# My Cauldron Creep in Progress 1



## Neverhart (May 28, 2012)

Realizing our haunt was lacking much in the way of characters (it was mostly graveyard ambience) I set to creating some PVC frames to build them on. Not wanting them to simply be static, I was inspired by the Cauldron Creep originated by Devil's Chariot, Scary Terry, et al.

One of the great things about PVC is how quickly it goes together and how easy it is to work with. In 30 minutes or so I had the pieces cut out and assembled. The only hard part is figuring out all the details (the arm angles, the back angle and how much "stooping" looks natural, etc.) while the whole thing is rather flimsy. I eventually got him in a position I liked and used PVC cement to solidify ONLY the joints that needed to stay in place (hips and pelvis, right shoulder and arm...) I like my props to tear down into tiny tiny pieces. (-:

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I did spend a lot of time working with the PVC lengths, angles, stirring mechanics, and all that to get motion I was happy with. Don't be afraid to experiment before you commit to cutting or glueing! I moved the stationary arm higher than I thought I could before it worked and looked natural. I had to buy the cauldron (Party City, $18) before I was sure the stirring mechanics were going to work.

This whole time, the prospect of converting an old 200W computer power supply into the prop's power supply was both exciting and daunting, but it didn't turn out to be very difficult, and now I have a power supply for other experiments! Getting the power resistor in place, as per the instructions, was definitely the hardest part - you're working in an enclosed area with small, toxic, and uncooperative stuff, but it eventually gets done - I'd probably use latex gloves when doing it again - the thermal compound is really messy.

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My stirring/wiper motor is from MonsterGuts - very happy with it. I eventually mounted it with the deck post base from Lowe's (Simpson BC40, ~$2 or $3) and a couple L-brackets. At first it didn't work when I wired it up to my power supply and turned it on, but the connections between ground and low-speed are so close together I was shorting the circuit. I bought some crimp-on connectors from Sears Hardware for a couple bucks, and they seem to work very well. The speed was best running 5V through the low-speed hookup. 

The motor for the head nod was extremely problematic - I guess enough of these things have been built to run down the inventory! Although all the tutorials list Allelectronics as THE place to get the 5RPM motor, they seem to have run out. I bought one from American Science and Surplus, which ran at the right speed, but is EXTREMELY NOISY. (I'm sure I can find a use for it somewhere!-) The solution was a replacement motor for one of those deer lawn ornaments. Kind of expensive, but it's designed to run outside in the cold and wet so I'm hoping it will be worth it. Another downside it how to mount it - it's completely enclosed with no mounting holes. 

I eventually drilled holes in the enclosure (I had taken the motor itself out first) and mounted it under the backbone... not the easiest thing to do but it turned out pretty solid, and since it really doesn't have to push much around I think it'll be okay. 

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Another challenge with this motor was the linkage from the axle to the arm... there's probably a better way, but after trying a few things, I wound up making a custom U-bolt by bending a short length of 4-40 threaded rod (mostly because it fit through the hole in the axle.) I'm hoping it holds up, but if not, I've got plenty more threaded rod. (-:

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I wish I knew enough mechanics to say exactly what the length of the arms driving the nodding motion does to the overall motion, but I just kinda fiddled around with pivot lengths and locations until I got the movement I wanted (not looking at the sky, not looking at his feet, etc.)

The combination of the stirring and nodding actions is pretty darn cool! I'm happy with the speed of this setup... some versions I've seen run pretty slow which IMO doesn't look very lifelike. I guess my goal is to make people wonder if there is an actor underneath the prop.






Still left to do: finding a real stick to replace the PVC one, painting the frame black, making the glowing coal effect under the cauldron, rigging the fog machine to run into the cauldron, purple lights IN the cauldron that stay away from the stirring mechanism, dressing the frame, glowing eyes, and hiding the exposed PVC with bones!


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## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

Very nicely done! Looking good so far.


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## beautifulnightmare (Oct 31, 2010)

very cool! and thanks for video! I always wondered how moving props worked. I think it will be creepy like the witch looks up from stirring her caldron to cast her spell on you!


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## Neverhart (May 28, 2012)

Thank you guys! It's really cool to know others are following along. 

Beautifulnightmare: yeah, the head motion really makes you feel that The Creep is staring into your soul... or at the very least that he knows you're there!


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