Pneumatic Pop Up Kit

Monster Guts

Pneumatic Prop Kit

Kit: DPU

Thank you for purchasing this Monster Guts pneumatic kit. In this manual you will find a parts list, general prop construction tips and other helpful information.

WARNING: THE USE OF COMPRESSED AIR, POWER TOOLS AND ELECTRICITY CAN BE DANGEROUS. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OPERATING ALL MANNER OF PNEUMATICS, POWER TOOLS AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS.

PARTS LIST

ITEM	QUANTITY
1-1/16" Bore, 18" Stroke Air Cylinder	1
1/4" NPT, 5 Port / 4 Way Air Valve	1
Foot Bracket (including Stud Nuts)	2
Rod Nut	2
1/4" NPT Quick Push Fitting	4
Exhaust Muffler	2
1/4" Polyethylene Tubing	8
1/8" NPT Meter Control Valve	2
Teflon Tape	1 Roll
1/4" NPT Female Thread to Male Coupler	1

Other Supplies You May Need

Drill and drill bits

Circular Saw or Hand Saw

Wrench

Wood, steel or aluminum

Screwdriver and screws

Your Pop-Up Design

This pneumatic kit is designed to work with most style trash cans. The classic metal trash can is perhaps the most popular, but any trash can or 55 gallon drum will work.

When prepping your trash can, drill a hole or saw a notch at the base of the can. This will allow you an access to run your pneumatic and electrical lines.

To install the cylinder, you will need to first install two cross members inside the trash can, as shown as horizontal black bars in the illustration below.

If you are using a lid, you will need to offset the cross members to account for the distance from the center of the cylinder to the foot bracket. This distance is 13/16", so from the center of the trash can, your cross members will need to be 13/16" off center.

This will center the cylinder inside the trash can, and will align the lid properly.

Wood, aluminum or steel are the recommended materials to use for the cross members. The distance between the upper and lower foot brackets on the cylinder is 20-22", depending on how you position the foot brackets, so you will need to space the cross members at one of those distances. Attach the cross members to the sides of the trash cans with “L” brackets, or drill holes through the side of the can and secure with screws.

Depending on the style of the trash can and lid, after you install the cylinder you may find the cylinder rod does not reach the trash can lid. This is because the upper cross member may is not high enough to allow the cylinder rod to pass through the lid. If this is the case, you will need to add a riser to the top of the upper cross member to attach the foot bracket to. A riser is simply an extension to make your cross member higher. If you used wood for the cross members, attaching a small block of wood to the top of the upper cross member should give you the height needed.

This will center the cylinder inside the trash can, and will align the lid properly. When installing the foot brackets, make certain you have them in the exact center of the cross members.

If you have not done so already, find center in the trash can lid and drill a 5/16" hole to accommodate the cylinder rod.

A few notes on installing your hardware: the Quick Push Fittings come with threads pre-sealed. Teflon tape need only be used on bare threads, such as those found on the exhaust mufflers. Inserting tubing into the Quick Push fittings is done simply by pushing the tubing into the fitting. Give a slight tug to the tubing to assure it is seated properly and will not slip out. To remove tubing, depress on the yellow tabs and pull the tubing away from the fitting. When cutting the tubing, do not use scissors. Using caution, carefully cut the tubing with an exacto or utility knife.

Install fittings for the cylinder and air valve (if not done already) and mount the air valve. Run the 1/4" tubing from the air valve ports (marked A and B) to the ports of the cylinder. The ports marked “EA” and “EB” on the air valve are for your exhaust mufflers. The port marked “P” is the port where your air line from the air compressor connects to.

You should have two 1/4" Push Quick Fittings remaining. Install one fitting into the “P” port of the air valve. Connect the other Push Quick Fitting to your female coupler, and connect the two Quick Push fittings” with a 6-12" long piece of 1/4" tubing.

Prior to attaching the lid and fleshing out your monster, test to see that the air cylinder is functioning properly. WHEN CONNECTING YOUR AIR LINES, ALWAYS LEAVE THE LINE DISCONNECTED FROM THE COMPRESSOR. HOOK UP THE LINES RUNNING FROM AND TO THE AIR VALVE AND CYLINDER FIRST. YOUR FINAL CONNECTION SHOULD BE AT THE COMPRESSOR. THIS INSURES YOU ARE A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE PROP, SO IF THE CYLINDER EXTENDS UNEXPECTEDLY, YOU WILL NOT BE INJURED. ALWAYS BEGIN WITH A LOWER PRESSURE AND WORK YOUR WAY UP.

Adjust the meter valves on the air cylinder until you are satisfied with the speed at which the air cylinder rises and lowers. Once the lid and your monster are in the equation, you may need to readjust due to the added weight.

You may want to use the following arrangement for mounting the lid: rod nut, fender washer, lid, fender washer, rod nut. The fender washers will help prevent the lid from shifting.

If you use a latex mask for your monster, consider drilling a hole in the bottom of, and mounting, an empty 1 gallon paint can or something similar onto the cylinder rod before applying the mask and attaching the lid. Latex masks tend to fold in on themselves if unsupported, so a paint can will help keep their form. Slip the mask over the paint can. The can also provides a place to attach any clothes you may want your monster to wear. A 1 gallon milk jug cut in half works equally as well.

The design of this prop is optimized to run at 40-60 p.s.i..

Your pop-up need not be contained in a trash can. Several props can be found on the internet that utilize the pop-up design without the trash can. For example, www.vilethings.com has a very convincing pop-up. The components in this kit can easily be adapted to the Vile Things pop-up.