- 14 inch or 16 inch Acrylic globe (order online)- stretchy velvet fabric (the more it stretches the better-fabric store 1.5-3 yards plenty)
- steel screen mesh (for the mouth-acquired at any local hardware store)
-white fabric mesh
- cardboard/styrofoam (for the ears)
- white push lights (for the eyes- hardware store)
- skateboard helmet (one with the foam inline)
- 4 long threaded bolts without the head/nuts/washers (for mounting the ears in place- 4inches hardware store)
-3M adhesive spray/super glue
-clear packaging tape
Optional:
-LEDs/wire/switch
-el equalizer (you can buy a shirt with one and take it off)
-5m el wire/driver (find it on ebay)
Tools:
-hot glue gun
-dremel (to cut the globe with)
-fabric measuring tape
-sewing machine (for the ear covers)
-sewing needle /thread
-scissors
The Basics (not a full tutorial but basic hints and general guidelines)
note: Not completed yet. I will update it with more pictures and information periodically.
Measuring and Marking: make sure you do this good as it will determine the final look
First you got to measure and mark the acrylic globe. Mark the horizontal equator and the vertical prime meridian of the globe. There should be a faint line around the globe already, that will be your prime meridian. To get the equator line, remember to account for the piece of globe missing at the opening. So when measuring you want to start at the top of the globe at the prime meridian line and end at the middle of the opening of the globe. Take that measurement and divide it in half. (you can use this site if you know the radius to find the circumference, which you will divide in half). Then mark that measurement on the globe, that will be your equator. Next you need to divide the globe with another vertical line so that your globe will be split into four quadrants. Now that you have four quadrants you should be able to visualize where you want your eyes and mouth. Use your push lights, take them apart and use them to mark your eyes. After you mark everything go ahead and use a dremel to cut it out. Once you have the mouth cut out, glue pieces of styrofoam for the lining of the mouth, like so. The last part you may need to cut is the opening of the globe, so your head can fit through. You should leave the front part of the globe opening and open up towards the back of the head, so that when the globe is put on your head your neck is visible from the back but not the front. Cut the opening about two inches larger then the diameter of your head.
The Ears:Probably the easiest part. I got two pieces of cardboard cut them to size (To get the right size and shape I made a template on illustrator and then printed it out on multiple sheets of paper, which I taped together). Then I cut my styrofoam the same size and shape and glued the cardboard to either sides using the spray adhesive. To cover the ears with fabric, I used a sewing machine and sewed two pieces of the stretchy velvet together (cut to the shape of the ears, a inch larger then your template) along the edges and made a pillowcase sort of thing that when flipped around slipped nicely onto the ears. Lastly, I used some hot glue and inserted two long bolts per at the bottom of the ears into the styrofoam (make sure you have long bolts so the ears are stable). Align the bolts to where you want the ears to be on your globe, mark and drill the holes.
The Eyes:
The led eyes I actually found inside a toy I took apart. (look around for somethings that you could use). RadioShack always has leds available and powering them and installing a switch is not to difficult. Take the white push lights top and there should be a small ridge that you can apply glue on, glue it on the inside of the head. I then put the leds connected to a switch behind the eyes. (if you can, try to find small plastic globes that you can use for the eyes, which will probably yield a more authentic look).
Mouth/Helmet:
The last things you need to do is attach the screen mesh cut to the shape of the mouth. Use some white fabric mesh to cover the screen with. Use some pins and tape, to hold it to place on the inside to the styrofoam. Now get your helmet take out the foam lining and either use velcro/glue or screws to attach it to the top of the inside of the head.
El Wire Outline:
For the el wire outline I ordered 5m of white el wire that came with a inverter and a power supply(5m is enough to outline the entire head including the mouth, if you didn't want to outline the mouth 5m is probably not needed). The inverter itself is what converts the current. El wire doesn't need that much energy to power up and only requires 9-12volts. So what I did was simply cut the power supply plug end off and connected a 9 volt battery which worked perfectly (if you don't wanna deal with cutting wires there is some battery powered inverters on ebay as well that you can purchase). Go ahead and use small drops of super glue to glue it around the head. Start from one side and glue to the very front ridge of the ears. If you want, once you reach the other side of the head loop it inside the head and out the mouth where you can glue it alone the ridge of the mouth and then back inside the head where you can connect to the power supply.Equalizer:
For the el equalizer, that you either tore of a shirt or found online alone, to attach it to the mesh your going to have to use a small needle and thread to sew it down to place. Use some black or white thread to sew the equalizer along the edges to the screen mesh. Tape the wire and the power supply/inverter on the side of the head.
