I made this beetle costume a long while back from recycled materials, most of which I found at a local re-used hardware store. It was a fun project and probably ran less than $25. For anyone else out there needing a bug costume, here's a run-down of what it's made from:

- First off, the shell was made from something called a "fiber-barrel". It's a large storage barrel made from super-dense paper-board. I then cut it into segments and hooked the panels together with nylon straps and rivets on the inside. The shell is supported by backpack straps that are also located on the inside and fit over the wearer's shoulders.

- Next, the head was made from a bicycle helmet, duct tape, respirator covers for the eyes and plumbing parts for the antennae.

- The arms were made from corrugated abs drain pipe and the hands from cardboard

- Finally, the legs were made from a combination of a plastic industrial barrel and more corrugated drain pipe.

Add a little black spray-paint and viola! You're ready to terrorize the town!

Quirky.  In a GOOD way!  So what are you planning for lefty?

Lefty is going to be left free so that I have a hand with which I can dig in my pockets, feed myself etc (although I did toy with the idea of making a fork and spoon accessory for the hand, lol). I will, however, have this on my left shoulder:

(credit for the photo goes to Jen Martin Studios, models are Michelle K. & Andrew Figgs)

It lives!!! Now my plans to destroy the world via a very indirect and overly complicated method can be realized!

This hand is a fully-functional costume prop. Each finger is controlled by the corresponding finger on the wearer's hand by a steel cable. The fingers return to their "neutral" (starting) position with the assistance from springs located at each joint underneath the knuckles. It's articulated enough to grant the ability to pick up and drop objects.

Here is a video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEHiAItVdiw

I have a description of the build process on my blog: http://chaincrafts.blogspot.com/

**UPDATE**

After a request from araminya, here are a few more images:


A close up of the fingers in the relaxed position


A close up of one of the fingers in the flexed position. To answer Araminya's request, the fingers are operated via cables that pass through guide loops. They then return back to their neutral position with the assistance of the springs that you can see in the pictures.


Finally, here is a close-up shot of the finger-loops. The thumb loop is a bit too small, so that will require a minor adjustment in the near future.

You have found the Mighty Red Gauntlets of Thirst! As you put them on, you feel a surge of strength run through your body. You also, however, have the sudden & inexplicable desire to consume a sweet beverage that contains thousands of tiny bubbles.



Above are the materials for the project I used soda tabs, stainless steel chainmaile rings and a pair of sturdy welding gloves. I toyed with the idea of using pipe cleaners for something, but later decided against it.



The soda-tab chainmaile panels after completion. Each panel is made from 213 pieces (117 soda tabs and 96 chainmaile rings).



After competing the panels, I marked and punched holes in the glove to create the attachment points. For those who aren't already familliar with it, the tool in this  picture is a rotary leather punch. My rotary punch is one of my best friends when making armor and costumes! So many different sizes with just a spin of the wheel!



In this image you can see how the rings at the edge of the pannels are looped through the holes that were punched. After including the rings required to attach the panels to the gauntlets, the project required a total of 510 pieces (234 tabs and 276 rings). As far as chainmaile projects go, it's actually a fairly small number





Close-ups of the weave. By using 5/16" rings and standard-sized soda tabs, you get a reasonably tight and yet still flexible weave



And there you have it! Gauntlets with the appearance of scale armor made from soda-tabs.

Just don't drink all 234 cans of soda at once or you might end up convinced that you're Link from Zelda wearing the Power Gloves and run around for 2 hours trying to lift "boulders" (i.e. cars) above your head until you finally collapse in a twitching, caffiene overloaded pile on someone's driveway.

Howdy all! I'm brand new here. I just stumbled across this forum and I think I found my home! As a way of introducing myself, I'd like to share one of my creations. I am in love with both medieval armor and recycled art. I have started combining these two loves and one of the results was this:



This skirt is made by using pop-tabs & stainless steel jump-rings. They are assembled into a traditional European 4 in 1 chainmaile pattern. It was a blast to make. It involves 1600 rings and 1600 tabs. If anyone out there is crazy in a similar manner and would like tips on how to create a similar piece, I would be happy to help!

*update* based upon people's responses, here is some additional information...


A few tips on collecting & preparing the tabs:

- Let all of your friends/family know that you want their discarded soda tabs! In my experience, most people are more than willing to pull off a tab and throw it in a cup or Tupperware container that you can empty when you happen to be over visiting them

- Ask local restaurants if you can have their permission to go through their recycling bins and remove tabs from cans. You'll get some strange looks from folks... but it's a good way to get hundreds of tabs!

- Many tabs will have a bit of dried-on soda or mystery nastiness. It's a good plan to take your tabs and immerse them in a bucket with dish soap and hot water. Then, stir them around a bunch. The tabs knocking into each other are abrasive enough that, when combined with the dish soap, it will remove almost all of the ick. It also shines them up nicely

And to answer a few questions: despite its appearance, tab-mail is actually quite flexible and the weave can expand and contract. I made this skirt with a built-in drawstring and it just slides on! Chainmaile is pretty amazing stuff. If you build yourself a small test-patch of soda-tab-mail and play with it... you'll be amazed by what it can do.