This tutorial will teach you how to make a great creepy finger for your next costume!

All you will need is:
Tape
Scissors
Paper
and Fishing line

Scare your friends or be the innovative riot at your next office halloween party!

Submitted by Montana Ethical Hackers for the Instructables Sponsorship Program!

Here's a video of the project in action:

Paper Skeleton Puppet Finger
Download

Step 1: Cut Out the Skeleton Finger

I've found that measuring actually made the finger look a little too robotic and professional.

We want to get a little bit of creepiness to this so we're going to "eye ball" this "monstrosity" just like Dr. Frankinstein.

Cut a strip along your paper about 3 inches wide. Taper it slightly towards the end. This makes your work easier later.

Cut out a total of four triangle wedges from your paper. They should look like Picture #.

Each wedge should have a similarly-sized wedge directly across from it. If it isn't directly across, your finger will bend in a weird way(which could be good).

Step 2: Tape the Finger Together

In order to make the finger 3D, we've got to roll it and tape it.

Roll each flap across the finger and tape it. See Picture #1

You can use your own finger to help keep the diameter. See Picture #2

The bottom segment should be the widest in diameter and the top segment should be the smallest in diameter. See Picture #3

Make certain that the finger bends the way you want. Picture #4

After you're done taping, cut the finger tip out. Picture #5

Step 3: Run the Fishing Line to Create Hidden Tendons

Our own fingers use tendons to move. We control our hands with muscles all the way up in our forearm. Our skeleton hand will use the same methodology. A tendon is an organic cable which connects our muscles to our bones. Real tendons do not go through our bones. Instead they lay on top of our bones. This is one reason you want to get in the habit of not resting your wrists on the table in front of your keyboard.

1) Run your fishing line through the finger as I demonstrate with some black yarn.(fishing line was nearly invisible on camera)
2) Tie the fishing line at the TOP of the segment you've wrapped. Tape it here to help it stay.
3) Make sure it bends properly before continuing
4) Do this for your other segment(s) by running the fishing line inside of the finger.

Congratulations! You've made a spooky skeleton finger! This is great for teaching kids about tendons vs ligaments. You could tape some fishing line from one part of the paper to another. This would help keep the finger stable. It would also demonstrate ligaments! :D

For a young teen crowd(12-15): smash apart some $1 vibrating toothbrushes and use the motor to control the hand

For an adult-ish crowd(16-77) motorize these wires and hook it up to a computer or a mini PC! :D