How to Fix a Broken 12 Ft Skeleton Arm (Home Depot Skelly Repair)

If the arm on your 12 ft skeleton has gone limp or come apart, the plastic clip at the joint has almost certainly broken. The fix is to replace that plastic clip with a billet aluminum one. It bolts on the same way the factory clip does, so no cutting or drilling is needed.

Why does the 12 ft skeleton's arm break?

The joints are held together by plastic clips. They are strong enough for normal handling, but they are brittle, and the usual cause of failure is the skeleton falling over — wind, a knocked stand, or a bad landing during setup or takedown. The clip takes the impact and cracks.

Once a clip goes, the arm either hangs loose or separates at the joint entirely.

Can you glue or tape it back together?

You can, but it will not last. The clip is a load-bearing part holding up a heavy arm on a 12 foot figure, and glued plastic tends to fail again at the same point — often the next time the skeleton goes up or comes down. Tape and zip ties have the same problem: they hold the arm on, but they do not restore the joint.

If you want it fixed once rather than every October, replace the clip with metal.

How does the billet replacement work?

The billet inserts are machined from 6061 aluminum and bolt on the same way the factory clip does. The bolt spacing is different from stock, which gives a better place to grab and a stronger hold on the joint.

Because they are aluminum rather than moulded plastic, they do not go brittle with age or crack from an impact.

How hard is the install?

Straightforward. The billet inserts are made to match the plastic ones they replace — same shape, same job — so once the broken clip is out, it is obvious how the new one goes in.

Which joints can you replace?

• Elbow inserts — sold as a pair, left and right arm
• Neck insert — for when the head will not stay where you pose it

The neck is the other common failure point, for the same reason: it is plastic, and it takes the load when the skeleton goes over.

Do they fit every version of the 12 ft skeleton?

As far as we have seen, the joints have not changed between versions — the parts are the same. We machine ours to match the factory clip, so if you can see the plastic clip in your skeleton, ours goes in its place. If you are unsure which version you have, send us a photo at info@jdlmfg.com and we will tell you before you order.

Will they survive storage and re-posing?

That is the point of them. Aluminum does not fatigue the way plastic does, so the joints hold up to being taken apart, boxed, stored and put back up season after season.