witch

We really enjoyed making the witch. It was a great project to work on! We found the idea on the scarefx site. Below you will find a description of how we used this idea to make our own version of the witch.

Pieter started by making a frame out of wood. On the pieces sticking out of the front is where the cauldron will stand. The space between the legs will be used to hide the electronics. More about this later. The body is made from 40 mm PVC pipe, elbows, and T pieces. You don't need to make a technical drawing with measurements. Simply measure yourself as Pieter did. He measured his shoulder height, width, etc. (He is 6' tall). Instead of using PVC glue, he used self threading screws to attach the pieces. This way its not permanent and you can always adjust things later if needed. It also makes storage easier.

The upper and lower arms are made from a square piece of wood with insulation material around it to give it thickness. The insulation material can be found at a do it yourself store. On the ends of the upper and lower arms are eye hook screws. The arms are then attached to them will tie wraps in order to help the shoulders and elbows move more freely. Be careful not to pull them too tightly. (see pic)

A windshield wiper motor was used to move the head from side to side. We found it at a car junkyard for €10. To control the speed of the head movement, a adaptor with a variable voltage capability was used (there's a pic of this sort of adaptor on the page with the puking punchbowl baby).

A thin PVC pipe was used between the head and the motor. Pieter sawed a 3 cm slit into it across the top so that he could later clamp it tightly around the motor shaft. The pipe clamp provided a tight connection to the motor. Tape was wrapped around the end that went into the head until it was the right diameter to fit tightly in the hole in the head.

The placement of the motor demands a bit of creativity but not much more of an explanation. If you look at the pictures closely, you'll figure it out. It is however very important that the motor is placed at the right degree and that the PVC pipe can turn freely between the shoulders. The head also needs to be able to turn freely.

Chicken wire was used to give the witch's body more of a form. Use your own creativity to create the form you want and just make sure that none of the moving parts are hindered. We used bubble wrap to create a hump in her back. Once again make sure no moving parts are hindered. Even with the chicken wire and bubble wrap, we still weren't totally satified with her form so we have her breasts so that her dress hung better.

The rubber witch's hands were bought at a party store. In order to allow the fingers to bend, wire hands were made to fit inside the rubber hands. Its clear to see in the pics how they were made. Five thick pieces of wire connected to a plastic wire housing unit. The bones on the hands were made from pieces of PVC pipe. Use your own hands for the measurements. To prevent the pieces of pipe from sliding off, bend it at the end.

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