TCFW Props Workshop 1

How To Make Alien Insect Goggles

You will need:

  • 2x cheap white plastic tea strainers
  • white fabric elastic
  • craft knife
  • scissors
  • sticky plasters and up-to-date tetanus innoculation
  • antibacterial cleaning materials
  • metal skewer
  • open flame, like a gas hob
  • oven glove

Instructions:

  1. With the craft knife, cut off the parts of the tea strainers that rest on the edge of your teacup. Also cut off the handle. Clean up edges of plastic.
  2. After removing the blade of the knife from the end of your thumb, suck thumb while swearing muffledly, and pace up and down the kitchen, until bleeding slows to a slow trickle.
  3. Apply sticking plaster to wound.
  4. Clean up pools of blood using cleaning materials.
  5. Holding skewer with oven glove, heat skewer in open flame until hot enough.
  6. With skewer, melt a hole in the side of one of the tea strainers, as near to the rim as possible. Melt another hole in the opposite side. Repeat with other strainer, reheating skewer as necessary.
  7. Thread short piece of elastic through a hole in one strainer, and a hole in other strainer. This will be the nose-piece. Tie and trim elastic accordingly with scissors.
  8. Thread longer piece of elastic through the remaining two holes. This will stretch round the back of the head, like swimming goggles. Tie and trim elastic accordingly with scissors.
  9. Your alien insect goggles are now complete.

Watch out for more prop-making tips in the coming days. For the finished article, come and see They Came From Woking at the Colour House Theatre. Details below.

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