys?

 

[Baron Samedi]

Also, how hard is the PVC dummy to make? Can you just get PVC joints and put one together like a giant set of tinker toys?

Yes, pretty much.
You'll need to build your basic form using PVC pipe and a selection of joints. Tee pieces, cross pieces, 45 and /or 90 degree bends.

You could drill and wire the pipes together at the joints to save the cost of the connectors, or build the whole frame out of scrap timber if you have some lying around.

Here's a link to a calculator that will give you a "cut list" to ensure the proportions are right for any size of dummy you want to make.

Zombietronix - Biped Proportion Calculator (Human. Creature. Monster. Other.)

You will then need to "flesh it out" a bit with foam pipe insulation or pool noodles and maybe some newspaper or grocery bags before dressing it.

The head can be made from a polystyrene wighead form with a mask, or just a mask stuffed with newspaper, if you can't get a wighead.

 

[hauntcrazy]

FireFighter
As far as the sander mounting.
If you look closely at the video, I drilled four 3/4" holes in the back of the base.
I used dryer duck clamp/straps to hold the sander down. There is a block of wood screwed in at the end of the sander to keep it from working loose. I could easily remove the sander. I did screw through the sander pad to hold the tupperware bowl on but that was only to make it loader. The bowl can be removed as well.

 

[dubbax3]

Finished this a while ago. Its very low-tech and so is the tut. It may help.

Firefighter huh? Me too. I checked out your gallery great stuff. Good luck with the chair.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/70934-electric-chair.html

 

[drsprite]

I just finished building the chair for my prop... here is my post I did last night with a parts list I used.

I just need to stain it, and add the wires and strobes and it should be good to go

http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/81711-my-electric-chair.html

 

[Scary Firefighter]

Well the chair itself is built and I'm pretty happy with it so far. Still needs to be painted and have all the effects added to it like the skulls and electrods and stuff like that.

It's a pretty big prop. The back supports stand over 6 fett tall and the front legs are 3 feet tall. The seat sits down pretty low though (18 inches from the floor) so when you sit in it your elbows rest very high up. I'm over 6 feet tall and feel "very small" sitting in it.... which is exactly what I wanted. It's an overwhelming, somewhat intimidating structure which is perfect for a Halloween prop IMO. There are a few spots that are not exactly square but I can hide that with decorations. Best part is that it's base is very sturdy and completely level.... it does not wobble at all.

 

[bhsfx]

Here is a video of a chair built by my students a couple years ago. It utilizes a drill and off set wheel. The bar is attached to the back of character, and the head has a spring on the inside - which gives it, in my opinion, an unique "whipping" action.

BHSFX

 

[Village_Haunt]

Village Haunt
Do you have any trouble keeping the sander glued to the underside of the metal seat?

Sorry for the slow reply.
Nope, the Gorilla Glue (Expensive and messy $#!T) is holding super strong.
I feel I can guaranty many years of continuous use without fail.
Good Luck!
VH