# Burnt Witch



## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Started working on this year's big prop to put up for sale. Doing a smoldering corpse of a witch who has been burned at the stake. The corpse will have smoke (fog) seeping out of it and there will be glowing coals and wood around the bottom of the stake. So far I've gotten as far as creating the stake from pvc pipe, routing the fog through the stake and into the body, and lining the body with plastic to hold in fog and let it seep from holes in the torso and head. Getting ready to start the more fun part now, the corpsing and sculpting.

PVC pipe stake...










Progress on the witch...










Video of the fog/smoke in action...


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Got a bunch of foam work done on it today. Still a little more to go before I can start the latex stuff.


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## Michael__Myers (Sep 8, 2019)

This is a great idea! Looking forward to seeing how it all turns out ?


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## Meadow (Apr 14, 2019)

So gruesome! Love it!


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## Diabolik (Apr 10, 2006)

Very cool. looking forward to see your progress!


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Like others have said, I am looking forward to see this come together.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

More progress...


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## Engineerchic (Sep 6, 2017)

This one is going to be disturbing, as in "I want to look at it but I can't for very long..." I like it, I admire it, but I could not build it. Whoo! This is nightmare stuff.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

This will be a great addition to your haunt!!! Cant wait to see it all together!!


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)




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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

Seeing this come together has inspired me to get started on my build "to do" list! Starting to get excited for Halloween again!!!! Thanks for sharing this!


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## FutureFiyero (Aug 28, 2009)

This is so sick. I love it. Can't wait to see the finished product. ?


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## Bringer of Doom (Aug 24, 2016)

Incredibly bad ass! Really nice look, with the added bonus of the smoking. Looking forward to watching this progress!


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## dmosher626 (Oct 22, 2012)

Looking mean. Cannot wait to see this continue


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Nightmare material there.


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## Kelly W (Oct 23, 2019)

Just fricken awesome can’t wait to see end result! WOW!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

This is a great idea for a prop. I've never seen anything lie that made before.
Looks fantastic!


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

DaveintheGrave said:


> This is a great idea for a prop. I've never seen anything lie that made before.
> Looks fantastic!


Thanks! I try to come up with things I haven't seen done before.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Sculpted some face remnants, cast it in latex and got it attached today...


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)




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## Jacki Lantern (Sep 19, 2019)

Soo frikken awesome!! I wish I had the space to build props like this. This is going to be amazing!


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## Engineerchic (Sep 6, 2017)

Oak Lane Cemetery said:


>


I love your Little Shed of Horrors in the background 

This is awesome. I wonder if I can get my neighbor to build one, she loves corpsing skeletons.


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## crashbig (Aug 22, 2017)

Your talent never disappoints, that amazing.


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## Deathstalker (Nov 4, 2008)

WOW great job, that's going to be impressive! Can't wait to see how you're going to make it into a "witch" look with burned clothes.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Deathstalker said:


> WOW great job, that's going to be impressive! Can't wait to see how you're going to make it into a "witch" look with burned clothes.


I'm going to do some long singed hair, but not clothes. Although the freaky fabric I imbibed in the latex does look a bit like clothing that has melted and fused with the skin as it burned.


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## bobzilla (Nov 15, 2008)

So awesome!


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## slash (Sep 9, 2010)

So your selling this ? I read your first post was just wondering


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## ferguc (Dec 15, 2011)

WOW. looking great


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## theric85 (Feb 23, 2014)

Another great prop Oak!!


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## KirstenO (Jul 14, 2012)

Oak Lane Cemetery said:


>


Wow....just wow!!!!! ?


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Progress report. Finally finished the corpsing and positioned the hands and feet. Started my paint on the corpse today. Once I get it finished I'll be starting on the hot coals underneath and other details like charring on the post.

This was my test paint on the hip. Going for the look of a steak that was flash cooked and wound up burnt to crap on the outside, but still raw inside...









With the test paint done and an adjustment made to slightly darken my red I have started base coating the foam and latex portions with red. I'll follow up with black over the high spots, then a very light dry brushing of grey to simulate a bit of ash.


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## bobzilla (Nov 15, 2008)

So bad-a$$!


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Got the body finished! Now on to glowing coals, and charred wood. Once I get those done I can add the chains and finally be done with this one.


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## dpeterson (Aug 31, 2008)

Burn the witch!


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## JW Halloween (Sep 30, 2012)

one of the best props I have seen - thanks for sharing!


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## Malicious (Sep 8, 2014)

fantastic work


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## Michael__Myers (Sep 8, 2019)

Looks terrific! Very impressed by your work on this


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## JCO (Dec 4, 2013)

Top-notch, really impressive!


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Got started on making the post look charred today. Unfortunately I wasted my time making the super realistic fake wood pvc pipe. It's completely covered in black Great Stuff now. That's what I get for not thinking ahead. Oh well, at least I figured out how to do it in case I need to again in the future. I've got the post 100% foamed and about 1/3 of the way carved. Once I get it all carved I'll go over it with some black latex paint to help add some strength to the foam. It also would have been a lot easier if I had done this BEFORE I added the body to the post.


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## Krusty (Aug 28, 2019)

.


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

Amazing!!!!


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Krusty said:


> Wow ! Nice work! How do you decide on a price when selling something like this?
> I know how much time I put into the custom builds and even small detail work....
> I find it is best to not think about how many hours I have into them or if I sold something I would be barely covering my materials cost and working for free?


I factor in all of my material costs for sure, but I'm definitely underestimating my labor hours by a lot most of the time. I enjoy making things though so I don't sweat it too much. I'm not looking to make a full time career out of prop making and usually I come to a figure in my head I that feel is reasonable for my time and the materials I have into a project plus factoring in how well it turned out. Whatever profits I make go right back into my Halloween fund to finance more projects.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Not a ton of progress today, but I finished making char on the entire post and put a coat of black latex paint over it to sturdy up the foam a little. I've got one more day off to work on it tomorrow before I start my next shift rotation at work. Hopefully I'll get the post finished so I can move on to starting the hot coals. No new pics other than the feet reattached to the footrest.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Got the post char finished today and reattached the hands to the back of the post. I've got some rusty chains cooking in vinegar salt and peroxide that will be added later. Now I'm finally at the point where I can set the post and body aside and start work on covering the base with hot coals. I'm still trying to make the post and base separate for storage and transport because this thing is getting heavy and I fear the post may break at the base if it was lifted wrong. Working on the first two of three tutorials for this build. #1 for the post and #2 for the body. #3 will cover the hot coals. I hope to upload at least one of them later tonight. Until then, here is some video of it in action from today...


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## Hecate Moon (Sep 4, 2017)

Oak Lane Cemetery said:


> Sculpted some face remnants, cast it in latex and got it attached today...
> View attachment 729127
> 
> 
> ...


This is awesome! Can't wait to see a finished witch!


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## Krusty (Aug 28, 2019)

.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Krusty said:


> I am impressed with the quality of work you do and the "Art work" is amazing! Best of luck with the sale of it!
> 
> Last year I made 3 Swaying Zombies with the intent of selling one off as it is easy to make multiple props after the design is done on first one. People kept telling me that he looked so awesome I should sell them and make $....
> I advertised on buy and sell with a video attached even and had 800 views but NO Sale?
> ...


I have made nearly every sale on every item I have ever sold through my Facebook following. Even Etsy shows the majority of traffic to my store comes via Facebook. I have considered posting larger things on Ebay or Etsy, but shipping such big items seems to be way too expensive so I only ship small items and sell big ones as local pickup only, or the buyer will need to arrange for shipping it at their own expense and risk of damage.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

TUTORIALS ARE UP for the pvc post and the burnt body. Once I get the glowing coals built underneath I'll post that one too, but we have all pretty much seen 100 different versions of Great Stuff with lights in it. Once built mine will probably be no different in basic construction other than general appearance.


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## Krusty (Aug 28, 2019)

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## JT5298 (Aug 4, 2016)

You are an amazing craftsman. I have "borrowed" many of your ideas for my props over the years. Just a quick off topic question if I may. How do you make the Trachea for your corpsed skeletons? That little intricate detail is what makes your props so unique. If you want to keep it a secret I understand.  
The "Burnt Witch" is just awesome. I would love to visit your haunt someday. Great job!!🎃


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

> How do you make the Trachea for your corpsed skeletons?


It's wire loom/cable armor coated with latex. That corrugated plastic stuff you see around wires that are bundled together in cars and some electronics.


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## lex (Apr 24, 2005)

That is amazing!! Mind I ask how many hours was invested?


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

lex said:


> That is amazing!! Mind I ask how many hours was invested?


A lot. Spent 4-8 hours a day working on it almost every day last week and at least that much spread out over the month before.


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## dpeterson (Aug 31, 2008)

In this case, the Devil's in the details...


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## alm99 (Mar 11, 2016)

So creepy and AWESOME!


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## JT5298 (Aug 4, 2016)

Oak Lane Cemetery said:


> It's wire loom/cable armor coated with latex. That corrugated plastic stuff you see around wires that are bundled together in cars and some electronics.


Thanks!


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## Roselanecemetery (Sep 29, 2016)

awesome job.... i have never seen black great stuff.. will definitely have to look for that..


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Great Stuff "black" is made for ponds GREAT STUFF 12 oz. Pond and Stone Insulating Foam Sealant-283064 - The Home Depot


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

I searched high and low fot it locally and nobody close by carries it. Not even Home Depot or Lowe's. I wound up ordering a case of 12 online for around $80. Winds up being around $7 a can from where I ordered. It was not the pond stuff. It's called great stuff multipurpose and comes in a grey and black can.


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## Roselanecemetery (Sep 29, 2016)

found some at ace hardware by my house.. 8.99 a can


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Roselanecemetery said:


> found some at ace hardware by my house.. 8.99 a can


I saw it advertised as in stock at one near me, but they didn't actually have it.

I got the case I bought from here - Black Great Stuff


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

stick said:


> Great Stuff "black" is made for ponds GREAT STUFF 12 oz. Pond and Stone Insulating Foam Sealant-283064 - The Home Depot


Ha! Just checked the one near me and this is what it says under the description... 

This item is unavailable at Colonial Heights
Check Nearby Stores
Delivery is unavailable for this item.

So... not in the store and not available for delivery? So in other words you don't really sell it, you just have a picture of it with a price on your website lol. Not available at any Home Depot within 100 miles to boot!


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Oak lane I agree with you if it is not within 100 miles or unavailable it is not for sell.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Whoops! Missed a couple of updates on this project! I've finished it now lol


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Very cool and very professional looking!


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## Michael__Myers (Sep 8, 2019)

That's some gnarly work right there! Damn good job 

I laughed at the "burned at the stake" video title cuz it made me think of Ghostbusters 2 when the judge was sentencing the Ghostbusters and he said "buuuuurned at the stake!!!" and the Scoleri brothers appeared


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

I hope I am able to see it in your display this year. The time you spent making this shows in all the detail that you put into it. Great Work.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

You will have to go to Red Vein Haunted House to see it. They are coming to get it some time this week.


stick said:


> I hope I am able to see it in your display this year. The time you spent making this shows in all the detail that you put into it. Great Work.


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Sounds great, I was hoping if you sold it they would buy it. Looking forward to seeing it in the Red Vein Haunt this year.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

This is a really fantastic project and I love it. 
Could do with it in my back garden at the moment after the next door neighbour told their window cleaner to climb over the fence to get at the side window of their conservatory to clean it properly. If I have this in the back garden with a sign saying "No Trespassing!" it should do the job nicely. It's so realistic though I might be getting a visit from the rozzers as well.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

I've finished all three tutorials for this project now and have them up on YouTube if anyone is interested.


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## TerriG (Sep 1, 2019)

Oak Lane Cemetery said:


> Whoops! Missed a couple of updates on this project! I've finished it now lol


Fantastic!


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## djjerme (Oct 17, 2019)

I’ll be honest, I’m copying this! It’s fantastic and really looks amazing. I just hope my build comes out at least close to as good looking.

Though I did make a couple tweaks based on your videos. I’m actually prepping the post first, and doing the black great stuff prior to mounting the victim (as you suggest in the video)










Also, I may have to change the angle of the pelvis slightly, if I try to run the supply tube up through the pelvis and where the rear of the spine used to be, it’s way to tilted forward. Maybe my 45 degree PVC fitting is tilted a bit too much down? Or maybe yours was tilted up a bit more..

Either way, going to experiment with the positioning a bit when I mount the body.










I may also need to be a little careful with how I present it. Wife is warning me to make sure it’s not “triggering” some of Uber-sensitive types in our neighborhood.. [emoji19]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Shadow Panther (Apr 4, 2013)

You make so many awesome props and I LOVE this one!


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## dpeterson (Aug 31, 2008)

"No witches were harmed in the making of this prop."


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## MyKH3LL (Oct 27, 2015)

Looks incredible, as does everything you do. Absolutely unique, which is even more impressive!

In regards to the latex, do you use thick or thin? I wanted to buy some to experiment with this year but there's both options and I'm not sure what is most appropriate for this sort of use.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

MyKH3LL said:


> In regards to the latex, do you use thick or thin? I wanted to buy some to experiment with this year but there's both options and I'm not sure what is most appropriate for this sort of use.


I used Black Lagoon mask latex. It's thick, but not as much as the mold maker latex from Michael's


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## OctoberDream (Aug 7, 2011)

This prop is just beautiful!!! I love it.


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## GhostwoodManor (Nov 1, 2017)

Was that foam clay you were using in the very beginning? To lay down a foundation of musculature under the latex?


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

GhostwoodManor said:


> Was that foam clay you were using in the very beginning? To lay down a foundation of musculature under the latex?


No. It was black Great Stuff foam.


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## djjerme (Oct 17, 2019)

Well, after watching your build video many times, my own version is coming together. It’s definitely a same but different look. 

But I did pick up a few hints and tricks along the way to help with future builds (I’ve never used liquid latex in this way before) and review some old techniques I used back in the model railroading days (dry brushing)


















Now I just need to hit the beach for some driftwood and finish up the base!

The direct sunlight unfortunately makes the red really stick out. It’s more subtle in evening lighting. Need to knock down the sheen with a final matte coat.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Djjerme - Looks awesome! The red on mine really stood out too until I did the stain wash. I was torn between liking how the red looked in low light and wanting to knock it down a little for viewing in sunlight. (since the haunt that bought it will be displaying it outdoors.) In the end I opted for using the stain to subdue it. It was still visible in the deep pits and holes, but not so much on the surface.


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## Cortney from the coven (Aug 27, 2010)

This is so terrifying and incredible!


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## EveningKiss (Sep 18, 2012)

looks great. Wish i could see it IRL


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## weaz (Jan 9, 2011)

Does the latex hold up well outdoors? Would be up for about a month with my display


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Should hold up reasonably fine, just like any other latex and foam prop. Keep it out of the sun as much as you can. Rain shouldn't bother it too much either as long as the holes in the torso are made so a couple are right on the bottom of the cavity so any water (or condensed fog juice) that accumulates has a way to get out. My props stay out in the elements for about 30 days each year and I normally don't see any signs of damage (other than a bit of sun fading) for 2 or 3 years. I coated my burnt body with some Spar Varnish, which holds up really well to the elements. The foam on the post and base I painted with exterior latex house paint to add some protection as well. Store latex and foam props somewhere cool, somewhat dry and dark in the off season to get the most lifespan from them. When I say somewhat dry I mean you don't want it super dry, like an attic gets or it will start to dry out, harden and crack the latex. Mine stay in a well shaded, unheated and uncooled storage shed in the off season.


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## weaz (Jan 9, 2011)

Thanks for the info!


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## weaz (Jan 9, 2011)

P one more question if you don't mind. Do you feel it was necessary to use the black great stuff? Seems like it was all covered anyways


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

Wow what a great job.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

weaz said:


> P one more question if you don't mind. Do you feel it was necessary to use the black great stuff? Seems like it was all covered anyways


Sorry bout the late reply. I don't get on here as much as I used too. I used the black to add bulk and build up a base shape. I don't think there was any of it, save a few small areas on the extremities that was not covered by latex. The black has the main advantage of being black. That means I don't have to worry so much about getting deep down into crevices with the base paint to cover any yellow foam.


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## Keyser Soze (Feb 24, 2021)

Fabulous! I'm stealing it for next year (already hit my project time limit for this year)


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