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How to make your own Deadmau5 Mau5head!

by PastaNoodles on October 5, 2009 Table of Contents License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: How to make your own Deadmau5 Mau5head! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Mapping everything out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Eyes and ears part 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Cutting the ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Wrapping the head in felt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 6: Mouth piece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 7: Eyes and ears part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 8: Hardhat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 9: Finished! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 6 8 8 8 8

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) Intro: How to make your own Deadmau5 Mau5head!
Love Deadmau5? Enjoy house music? Want to go to raves in style? Deadmau5's iconic Mau5head would surely turn some heads. I decided to go with the original red Mau5head, but you can choose any color your heart desires.

step 1: Materials
Things you'll need: - 13" hamster ball - A yard of red felt - Hardhat - White silk (make sure you can see through it) - 6 sheets of stick on red felt - 2 12" 3mm BIRCH BALTIC wood plates (NOT BALSA) - Hard styrofoam ball - Steel mesh - Dremel rotary tool with cutting wheel - Safety glasses - Hot Glue Gun with sticks - Spray on Tacky glue - Regular Tacky glue - Duct Tape - Masking Tape - Sandpaper - Cutting Board - Hobby knife - fabric scissors - Philips screwdriver - Paper - Dark colored sharpie - Compass

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

Image Notes 1. only a fraction of the materials!

step 2: Mapping everything out

Take out one of the panels of the ball so it won't roll away from you (don't throw away the panel, you'll need it later). Take two sheets of paper and sketch out a the shape of the mouth. take your styrofoam ball and slice it in half. Take your two plates of birch baltic wood and slide them in two the holes of the ball. tape everything with masking tape and predict how everything will turn out. The top of mouth should be at the equator of the ball and it should be spread side to side.

step 3: Eyes and ears part 1

Take your compass and make 12" circles on your birch baltic wood. Take your Dremel and cut out them out. Sand the edges to avoid splinters. These will be your ears. Now take your stick on felt and start applying it on the ears. Take your hobby knife and cut off the excess felt. An ear uses up 3 sheets of felt. Make sure you cut on a cutting board so you don't ruin any surfaces. Now take a piece of sandpaper and start concaving the insides of eyes until it sits flush on the surface of the ball. Do this process outside because it gets really messy.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

step 4: Cutting the ball

Use your screw driver to disassemble the ball. Trace the paper mouth on to the plastic. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should give you the general idea. Now use masking tape to trace the drawn line. The masking tape will ensure you a straight line. Put on you safety glasses and use the Dremel to make the hole for your head bigger (make sure you don't cut too much or you'll cut into the part that holds the bottom of the mouth). Once your head will fit through the hole, begin cutting out the mouth. Take your top half and widen the slots where you ears will go (the felt will make the birch baltic wood ears thicker). smooth out any rough spurs with sand paper. Once the mouth is cleanly cut, reinforce the other panel and mouth area with duct tape. When satisfied, reassemble the ball. Take the eyes and ears and check if everything fits perfect before moving on.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

step 5: Wrapping the head in felt

Lightly sand your head so the glue can stick to the surface. Use your fabric scissors to cut large strips of felt that would cover large portions of the head without crinkling. Spray on some Tacky glue an stretch the fabric nice and tight. Cut the excess felt leaving an inch of extra felt. Make cuts in the excess felt. start folding and gluing the felt inside your head. Make slits on the sides for the ears to fit.

step 6: Mouth piece

Cut out a piece of silk and steel mesh. Make sure both are big enough to cover the inside of the mouth. Hot glue the silk to the steel mesh. Adjust the mesh until it fits perfectly. When the mesh properly fitted, hot glue it into place. Trim the excess silk inside the head.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

step 7: Eyes and ears part 2

Place the ears inside the slots. From the Inside, hot glue the ears into place. Reinforce the ears with duct tape. Glue the eyes with regular Tacky glue into place. Apply a generous amount of glue.

step 8: Hardhat
Trim your hardhat as much as possible. try not to trim off the mounts that hold the head brace or else you're going to need a new hard hat. Once you have trim your hardhat, take the panel from the ball that you have not used. Trim the panel until you can trace the finger slots. trace the Shape of the finger slots with a sharpie and cut it out with your dremel. make sure the finger slots are in the top of the hardhat( there's a "dot" from the plastic molding right in the center of the hardhat and the panel, match those up, and you'll have it perfectly on top). Fit the hardhat in the head and apply lots of hot glue. To be safe, I put duct tape over it for a stronger bond.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

step 9: Finished!
Now you're ready for raves and what not. Have fun and be safe! OPTIONAL STEP: You can choose to put in LEDs to light up the eyes. Simply drill small holes into the head where the eyes should be BEFORE gluing on the eyes. Run the wires between the hardhat and either mount the battery pack inside the head or have long wires and run it down your shirt. I personally like running down your shirt so you can turn the LEDs on and off from your pocket.

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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 234 comments

bobby994 says:
what did u use to cut the hamster ball and how much did the supplies caust all together?? plz and thank u

Sep 30, 2010. 5:27 PM REPLY

Jackson4521 says:

Sep 30, 2010. 6:51 PM REPLY Well, I used a Rotary Tool (not a dremel...a bit expensive, but I used the dremel blades). I found mine at "Fry's Electronics" for about 39.99. Which is worth it if you do a lot of DIY.

thatchubbyguy says:
gonna be a dumb question but i cant get the shape of the mouth right

Sep 28, 2010. 6:44 PM REPLY

hotshotchowfun says:

Sep 30, 2010. 12:45 PM REPLY wraps from one side of ball to the other, starts at 40 degrees, runs at equator to about a half to full inch from bottom of mask

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

laurieann says:

Jul 15, 2010. 4:54 PM REPLY Hey! Thanks for the tutorial. I'm in the process of making this for my boyfriend for his birthday. He's the one that got me into Deadmau5 in the first place : ) Here's what I've got so far. Haven't put in the mouth yet though. I also cut the mouth a little too big so I'm gonna get something to brace the lower "jaw"

leonandkobe says:
I like yours a lot. Here is the one I am almost finished with. Flashing LEDs under the eyes.

Sep 30, 2010. 9:41 AM REPLY

kamikaze33 says:

Sep 29, 2010. 9:57 PM REPLY props! thats pretty sick i love the x's! i plan on doing something similar with mine but i have a circuit that alternates red/blue/green leds and they respond to audio input (gunna try and rig a mic up to it so itll work in clubs) so im gunna put those in my eyes. hopefully itll turn out as good as yours!

laurieann says:

Sep 29, 2010. 10:52 PM REPLY Very cool :) I thought about doing audio input but honestly just didn't have the money :[ let me know how it comes out!

pastamobsta says:

Sep 29, 2010. 6:38 PM REPLY yours is reaaally nice. i see you didn't use the styrofoam balls for the eys, and you made especially nice ones. what exactly did you use for them? thanks in advance

laurieann says:

Sep 29, 2010. 8:22 PM REPLY Thank you :D Reposted from earlier: "It's the covers out of two push button lights like the other guy did. I glued them on first though, and felted around them. For the Xs, I cut pieces of duct tape and stuck them on the inside. The lighter color on the underside makes sure that you can't see them when the lights are off. The lights are two high power LEDs powered from a 9V."

Jackson4521 says:

Sep 26, 2010. 1:26 AM REPLY Hey, great idea. It inspired me to take some old weak strobe lights...cut them out of the holding and out them inside the "Hard styrofoam ball". It works great

laurieann says:
awesome :) glad to hear it

Sep 26, 2010. 9:47 AM REPLY

aaronlee says:
do you think you could put in the tap lights whole? or can you only put the dome covering of it on and have it still work?

Sep 24, 2010. 8:32 AM REPLY

laurieann says:

Sep 24, 2010. 10:44 AM REPLY You can put them in whole if you just want the original light bulb. I wanted red LEDs though and liked the look with just the cover. If you want a different bulb too, I would suggest just using the cover because the light won't shine through, and it would probably be difficult to wire up the new bulb inside

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

aaronlee says:
thanks! that helps

Sep 24, 2010. 3:52 PM REPLY

itgmaster098 says:
Hey i was wondering where did u get ur eyes ???

Aug 20, 2010. 5:07 PM REPLY

laurieann says:
Check out the comments below

Aug 20, 2010. 10:25 PM REPLY

itgmaster098 says:
Oh isee but like where did u buy them ?

Aug 23, 2010. 5:47 PM REPLY

laurieann says:
I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for $8, but they're cheaper online

Aug 23, 2010. 8:02 PM REPLY

itgmaster098 says:

Aug 26, 2010. 11:42 AM REPLY Oh i see hey i dont know if you want to but is it possible that u could make another mau5head ( the same one u have ) and ill pay for it ?

laurieann says:

Aug 26, 2010. 3:43 PM REPLY Not sure. How much are you willing to pay and when would you need it by? I'm about to start working on a Daft Punk costume, so I probably wouldn't be able to start on it immediately.

itgmaster098 says:

Aug 27, 2010. 12:56 PM REPLY well ill be willing to pay about 50 dollars for it and i need it b4 april so thats a long time from now haha but yeah i also need to know how ur going to make it cause im not sure but did u do step by step by the tutorial or did u kind of freelance it ?

laurieann says:

Aug 27, 2010. 8:34 PM REPLY There's no way. The materials alone cost more than 50. I followed the tutorial mostly and added my own touches.

itgmaster098 says:

Aug 27, 2010. 9:56 PM REPLY Hmm i see sorry about that ive done a little research on the prices of the items and its is over 50 dollars haha how much in total (if u remember) did u spend to make the mau5head? considering that u still have the hot glue gun, screwdriver, and scissors or whatever u have used to cut the felts and to glue the items on the head.

laurieann says:
I had those materials already, actually. I'd say I spent about $80 on materials.

Aug 28, 2010. 12:22 PM REPLY

itgmaster098 says:

Aug 28, 2010. 7:16 PM REPLY Oh i see hmmm ill pay u 90 if thats ok and i might pay the shipping and handling also but it depends where u live

laurieann says:

Aug 28, 2010. 8:41 PM REPLY So you'd be paying me 10 bucks essentially? No offense, but that offer is insulting . I'm looking for at least 200, if not 250. I don't think you realize how much work went into that. Do more research. You'll see I'm right.

itgmaster098 says:

Aug 28, 2010. 9:12 PM REPLY Haha yeah sorry about that 200 or 250 is little bit too much trust me. ill be willing to pay u 150 at most cause i really short on money :( But yeah i mean $80+ hardwork doesnt equal up to 200-250 dollars :o. Deadmau5 once sold one of his heads for about 300 and i know your homemade mau5head isnt really up there but dont get me wrong i loved how u made it. But yeah sorry for the inconvenience but 150 is the highest i can go i really hope u would accept :D

laurieann says:

Aug 29, 2010. 4:19 PM REPLY Most of the ones of similar quality to mine have been selling for around that much. 250 is a little high, but you do have to understand that to make it well, it takes time. I'd say it took me around 10 - 15 hours. At ~$10 bucks an hour for labor plus materials, you're looking at at least $200. Plus, the one I made was the first go-around. The next one would likely be more refined. I'd like to see info about deadmau5 selling his original head if you've got it. I don't have time to start on it now anyway, so I'll think about it and let you know in a couple months if I

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

have some time on my hands.

boots753 says:

Sep 16, 2010. 11:37 PM REPLY I didn't see this thread before I posted the comment about being a potential customer haha... I'm willing to pay as much as this itgmaster098 guy. MAX: 160 at the most. Message me/comment back if we can work out some sort of deal. Thanks!

itgmaster098 says:
Ur an a-hole lol i really need this for a convention im going to :(

Sep 17, 2010. 6:49 AM REPLY

hotshotchowfun says:

Sep 22, 2010. 6:04 PM REPLY how about u just make ur own?, im making mine in a dorm room at the culinary institute of america... all i hav are knives. can anyone say "For Lack of Power-tools"

itgmaster098 says:
For Lack of Power-tools

Sep 22, 2010. 6:44 PM REPLY

hotshotchowfun says:

Sep 24, 2010. 8:11 PM REPLY also itgmaster098, if u hav all the supplies in front of you, substituting styro for wood, this shouldnt take you 15 hours to build, hahaha laurieann did a great job but if that was 15 hours.... we hav thumbs for a reason hahaha, the ears (cutting the circles and felt, and glueing took no more than an hour with a pocket knife. i also was a robotics engineer in high school nbd.... itgmaster098, wat im trying to say is its really easy to make.

laurieann says:

Sep 24, 2010. 11:03 PM REPLY I said 10-15, and a lot of that time was spent figuring out alternative methods to cut everything and wiring up the LEDs. The dremel couldn't cut the wood and kept burning it, for example, so I had to get my dad to use his rotary saw. This was my first time attempting to build anything like this, so the extra time was spent to make it right. A lot of the methods and tools in the instructable ended up not working for me, so I spent a lot of time finding alternatives. True, if you followed it exactly, it wouldn't take that long. I didn't, however, and spent the extra time planning.

hotshotchowfun says:
MISE EN PLACE, look it up

Sep 25, 2010. 1:30 PM REPLY

laurieann says:

Sep 29, 2010. 8:18 PM REPLY Try again. I had everything purchased and ready to go when I started. AS I ALREADY SAID, some things ended up not working for me.

hotshotchowfun says:

Sep 24, 2010. 8:06 PM REPLY lol and i had to use the styro-poster board material we all used in middle school for the ears, cuz knives dont cut wood Sep 19, 2010. 7:58 PM REPLY

Cerafem says:
lolol

This is instructables, man. Not an online auction. We are offering knowledge, not goods or any kind of service other than instruction. Try out some cheaper projects, get the feel for this kind of thing, work your way to the advanced stuff, but don't get upset and call names. Let's all try to be adults here.

itgmaster098 says:
Wth where did this guy come from lmfao

Sep 20, 2010. 3:38 PM REPLY

Cerafem says:
just a concerned citizen.

Sep 20, 2010. 4:18 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/

laurieann says:

Sep 19, 2010. 9:25 PM REPLY exactly. That's why I suggested they pm me instead of making this instructable their own personal ebay.

laurieann says:

Sep 17, 2010. 1:29 PM REPLY @ boots753: I didn't say I would make it for that little. In fact, I agree with itgmaster. That was a separate discussion I had with him. All offers should be directed to my mailbox. Don't flood the thread with this 1-up BS.

andrew8771 says:
sick nice job but can you see while wearing it?

Jul 30, 2010. 1:01 PM REPLY

laurieann says:
thank you : ] yup! I might take out the plastic screen to increase the visibility though. The black cloth works wonderfully

Jul 30, 2010. 7:50 PM REPLY

laurieann says:
All done! I liked the idea of a black mouth better, so I used plastic screening and cloth. I think it looks pretty badass : )

Jul 19, 2010. 1:55 AM REPLY

boots753 says:
Laurieann, is there any chance that you could make one and sell it? I will be your first customer. :D

Sep 16, 2010. 11:31 PM REPLY

MsTine says:

Jul 26, 2010. 4:14 PM REPLY DUUUDE DATS AWESOME!!! i was going to make one for my bf bday too!! July 19!! i got all the stuff like a few weeks before but lagged on making it.. lol but dat looks suuper awesome duudE!! Mad PropS!!!

ssun says:
i love the eyes. what did you use??

Jul 20, 2010. 5:31 PM REPLY

laurieann says:

Jul 20, 2010. 7:18 PM REPLY Thanks! It's the covers out of two push button lights like the other guy did. I glued them on first though, and felted around them. For the Xs, I cut pieces of duct tape and stuck them on the inside. The lighter color on the underside makes sure that you can't see them when the lights are off. The lights are two high power LEDs powered from a 9V.

view all 234 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Deadmau5-Mau5head/