We are sorry about this, but due to numerous reasons, both economic and logistic, it was unavoidable. Prices on supplies and services have risen sharply, and have made our props more expensive than we find acceptable. Also, many other suppliers are selling FCG kits - or so we have been informed - and have been able to offer the kits at lowered prices that we cannot afford to match. (Check eBay or other auction sites and you will find them.) Other halloween how-to sites also offer kits. These are not the only reasons we are quitting our business operation, though, and be assured we did not make this decision quickly or lightly. Please accept our apologies for this change, but the decision is a final one.

Please Note! We no longer recommend the use of PVC plumbing pipe elements in compressed air setups. If you have been using PVC, please discontinue using it. Although we have been using it in our shop for years without incident, we have reliable reports that it becomes brittle with age when used with compressed air and may shatter under pressure. We are converting the manifolds in our shop to black metal pipe of the kind used in natural gas applications. This is safe for use, and we heartily recommend it. The plastic quick disconnects we show are safe, and this warning does not apply to them.

MOTOR CRISIS SOLVED - ALMOST: Recently, Grainger may have discontinued carrying the 2Z80x motor series. Dayton appears to have quit making them, but I could be wrong about this. Kingsolar.com: http://kingsolar.com/catalog/cat/gearmotors/dayton.html has a list of available Dayton part numbers, but the equivalent motors are not listed yet. (They have told me that 1MBF5 is the replacement FCG motor, and 1MBF6 would be used in the hitcher for the arm movement, or for a fast-moving FCG) Instead of ordering online, call them at 503-635-5560 and ask if the new numbers are available yet. Be sure to check speed vs. part number. The FCG uses a 6 RPM unit, and I believe I got my part numbers right, but it never hurts to check. ;-)

A neat tip: Phantasmechanic Kevin Meagher offers a method of flying an FCG outside of a window while keeping the motor platform indoors and out of the weather. Click here for complete details and a link to his illustrations. (Kevin admits that it's still on the drawing board, but I already know it'll work with the right tweaking. ;-)

And so... If you have a neat adaptation of a non-FCG prop from our site, be sure to tell us about it! We may feature it with a story on the site. Or, if you have a unique adaptation of the FCG mehcanism - such as the one above - we'd love to see that as well. (If you can create a custom page we can link to, it would be helpful!)

email: dougferg@sbcglobal.net

Call me at 817-361-0024 if you need assistance, or just want to talk haunting. :-) Be sure to note our new address:

Departments:

Just Imagine: Halloween! - An introduction to haunted imagineering

Audience Focus in Haunted Attractions - A concise guide to planning a better haunted attraction, with hypothetical examples

Cautions! - Please read this before you build!

Haunting with Compressed Air - All the basics of compressed air, and the Grave Popper mechanism.
The Coordinate Ghost System - our most complex single prop project
The Flying Crank Ghost (FCG) - Our pride and joy! Will you be next to build one?
Victoria -An FCG Back Story - How to make your creation come alive
The Hitcher - a two-motor prop that gives you three miniature (1/3 life-size) hitch-hiking ghosts!
Harry the Hitcher - Phantasmechanic Joseph Keller's life sized single hitch-hiker prop - it's way cool!
A Clarification on Pepper's Ghost (see also the Haunted Hotel, below)

The Grave Jumper Project - A primitive tombstone pop-up (see our compressed air chapter above for a more 'civilized' and practical version.)
A.L.F. - The Lamp Flicker Emulator - for experienced builders
Easy Lamp Flicker Gadgets

Grim Organist Plans
And the organist builders (site search may be required):
McDonald Manor - by Dan Oberly
Baron Flesh Von Riptopen!- By Tom Marchak
deviousconcoctions.com - By Brent
Note: For those of you who are building an organist of any kind, reasonably priced keyboards and organ cabinets can be had by contacting Ryan Meldahl at meldahlr@yahoo.com. Be sure to tell him that we sent you.

The Dark Ride Project
The Conclusion of the Dark Ride Project - What went right - and wrong.

Dark Ride: the story - a novella by Doug Ferguson. A curious young lad's obsession with dark rides leads him to near disaster, a mystersious new friend - and straight through the bang doors of the twilight zone!

The Haunted Hotel - Pepper's Ghost in a miniature setting

Product Review - Lemax's true mini-blacklights make tiny UV effects a snap!

Our 2004 Home Haunt - with cool stuff to copy!

Other Night Creatures - Our links page

Most every technique used by today's Halloween haunters was learned from visits to classic dark rides and walk-through attractions. If you don't know about this rich legacy, you owe it to yourself to visit this excellent site. Allow yourself some time - you'll want to see it all, and there's a lot to see! (By the way, I am now a proud contributor and editor for this site, so check it out!)