Here are a couple of new “inventions” – a Dream Reader, and a wizard staff, both made with found objects.
Made with a plastic box, some voltmeters, a slide viewer, antique headphones and various other bits.
Wizard staff lit up. It’s quite heavy. The wiring needs to be finished so a ring on your finger lights up the staff when you touch the metal triggers.
Staff in progress. Lots of found objects and sewing machine parts.
Here’s something I worked on, on and off, over the past month when I had free time. I intend to do a little video shoot with it at some point. I’ve had the Russian MIG helmet for 6 years, and always intended to build a retro-looking suit to match it. The collar needs to be adjusted, because it rides too high over the shoulder straps, but otherwise, it’s quite comfortable, even with the heavy backpack.
Old vacuum cleaner, cocktail shakers, water bottles and a military backpack harness.
Workman gloves and plumbing parts, with a BBQ thermometer and video remote buttons.
The collar is made from a plastic bucket, and the rim for the helmet is from a drum practice pad, exactly the right size for the helmet.
Here I am at the office with the full suit on. As you can see, the helmet is riding a bit too high, but that’s an easy fix. Can’t wear the helmet sealed for too long before it fogs up, so I’m going to put a little fan in it.
One of the many fun aspects of Batman is the arsenal of gadgets and props. I got the chance to work on a few fun things.
Here are some concepts for Deathstroke’s swords. Finding the right balance of elegance, function and high-tech was the challenge.
It’s been awhile since I built a ray gun. I have a few “in progress” and by that I mean boxes of junk collecting dust in the garage. This one was relatively easy, since the basic body comes from a firehose nozzle. The front part is from a vacuum cleaner that burned out after only 2 months. The knobs come from a reel-to-reel tape recorder and the front firing outlet is from a plastic pepper grinder. For more ray guns, visit my site and look under Personal Work.
I wouldn’t call myself a Star Wars fan, although I love the original three films. I also love the design of the Star wars universe, and enjoy the creative use of found objects that snuck into the prop designs in 1977. Those old photographer’s flash handles were perfect for Darth Vader’s lightsaber. Here a couple that I built using vintage flash handles as well.
Here’s a small steampunk time machine I built out from stuff lying around. The cool folding wooden box is an antique sewing machine kit. It needs a few modifications, and I’m looking to add some brass trim to the outside of the box. As with all scratch built objects, it’s a matter discovering the right pieces. I prefer to use genuine antique parts if I can.
Meinert Hansen 