# My First Drop Panel



## Push Eject (Oct 11, 2005)

_click for larger pix_


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## Homestead Haunt (Jun 15, 2006)

Very nice........I assume there are drawer slides that I just cant see.


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## nOrTHeRn TouCh (Feb 24, 2006)

nice job drop panel are always a good scare...


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## hauntedhonda (Jun 12, 2006)

whats this for?


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## Push Eject (Oct 11, 2005)

BadOleRoss said:


> Very nice........I assume there are drawer slides that I just cant see.


 Added a new picture to show the slides.



hauntedhonda said:


> whats this for?


TOTs walk in front of an ordinary-looking wall with a creepy picture on it... while they look at the picture it falls away with a bang! and an actor behind it reaches through for them... then suddenly the picture is back just as fast.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Really great! This is one of my projects for this year as well. Instead of a picture though I'm planning just a dark wall panel that drops.
I like the mechanism you used.


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## trexmgd (Sep 13, 2006)

Can you tell me more about your latch / trigger mechanism?
Also, is there a stop, or do the drawer sliders take the abuse?


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## deveds2 (Nov 3, 2006)

I wonder how you could get something like that to reset on its own? Like with a motor or something?


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## Push Eject (Oct 11, 2005)

trexmgd said:


> Can you tell me more about your latch / trigger mechanism?
> Also, is there a stop, or do the drawer sliders take the abuse?


The latch is a simple gate latch mounted face-down. I filed its mouth a little so it would open more easily. The "trigger" is the actor standing behind it, although it could certainly be easily rigged for pneumatics.

The sliders definitely do not take the abuse of the drop. Not only would they fail quickly, but there would be no "Slam!" 

I reinforced a strike area short of the sliders' throw. Here is a better shot of that:












> I wonder how you could get something like that to reset on its own? Like with a motor or something?


I think a two-way pneumatic cylinder would work great.

Charlie


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## trexmgd (Sep 13, 2006)

Thanks for the update. For me, one of the contributing factors in this scare is the "BANG" of the panel dropping. Your set up should achieve that nicely.


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## Nathan Voorhees (May 13, 2011)

*Thank you for sharing!*

I found this thread most helpful in my attempt to build my own drop panel for the first time! I love the way this is set up and it works quite nicely so far! Thank you for sharing this with everyone!


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## DoctorGrim (Oct 18, 2007)

Are the slides rack-mount server rails?


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## spicybad (Jan 9, 2010)

Great job on that *Push Eject*, looks very sturdy.
If others are making one, sturdy is the key. our latch came loose after a couple of hours of abuse, so the actor had to hold it up the rest of the night. Have plenty of reinforcement under the bottom drop point, like Push Eject's, because this cops a pounding. 
But definitely have one though, we used one last year and it scared nearly everyone 

Rick.


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## Screaming Demons (Sep 15, 2008)

DoctorGrim said:


> Are the slides rack-mount server rails?


I've used server rails for a drop panel before, but drawer slides are easier to find. Besides being available at the hardware store, you can get them out of an old desk or cabinetry from a house being torn down or remodelled.


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## Nathan Voorhees (May 13, 2011)

I found some 24" heavy duty drawer sliders at my local Lowes that were perfect since my panel is 2'x2'. It's almost compleate! All I lack is installing the metal reinforcement plate along the bottom of the panel and the latch! Thank you again *Push Eject* for sharing your design with us! Hope mine holds up well!


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## spicybad (Jan 9, 2010)

Nathan, the lower metal plate on the drop panel is not essential, but would give a louder bang, I presume.
would love to see pics


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## Nathan Voorhees (May 13, 2011)

spicybad said:


> Nathan, the lower metal plate on the drop panel is not essential, but would give a louder bang, I presume.
> would love to see pics


Thanks for the tip! I'm out of town at the moment, but will be back at the haunt Monday and will try to get pics then!


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## Nathan Voorhees (May 13, 2011)

spicybad said:


> Nathan, the lower metal plate on the drop panel is not essential, but would give a louder bang, I presume.
> would love to see pics


Also, I figure that adding the metal strip along the bottom will help balance it out where the latch will be on the right side. If I leave just the latch, the latch will be the first point of contact causing the panel to hit crooked (if that makes any sence).


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## Lazy D (May 14, 2011)

looks really good.


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## Screaming Demons (Sep 15, 2008)

I have noticed problems people have had over the years with the latching mechanism failing or sticking. Has anyone ever made one that slid sideways? Seems that would take a lot of the stress off.


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## Nathan Voorhees (May 13, 2011)

Screaming Demons said:


> I have noticed problems people have had over the years with the latching mechanism failing or sticking. Has anyone ever made one that slid sideways? Seems that would take a lot of the stress off.


I have yet to see one done sideways. My friends at Nightmare Haunted House (Wicked World Scaregrounds) in Lexington, KY have however done a full body drop panel that is about 4 or 5 ft long! They were featured on the tour during this years Hauntcon haunted house convention (where they ask me, my fiance and a couple of our friends to gust act for the convention!)! That panel really turns heads!


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## Garmonbozy (May 10, 2012)

Sorry for commenting on an old post - this is actually my first time on teh forum... but do the sliders between the panel and the wall not create a visible gap?


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## Nathan Voorhees (May 13, 2011)

Garmonbozy: Surprizingly enough, the sliders do not create any gap. I will say though that after running my haunt last season every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night in October, that the sliders had trouble holding up to the constant abuse and I had to replace them once on both drop panels used in my haunt. I'm looking into a better way to redo them for this season. ^_^


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## hauntcrazy (Nov 14, 2007)

I just used aluminum channel and a gate latch for my drop panel. The panel is between a 2 x 3 stud frame. The frame is covered with garden fabric so the actor inside can see people coming and know when to drop the panel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM-I8hkTqSw


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## Nathan Voorhees (May 13, 2011)

hauntcrazy said:


> I just used aluminum channel and a gate latch for my drop panel. The panel is between a 2 x 3 stud frame. The frame is covered with garden fabric so the actor inside can see people coming and know when to drop the panel.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM-I8hkTqSw


Aluminum channels... Sounds much more effective than heavy duty drawer sliders, with nothing to malfunction! Thanks for the tip! I may try that...


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