[zombielucas]

I'm a sucker for Ghost Traps, and when I saw one of my favorite builders was putting out a kit, I had to get it. I'm just now finally getting around to working on it. I'm hoping to have it finished before Salt Lake Comic Con, this September. Please excuse the blurry photos; my iPhone's camera ain't what she used to be.



The first thing I needed to do was remove the top section of the cartridge. I am planning to install electronics into this bad boy. A little time with the Dremel and some flat files cleaned it up nicely. I also used those tools to clean up any blemishes from the mold.







I also needed to open up the front area where the yellow light bar goes.



Now for the axel and wheels. I've found these crews with the wider heads. Using them along with a washer in between the wheel and the axel works pretty well.



Learning from previous mistakes, I am going to attach these axels with two socket screws. This will keep the axel from rotating, and will also make it easy to remove if I need to down the line. I have recessed the heads into the wood and plan to use putty to smooth this out and hide the screws altogether.





For the handle, I didn't want to have to worry about the resin post handling the weight of the trap. With a drill press I was able to install this 3 inch bolt through the copper handle. On the inside of the trap I am using a large diameter washer along with the bolt to help strengthen the post.







I am cannibalizing some parts off of my MDF stunt trap from GBfan's shop. Mostly the electronics kit. I will need to order a replacement switch for this, but in the mean time it just hangs out on my shelf anyhow. You can see the size difference from GB1 to GB2 really well here.



And the first snag of the project:



The inside of the trap's mold has a steep incline that prevents the switch from being flush on the inside of the trap. You can see I tried to jam my hand inside with a metal file, but very little progress was made. I decided the best course of action was to drill out the bump from the top of the battery box. This saved a lot of time and effort. The plan is to go back to this and use some two part putty to remold the top.











That's all of the progress for this weekend. I placed an order in the shop for a few misc things, and I'm hoping to putty up a few of the blemishes and the battery box this evening. I was also researching the smoking N-Filter stuff on the forum. Does anyone have much experience with this? It feels so unsafe, but also so damn cool. I thought about installing one in here.

[robpenfold]

I'm looking forward to the rest of this build. I've been contemplating TC's trap for some time.

[Hoot]

I experienced the same issue with the battery box. I reamed a larger hole with a step bit then epoxy putty to bond and centered and redrilled.... Fit like a charm.
As for the smoke kit they are very safe, if I can make a recommendation is to either figure a way to tie into the toggle switch or hack a knob off to make a rotary on the side.

[zombielucas]

Thanks Rob, I've really enjoyed the kit thus far. Very very light.

Hoot, glad to know it wasn't just me. And thanks for the advice on the smoke kit. I contemplated putting a push button somewhere hidden and then a kill switch inside or something.

More progress from last night. I spent the evening puttying up the switch whole, an imperfection on the handle post, and the axels on the bottom.







Scuffed up the area, and then wiped it down with some paint thinner. Next up, milliput.





I tried very hard to keep the bump from being too large. Sanding this stuff is like sanding a rock. It gets incredible hard. I also did my best to keep the inside layer thin as to not recreate the same problem I had previously.





Next up, new switch hole and some sanding. Hoping to get the screws I need before the weekend so I can get the trap doors put together as well.

[ThrowingChicken]

I like that long screw for the handle, I might have to steal that.

The battery box issue is one I'm just not sure how to overcome. I could cast with less resin, but I risk other areas being too thin.

[Parflagush]

Looking good so far! Just make sure it rolls straight.

[zombielucas]

ThrowingChicken, I think the trap is great. I knew putting a light kit into it would require some finagling. I still love the kit As far as the long screw, I am planning to swap that out with a #8 socket head and use some washers to have it stick out of the top of the handle. Functional AND sexy.

Parflagush, I just, I just can't get them even! I think I need to use a drill press to drill all the way through the axle make certain they are even.

So, lots of progress last night. Drilled all of the cap screw holes. Sanded down all of the Milliput and drilled a new whole for the switch. It's still a little off, but much much better. I am sure I'll fiddle with this more each night.



Lining up the yellow light bar plate, it's just shy of being big enough to comfortably drill the holes I need. I decided to use some of Milliput to beef up the corners a little. I also need to swap out the side plate screws with some shorter ones. 1/2" was way too long.





I also got the handle ends sealed up. Probably best out the belt sander for this one. Sorry for the blurry photo, my iPhone 5 is on it's last legs as we wait for the new phone to be released.



I ordered a smoke kit from jimfin. I have a pretty good idea how I want to set up the push button for the smoke. If I can make enough progress on this, I am going to start a carrying case for this trap and the other accessories that tend to get beat up in transit.

[BusterJones]

Looking good. I've been looking at building a trap. I was looking at both the Nickatron kit and the throwing chicken one. I'll be keeping an eye on your build to see the finished piece.

[zombielucas]

BusterJones, I love Throwing Chicken's kit. I understand he currently has some available. I haven't tried Nick-a-tron's, but I've heard good things.

Luckily this weekend I was able to make lots of progress. To start, the Milliput gave me plenty of room on the corners to drill the wholes for the top light plate.





In the photo below I cleared out some of the Milliput to make room for the right LED spot. The light kit I have doesn't quite line up with it. I may add some reflective material to give it a bit of an ambient glow.



A little bit of foam to give the yellow lights a tight fit.





Time to clean the Milliput off of the handle.









I spent some more time cleaning out the space for the switch in the battery box to help it line up more parallel to the shape of the trap. Finally perfect.



I love this big GB1 trap. Super light from TC's build, but lots and lots of room inside.



I decided to swap out the bolt I had with a #8 socket head screw. It will stick out a bit on top and give it a nice aesthetic. This will keep it functional if I ever need to remove or adjust the handle.



Now for the scariest part of the build; drilling the doors for the socket screw and pins. We set up this rig with my Dad's drill press. We used the wood to clamp the doors and keep them vertical. I would line them up by eye, doing my best to center the bit. This was especially stressful for the #6 socket screw holes. Those suckers are almost as big as the area left to screw.







Tapping the #6 hole for the screw 1/2 inch screw.



Now for a bit of ingenuity and luck. To screw the pin holes on the door ears we used this surgical drill bit. This is actually used when you break a bone and need pins. The surgeon uses this to drill into the bone, and then cuts it off at the length the require. We were able to flex it and use our hand to keep the tip lined up where we marked. This made the job super easy.





Doors!



One of the holes needs a little adjustment and Milliput, but I am very pleased with how it worked out.

[Hoot]

Wanted to follow up with you on the smoke kit - because the whole kit is hollow and retains the smoke, I recommend a fan intake of sorts. I'm using one of Jimfins kits and asked him for a fan to be attached...it'll help keep most of the smoke going outward

[zombielucas]

Time for a big update. Lots of pictures incoming.

Hoot, thanks for the advice. I ended up picking up a kit from jimfin just as you described. Now for the updates. The first photos are of the dixie bracket being attached to the trap. To get it to work with my MMM holster, I had to add a bunch of washers to stick out a bit further. I don't love that, but realistically who is going to see it?





Next up for the cable attachment. I fished in some wire for holding up the weight of the trap. I fasten this in between two washers on the dixie bracket bolt.





A little test fit. I actually really dig how bulky it is.





Next up, jimfin's smoke kit. This thing is awesome and well worth every penny.







I attached a rubber hose to the end of the exhaust to control where my smoke went. I also cut holes all along the tube.



Testing the hose with a little foam to protect the interior from getting any residue from the fog.





Filling up the entire interior with fog felt like a bad idea. It's a waste of fog, plus the electronics were all bouncing around when I would move the trap. So I started to construct an interior compartment. Hoot's build inspired me a bit on this front. Here are the pillars. I drilled out holes that would rest over the screws from the axle mount.









In the next photo you can see some of the organization. Crix's kit in the far front. The battery pack mounted to the front pillar. The large battery pack and fan go behind the second pillar in the battery compartment. The vacuum goes in the main area. Lots of room to get air from the fan to the middle. The e-cig portion gets mounted to the top of the board at a downward angle to encourage the solution towards the heat element. I left just enough room in the wood to wedge some foam and sneak the hose on top of it.





Decent.



After this I took a break to work on my gizmo kit, my sound kit in my pack, and then a little on a secret weird thing I'll post more about if it works out. Thanks for looking, and thanks to Hoot for the props on his thread.

[Sephiroth]

Looking good, can't wait to see this completed and smokin'.

[zombielucas]

Sorry it has been a while everyone, been doing lots of boring painting steps. First up primer:



Metal:



Taping off in prep for black:







The sexy reveal







I didn't coat the inside with black. I liked the look of an industrial paint job. Just get the job done.



All black has kind of a sleek look. I wonder about doing doors in the future that are more of a stealth trap. Blues and blacks.



My masking tape is a little wider than it should be, but I am okay with that. Below is a little trick for lining up the angle and the spacing correctly. Using an extra piece of tape is perfect for this. We don't want wonky stripes.



Yellow stripes! I had a little trouble with some smudges and some peeling of the black paint. I do a primer coat, sand, metal, no sand, black. I don't sand the layer with the metal so that the black gets beat up easier to give it the worn look. This makes it difficult to tape, though. I may rethink this process in future builds. I clear coated at the end to keep the wear from getting too out of hand.



She's almost there:



My wife spent last night painting the knobs for me. She is an oil painter, so I let her steady hand do all of that. Afterwards I clear coated it, but to my dismay it left a sand paper texture that was full of speckles, almost like a frosted window glass. This morning I used some scotch bright to smooth it out, and then some paint thinner to wipe away the dust. I don't know if I just got a bad can or didn't prep it correctly.

[GohstTarp]

The stripes on the trap doors looks amazing! You've got quite the entertaining and inspirational build going on here. Keep up the great work.

[zombielucas]

Thank you! That means a lot to me.

[Hoot]

....show off well done brotha!

[robpenfold]

Great work! between this build and Hoot's, I'm really digging TC's trap. I need to build a trap next year and I'm trying to decide between this and Nick's. Hmmmmmm........

[zombielucas]

Thanks again, everyone. Sorry for the delay. I finished just in time for our Comic Con, and then was too burned out too get back on GBfans for a while.

For those of you looking to do a Ghost Trap soon, I may be involved with some upcoming kits. I'll post more details soonish. Now for the rest of the progress pictures:

Some electronics work. The red and black wires are from the external cable and push button. I have wrapped these around the nut for the dixie bracket, and then used two washers and a bolt to squish them. This makes it so I can hold the trap up by the chord without worrying too much about damaging anything. Nor the trap falling to my dismay.



Foam is your friend.



A little bit from a CD jewel case for a nice effect. Thanks to Hoot for this idea I got from his thread.





Unfortunately the clear coat added a really weird bumpy texture, as well as a frosted look. Similar to what you'd spray on your windows during the holidays. I took some fine grit sandpaper to clean up the texture. Unfortunately the clear coat didn't work out well enough to protect the paint job. It gets nicks and wear more than I had hoped, but it also gives the trap some personality. I may repaint it one day.



There are a few progress pics I lost along the way. I changed out the top shelf inside for a piece of plexiglass. I also added a string of LEDs and a kill switch that controls said LEDs and the smoke device. This switch is in the plexiglass under the doors. The white LEDs make for some cool lighting.

And now for what everyone came here for, the finished trap:











She smokes!

[Cyberkorr]

Wow. that's a nice build. Well done man!

Say, where did you get the acrylic for the doors?

[Venkman's Swagger]

Very nice build!!