Fixed Relic's Underbite

Well, I wouldn't say it was a severe under-bite but for an Anthropmorphic K-9 an over-bite is much more appealing in my opinion.

This is the only really comparable before shot I have. 

After the jaw alteration.

A much more believable profile after the removal of about 1 inch of the lower jaw.

I was uncertain of 

re-affixing the goatee...

but it won out again.

His tongue is more visible, and when I get his chompers the K-9's will be more visible as well.

Fursuit Head Dryer

If anyone has looked at my postings on the construction of my Fursuit Head Dryer and would like build your own based on my work and/or would like to download a PDF of the process please drop me a comment and I can send you a download link or send it to you by other means if you like. 

Header Updated

I have been wanting to update my Blogs header photo for some time now, I wanted to get Trish Forstners Version of Relic onto the banner as well I finally took a little time to get it made up and updated. I still cannot thank Trish enough for her wonderful work on Relic.

Fursuit Head Dryer Build (add-on 2) continued.

Well I was able to keep at it this morning and have finished this add-on. working with the remaining length of Aluminum Angle I opted for an angular approach for connecting the base of the Dryer. 

After a bit of deliberation on my design and several more times placing it on and taking it off the handles I came to the realization that I needed to "beef-up" the mechanism a bit so I placed the slide onto another piece of the angle and cut out for the handles, fastening them together with rivets (be sure to use aluminum rivets to avoid corrosion from by-metallic reaction). 

Nearing completion I used two 1/4 - 20 screws with lock nuts to fasten the dryers base to the angles. 

It now fits securely to the handle of the rolling suitcase without the use of any use of clamps or screws. It will provide a secure place for transport of Relic's head without fear of it falling off. Now that the frame is finished I will put the remainder of the dryer back in place and get a finished photo. 

Fursuit Head Dryer Build (add-on 2)

Attaching the device to the handle of a rolling suitcase.

I decided that I could use the dryer not only for the purpose I designed it for but also as a means of secure transport for the head as well when attached to the handle of my rolling suitcase. So I went to work designing a "tilt - and - slide - to - lock" design for the mount. 

Working first with cardboard from a cereal box to fine tune my design so that it functions the way I want it to before committing to cutting into a more costly piece of aluminum angle .

Testing the final design in cardboard proves the design is sound and worth the cuts into the more valuable aluminum.

A trip to Lowes for a 36" piece of 1" Aluminum angle that cost a little over $7 and I was ready to transfer my working design to the final material.

I was not certain of how to make the cuts, but I figured that a coping saw would probably work with a fine toothed blade as long as I move slowly with it. I was right, it worked just fine. Clamping the angle into a vice is a must to keep the angle from deforming after you cut down through the fist side. Take your time and don't force things or you will wind up bending the hell out of it.

Finishing the first side allowed me to fine tune the slot and make the bend to create the "Lock" feature. You will need a good machinists file to smooth out the edges and make fine adjustments to the device so it slides easily.

With both sides now cut out and the angle cut to the proper length final fitting can be done with the use of the file... I now have a working locking piece for the handle mount. The remaining angle will be used for the rest of the build which I will be working on over the next week. 

Fursuit Head Dryer Build (add-on 1)

Adding power options

After having the dryer project finished and in use for only 1 day I began to think ahead and prepare for trips to conventions and have come up with a few additions to the head dryer that will make the device more useful. The next couple posts will show you the improvements I am making to the device.

Power Options

When you travel by car there is not always a 110v outlet available for use and the time spent on the road could be put to use drying your head after use. So I decided to add the ability to use an Automotive adapter as well as the AC adapter. 

As I have been working on electronics of all kinds over the last 25 years finding the electrical pieces I needed was no farther than grabbing stuff I all ready had off shelf but all these pieces can be found at WalMart except for the power connectors which you may have to order off E-Bay or Amazon you can find 5 pairs for only $3 or so. 

Wal Mart carries both the other adapters  that you can pick up for under $20 Make sure that the tips are the size you need before you get started. Power ratings should be 12VDC output at 1A (1000mA) or more.

I decided to place my adapter socket above the bottom coupling so I can remove that without interference from the wiring, if I ever want to change the base that the dryer sits on. A 7/16 drill bit was just the right size to allow the socket to be firmly wedged into place and super glued. 

Now I can choose the adapter I need to power the dryer, and when not in use there is no cord and adapter dangling from the unit to get ripped off or busted up. 

Fursuit Head Dryer Build

Part 1

Parts that I am starting out with are:
1- 24” piece of 4” PVC schedule 40 drain pipe
2- 4” PVC schedule 40 Coupling
3- 4” PVC schedule 40 Cap
4- 3” 12VDC PC cooling fan
5- 12VDC 1amp power supply (from an old pair of Dell PC Speakers).
6- 5” square piece of 1/2” foam (left over from my head build).

A 3” PC cooling fan is the perfect size because it will not fall into  the PVC pipe yet it will fit inside the 4” PVC cap which holds it in place.

Begin by drilling a series of holes around the inner circumference of the pipe cap. Use a large enough bit to allow free movement of air but not so large as to weaken the cap. I used a 3/4” spade bit drilling first from one side then the other to make a clean hole placing 6 holes in the cap. I used some sand paper to smooth the edges of the holes a bit. 

Trace the outer circumference of the Cap onto the foam and cut it out, then trace the opening and outer size of the fan onto the foam, and using scissors cut the circle of the fan opening out of the foam. 

You can then place the fan into the foam, it should be a snug fit.

Now you can place the fan into the cap and the foam will compress sealing between the fan and the inside of the cap so air does not leak back to the inlet side of the fan. Pay attention to the rotation of the fan and direction of air-flow! 




Place the wires in such a manner as they exit down through the pipe. 
I used a saw and cut a series of squares out of one end of the Coupling so air can be drawn into the pipe by the fan. You need to measure your head to know an approximation of how long the pipe needs to be I was good at 12” for the pipe. Keep in mind that there will be a wire frame that will be holding the head up about another 2” above the cap and of course allow for your neck fur as well so as not to block the airflow with that.

At this point I now have working drying tower the fan pushes air out the top holes with a fair amount of flow. Selecting a higher volume fan is a good idea for the best flow. I have NOT used any PVC cement on the fittings... and quite honestly I really don't see any need to at this point they all fit together quite snug. It means the fan will be replaceable if needed without making a whole new dryer. If it proves to fall apart too easily later on I would just use a bit of Duct tape to hold it together. 



This completes the first part of the Dryer build. The next section will be the creation and placement of the wire frame to hold the head in place OVER the cap and away from the pipe to facilitate airflow for drying. 

Part 2

Now that the main body if the dryer is finished you need to make a way to hold the dryer centered in the head and raised up off the top of the tower to provide room for airflow.

I have decided to use coat hangers (5 of the metal wire type) to accomplish this with the ability to adjust the lengths and curves easily for the contours of my head. The first one in place here shows the curve that I needed. I place 4 more on the tower the same way using a 1/8th inch drill bit to drill into the PVC to place the wire into.















Once the shape has been tweaked to fit the head I will likely use pliers to “Kink” the wire where it   goes through the drilled holes, so that it stays in place better, and with a couple more wires in place the idea is more understandable.

With the adjustments of the wires completed Relic fits snugly in place on the frame so that the dryer can do it's job to dry out the inside.

On this model I also want to use an aluminum frame work which I will design to fasten the dryer to the telescopic handle of Relic's wheeled suitcase so I can securely mount the head for transport to / from the car at cons and meets. I will figure that out and on a later post show how I accomplished it.