Hey Nicole:

I think mine is pretty fresh.  I work at Hobby Lobby and of course I take advantage of my discount.  The craft materials person says that it sells pretty well and that she has to reorder on a regular basis.

My test piece is drying pretty quickly.  Once dry I'll sand it a little and carve it some to see what it will do when dry.

Marty

Shawn:

I found the e-mail message from Albrecht Roser.  The web site for the other German marionette company is  www.pendel-marionetten.de.  The book is listed on the site.

Marty

I told you I was getting old... I just looked at those videos the other day. 

Any hoo, yep you can do what she speaks of with an airplane if you want. In fact although I normally use a "peg" on the front of the control to hold my arm and leg bars I have in the past used a hook like is used on the "paddle" arm bar.  The secret to all this is in the three point stringing and the balance of everything. 

I can often spend as much or more time stringing a puppet as I do on the other steps.  Very few of my strings are "embedded" into the puppet in a permanent manner.  I may add the shoulder strings as I build the marionette but that is about it.  Remember the long teddy bear needles that  Nikole mentioned in another post?  Get some!  When stringing I put a knot in the end and then run a small piece of felt to the end of the string and hot glue it around the knot.  This helps to keep the knot from pulling through the location where you are inserting the string.  Lets say for example I am working on the leg of the puppet.  I would insert the needle behind the knee from the back and then out the front right above the knee.  I shoot for the "middle' of the leg on first try.  Then I pull the string through till the felt knot hits the back of the leg.  Now I play with it.  I try to see how the leg is going to lift.  If for some reason the balance is a bit off it may turn the leg out or in which may not be what I want, or is it    could be you want the puppet to walk pigeon toed.

Thanks Shawn:

So far, I've done the same thing with airplane controls, i.e using a peg to hold the leg and/or arm bar.  I also tend to be hardware oriented, so I'm using screw eyes for attachment points.  I assume that where you are using the teddy bear needles to pierce leather, cloth or other soft construction?  I also recall your talking (at least I think it was you) in another thread about stringing a head with a teddy bear needle, just going all the way through a hollow head with a continuous line and then anchoring it so the thread doesn't slip through.

I am also a leather worker and have an all leather marionette planned that this stringing technique will be ideal for.  I'll let you know.   I have a marionette that I converted from a Christmas mantel decoration that I did string by sewing through.  It worked well and I used beads on the ends of the lines to prevent pull through.

I don't know how long the teddy bear needles are, but I have some long needles that are props for magic tricks.  One is about 5" long and is an upholsters needle for doing buttons on padded chair backs.  The other is for the needle through the balloon.  It's about 18" long and is sold by Loftus magic.  Most magic stores should be able to supply the trick with needle included.  The other should be available and in various lengths from any upholsterers supply.

More specifically on the German controls Emily Decola shows in her vids, I'm talking about the control for Chicca which has the arm control bar with the wire loops.  It also has a long curved wire at the back that allows the puppet to fly.  The other is shown with Rufus.  It has the pivoting control and appears to be connected to his shoulders and hips.  When worked it causes him to scrunch down in the shoulders.  Not much more is discernible about these controls because of the length and resolution of the vids. 

My paper clay test piece is dry this AM and I like the results of the material. It is very light and I can see how it will be very useful.

Later,

Marty

P.S.  Did you know that Walter Pigeon was pigeon toed?  Strange but true!

may be a dom question but what kind of material is paper clay. I don't know it so far I know not used here in Holland. I know paper manche what is the different, how does it work.................

Paper clay is a commercial product.  It is composed of wood or paper pule, water, volcanic ash and starch.  It can be used like other clay preparations, air dries and is very light.  It can be sanded and takes most paints  It can be used with other materials/techniques like paper mache.

Marty

Oops, that should have been paper pulp not paper pule.

Marty

work its the same as childerens play clay or normal clay