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Realistic Spider (Life-Size Prop)

Realistic Spider (Life-Size Prop)
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Thanks to all of the voters who helped this instructable place in the 2010 Halloween Contest!

Need a realistic, life-size spider?

Try out this design - using little more than scraps of paracord and wire, you can create a lifelike spider in an hour or less.

Whether for an inexpensive prop, a simple prank, or a frightening seasonal decoration, this instructable will help you make a tough, virtually-indestructible spider that will be much more realistic than the crudely molded toy spiders that one can find commercially available.

Recently, I found myself in desperate need of a spider. My search was triggered by the startlingly visceral close-up magic effect created by Jim Pace ("The Web") and further developed by Andrew Melia ("Box of Fear"), which I in turn have adapted to my own impromptu street style of performance.

After frustratedly searching the internet for a life-sized spider model that would suit my application, I stumbled across a unique website, filmflies.com (founded by artist Gary Owen, whose creations are featured in many popular films and TV shows). After seeing photos of his amazing arthropod replicas, I was inspired to come up with my own simple method for creating a spider.

My goal was to create a replica spider with readily available materials and that could not be pulled apart, no matter how realistically fragile in appearance. This spider costs next to nothing to make, and can be built under almost any conditions (even in a third-world country).
 
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Step 1Tools and materials.

Tools and materials.

You will need:

  • 550 cord  ("paracord", 2 pieces, approximately 8" in length)
  • wire (see notes below)
  • super glue
  • paint marker, modeling paints, or pigment markers
  • pin
  • lighter or pencil torch
  • scissors or a knife
  • wire cutters (or fingernail clippers if using small-gauge wire)
  • an assortment of small pliers / forceps (at least two)
  • leather gloves (recommended)


Other considerations:
 
For 550 cord (type III parachute cord, or paracord), I recommend tan, OD green, or black. Each of these colors will result in subtly differing shades of dark brown or black when melted.  If you are able to keep it from burning during the melting process, white 550 cord will take minimal amounts of carbon from the flame, resulting in a slightly translucent and lighter brown color.

Select wire gauge based on the desired diameter of your spider legs and proportional to the overall spider size that you wish to construct.  By my best estimate, the wire that I used for this project is 26 gauge, or 0.018" in diameter.  I would have preferred to use wire with a much springier quality, such as piano wire, in order to resist deformation when the spider is crushed, but I don't have anything else available to me at this time.

More on material selection - if you want to, you could experiment with other types of synthetic rope or cord for the spider body.  Each different polymer type used in the rope fibers will have different melting characteristics, so keep that in mind.  Again, I am constrained by materials available to me.


Optional materials:

In conjunction with 26 gauge wire, you can choose to add segmented legs using approximately 8" of CAT5 cable, or insulated wire of a similar size.  If you are using larger gauges of wire for this project, then you will need to select an insulated wire of corresponding internal diameter.
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26 comments
Oct 29, 2010. 10:11 AMArchergal52 says:
OMG, that's so good it's creepy! Well done!
Oct 29, 2010. 3:59 PMzascecs says:
Wow, those really do look realistic, neat idea. I'll try this before halloween is over
Oct 29, 2010. 8:15 PMpiperjon says:
Brilliant, beautiful spider! - Pj
Oct 29, 2010. 10:57 PMpie popper says:
Probably the most real-looking spider I've seen. (Homemade and Store-bought). Looks Awesome! and creepy..... Keep up the good work!! ;)
Oct 30, 2010. 7:12 AMcowscankill says:
Very creative and well done! I want to try something like this now :D
Oct 30, 2010. 5:12 PMbobby sissom says:
add a treble hook and you got yourself a well built fish lure,great work
Oct 31, 2010. 4:52 PMairsoftsniper12 says:
Wow, Thats amazing! Great job!!
Oct 31, 2010. 10:40 PMMadBricoleur says:
that is EXTREMELY creepy (realistic). if i weren't so arachniphobic, i would totally go make one right now.
Oct 31, 2010. 11:15 PMzack247 says:
very well done! at first glance of the thumbnail i coudn't tell if there were real spiders in the picture or not! 5*s
Nov 1, 2010. 11:54 PMedwardroman says:
Interesting idea though I don't like insects :)
Nov 7, 2010. 7:08 PMnighguy says:
Just made one. I'm going to scare my brother-in-law so bad. He hates spiders. :):)
Nov 9, 2010. 10:28 PMSome Dork says:
These are so awesome. My wife loves spiders, I'm totally on the hook for making some of these now!
Nov 24, 2010. 7:18 AMalinke says:
very nice!
Jul 9, 2011. 9:59 PMWhyHello says:
I'll need these if my boyfriend ever forgets my birthday
Jul 15, 2011. 11:59 AMbwells2 says:
Ooh, very spooky!
Jul 23, 2011. 2:37 AMkat_the_vamp says:
why in the blazes has noone commented on this yet!!! anyways i think this is sooo cool. they are so adorable. and soo realistic looking. you did an excellent job
Dec 7, 2011. 8:37 PMmicraman says:
These are sooo realistic! I'm definitely gonna make one of these to scare my sister for decorative purposes!
Dec 7, 2011. 4:15 PMSovereignty says:
Has a sheen like a widow spider. Maybe accent the abdomen with some red. It looks awesome.
Nov 24, 2011. 9:20 PMcoteonica says:
How can you melt it without drop yhe wires??, every time that I melt it I have to start again cause the wire doesn´t stick with the plastic u.u
Jul 25, 2011. 10:04 PMkat_the_vamp says:
you make this loook so easy!!! how do you get it to burn :(
Aug 1, 2011. 9:01 PMkat_the_vamp says:
yeah mine is army 550 too that my friend had laying around. i thought about that but in your picture of materials it just showed a regular lighter so im like alright this should work but thank you for your response :)

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