new idea to discuss: black widow control sticks

[Cuba]

A while ago I posted one of my early attempts at arcade construction, and a few people made some comments about a picture of a spider which I found inside the arcade. Some suggested I incorporate it into the marquee or into the art in some way. I didnt give it alot of thought and kinda forgot about it.

Then last night i found this beauty.....





And it got me thinking about it again.  My idea is to preserve the spider in clear epoxy, shape it into a ball and use it as a joystick handle.  The epoxy could be tinted to a shade of red or blue, and if i used steel tubing instead of solid pipe, I could light the handle with an LED.

I found this place, http://www.smallparts.com , which sells all kinds of stainless steel tubing (they also sell e-rings and all kinds of wierd/assorted and hard to find stuff).

I can purchase epoxy resin from some of the local craft stores.

Problems that I can foresee:

1- connecting the ball to the stick. I could thread both, but that could weaking over time. a better idea would be to have another piece of metal embedded in the plastic before it hardens and have that connect to the shaft. Or maybe the best idea is to permently embed the shaft in the plastic before it hardens.

2- shaping the plastic properly.  I have no idea what I should use as a mold for the handles. A ball would probably be the ideal shape....

3- when I kill the spider it will most likely curl into a ball, which will be a useless pose.  Perhaps i could super glue it in possition once it has expired. The red hourglass underneith is what everyone wants to see.

Im sure there are other things im forgetting, but thats why Im posting about it.  Help me out: comments, concerns, ideas, etc.

[ChadTower]

Wouldn't the spider dry up almost immediately?  Would it stay 'fresh' inside the epoxy?  You would probably be better off with a plastic spider than a real one.

Maybe you could use a racquetball as the mold, then just cut away the ball when it has solidified.

[Sinner]

Wouldn't the spider dry up almost immediately?

[RayB]

Is that a black widow? I found something like that in my bedroom once, but it didn't have a red spot on it's "ass" (which I thought was a marking Black Widows have).

[dmsuchy]

Actualy don't black widows have an "hour glass" marking on the back pod? And I think only the larger females have this. Gotta google now.

[ChadTower]

And I originally came to this topic ready to talk about Black Widow, not A black widow.

[flampoo]

Actualy don't black widows have an "hour glass" marking on the back pod? And I think only the larger females have this. Gotta google now.

Yes, it's on the under side of their abdominal section. I actually saw them all the time when I lived in San Diego. I think a family of them took refuge in my lawn shoes.

~edit: I think it's an awesome idea!

[Clonedsheep]

you might want to try to spread the dead spider out then drop some epoxy on it. So it drys almost flat. then you will have something like a dried glue drop. Then use that to put into your mold. I think that may be easier to work with. Real cool idea. I would love to see that in action. One might try to do that for a centipede cab.

[Cuba]

Actualy don't black widows have an "hour glass" marking on the back pod? And I think only the larger females have this. Gotta google now.

 The red hourglass is what these spiders are known for; they are found on the underside of the abdomen. The females are the ones that grow this big and have the red marks. The males are smaller, have very faint marks and are hard to identify.

If I do manage to get the sticks done as Id like, then it would be cool to continue with the spider theme, maybe vectorize some comic art of 'Black Widow'.

[Cuba]

you might want to try to spread the dead spider out then drop some epoxy on it. So it drys almost flat. then you will have something like a dried glue drop. Then use that to put into your mold. I think that may be easier to work with. Real cool idea. I would love to see that in action. One might try to do that for a centipede cab.

Thats a really good idea! Because placing it in the epoxy is a big concern, it will be difficult to possition is a large mold.

[MameMaster!]

...that spider is so friggin' creepy. Where the heck did you find that thing? I don't think (thank G-d) that I've ever ever ever seen one of those alive in person.

YUCCH.

 

MameMaster(tm)! 

[Minwah]

No one has mentioned the cruely this spider would have to endure...be careful or Howard will be round to bring justice!

OT but have a look at this dood.  I saw him in a rainforest in Oz, can't resist posting him:

[pathdoc2]

That's a banana spider.   We had in Louisiana where I grew up.  My wife got bit by one of those when she was a child.  No poison just pain.

[ChadTower]

No poison just pain.

[Thenasty]

I wouldn't mind getting bitten by this Black Widow

[JonnyBoy]

No poison just pain.

Dead Meat....

[Cuba]

A small update:

Ive been keepin the spider alive for the time being, just freaking my friends out whenever I get the chance. But every morning I double check to make sure the critter hasnt escaped, cause that would be bad. This morning I check and find something new.................



Now one spider in a jar isnt a big deal, but 10,000 baby black widows DOES bother me. Also The spider is considerably smaller now, I liked the way it looked before.

[ChadTower]

Erm, yeah.  given the odds that you'll notice 100 spiderbabies escaping out of 10,000, just throw the jar away.

[M3talhead]

Screw just throwing it away! Seal that jar lid tight, wrap it in duct tape, encased it in cement, dropped inside a 55 gallon oil drum and sent to the bottom of the Pacific.

Just "tossing them out" would be a bad idea in my opinion. You know they'll just crawl back inside your house.....

[RayB]

I wouldn't mind getting bitten by this Black Widow

[DannyH]

thats a great idea.... I saw something similar done with a gear stick for a car. Wondering whether you could just buy one of those and make it into a joystick

[ChadTower]

Screw just throwing it away! Seal that jar lid tight, wrap it in duct tape, encased it in cement, dropped inside a 55 gallon oil drum and sent to the bottom of the Pacific.

Just "tossing them out" would be a bad idea in my opinion. You know they'll just crawl back inside your house.....

That's kind of what I meant.  I didn't think he'd just drop it in the kitchen wastebasket.

Hell, find a neighbor you don't like, take the lid off, and leave it in their car.

[Minwah]

That's a banana spider.   We had in Louisiana where I grew up.  My wife got bit by one of those when she was a child.  No poison just pain.

Thanks, I had no idea what it was

Any idea what this one is?

[ChadTower]

Whatever it is, it's about to reproduce.

[Clonedsheep]

So are you a new mommy yet? What are you going to do with the eggsack? I say take a big cigar, take a few drags and choke that spider out and seal the lid.  Then when it's dead and fresh. Throw the epoxy on it. (make sure it's dead or it might just be pissed with a nicotine rush). That way it won't be all dry and possibly curl up.  You could also drill a small hole in your spinner and throw the eggsack in there or make a really tiny spider omelet.

[ChadTower]

Make a Black Widow cab.  When the game ends, release the spiders.  Force feedback.

[nullb0y]

mmmmmmm spiders heh kill them allll!!!! suffocate the damned thing and then take the big one out (dead we hope) and drop some lighterfluid and matches in ther container to kill them babies (the babies might eat the large one)

[Minwah]

I'm not sensing much love for spiders around here.  I must admit I thought about squashing one like this after opening my eyes in the shower and seeing one about a foot away from my face (~3.5" in diameter):

Edit: I left him alone tho and he stayed in the same spot for several days.  I get the impression not many people used the shower after me!

[ChadTower]

Doesn't help much without scale.