Airless Body Slinger

For those of you who are compressor-challenged (like me), I came up with a modified design of the Body Slinger. The effect is almost identical to the original, but you have to reset it each time. Just think of it like cocking a gun. You pull back the hammer and it locks into position. Then pull the trigger (latch) and Whammo!

The PVC body was built using these instructions. There was one difference though. CPVC was used for the arms, so they can pivot inside the connector where the neck and body connect. I used PVC for the entire body. The reason for this was that CPVC was 3-4x as expensive as PVC!

The rest of the assembly is made from PVC and includes the 2 pivot rods and connectors. The main pivot rods are shorter than in the original design (See figure 1). This makes it easier for the screen door closer and bungee cord to lift the body. Because of this, the body will be about 5 feet tall. The 2 lower, horizontal rods in the body frame slide into Ts which are connected to the ends of the 2 long pivot rods. I drilled some 1" holes halfway into the 2x4s to allow the pivot rods to move up and down freely.

Notice that I inserted a aluminum tube through the PVC cross joint and about half way into the lower pivot rod. This will add stability when the device is cocked. Without it, the PVC tube will bow badly.

The mounting of the screen door closer is self-explanatory. Note that it is screwed through the PVC and into the aluminum tube, as is the metal rod that hooks into the gate latch. You will need to add a bungee cord to accompany the closer because it does not have enough power to lift the unit on its own. You do need the closer though because it helps dampen the shock when the prop is triggered. Refer to the instructions on the placement of the closer except yours will be on the opposite side. Make sure that you have full extension of the closer when the prop is cocked.

I glued all the PVC together except for the elbow joints on the arms (makes it easier to put the clothes on), the end caps (you need to be able to remove the body frame to put the pants on) and the 4 lower body spacers (Figure 2). I put the shirt on first and then the pants and pinned them together. I then cut a slit in the back of the pants so the body can be attached to the ends of the pivot rods. Refer to the design for the coffin. Yours could probably be a bit shorter though.

A pulley can easily be added below the latch with a rope tied to the tube near the latch. This will allow you to re-arm it from a distance. You will have to secure the whole thing to the ground with rebar or something similar.

That's about it! Have at it and good luck!

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