About DC

Established in 1996, DC Design Studio has been creating props and effects for the Halloween industry ranging from simple static props to advanced animatronic creatures.

DC only uses the highest quality parts and materials in our designs and we work with our clients to best suit their needs and requirements. DC does not stop once the product is shipped. We stand behind our work and will walk through every step of setup and troubleshooting until the client is happy with the end result.

Our “Stock Designs” focus primarily on the “non-professional” haunt realm. These items bridge the gap that many people are hesitant to enter, providing easy to use, safe and reliable products that animate static props, giving them a new life and higher element of scare tactic. Most of the “Stock Designs” can be modified in one way or another or are used as a building block towards a greater and more complex design.

Our “Custom Designs” are open to imagination. Clients generally contact us with an idea and our design team runs wild with possibilities. The end result is a product that is a collaboration of the client and design teams ideas that perfectly fit a specific application.

Legal Disclaimer

By purchasing or using any information from this site, the client assumes full responsibility and liability for the products use.

DC Design Studio, LLC is not responsible nor liable for any damage or injury caused by our designs and or mechanisms. This includes but is not limited to: injury, bodily harm, property damage, and or death.

The mechanisms were designed with safety in mind, but misuse, improper setup (including proper mounting), and or
modifications made to these mechanisms is not the responsibility of DC Design Studio, LLC.

We urge you to follow the directions of each of our mechanisms and never make any modifications without
advise from our designers. Always treat the mechanisms as potential hazards, and never use nor display where
direct contact may occur.

Lastly the props (non-dc) on this website and in our book(s) have not been tested for any safety standards or regulations. Although the props are built with safety in mind, the end user of these mechanisms should use extreme caution when building as well as displaying most of the props in this site. Issues arising from use of these products, should be directed to the manufacturer, not DC Design Studio, LLC. We will be glad to help in any way by providing you with necessary contact information if we have access to it.

DC Props Ordering and Returns Instructions:

Stock Items:

Fabrication time: Generally 10 business days
Cancellation: Cancellation after fabrication has begun will result in a forfeiture of deposit or a minimum of 50% cancellation/restocking fee. This covers all design, parts, and fabrication costs that DC has incurred.

Custom Orders (non-stock items):

Fabrication time: Varies depending on prop
Cancellation: Cancellation after fabrication has begun will result in a forfeiture of deposit or a minimum of 50% cancellation/restocking fee. This covers all design, parts, and fabrication costs that DC has incurred.

Returns:

Due to the nature of the Halloween and haunted house industry, unfortunately all sales are final.

We understand that items purchased online can not be viewed in person, so before placing an order for an item you are unsure of, please contact us for more information. We will do our best to get you the info you need.

If in the case of receiving the wrong item or if the merchandise arrives damaged or in non-working order please contact us immediately. Upon our receipt of the damaged product we will repair or replace at no additional charge.

Refused orders are subject to a 25% re-stocking fee with no refund for shipping.

Prices are subject to change and customers will be notified of increases prior to shipping.

Frequently asked questions:

1. Approximately how long does it take from when I place my order until it arrives? There is a multitude of elements that may effect shipping time, but we will do our best to have your order shipped within 5-7 business days.
   
   
2. What pneumatic products do you use in your animatronics? We generally stick to SMC for our valves, flow controls, and fittings, and Bimba for cylinders, and mounting hardware.
   
   
3. Can you integrate my cylinders, valves, and pneumatic parts into your mechanisms? We generally allow for customer supplied materials, but in many cases it is cheaper and more reliable to use our new products. Modifications to designs, using customer supplied parts, requires time and may effect the build total.
   
   
4. What PSI do you recommend for your mechanisms? We design our mechanisms to operate between 30-120 PSI, but depending on the weight of your prop, you can adjust the PSI to fluctuate the speed.
   
   
5. What is the max PSI of your pneumatics? All of our products are rated up to 125-150 PSI. Larger cylinders and valves may be higher, but nothing we use is rated at less then 125 PSI.
   
   
6. What size air compressor do I need to run your mechanisms? For single props, we suggest a compressor that has a 3-5 gallon reservoir and ability to maintain a 80 PSI pressure. For multiple prop setups, 20-60 gallon compressors are suggested.
   
7. How often will my compressor turn on (cycle) during normal operation? The cycle frequency is hard to estimate since there are so many variables. Mainly the PSI pressure, number of cylinders, size of cylinders, frequency of triggering, and size of compressors storage capabilities will determine how often your compressor will turn on. It is safe to assume that if you are using multiple pneumatic mechanisms that are constantly running, your compressor will also be constantly on to supply the required pressure.
   
   
8. How many props can I run off of a 5 gallon compressor? The amount or frequency relies solely on the size of your cylinders. Each trigger dumps and fills the cylinder volume, so calculation of individual cylinders is needed to estimate volume displacement and frequency of refill.
   
   
9. Can I run your mechanisms off of C02? Yes, but we do not recommend it due to potential hazards, and added expense. If you do choose to use compressed air, consult with a professional in acquiring regulators that do not allow for over 120 PSI output.
   
   
10. Do your products have a warranty? All of our products are built to last a lifetime and are guaranteed against all mechanical failure for 90 days. The pneumatics have a 30 day warranty. If a product does break (we've never had one returned to date) we will be more then happy to repair the part at no cost. Please email us prior to returning anything to DC.
    
    
    If you have additional questions, please email us at info@dcprops.com with as much info as possible.
    DC understands that many people are unfamiliar with pneumatics, so we will be more then happy to answer any pneumatic question you may have.

1. When setting up pneumatic props, never add air until the prop is mounted securely. When adding air, first check that all tubing and fittings are mounted securely, then stand away from the prop and carefully connect the valve to the air supply.
   
2. When working with pneumatics, always start with your air pressure low and your flow controls open to a minimum then work up the pressure until you achieve the effect you are looking for. Also always disconnect the air when working on or with one of these props. You never know when the solenoid may fire and it's not going to stop for your face or body parts.
   
3. All DC Props are designed to operate between 30-120 PSI. Failure to stay within these parameters will void all product warranties, and is extremely dangerous.
   
4. To ensure a long life of pneumatic products, proper water traps/ filters/ lubricators and pneumatic oil should be used.
   
   If you use common sense and protect yourself from harmful tools and chemicals, there should be no reason that you can't have year after year of haunting enjoyment with all of your fingers.
   
   BE SAFE

DC Testimonials:

1. "If you want quality, integrity and affordability, look no further than Brent Ross. Brent delivers high quality, custom props AND a level of responsiveness rarely seen in today's business world. The man spent weeks after the delivery to make sure certain props were working properly-or that I was understanding the directions given. Having been scammed in the past by some haunt suppliers, I am very selective in who I deal with now. Brent is definitely on my "A" list. He gives 110% to everything he does!
   
   Kathryn DeSautell (aka "Mistress DeSade")
   
   
2. My Skeleton Erector from DC was the hit of my haunt in 2004, the grand finale. DC takes no shortcuts in it's engineering and construction, leaving me with nothing but confidence in it's ability to perform time and time again, safely and surely. Best of all, their customer support is second to none. No haunt should be without a pneumatic scare from DC.
   
   Mike Fox - Fox Productions
   
   
3. I found DC Prop Designs through the Howl2000 list of home and pro haunters. I purchased the torso erector around august of 2004, and it works great, the kids in the neighborhood loved it. I am just a simple home haunter and I look forward to some new products in the future. DC Prop Design is great for all HOME and PRO haunter's."

   Brandon Tucker

4. After seeing the quality and reliability of product DC produces, and taking into consideration the wear and tear a professional haunt expels onto its props, we instantly knew they were the company to tackle our "Animated Pirate" project. After discussing (briefly) what we were looking for, Brent took our ideas, blended them with a couple he had in mind, and the end result was a massive feat of mechanical genius. Our animated pirate stays concealed behind a 4' wall, then lifts to an astonishing 12' with fully articulated arms, shoulders, head, mouth and body tilt. It's awesome!!!! We highly recommend DC to any size haunt, wither a small yard haunt, or a huge professional haunt, DC can design and fabricate anything you can imagine.
   
   Karl Fields, Pirates of Emerson
   
   
5. This is a little story about how DC Props came to our rescue. I am a small-scale "haunter" and an advisor for our "Halloween Club"; a group of crafty and imaginative students who make up the "driving force" behind our
   annual, Halloween fundraiser. Now in it's sixth year, our annual haunt was almost cancelled for 2005. Our "scares" were your typical jerry-rigged pneumatic props; using the classic, modified screen door closers, or tire pumps, and washing machine solenoids. Well, for ANYONE doing a haunt, safety is THE priority. And unfortunately for us, it was determined that our favorite "effects" weren't as safe as they should be. We were disappointed, but couldn't argue with the facts. The un-grounded electronics, the "flimsy" nature of the screen door "pistons", and the likelihood of overloading a washing machine solenoid could have led to someone being injured. Sadly, by this time, Halloween was right around the corner, and we were faced with putting on a very dull, unexciting haunt. Or worse, not being able to have one at all.

   This is when I turned to DC Props.

   In desperation, I checked various Internet sites, looking for quality pneumatic mechanisms. DC Props immediately stood out. Their mechanisms were really slick! They would do everything we needed them to do, and they were surprisingly affordable! But, with Halloween so close, could they deliver in time? You bet! I discussed our needs with Brent at DC, and he worked out the PERFECT package for us. Best of all, he got everything to us with plenty of time to spare!

   Now there's hope, and we're hoping for a happy ending. DC's stuff is "top-of-the-line". Materials and craftsmanship are first rate! The mechanisms are 100% reliable, smooth, consistent and SAFE! With DC's quality materials and construction, there's no danger of blowing up a cheap plastic solenoid, or overtaxing a screen door "piston".

   Okay- so thanks to DC, we have everything we need for a high-quality, exciting haunt, that didn't cost us an arm and a leg. Whether we can pull off the haunt this year. Well, that's up to the administrators and planners. But right now, we've got the satisfaction of having some really nice, professional quality stuff. And the things we got from DC will make our haunt, this year's or next year's, the BEST ever!

   DC Props offers GREAT products, EXCELLENT service, and a willingness to work with their customers to give them exactly what they need. Hey- you could spend more money, but you can't get a better deal!

   Don S. (Teacher, Coach, Halloween FANATIC)

6. I just arrived home to find the items I ordered waiting for me on my steps. I couldn't be happier with the items or your service. I just want to thank you for the excellent service you provided me. It's refreshing to know that you are committed to your customers. I'll be sure to be back. Happy Haunting, and Thanks again.
   
   Bob H.
   

Miscellaneous Information

Awards: FEARnet.com's $50,000 America's Scariest Haunted House - 2007

Props featured live on: NBC's Today Show, New York City, NY - October 31, 2007.
FEARnet.com: Route 666 Americas Scariest Haunted Houses - 2007
HGTV's "What's with that house" October 2007 Halloween Special. - 2007
CBS5 News: Local news (television) - 2006
San Jose Mercury News: Local News (newspaper, 2 consecutive days 2007)
Mountain View Voice: Local News (newspaper, front page, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007)
Palo Alto Daily News: Local news (newspaper, front page 2006, 2007)
KMVT Community Outlook: Local News (cable television)
Los Altos Town Crier: Local News (newspaper, front page 2005)