[Vlad]

Taking it all down. I stayed up late on Halloween and took down everything expensive, and in danger of being stolen. I've been gradually dismantling it every chance I get. I'll be out there in a few minutes to start the final breakdown, then comes the packing and sorting. Where I'm going to put it all I have no idea, lol. I know that all of the castle walls will be stored outside under tarps (keep away Trish), but this year, I really need to refine my storage. Time to invest in those big plastic tubs I think. What is everyone using as storage containers.
Just a reminder to all to be careful how you store your more precious latex items (no comments from you Trish, lol). Keep them all in room temp areas away from high heat or extreme cold. Powder them so they don't stick together, but only with baby powder, not talc powder which contains minerals. Stuff those masks and monster hands so that they retain their shape. Any masks you wore this year will need to be thouroughly washed out with a mild water and soap solution. The oils from your skin will degrade the latex if put into storage uncleaned. The same goes for any latex that was exposed to foggers.
Putting away your foggers? Don't store them dry. Leave some juice in them, it helps to keep the rubber in the pumps from shrinking. They also need to be stored at room temps for the same reason.
Label your storage containers with what's inside. If you're like us, you have way too much stuff to unpack everything every year. It'll keep you from searching for that detail item at the last moment next year.
Electrical equipment are another group that needs to be be treated with care. Hight heat in the attic will make the wiring brittle over time. Also avoid placing electrical gear where there's high humidity, or constant changes in temp. that can cause condensation.
Anyone else have any tips? I'm sure I left out a ton of reminders, help me out here, lol.

 

[Zombie-F]

I generally stored everything in the basement, but with the flooding situation down there recently, I'm putting it all in the attic this year. The exceptions to this are the fencing, columns, signposts, BBQ and Monster in the Box, which all are stored out in my delapidated barn.

For the attic stuff, I store it all in plastic tubs/bins that have covers, unless the item is too big to fit in one. In that case, I'll use good old trash bags -- usually two, one from one end of the prop and the other from the other end -- to store them.

We got the attic under control last night (looked like a bomb went off up there) and we're in the midst of packing it all away today and tomorrow. I really hate this part.

 

[Dr Morbius]

That's why I make all my props easily unassemblable( is that a word?).

I just took apart my crystalball illusion monster, and the wighead/fan-mounted corpse, and as far as the hangman goes, well, he'll just have to "hang around" untill next year! ( groan..)

Some stuff can go into the big rubbermaid tub I used for the fog chiller.

The heads of my monsters are stored on styrofoam wigheads, and keep me company throughout the year on my work bench.

The FCG frame goes into the attic, and big round red tubs with the ropes on them are used for electrical stuff, and miscelleneous items. I am still stowing things away, but taking your time with it will ensure good working props for next year.

 

[Dr Morbius]

Oh yea, I almost forgot...

My neighbor's cemetery fence looked real good all covered with REAL spiderwebs and dust, dirt and leaves. He says, he just leaves the sections in his backyard exposed all year..Nature is his decorator!

I will do the same. The authentic look can't be duplicated.

 

[trishaanne]

I'm not quite sure when this thread became subtitled the "Let's pick on Trish" thread, but you asked for it my dear friend!!! Be afraid....be very afraid! That next rafting trip may end up being a scene from Deliverance LOL. Anyway, I use the large plastic storage tubs and this year have actually tried to put things away in an organized fashion. Our "good" latex masks get stored in the house where I don't have to worry about temperatures affecting them. And no, I'm not going to show you where! We lost a few one year due to heat so now i have tissue paper inside of them and they are each wrapped in tissue paper to prevent them from laying on top of one another-no comments Vladamir!!! I've run out of room to store things though-maybe I should quit adding more to the mix by avoiding the after sales. I've gone through and thrown some of the stuff away that I'll never use, freecycled some stuff but the rest is taking over the entire house. It looks like the stuff that I don't have to worry about over heating will go up into the attic to make room in the shed.

 

[Vlad]

Dr. M... I also stored my fence sections outside, and they became covered in spider webs and fallen leaves etc. When I took them out this year to touch up the paint, I said to myself....Whoa! ....they look great as is, lol. So I put them out that way.


I'm kind of dismayed over the prices of the plastic totes. $5 for a smallish crappy one with an ill fitting cover, and $15 for a large crappy one with an ill fitting cover. Can anyone recommend a particular brand where the plastic won't go brittle, and the lids actually fit well?

Um, Trish dear, It was "always" the let's pick on Trish thread. I did start the thread after all.