Doctor's severed hand container from Doctor Who/Torchwood

[mummycop]

So I was thinking about what kind of additions I could make to the Jack Harkness costume I'm assembling for Halloween, and I happened to spot this hexagonal tank at a yard sale down the block. It was a dollar, and I thought it might be perfect for a Doctor's hand container. I already had a rubber hand in my props, it might be a bit on the small side, but whatever. What I'd really like to know is if there might be a clear gel I could substitute for the water, so that I could suspend the hand at a certain height, and not worry about spillage.

 

[mummycop]

The original prop has a pretty funky handle on the side. I'll probably half-ass it with a barn door handle for now, but if anyone knows what this is, I'd appreciate learning.

 

[Kitty Butler]

That is creepy yet cool lol. Good luck with the project!

 

[LastRaven]

I'm sure there are a lot of different types of gels you could use for this and probably some little air bubbles would make it look pretty convincing. Personally, for work (micro-fluidic stuff / devices) I use Sylguard 184 (Amazon), but it's super expensive though it can harden in the oven at 80C for 2 hrs or at room temp. I remember going to Michael's craft superstore and buying some clear stuff that I used as a water substitute...

Could a clear silicone caulking work?

Ohhhh... That reminds me, there is some stuff out there called called acrylic water. It's not the same stuff I used, but could work. Might need a lot of it though, but probably cheaper (and less toxic) than Sylguard. There's other stuff out there that's similar too I imagine.

Edit: you can also dye it with food coloring, so that could present interesting opportunities for your project.

 

[mummycop]

I thought of silicone, but I wasn't sure it would cure or look right, although a few, like Lexel are pretty clear. This tank is probably about a gallon. It's plastic, so baking wouldn't work, but the acrylic water is in the right ballpark.

 

[Jeffy]

I have no idea about this kind of stuff, but thinking most simply... Would just run of the mill Jello work maybe?

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Jello would go bad. I think he's looking for a permanent solution.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Failing a clear gel solution you could always use clear fishing line to suspend the hand and just use water. That way it would wiggle a bit too making it more realistic. :thumbsup

 

[andy19422]

I was hoping this prop would be in the Dr Who exhibition in Cardiff to get some good photo's but it isn't :facepalm

 

[Contec]

You could use Hair gel...lots and lots of hair gel.

 

[Sundowner]

what a cool prop! Does anyone remember having this? You mix water with this special gel and it suspendes the Micro Machines. If anyone know what that stuff is, it would be perfect.
Wonder World by Kenner | Mffanrodders's Blog

 

[Pobbrett]

i dont know about longevity but what about the powder that turns a kids bath into goo like THIS

 

[mummycop]

Hair gel - that's interesting. Maybe that "slime" they sell in stores? But that's usually green...

 

[Jeffy]

Jello would go bad. I think he's looking for a permanent solution.

AH I see, yeh for a permanent display it probably wouldn't work well. I think it would be ok for a Halloween party though.

 

[mummycop]

I was looking at Envirotex pour-on, which is a clear epoxy that's used for thick varnish applications, but I called the manufacturer and they said it wouldn't work because it isn't made to dry under those conditions. I'd have to go an eighth of an inch at a time and microbubbles would form, making a hazy mess.

One other promising avenue is slime, which I've found several tutorials for. like this one:

Slime - How to Make Slime Video

I'm going to do some experiments, but since this is still liquid, the hand will of course move about, and leakage will be an issue. So if that's the case, it might be worth looking at plain old water again, too. If I used water, maybe I could create a system to make it bubble. There's a black box on the back of the tank in the pictures with a tube running out the bottom. I'll bet that's part of how they made theirs bubble, at least when someone was holding it.

 

[Daze]

if you go with the bubbling water, what if you suspended the hand from the top with fishing line and weighted it in the bottom with lead weights to keep it from moving around so much? Also, if you wanted the water to be a bit thicker, adding a healthy dose of clear antibacterial hand lotion might help to make bigger and/or slower moving bubbles - and also help to keep the water from going stagnant.

 

[Daze]

another idea would be to use the stuff they make clear gel candles out of. Pretty sure I've seen the supplies for it at Hobby Lobby. Here's a pic for reference:

http://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5617557/il_fullxfull.341530889.jpg

 

[hydin]

BAD idea on the candle gel.

It's highly flammable, plus it will evaporate (meaning gas fumes, meaning ability to burst into flame).

I'd go with acrylic water if you can swing it. The clear hail gel above works ok, but it will evaporate as well. Pretty much anything will since it's a gel, but there's less chance of a fireball from lighting with it.

Chris

 

[pgadsby]

That will rock with the Capt. Jack costume! Best of luck w/ the project.

 

[Daze]

BAD idea on the candle gel.

It's highly flammable, plus it will evaporate (meaning gas fumes, meaning ability to burst into flame).

Wrong.

From Snopes: "The "gel" in gel candles is composed of substances that burn slowly and non-combustively. Akin to the wax of traditional candles, the mysterious substance's purpose is to slowly feed the wick a continuous supply of fuel, thus keeping the candle burning bright for a long time. Even if it were safe to use, a combustive substance would expend itself far too quickly for any candle manufacturer to put it to this use."