How to make a Gort costume

Step 10 Making the death ray on/off switch

We're almost done. We need to come up with a way to turn the light on and off. I contemplated pulling wire down the neck, through the arm to my hand and switching from there. This would make taking the helmet on/off very tricky. I needed a way to switch on/off from inside the helmet in a hands-free manner.

With a poor flash of inspiration, I decided to see if I could just complete the circuit with my tongue. This was a singularly BAD idea. If you haven't tried licking a 9 volt battery, then don't. It's nasty!

Still tongue-actuation seemed like a good approach. It just needed more work. I needed a way to close a switch with my tongue. The switch had to be easy to close and easy to keep closed. I did not want to undergo tongue calisthenics to achieve a buff tongue; a concept that boggles the mind.

I settled on a piece of plastic cut from a gallon milk carton. It is easy to push closed and resumes it's original position when released. Fasten foil around the fixed side with clear tape but leave the switch contact area clear of tape. Then sew it to the helmet padding at the chin to anchor it.

Fasten the black lead from the battery to the fixed side of the switch. Taping it on works fine but again don't cover the foil area needed to close the switch. Fasten the red lead to one end of the light bar wires. I just taped the leads together rather than soldering.

Cover the movable side of the switch with foil and put a thumbtack through it to reduce travel distance to close the switch and to provide a good contact. Cover the tack head in clear tape. This secures it and keep your tongue from contacting the aluminum foil.

Lastly fasten the other lead from the light bar to the movable side of the switch with tape. Anywhere along the foil covered length is fine. Push the switch shut and the death ray should light up. If not, check your wiring. See circuit diagram picture to help you visualize it.