Pond-jumper

[SSP]

I worked at a haunted barn/hayride a couple years back, and the farmer had some great ideas.... but no actual motivation. He came up with a bunch of brilliant plans; one of them I just remembered and it makes me curious.

His idea was to build a popup in the middle of this very small pond, don't remember how deep it was but it was about 30 feet wide. The prop was going to be very large, sit submerged underwater and rise up as the wagon passed by. His idea was to have it be pneumatic, bbuuttt I was a little skeptical of that.

I've seen small popups to come out of barrels filled with water, but has anyone seen or constructed any large props that sit submerged like this?

[Joedog]

I hear the grinding of gears.
If the idea has not been designed already it will by the end of the day.

[Jim Warfield]

Send compresed air (through a hose under the water, the hose will have to be weighted down) inflate some air bags under the creature, it will rise.
unless the pond is very shallow, predictable with a solid bottom to push off from, forget "Newy and the Matics"
Anything will have to anchored to prevent it from moving too close to shore or disappearing downstream in a rainstorm.
I planned upon building a seamonster in the creek behind my house if my stone age theme park ever happened. The creature rising from the dark waters would have been the last event of the day as the virgin sacrifice was floated out to appease and corn the creature.
All their shiney-rock money would be desperately thrown into the water, eliminating exchanging it back to real dollars in attempt to save the virgin(for themselves probably)
Yes, "A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste", but at least ideas can be inspiring and entertaining even if they never happen in this physical world.

[kpolley]

Without a solid platform fo some kind on the bottom it would be very difficult. Using pneumatics in water, however, is not NECESSARILY a bad idea if you take the proper precatutions. No steel parts would be a good place to start and you will have to make routine repairs. I would use cylinders that are rebuildable (can be taken apart) because the seals, for instance, will give out after a while in the water. When the monster doesn't want to move very well and every time he fires the water starts bubbling it is time for some new seals. Cool idea though.

[RJ Productions]

Rocky Point had an animation that popped out of a shallow pond in the Lord of the Rings area. They ran that for a couple years.

You may have to take a few steps to protect the rams, coat or use a not rusting material for the armatures....ect.

[wipp]

i guess this is just my old days of home haunting coming out but i hear a 12 inch rainbird irrigation popup head works just like an air ram/i dont know how much you would be lifting but its already made for water

[Jim Warfield]

Get a pump from a sewer cleaning machine and put 3,500psi through it, it will lift anything, or die trying?
Turn on the video camera first.

[RJ Productions]

Anytime you try and use plastic water use material for higher pressure air uses you are courting danger. Any stress crack, impact or other misuse and you adding air pressure creates an EXPLOSIVE situation! Can you say plastic shrapnel?

Since these products are not intended for such use any mishap falls directly on you for the misuse.

Using actual air valve and air cylinders adds tremendous safety value, length of service and reliability. I would NEVER use or especially buy a product that uses sprinkler parts.

I always look for ways to modify things for haunt use, but when it comes to safety concerns...use the real thing! The cost difference far outweighs the safety factor!!

[Greg Chrise]

Instead of pressure, use a volume of what is already there, water. Put a submersible pump under the water and bring the cord out to what ever switch will be the on and off. Build one of those PVC rams out of say 2 inch pipe, all plastic and hook it up to the 2 inch line from the submersible. On equals quick movement off means gravity fall back into the water.

The creature might have a relief of even this low under 20 psi stream and puke water at the patrons once up with a simple open hole. The size pump is pretty much a budget thing and gallons per minute calculation. No high pressure, no long runs and anchoring of air lines. It only needs a big rock and a submersible pump. The big rock could be a poured concrete hunk that has the mounting for the structure of the body or the hinge it rises on or what ever.

[Joedog]

see, the gears are a grinding