A Week of Library

I just wanted to thank everyone who came to the library last week to listen to me talk about working and creating with comics. It was great seeing all the kids there and showing them all of my supplies and printed works. They really seemed to enjoy it.

I was also lucky enough to be asked back to the library for their musical instrument day. There are a number of cigar box guitars that I have built over the past year which interested the librarian. Thank you again Sarah.

Please feel free to email me any questions about my guitars or comic art work: jason.illustrator@gmail.com

I had many people ask me how much it would cost to have a guitar built. They start at $65 and can reach any limit depending upon hardware, wood and various other custom aspects. When it comes to custom instruments, the sky is the limit. Please stay 'tuned' as I will be unveiling my latest cigar box build in the coming weeks.

Building your proton wand for your Ghostbuster pack

WARNING: FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS AT YOUR OWN RISK. ALWAYS USE PROTECTION WHEN WORKING WITH TOOLS.

Click here to check out the first half of this tutorial "How to build a proton pack for kids!"


I apologize for taking so long to put up the second part to this tutorial. I didn't think I would get so many emails and comments on the subject. I will make a PDF later with more precise instructions and some measurments, but until then this should get you started.

• You will need:
• About a foot of 1x4 pine board
• .125" Masonite (hard board)
• 12" of PVC pipe (1" outside diameter)
• Bicycle handle
• 1" wood screws (a handful)
• Hot Glue
• Wood Glue
• Wire harness organizing stuff. (.5")
• 5/16" wooden dowel
• .75" OD clear rubber tubing 1.5" long
  

STEP 1Start by cutting out an angled wedge system (see picture on right) and attach to proton pack arm with hot glue. I made mine by cutting a pine board, 1.5" wide, on a table saw with a 45 degree angle. I then sliced it 1.5" leng-wise which gave me two identical pieces which I angled across from each other (as seen in picture)

STEP 2 Now you can build your WAND BODY. The wand body that I made is aproximately 4"x3"x3". Cut out two pieces of pine to the dimensions of 4"x3". Measure in one inch from an end and lop off a 45 degree angle. I will attach a diagram later. After those pieces are cut, sandwich the PVC pipe in between them and measure the total width. This measurment will tell you how wide your Masonite needs to be to cover the front, back, top and bottom of wand body.

STEP 3 Take the measurement acquired from STEP 2 and rip a piece of masonite to that width. Or cut with a jig saw or hand saw. Move the PVC pipe to the side. Now measure the top, bottom, front and back lengths and cover them with the masonite. Hot glue everything together. At the very end, drill piolet holes and put in wood screws to keep everything extra sturdy.

STEP 4 Drill holes to match the outside diameter of your PVC in the front and back of the wand body. (I had to use a 3/8 drill bit and enlarge the hole with a dremel because I did not have forsner bits at the time. I suggest a nice forsner bit)

STEP 5 Slide PVC through the back hole and out the front. I left about 3.5" out the back for the bicycle grip. Once the PVC is in place, use 3" wood screws (pre drill first) to ancor the PVC through the body.

STEP 6 This step was a lot of trial and error. I measured the top and bottom of my Wand Holding Wedge and created a shape to slip inside. I kept working a piece of masonite until is slid in nicely. Round the cornders and sand everything smooth so the wand doesn't get stuck in the groove. After I finished that, I mounted the piece to a .75"x1.5" pine board and screwed the whole thing to the side of the PROTON WAND using 3" wood screws.

STEP 7 Now that the Wand is complete, take this time to paint the entire thing black with the paint from the first part of this tutorial. When the paint is dry you can then slip on the bicycle grip. I used some hand sanitizer to lube the PVC. Make it easier to slide on and it evaporates.

STEP 8 Take your .5" cord organizer tubing (found at Staples or other office suppliers) and put about two inches of wooden dowel inside of one end. Now put it inside of the PVC tubing where the handle is. Fill in all around it with hot glue. Now drill a hole where you want the WAND WIRE to attach to the proton pack (make sure it is part of the wooden subframe). Drill a hole and insert a dowel with some wood glue on it. Then cover the dowel with hot glue and slide the cord organizer over it. Use the tie wraps it came with to tighten it around the dowel while it sets.

STEP 9 A nice finishing touch is to add a piece of .75" clear hose to the hole in the tip of the wand. I just used rubber hose because I had it laying around. Everything I used was already laying around my house. A sort of recycling project. I also used some silver paint to dry brush areas so it seemed like the paint was chipping off of metal rather than wood.

Please send me some pictures of packs that you make for your kids. I'd love to post some up on the website. You can also comment suggestions on my blog to help other people. I'm sure they will appreciate it.

I JUST ACQUIRED JASONMAY.COM

Now you can visit, Jasonmay.com, Jasonmay.net and Jasonmay.org to reach this site. I've very excited I was able to obtain each of these domains. It will make it easier for all of my fans to find me. Thank you all for your support and keep you eye open in 2009. I should have quite a few surprises coming up in the near future.

UPDATE ON LIBRARY TALK

Be there! July 13th at 3:00pm.

Click here for more information about the library and event.

Comicbook Talk at Local Library

I will be doing a talk at the Davisville Free Library in Rhode Island on July 15th, 2009. Anyone interested in hearing about my trials, tribulations and all the crazy stories from the past ten years, please stop by. I will offer more information after I speak to the library. Until then, you can probably contact them via their website:

http://www.davisvillefreelibrary.org/programs.htm