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Bottomless Pit revamped by JW

29K views 53 replies 22 participants last post by  BobbyA 
#1 · (Edited)
I built a bottomless pit several years ago based on some of the tutorials on MonsterList. But I never liked how incredibly heavy it was or the fact that when I picked it up the bottom would fall off. It eventually decayed and needed replaced so this is my modified version.

These are the basic steps I used to make it. I am not giving detailed instructions. This is pretty easy to figure out. Mine was based on a 24 X 24 inch piece of glass which I already had.

First I cut out four walls all the same size, each one a little over 24" wide to accommodate my glass. Then I added 1x2s to the bottom of all four, and the sides of 2 of them. I left a gap at the bottom for the glass to slide into.



Then I cut styrofoam that would fit into each panel. At this point you can assemble 3 walls. Leave the fourth off for now.
 
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#27 ·
Wow, Daphne. You are just a fountain of informative what not to do's. Good thing you thought everything through so we could all operate more safely. :)

The first time I bought mirrored film (around 2005 or 06) it came with the solution, a small utility knife and the squeegee. So I went and bought some for this project and assumed it came with. Glad I stopped to read the box. I noticed it didn't say it on the box. Darn, you pay$25 for something it should come with all that. That solution is costly. I used mine on plexiglass and it works great. Except a few years ago I got a dried stain on the glass and now the plastic doesn't want to stick there and makes a crease. It is not real noticeable during display so no worry here.
 
#31 ·
Every year it's one of the most requested props I have when I'm doing set up! You know as people walk by and ask, "you going to be putting out that pit this year, my "kids" just love it?" Don't get me wrong I like it but I'm always amazed how many people just love it and it's always one of the most popular props viewed.
 
#29 ·
Just Whisper, did you have any issues with other lights reflecting off the top piece of plexi? Other than a stand and sound effect to trigger the strobe for the guy in the bottom, mine is almost done so I took it outside last night to check it out. Due to 2 street lights and a neighbor's light they always leave on, I couldn't place it anywhere that light didn't reflect off the top or allow you to see your own reflection. Either of them wrecked the effect.

I'm curious if building a tunnel or shroud of some sort to limit light from the sides would help. I was thinking of making a cylinder (both ends open) out of chicken wire and covering it in black mylar or a black garbage bag (spray painted in flat black to kill the shine). It would slide over the top of the can. That way you would look through it as opposed to just looking in the garbage can.

My plexi is within a few inches of the top of the can. This problem never ever occurred to me. I was worried it would be too bright out there but the reflection issue never crossed my mind.. UGG.

Just when you see the light at the end of the tunnel and think you are going to make it.... You hear the whistle on the train blow.
 
#35 ·
And again this year it was a very popular prop. The kids and adults both love trying to figure it out. They guess mirrors but not sure how they work. Some kids think it is really a long tunnel. Thanks for the great comments.
 
#36 ·
I just found out this has been added to HauntProject.com...I can't think of a much greater compliment. Thank you. I hope everyone finds this very helpful and fun.
 
#38 ·
Hey Daphne, I never answered your question...sorry. And the answer is NO. It is very dark in my neighborhood, so I have no problems with lights ruining my effect. Sometimes you can see your own reflection in the top but that has never ruined the effect for anyone or diminished it's coolness with the kids. Since I let my ToTs get right up to it they touch it anyway, so they know there is glass on the top. They are still amazed at the effect. But if the outside light is overpowering the inside light your effect will be ruined. Let us know if your ideas worked in case anyone else has that problem.
 
#40 ·
Just Whisper. Not a problem at all.

I did build a form from chicken wire and black plastic to help shield the sides along with a hula hoop at the end of that with plastic draped to hide everything. It didn't help. People still thought it was cool and when the soundtrack of Vincent Price laughing came on and the strobe illuminated the mask, they loved it. Unfortunately, I still have no idea, other than putting the pit inside a tent or something how to eliminate the light pollution. The neighbor was kind enough to kill their light for a couple nights leading up to Halloween but the street lights wrecked it anyway. Still looking for a solution unfortunately.
 
#41 ·
Daphne, The tent sounds like a great idea. I had mine at the end of the hallway of my inflatable haunted house one year. It looked great and also made it so the kids HAD to walk past it so it didn't get overlooked. I hope you can find a solution to the light problem.

Debbie, I don't know what a sonotube is, but I have never seen the design you described. Sounds like it may be a pretty unique approach.
 
#42 ·
Debbie, I don't know what a sonotube is, but I have never seen the design you described. Sounds like it may be a pretty unique approach.
A sonotube is a stiff cardboard tube use to form deck and outdoor light pole footers (and other applications using concrete). Their sizes range from 6" up to 24" (or more). With some weatherproofing they could be easily adapted to a bottemless pit.
 
#43 ·
I'd never heard of a sonotube either. Apparently it is a hollow cylindrical concrete form. Think giant piece of PVC that is made of a rigid cardboard type material if I understand it correctly. I tried something along those lines (chicken wire tunnel wrapped in black plastic the diameter of the pit and stuck on the end of it so the pit would be shielded on the sides). Didn't work in my situation unfortunately.

That would be wild looking down the "throat" of something and the pit is in there.
 
#48 ·
I'm not saying that maybe my neighbor attempted to have a black, plastic bag accidentally cover one of them but couldn't get high enough to accidentally put it on. Nor that my husband wanted to accidentally have a box land on ours but again, we needed a bucket truck.
 
#46 ·
Debbie5,

I didn't use a sonotube for mine but I used PVC pipe instead, not the kind you find at lowes, but 30" inside diameter underground pipe for culverts.

Mine has a single pane of mirror on the bottom and a two way mirror on top, actual glass. The mirror sits down about 3 inches in the tube on the first ring and I topped it with stretched steel to keep hands off of it.

I had not thought about doing a throat idea. I actually made mine look like a mine shaft. 2 bulbs, one on each side light it up and I built a ladder that relects to look like it goes all the way down evenly.

I will have to see if I have a pic that is anything decent.

Sonotube could work but you would need to protect it well to ensure it doesn't get messed up to moisture. You may want to varnish it like stolloweens creations.
 
#47 ·
We used sonotubes for the structure of a monster mud tree last year. The tree has sat in our backyard ever since, under the eaves but not much shielded from the weather. The tubes appear to be holding up fine. They've got some kind of waxy coating over the cardboard. I'd seal them with something stronger before I left them in the direct weather, though.
 
#49 ·
I thought about putting a rectangular bottomless pit under my boardwalk bridge last year, so it looks like you're crossing a chasm. But I didn't think it would survive contact with the real world. In ten seconds or less, someone would try to spit down the chasm. Though if you had a sturdy enough surface for a "glass floor," the effect could be very disconcerting.
 
#52 ·
This made me think of another application since I have to do something major anyway... In the bottom of mine, I have a mask and a hand reaching towards you. A strobe lights that up when Vincent Price laughs. What if you had it where the pit was on the side or end of the hallway (or in some enclosure) but instead of just the pit, you had multiple hands reaching out and a strobe stayed on lighting them. You could have the arms rigged up with a motor where they appeared to retract/extend towards you?

And I wonder why I am always in the dog house....
 
#54 ·
Just whisper, Thanks for posting the bottomless pit.
FYI they are called 2 way mirrors because depending on which side the light is on you can see through either side. Normal (1 way) mirrors will not do this, either the mirror metal coating is too thick, and or they paint one side to protect the coating and keep light from passing through from the other direction. Trivia for the day.
 
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