monster cage help!

[Floor8Horror]

I need some help. This year in my haunt i am going to build a cage and the bars are going to be PVC. I am going to have a clown with a chainsaw "cut" through the bars and then run at the guests. i need the bars to be pre cut and easy to set back up so really all the actor has to do is touch the bars and they fall apart into two peices. my haunt is outside and low budget but any ideas will help.

[bodybagging]

pool thingys come to mind.

[Jim Warfield]

You might have to stiffen up some of the pvc bars to alow them to hit the target again and reset. You can do this by buying real long threaded rods and inserting them, putting washers and nuts on the ends, screwing them down tight. You could fill one end of the pvc with Bondo or fiberglass below the cut to hide the nut and washer, drill it out and insert the threaded rod.
This same method could be used on the downward side to fasten the assembly to some hinges.
Tie all the moving bars together with more pvc with threaded rods inside , cut stubs of pvc with mitered angles , like a "V" to fit up next to the longer pvc bars, pull it all together and make it substantial, fewer problems then await you,.
I built a barred door for my wine cellar using steel 1/2 inch conduit with threaded rods inside. I put rubber ends on the steel tube ends so as not to scrape across the top of a customer's foot.
Stripping the galvenising from the steel conduit can be chemically accomplished with Muratic acid so they will hold paint. Muratic acid eats skin, clothing, melts nylon jackets and destroys nasil passages, so use it outside rinse thoroughly with water.

[Seenickdesign]

Perhaps you could cut the PVC where you want the saw to "cut",
then fill the ends with Bondo to make the 2 pieces solid where they connect,
then maybe add some velcro to hold the pieces together until the "cut" happens.
I would think that the sound of the saw would drown out the sound of the velcro pulling apart.

or

Cut the PVC as mentioned above but instead of sealing the ends at the cut with bondo, epoxy a large magnet magnet into the ends...The only problem would be that if the saw came through the bar too slowly, the PVC/magnet assembly could stick to the saw blade.
It would certainly be funny, but not scary.

Just make sure that if you're planning on sending pieces of PVC pipe to the floor, that patrons are far enough away as to not trip or slip on them.

Best of luck!
Nick

[Greg Chrise]

A few bars where the saw cuts through are metal conduit, once installed have a slit installed but this part never moves. The saw goes in and out of he slit that also never goes away or has a little felt to cover half of the slit at the most.

Then to get through and come at the cutomers, a number of bars are hung like a shower curtain and with a blow bounce out of the way out of the way.

If you can put some welder's fint on a little motor on the chainaw blade to give sparks and the impression it is grinding through metal bars, you have the total effect.

People will look, be bored with the effect in 3 to 4 seconds, turn to ignore it and that's when you bust a move.

[Jim Warfield]

Or walk people into a dark room, the lights go on and they are in the cage with the gorrilla! On the wrong side of the bars! (of course)
As simple-minded as this sounds it worked real well for us .

[jimmyfish]

hinge?

you might put a hinge on the bottom pvc pipe and I think the velcro idea is great. that will hold it until you cut through it and the bottom part just tips down and then after you are done, you can raise it back up and hook the velcro. Cool idea!

[N2SPOOKINU]

A few years ago we used bicycle innertubes and streched them to make them look like bars. We used a strobe light on the effect and it looked like he was bending the bars and coming after them. It might look pretty cool coming out with a chainsaw to.