It is well known that movie props are often made to hold up for as long as needed during the shoot. I couldn’t tell you how many times I had to repair something on set to get it through the day.
So when it comes to trying to create a prop that is both aesthetically similar yet practical, there are often parts that simply don’t hold up in in the real world. I suspect many of you have spent some time at conventions and various other places in full gear and have had to deal with broken props.
As I build my trap I am trying to anticipate problem areas, but I thought I would ask you guys if you had any tales of trap failures and where I should concentrate some extra effort to assure it doesn’t fall apart.
I’ve only seen one Trap fail in the field, several years back.
I think, but I can’t recall with absolute certainty, that it was being held by its hose and the hose detached, possibly from the quick connect.
One thing you could do if you wanted to be able to hang it from a cord like Ray does, is to run a length of wire through the hose from the pedal to the trap, to ensure it takes the weight of the prop.
I’ve got a BoK 3D printed trap and if it feels like it’d go anywhere it’s the handle. It is pretty heavy as I’ve added a whole bunch of aluminium to it though, but at some point I’m swapping the handle out for an aluminium one, so that’ll hopefully make it a bit sturdier.
I too have a BoK trap, and have had it roll off of a table while I was taking my gear off, land directly on the stock PLA handle, and snap it into pieces. So, not a bad idea!
I brought a 3d printed and spirit traps to the bar I used to work at and let my coworkers and friends “throw” them around after hours one night I was honestly surprised nothing broke lol and there was a few times they were thrown too hard and rolled all the way across the room slamming into walls
