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Question regarding a motor for a flying crank ghost!

4427 Views 9 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  Screaming Demons

Would a Dremel motor work for a flying crank ghost? It is a 2 speed and says the following on the label: 120 v. AC 50-60HZ. low speed .60A/Hi Speed1.15A.
My first attempt with moving prop! I have not seen a Dremel named in any projects for FCG, and looking at all my old tools for a possibility. Thanks in advance, a grandma who wants to surprise her grandson with a cool new halloween prop!
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I highly doubt a Dremel would work. Too high rpm and not enough torque. If you do a search for Flying Crank Ghost or FCG you will find a wealth of information. I've seen them done with many types of motors . Hope this helps and wish you luck on your project.
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Agree, it needs to be a relatively high torque, low RPM motor, unless you want the ghost being spastic. Mostly, they are done with wiper motors or similar because they provide both the torque and the low speeds necessary for a nice effect.
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Agree with the others. That being said, you really should look into all that is involved for a FCG. It's probably one of the more frustrating props to build and get it working properly.
With all due respect to the J-Man, I say go for it. I'm not very mechanically inclined, but with instructions from the internet( youtube videos and a willingness to innovate when needed, I did fine and you will as well..
BTW, I used a barbecue rotisserie motor and it works great. very slow motion, no undue drag on the motor.
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Go for it you'll be the coolest Grandma around!!! Like others have said the dremel will probably not work.

The rotisserie motor is a great idea, look for one in yard sales or CL or put the word out to your friends that may have an old barbeque they want to upgrade!
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With all due respect to the J-Man, I say go for it. I'm not very mechanically inclined, but with instructions from the internet( youtube videos and a willingness to innovate when needed, I did fine and you will as well..
BTW, I used a barbecue rotisserie motor and it works great. very slow motion, no undue drag on the motor.
Rotisserie motors are very similar to wiper motors in torque and speed. Most run at 4-5RPM. A variable speed Dremel runs at 5000-35000RPM.
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Thank you all for the kind and helpful suggestions! Halloween has been instilled in me through my dad’s passion for the art of scaring. He created one of the early ( if not first) haunted houses in Kansas City, Kansas;Boswell’s house of horror. In the early 1960’s he charged a dime to go through his haunted house set up in public schools and even churches! He was Dracula, his 6’7” friend was Frankenstein, another friend was the Wolfman, and my mother made a very realistic witch. Even though I found the Wolfman’s hairy arms in a box hidden in a closet at age 3 , and apparently had to be re pottytrained after my discovery, I was never frightened or traumatized by our basement full of props. My dad was also Dr. Zersky, who introduced The Friday Night Fright Flick in Lincoln, Nebraska in the late 60’s. I’ve made numerous props for past haunted basements, porches and garages, but always used family and friends as my moving scarers! Now that I have been reminded RPMS and torque is not the same thing(duh!), I think I can find a good beginners project for next year that me and little man can work on together. Happy scaring!
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I've always used heavy duty mirror ball motors, low speed, high torque. Use a Styrofoam head and keep it light weight to avoid any issues...
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Take a look at this tutorial for a Flying Lever Ghost. I love it because it does away with that complicated rig that gets tangled up too easy.
https://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-and-step-by-step/105274-building-flying-lever-ghost.html
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