Making props
 

I have a specific question but I left the subject header intentionally general so that others could add to this if they had specific props they needed to build.

"GUNBRELLA".
I need to make an umbrella that has a gun barrel protruding from the tip. It's one of those long umbrellas that has a point. My thought is to glue an iron tube over the tip long enough that it won't reveal the tip. Or hack off the tip too so that it won't show inside the barrel. Am I on the right track?

What glue do I use? It has to bear up to a day of abuse of tapping and swinging around.

I'd glue the extra length of tube over the end. Use JB Weld, it'll hold anything together. Found at Canadian Tire.

Another thing to do is to make not one but several identical umbrellas. That way, IF one breaks when you are shooting, you don't have to literarely sit and wait for the glue to dry :) And a umbrella and some pipe shouldn't be to expensive. If you have to pay for the crew, its more expensive to have them wait for the prop to be fixed than it is to make a few extra props.


/HuBBa

A professional prop maker I've spoken to online recommended something called 5-minute glue. So I will search that out. Maybe that's what you're talking about Dylan. Off to Home Depot I go tonight.

I have two umbrellas but unfortunately no back up beyond that (lack of funds). And both are actually used together in one scene.

The Gunbrella isn't opened except in one scene and we may film that farther back so it is not apparent that it is the gunbrella.

Keith, don't make Paul Sedillo and myself fight you for the right to use umbrellas as weapons in the DVDA project.

I haven't closed the door on using umbrellas as weapons. You can do whatever you want :P

I know. . .I was just funnin' ya. I wonder how many others thought of umbrellas as weapons?

Gun or no gun.. an umbrella can be a very ugly weapon. Metal spike in one end, hook in the other? Who needs a gun :)

/Henrik "Swinging the umbrella going Hiyaaaah!"

Well, (like everyone else) I originally wanted to do nothing but have a martial arts fight with umbrellas but it occured to me that despite having a roommate who did kungfu, I'd rather not have the liability of having people killed on my second short.

try plumbers epoxy....its like cement, and dries in 15 minutes..

it come in handy for practically anything.

Thanks. I have a list of different glues to look at now. And if some of them don't work out, I can sniff them.

Keith. JB Weld kicks the ass of every other adhesive out there.
Bring some glue to keep your crew high on the set as well. Things will go smoother.

Oh, I have the feeling that the cost of extra umbrellas will eclipse the amount being paid to the crew. ;)

also check out glue brand called HOT STUFF. this will bond anything especially plastics/rubber etc.

The Gunbrella
 

I ended up using a 5-minute glue on the Gunbrella barrels. The outer one glued nicely to the umbrella, but the inner barrel came loose during filming, probably because I tried to use a combination of gum and 5 minute glue.

Shoulda used JB Weld. :)
On the other hand, I should have remembered I had electrician's tape in my gear bag much ealier in the day when we first started having problems with it.