Mad Scientist Jars

Every mad scientist requires cases to display his or her revolting experiments.  I needed something for my beating heart, living brain, eyeballs, and other assorted oddities to reside in.  It had to be something that screamed "unnatural" and "uncanny".  Naturally, I turned to mass produced junk food.

Step by step, I turned plastic junk food containers, hot glue, and paint into metal and glass containers that have witnessed (and contain) demented abominations!  OK, not much of a stretch there, but the metal and glass illusion worked out pretty well, I think,

Step 1 Gather Your Materials

Really, step 1 is the vision.  It helps to know what you plan to put in the things, and how you intend to display them.  I intended one to hold a beating heart, one to hold a brain floating in liquid, one to hold eyeballs (also floating) and one for some as-yet-unnamed atrocity (also floating in liquid).  I wanted them to be lit through the bottom, with various side and ambient lights outside.

I used:
2 plastic containers
Masking tape
Newspaper
Sandpaper
Black Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastic
Cheap black spray paint
Silver spray paint
Copper spray paint
Turquoise, brown, red, copper, silver, and black acrylic paints.
Various brushes, paper towels, etc.
Hot glue gun and hot glue
Random bolts and nuts
Sand (for casting)
Clay (for casting)

I found that I knew some people who bought big containers of cookies and pretzels and such at Sam's Club or CostCo or other warehouse stores.  I let them know what I was looking for, and after a Super Bowl party or two, Presto!  I had some large plastic containers to mod.

For the paint, I recommend Fusion for plastic for at least the first coat.  As advertised, it bonds to the plastic better than regular paint.  Afterwards, I use the cheaper stuff on top.

The rest of the stuff can be purchased at any hobby or craft store, or the ubiquitous Wal-Mart.  The sand I used was dug up out of my back yard, but it was not ideal.  For sandcasting, the fine, clean floral sand found at the aforementioned stores (and dollar stores too) is much nicer.  The clay was plasticine clay I got from my son.

Comments

[justjimAZ]

Thanks eross-1. I approve of the Dalek comparison.

[eross-1]

I don't know why but this reminds me of a Dalek! looks totally freaky w. the red lighting too, Awesome!