Stirring Cauldron How-to
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| There's a lot of different versions of this prop. And this is actually my 2nd version myself.
The other one was used for Michele's Witch in her yard display, and mine last year. For 2007
I decided to upgrade to using a wiper motor to make it a little more sturdy. We used this prop as a "make and take"
at the May 2007 Rocky Mountain Haunters Gathering as well. The biggest variable with this prop is what sized caudlron
you're making. So a lot of the measurements you'll have to figure out based on your cauldron. But here's what I did
for my cauldron. Oh, by the way, my cauldron I got from a party store, for around $15. At its narrowest point in the opening
it's about 16". At it's wides, probably around 23". Note: A lot of my how-to's I just throw up on this page without a lot of time spent in refining them. If something needs to be clarified or if you have other feed back, let me know and I'll try to improve on it so it makes sense. jeff.a.baird(AT)gmail.com. |
Here's the initial parts list, and cost estimate:
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| I don't have pictures as I was putting it together. But Here's a close up of the finished Mechanism, and I'll try to outline what steps I took. |
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Step 1: Wiring Wiper Motor A. Strip ends of wall wart wires B. Place crimp-on connectors on ends of wire. C. Wrap Electrical tape around connectors, so they don't touch D. Place on right most two terminals on wiper motor and test (For more information on wiring your motor, see Scary Terry's Site. Step 2: Replacing Crank Arm A. You can use a wrench to remove the original crank arm that comes with the wiper motor. B. Take your length of aluminum, and cut it to size. You can use a hack saw to saw it, since the metal is so soft. This is going to server as your crank arm on the motor. Your crank arm roughly should be a little shorter than half the diameter of the narrowest part of the cauldron mouth. Since my cauldron was 16" at its narrowest, my aluminum crank arm was about 8". C. Drill holes in both ends of the aluminum crank arm. I used the hole that was left in the old crank arm to estimate what size drill bit to use. D. Screw the new arm onto the wiper motor. Step 3: Mounting wood and Motor A. Measure and cut the wood to fit in the cauldron. I placed mine elevated a bit, so I could put things in the cauldron, such as a light, without it interferring with the stirring mechanism. If that's not an issue, you can simply screw a piece of wood to the bottom of the cauldron. Find the best place for it, and use some screws to mount it in the cauldron. B. Mount motor to wood - It might take some moving around to find the best place for the motor. The crank shaft is not centered, so you're motor will likely need to be off center a bit. To mount it you'll use the U shaped mount around the body of the motor (Found one in the lumber section of home depot), and then throw a couple screws through the provided holes, into your wood. My motor still had some movement after securing it to the wood, so I used some hot glue to try to make it stay put. C. Test Motor and clearance on crank arm - Turn the motor on, and see how things work. Step 4: Attach Stirring stick A. Attach PVC end cap by drilling a hole in the end cap, and attach the end cap to the end of your crank arm using the machine screw, lock washer and nut. B. Place the 6" length of PVC in end cap; cut to size so it won't be sticking up to high to be seen by people. C. Spray paint PVC and mechanism if you want. D. Place 5 foot 1/2" PVC into 6" long 1" PVC E. Test Mechanism and Voila! Then you can just add your own touch to it (great stuff along the edges, etc). |
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| Here's the finished product. More pics to come... |
