Brittany asked
I found this old mannequin with legs and a head and, as an aspiring designer, I decided to recycle it. So I cut the head and legs off and got what you see in the picture. It’s some kind of hard plastic, possibly fiber glass (can’t say for sure). But I need a kind of base/stand so I can work with it. Any ideas?
DIY Answer Guy
Hi Brittany, Excellent find. What will you make of it? Anyway, about securing it to a base, is the inside hard or foam? I’ll need to know that then I can tell you how to secure it to a base. Let me know.
Brittany
Thanks, Mr. Larry!I’m trying to make a torso mannequin like fashion designers use, but I need it to stand up tall so I can work with it. The inside is hard and the overall object is kind of heavy. I believe it might be a type of fiberglass (usually what mannequins of this kind are made out of says wikipedia).
Trying to make a Jersey Dress Form
DIY Answer Guy
Brittany,Thanks for getting back to me. Here’s an idea for you.
First, using 1/2″-3/4″ thick plywood, cut a piece to the width and depth of the the base of the torso.
Next, to make a post, cut a piece of 4×4 (or use 2, 2×4’s screwed together) to the height you want to raise the torso off the floor.
Now, for the base, cut another piece of plywood to a 18″ square.
Assemble the above pieces in this order;
Screw the first piece of plywood (the one as wide as the base of the torso) to one end of the 4×4.
Screw the 18″ square piece of plywood to the other end of the 4×4.
Apply a generous amount of construction adhesive to the first piece of plywood, set the torso on the adhesive. Then use 3″ drywall screws to screw up through the plywood into the torso. That should provide you with a stable base to work with the torso. If needed, you can weight the base with whatever you have around, or fill a couple of bags or socks with sand for weights.
If this is going to be on display, you can just velcro a skirt, pants or other nice piece of material to the bottom of the torso.
Let me know if you have another idea or questions, and let me know how your project turns out.
Thanks for the fun.