deadmau5 Head Construction Guide

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gannon
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deadmau5 Head Construction Guide

Post by gannon » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:17 pm

Been awhile, eh? Got a few projects here and there, but nothing much game related in the past few years. For now here's a write up from my Halloween costume. I'll try to get more pics up later, generating thumbnails now
Image

Outline
  • 1. Parts / Tools
    2. Cut Ears
    3. Shape Ears / Add Screws
    4. Cover Ears
    5. Cut Head Hole
    6. Cut Mouth Hole
    7. Install Weather Stripping
    8. Cut Eye Holes
    9. Install Hat
    10. Cut Holes in Hat
    11. Spray Foam
    12. Cover Bottom Head
    13. Cover Top Head
    14. Cut Eyes
    15. Cover Eyes
    16. Install Eyes
    17. Join Halves
    18. Cut / Shape Mouth Piece
    19. Cover Mouth
    20. Install Mouth
    21. Attach Ears

1. Parts
  • 1 13" hamster ball
    2 yards of felt, any color
    4 15"x15"x½" foam boards
    1 roll of ¼" weather stripping
    4 6" long ¼" hex bolts
    4 ¼" wing nuts
    1 can of spray adhesive
    1 4.5" Styrofoam ball
    1 pair of white pantyhose
    1 roll of ¼" wire mesh
Tools
  • Hacksaw
    Dremel with cutoff disc
    Razor Knife
    Hotglue gun
    2 Screwdrivers
    Marker
    Ruler
    Tape Measure
    Electrical Tape
    Sandpaper

2. Cut Ears
Trace the template onto the foam.
Using the hacksaw cut out 4 identical ear pieces.


3. Shape Ears / Add Screws
Stack the ear pieces onto each other so they line up. Pierce them with 2 screwdrivers
so they do not move.
Use sandpaper to shape the ears so they are even.
Remove the screw drivers. Bevel the edges of all ears.
Cut 5" long grooves into the ears in the spots marked from the template. Glue a 6" bolt
into the grooves of 2 ear pieces. Then align and glue the other ear pieces on top so
that they sandwich the bolts.


4. Cover Ears
Spray one side of the ear with adhesive, then stretch felt over it. Cut the felt around
the ear with 2" left over.
Cut 1" straight into the edges of the felt at 1" intervals. Spray adhesive on the sides of
the ears and wrap the felt around tightly.
Cut a piece of felt out ½" smaller than the size of the ear. Spray adhesive onto the
back of the ear; adhere the felt strips that were wrapped from the front to it. Adhere
the cut piece of felt onto the back side of the ear.
Spray adhesive on the bottom and cover with the overhanging felt. Cut away any
excess.


5. Cut Head Hole
Unscrew the hamster ball so that it is in two halves.
Cut a hole big enough for your head to fit through comfortably at one end of the
hamster ball (the sides that open up).
Wrap around the hole with tape to give the structure extra support.


6. Cut Mouth Hole
Measure out a 50 degree arc where you want the mouth to be. Usually this will end 1-2"
from the head hole. Use the dremel to cut the plastic away.
Again wrap around the hole with tape to give the structure extra support.
7. Install Weather Stripping
Apply the weather stripping along the inside edges of the mouth.


8. Cut Eye Holes
Cut 4" holes for the eyes where you wish to position them. Keep them symmetrical.
Again wrap around the holes with tape to give the structure extra support.


9. Install Hat
Drill two holes in the top of the hamster ball in the handle area, and two matching
holes in the hard hat. Then bolt the hard hat to the hamster ball.
Drill 4 holes that line up to the bolts on the ears. Position them so that they form a 105
degree angle from the top of the mouth.


10. Cut Holes in Hat
Cut holes in the hard hat with the dremel so that you can access the holes you made to
attach the ears. Cut off the brim of the hard hat to make installing the eyes easier.


11. Spray Foam
Spray the foam around the hard hat to give it a support structure. This will help keep
the head stationary when you wear it. Once it cures you may have to cut excess out
from around the ear, eye, and mouth holes.


12. Cover Bottom Head
Spray adhesive onto the bottom half of the hamster ball and stretch a piece of felt over
it. Wrap the felt around the head and mouth openings like you did when making the
ears.


13. Cover Top Head
Spray the adhesive onto the top half of the hamster ball and stretch a piece of felt
over it. It may be hard to eliminate wrinkles, so if you must cut and make a seam, I
recommend doing it where the ears will be mounted. This will make them much less
visible.
Wrap the felt around the eye and mouth openings like you did when making the ears.


14. Cut Eyes
Using the hacksaw cut the Styrofoam balls in half, creating 2 hemispheres of equal size.


15. Cover Eyes
Insert each eye into a foot of the panty hose. Cut them out stretching the fabric around
the eye, and secure in the back using hot glue.


16. Install Eyes
Insert the eyes into the eye holes from inside the hamster ball. Use hot glue to fasten
them in place.


17. Join Halves
Insert glue into the screw holes and press both halves of the hamster ball together,
aligning correctly. Wait for the glue to dry.


18. Cut / Shape Mouth Piece
Cut out a piece of wire mesh that is 2 inches larger than your mouth hole. Cut it into
strips 3-4" in width, then fasten them together at the bottom. This will make bending
them into dome easier. Simply bend with your hands; you can use the hamster ball as a
guide.
Fasten the wire mesh at the top now that it is bent. Cover the edges with tape to
protect the panty hose from getting tears.


19. Cover Mouth
Cut the legs off of the panty hose. Insert the mouth piece into each leg.


20. Install Mouth
Insert the mouth piece into the hamster ball and glue in place with hot glue. Once the
glue is dry you can cut the interior fabric off of the mouth piece. This will make it
easier to see through.


21. Attach Ears
Insert the ears into their screw holes and use the 4 wing nuts to attach them. Your
deadmau5 head is now be complete.


22. Party
Image

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