Last year in my blog Chapter 4 of the Care and Feeding of Wireless Mics... Sweat Protection I talked about using what my crew has dubbed "the booty" for wireless mic elements to help prevent sweat outs. I thought I'd expand on this idea while I'm writing about home built mic accessories and give you all a further detailed "how to" on making them.

The mic element booty is simple to create, but it does take some time prepare. This is definitely a "do ahead" accessory.

Here are the materials you'll need:

spray fabric waterproofing/protector (like Scotch guard)

nylons (pantyhose) in a color appropriate for your mic element - the most basic style will give you the most material - and one pair (even in a small size) will go a long way

sewing thread - also in color close to your mic element

small needle

a piece of card board or foam core board

push pins or tape

scissors

The first step is preparing the nylon. Cut a rectangle from the leg of the nylon with no seams or change in material (lots of nylon brands that are control top get thicker in the upper thigh or seat - you don't want this material with more spandex or elastic, nor do you want cotton or other material that may be included to make them more like undies.)

Tack or tape the corners of your nylon to your cardboard or foam core using push pins or tape, gently stretching the nylon to keep it free of wrinkles and to open up the weave of the fabric. It doesn't need to be too taught - just stretched.

Spray the nylon with the fabric protector in light coats, letting the coats dry completely between applications. (Refer to the manufactures directions for drying time.) Be careful not to over saturate the nylon - the you don't want to make the fabric crunchy or brittle - nor completely "plug up" the weave of the fabric.

Let the fabric cure overnight after the last application. Remove the nylon from the cardboard or other backing material - if you've used tape make sure to either leave the tape on the fabric or to cut off the area UNDER the tape so any part of the fabric that isn't treated doesn't get used.

Cut the treated material into small squares - an inch to an inch and a half square for a micro element, 2 to three inches square for a larger element head.

Fold the a single square over the head of the element, gently stretching the material so it doesn't bunch or gather over the element head, gathering the material on the cable.

Sew the gathers together going full circle around the base of the element mic head, being careful not to pierce the jacket of the element with the needle, or to get the thread so tight that it cuts into the jacket. If you aren't adept with a needle, get someone who is to give you a hand with this step. (I'm a respectable hand sewer, but it there's a REAL stitcher or wig master on hand, whose willing to give me 10 or 15 minutes, I'm going to take them up on that!)

Carefully knot the thread, and trim the excess nylon away from the element head. If you have a small pair of scissors - use them. Either way, be extra careful not to damage the jacket, or worse yet lop the head off of the element like a dandelion. A headless element is hard to fix, and a pretty expensive whoops.