Appreciation post: Found a perfect prop at a yard sale for a dollar

I was driving around my neighborhood last Saturday and saw a yard sale sign. I almost didn't stop, but I'm glad I did. I found this old, weird looking brass lamp base. It was dusty and had a chip in it, but I saw it and immediately thought 'that's the exact shape for the communicator device from my favorite sci-fi show.' The lady running the sale just wanted a dollar for it. I took it home, cleaned it up, and spray painted it with some metallic silver paint I had left over from another project. I glued on some buttons made from bottle caps and now it looks spot on. It's crazy how something someone else sees as junk can be the perfect piece for a costume. What's the best random find you've ever turned into a cosplay prop?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisak142mo ago

My buddy Dave found a broken vacuum cleaner hose at a dumpster behind his apartment. It was that old, ribbed kind. He cut a piece off, painted it black, and strapped it to his arm with some belts. It looked exactly like a space marine's power fist tubing from that game he loves. He spent maybe two bucks on spray paint and the rest was trash. The costume won a small prize at a local con, which was hilarious. He still has it in his closet.

the_ray2mo ago

Man, that reminds me of the time I found a busted plastic salad bowl at a thrift store. It was this awful pea green color, but the shape was just right. I cut a hole in the bottom, glued in some cheap bike light lenses, and strapped it to my chest with bungee cords. It became the main power unit for a really janky robot costume. The whole thing cost less than a fast food meal and people at the party loved it. There's something special about building from pure junk.

lilyfisher27d ago

Yeah, I used to think you needed to buy all that expensive cosplay gear to make something worth wearing. But reading stories like this really flipped my thinking. It's way more impressive when someone can take a trash bin find and turn it into something that actually looks cool.