Building second trap. What material should I use?

Equipment Ghost Traps
1

I’ve had my trap for some 5 years now. It was my first real prop (we all disregard the welding Ecto Goggles out of shame), and was a great way to cut my teeth. But after 5 years, constant repairs, and an offer on my trap, I’ve decided to build a new one.

See, despite all the positive support I receive, I didn’t build it right. It’s very hard to do maintenance on, as I have to pull almost every screw out in order to get to the battery compartment. I also cannot easily add front lights, as I would have to start breaking things to get access. Plus, I’ve been slowly replacing greeblies, so I think it’s time to make a new body.

The burning question is what to build it out of. My current trap is build out of plywood and 300 lbs of bondo. I know that a lot of people choose MDF, as it has little wood grain to deal with. I’ve also seen some great metal builds, although I don’t have a shop or the right tools to cut pieces to the right size. I saw that Alkaline used polycarbonate. I use a lot of styrene in other work, and like the idea of using a plastic instead of wood. If nothing else, I think it’ll weather better than wood.

Which material should I choose? I’m concerned with durability (as my props take a lot of wear and tear throughout the year), ease of use (I’d like to get the build over with so I can focus on other projects), and weight (my current is like a cider block hanging from the side of me). How do MDF and polycarbonate (or other plastics) compare against each other? Are there any other materials worth trying?

Thanks as always.

2

Go for mdf very easy to work with get some filler putty at your local auto store for the larger gaps it’s easier to work with than bondo and get some filler primer after 4 coats give it a light sanding and a few more coats it will look nice and slick

3

I would steer away from MDF it’s heavy as all can be. Use either popular planks or thin plywood and buld a box.

4

Alternately, you could go down the same experimental road I’ll eventually travel, and look into building a Trap out of sheet acrylic.

5

I was thinking something along these lines, once I read alakline’s thread. I’ve done a lot of work with styrene, and I figure working with a plastic will give me that ease of use that wood cannot. Do you know how heavy it’ll be (compared to wood)?

6

My styrene/foamcore trap is about 3.5 pounds. I’ve got aluminum plates, wheels and batteries in it though.

7

No idea, although I’m hoping it might be a bit lighter than a MDF Trap, but we’ll have to see.