What this site is
The Prop Shed is an independent, non-commercial informational archive of home-haunt and Halloween prop-building techniques. Its purpose is to keep a body of ordinary hobby craft documented and findable. Nothing on this site is for sale. No goods, services, commissions, quotations or consultations of any kind are offered, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Independence and affiliation
This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or connected to any business, organisation or individual — including any business or individual that may have used this domain name at any point in the past. It does not represent any company and does not speak for anyone. Any resemblance between the subject matter here and an unrelated venture of a similar name is coincidental.
Safety
The projects described involve tools and materials that can cause injury: glue guns operating at around 190 °C, craft knives and razor blades, wire cutters and sharp cut sheet metal, power tools, solvent-based stains and spray paints, and in one case a mains-powered lamp used near fabric. The information here is offered as a description of how these projects have been built by hobbyists, not as a warranty that any particular method is safe in your circumstances.
You are responsible for assessing the risk of any project you attempt, for using appropriate protective equipment, for following the instructions and warnings supplied with the actual tools and materials you buy, and for complying with any applicable local rules — particularly regarding electrical installations and anything placed in a public-facing yard. The tools and safety page sets out the specific hazards involved, and it should be read before starting any project on this site.
Nothing here is medical, emergency or professional advice. If an injury occurs, seek proper medical help rather than consulting a website.
Adult supervision
Many of these projects can be enjoyed with children, and some steps are ideal for them. Others — every step involving heat, blades, power tools, solvents or mains electricity — are for adults only. Anyone building these props with children should read a tutorial through in full first and decide which steps to hand over.
Product and brand names
Where a material, tool or product type is named, it is named descriptively, to identify what was actually used, and nothing more. No endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation or partnership is implied in either direction, and all trade marks remain the property of their respective owners. Equivalent products from any supplier will generally work as well; nothing on this site depends on a particular brand.
Accuracy and completeness
These write-ups describe methods that worked for the people who used them. Materials vary, conditions vary, and results will vary. Quantities, times and temperatures are approximate and should be treated as starting points rather than specifications. Where an original technique has been rewritten for clarity or for safety, it has been rewritten in good faith, but no guarantee is made that any instruction is complete or suitable for any particular purpose.
External links
Links to external organisations are provided because their material is useful. Those sites are independent of this one, we do not control their content, and a link is not an endorsement of anything else they publish. External pages move and disappear over time.
Liability
This information is provided as-is, without warranty of any kind, express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for any loss, damage or injury arising from the use of, or reliance on, anything published here. If you are not willing to take responsibility for your own workshop, do not attempt these projects.