My Red 5
Project Jack Ball #1138
Dak Ball #1138 was RTV'd to my antenna for quite some time, until he met with an untimely demise at the hands of some unruly college student who wanted it for his own, and when he realized it was on there for good, he went for the kill. Poor Dak. He never gets to live.
Naturally, I've got to make another one. I'm looking into materials that will stand up to unruly Dak-killing college student types, and due to the nature of these materials I'll be able to publish a stensil that anyone could print out and use to make their very own standard Dak ball.
In the meantime, though... here's the old way:
You can make one of your own, and I would encourage everyone in the world to do so. The more that are out there, the less we have to worry about people stealing ours. This is also an ideal project for kids. But, I digress. Here's what you'll need:
- 1 Jack Antenna Ball, from Jack in the Box.
- 1 package of Crayola "Mold Magic" - preferably white.
- Water.
- Sand Paper with a relatively rough grit.
- Assorted Acrylic paints, and brushes. Watercolors work, but acrylics work better.
- Polyurethane varnish. Make sure to get the finish you want.
- A piece of dowel, or something, to stick Jack on while you're working on him. Even better if it's attached to a stand.
- Reference shots of your favorite Rebel Pilot's helmet.
- First, pry the hat off your Jack. Just rip that sucker off.
- Now, you get to play with Mold Magic. I was made aware of this wonderous substance through my quest to find a way to make a Slave Leia Gilded Bikini. (Calm down.) It's easily moldable. It's light. It dries in air, and is relatively flexible afterward. It is water soluable, and non-toxic. Best of all, you can pick up a small package almost anywhere they sell crayons. So, go ahead and roughly mold a rebel pilot helmet on your eagerly waiting Jack (who should, by now, be bald and happily perched on your dowel). Ignore the visor aspect of the helmet, and don't worry about molding anything that looks precise at all. Chunky, rough shapes are preferable; We'll refine it in later steps.
- Leave it alone for a literal day.
- Take your sand paper, and sand off all the bits that don't look like a rebel pilot helmet. Get rid of any extra thickness or huge lumps with the sand paper.
- Smooth his helmet out with some water. Not too much water, but enough that the very top layer of the stuff is moldable. Get it to look as good as possible, just by smoothing out the surface. Now would be the time to take care of any cracks you may have. If you're having serious cracking issues, you can take a lump of Mold Magic and mix it with water until it's a near-liquid. Spread it on where you need extra thickness.
- Leave it alone for another day.
- Repeat the last 3 steps, until you're happy. If you've done it too many times, and it's still no good, you may want to start over. (Don't feel bad; I did. Twice.)
- So, you're happy with the overall shape. Paint it. When you're done with the helmet, get a good yellow, and paint a visor on Jack.
- Leave it alone for yet another day.
- Cute, isn't he? (Yes, this is, in fact, a step.)
- Apply at least 3 coats of your polyurethane varnish to every surface of your Jack. The more you care about this step, the less likely it will be for the little guy to melt in a sad little lump. Be especially careful applying your first coat over painted areas. The paint will smear the first time 'round and ruin everything you've done so far if you aren't paying attention.
- Enjoy!
