Unlocked Mind Newsletter / Unlocked Mind Media
3 dimensional visualization skills are important to develop the imagination, so a good way to develop this ability is to build and work with three dimensional things. Here we share the various projects our staff have done.
It is our hope that you will see the logic (or the lack of logic) used to make Rubber rats look more real as an example of the kind of thought and analysis that goes into our script review services.
Notice: The content presented here is for entertainment purposes only. Readers who decide to construct or modify the items mentioned here do so at their own risk and peril.
You want to scare someone with a rubber rat, but it looks too fake. Here is how you can make it look much more realistic ... by giving it realistic whiskers!
Your rubber rat may already have 'whiskers' but they look too fake. It's nice that the manufacturer would go through the trouble of molding the whiskers on their rubber rats, but they so fake that they are not scary, as shown in the picture below.
OEM Rubber Rat Whiskers look too fake
You want your rubber rat to have more realistic whiskers so it has a better chance of scaring people like a rubber rat should.
Gather up the following items so you can make a cheap rubber rat look more realistic:
Rubber rat(s) from the local dollar store
40lb fishing line
Aleene's Original Tacky Glue (This stuff stays nice and flexible when dry).
Ice pick, or very small drill
Pair of scissors.
Let's get started:
Cut the 40lb fishing line into short whisker long lengths. 40lb line is nice and thick, and stays in place well. Thinner line will just sag down over time, making your rubber rat like a tired old senior citizen of the rat world. Put the cut up 'whiskers' aside. Also, make a small dollop of the tacky glue on an old piece of paper.
Next, cut off the phony looking whiskers from the rubber rat. Carefully snip the whiskers off with the scissors.
Next, use the ice pick or small drill to make holes where the old whiskers were as shown. Warning: Never hold the rat in your hand while goring it with the ice pick. The ice pick can go through the rat, and stab your other hand, causing serious injury. Put the rat on a scrap piece of wood instead before using the ice pick on it.
Using the ice pick to make holes for the new whiskers
Move the ice pick around a little to make the hole bigger, because the soft rubber will collapse the hole once the ice pick is pulled out.
Next, take one of the fishing line whiskers, dip the end of it in the glue, and quickly insert it into the hole made by the ice pick. Allow the glue to dry.
While you have the rubber rat on its side, see if you can borrow some red fingernail polish from the misses, and touch up the fiery red eyes on your rubber rat as well.
Repeat the procedure on the other side of the rubber rat.
Warning: The modified rubber rat should not be given to young children to use as a toy or plaything. The whiskers can be pulled out, and cause a choking hazard if they are swallowed.
... Which must be why the manufacturer went through the trouble of molding the whiskers on the rat in the first place.
Here is a before and after picture of the rubber rat. Which rubber rat do you think looks more realistic?
The Rubber Rat whiskers before and after modification
Let us know how your improved rubber rat worked. Send us an email.