Yesterday was spent out in the Garage of Doom, working on my stirring witch project. I've decided to name my haunt "The Witch of Rose Hill," since we planted a rose garden this year and I've been feeding the daylights out of them to get them to grow and bloom. Next year, they should be show-stoppers!Dave the Dead was kind enough to send me some pics and instructions on the mechanism that turns the head on his "Bottle Lady," which is the mechanism currently giving me trouble. It's the linkage thingie. The motor I have was a replacement of the now-deceased Dayton motor, and the setup is slightly different from Scare FX's stirring witch, which is what the mechanics of my witch are based on.
I've mentioned before that I'm more of an artist than a mechanic, and that my power tool usage is limited. In fact, I have to give props to the crew of CalHaunts NorCal chapter for helping me to keep all of my fingers. I'm sure it's not only enlightened self-interest on their parts!
Needless to say, after I did a Lowe's run for parts (then Trader Joe's for eats, then back to Lowe's for a replacement toilet flapper valve on urgent request from Mr. ShellHawk), I was ensconced in the garage for the duration.
I did manage to get the motor wired up and working quite easily. That was actually the last easy thing that happened with the Witch all day. Obsessive double checking of three different sets of instructions produced much swearing and yielded little discernable result. Finally, I decided to put my first arm on my motor, and plug the thing in.
Feck! My setup was wrong. I decided to take a break and think about it. So, I went in the house and mixed myself a martini, sat down on the couch with my laptop, and started to watch an old episode of Elvira's Movie Macabre, since several people mentioned I have that vibe on Haunt Cast. I had only had a sip or two when Mr. ShellHawk needed some help in the kitchen. Are you seeing the drift of where this is going?
Yes, I stood up, tried to find a safe place on the coffee table to set down my laptop, and spilled the entire martini into it.
No, I was not drunk. If I were, at least I'd have an excuse for that epic, boneheaded move.
Fortunately, I have a carpet steam-cleaner with the small upholstery attachment. I managed to suck out a lot of liquid with that. In spite of my efforts, my keyboard is messed up and won't actually type the letters I'm pressing. So, in the middle of a build, my main reference source isn't available.
Mr. ShellHawk suggested the very lightest of misting with water of the keyboard and another application of the sucking attachment, or just sending it in for repairs. I'll try both options. It couldn't be worse than it is now.
If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to share.
Off to the Garage to open the kiln and continue my witch...
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