Good point on the lead, Nikole.  I've used lead, due to the density of the metal, for leather braiding in the past, but that was for items definitely not for child use.  Lead is also not good for adults to handle too.

There are a lot of of alternatives to lead, some of which you can form into custom shapes a lot easier as well if that's important.  Plaster and poly clay are both good choices. 

Marty

Stiqman - I'm able to get green contact cement at Home Depot.  I started using it and will probably keep using it as my primary cement simple because the odor is so much less.  It is a little more difficult to use than regular contact cement but once you get used to it it works great.  The main thing you have to remember is that when it's dry it won't stick to anything so you have to make sure to put your pieces together while their still tacky.  And when gluing cloth I've found that its better to put the pieces together while the cement is still wet and use the hair dryer to dry the cement in while the pieces are in place.

Hey Na:

I work at Hobby Lobby, a craft supply here in the U.S. and we carry most of the Crafters Pick line.  We keep it near the mosaic stuff in crafts, duh!  The company make a bunch of different glues and adhesives.  You're looking for the one called Ultimate.

Cool; I think I know exactly where to find it now. I'll have to go shopping this week and get some!

I am not sure if they make it in Australia but in Canada we can purchase a "green Contact Cement."

I haven't found green contact cement before, but then I don't often check for it. I'm going to try my local Bunnings - it's so frustrating that the AU website for them doesn't list any of their products. It would save me a trip.

I just wanted to add a note about using lead weights.  I think they work well if you are only going to use them for yourself.  If you plan on offering any of your creations up for sale, please think about using another weight.  As a mom, I would hate to find out that a toy was using lead.  I know that not all puppetry is geared for children but you don't always know the intentions of your buyers.  I use bb pellets that I picked up in the sporting section of my Walmart.

Oh, so brilliant for two reasons! One is that I hadn't thought of issues of lead and safety and you are so right! I definitely want to avoid using lead.

Secondly, I was thinking yesterday about another marionette that I was planning on making, and how to weigh down the hem of a dress. I remembered that sometimes people use sand to weigh down curtains in theatres - but of course that's messy. But on reading your post I instantly thought of plastic pellets that are used in Beany Babies. They're ideal, because they're safe and would give a little weight, and will be easier to find... I won't be buying BB gun pellets, since I doubt they are sold here. (Us Aussies not being very fond of any type of gun being sold in your average store)

Another good option to weigh down a hem would be a chain like the ball chains.  I work in a theater and the curtains are weighed down with chains in their hems.  Here is an example of what I am referring to.  They can also be found at lengths in your hardware store.



Aloha,
Nikole

Good point - I hadn't thought of that. I'll just also have to be careful about what kind of metal it is...

Very happy! Went shopping today and found some felting wool (I'm guessing this is the same as 'wefting' wool?), and I tried it on my bunraku head and it's perfect. I also found some pellets for stuffing bears and dolls, which is completely non-toxic, child healthy, etc. ($AUD6 for about 1kg)

But the real interesting thing is the glue hunt: no decent contact glue to be found either in the mosaic section at my craft store, nor at Bunnings. Good news: at the craft store, I did see a glue, called (literally) Foam Glue. I think, hmm, wonder what that's like? So I picked it up; it dries clear, it's non-toxic, works on foam... Best of all, on the right hand side of the bottle's label, it has a picture of a marionette on it... So I'm going to try it out.

Unfortunately, no Crafter's Pick to be found, or any green contact cement. But hey, Foam Glue sounds good; I'll give it a go and let you all know how well it works

(Image won't embed, please click the link below)

http://flickr.com/photos/66356835@N00/2450917495/

Try a test first, just in case it has qualities that you don't want, eg. stiffness or brittleness when you need flexibility.  You should still be able to get Crafter's Pick.  Go to crafterspick.com.  It could also be ordered through Hobby Lobby's web site, hobbylobby.com.

Marty

Yes, I'm going to test it out on some scrap foam. If that doesn't work out, I'll definitely look at ordering some Crafter's Pick... it's funny, I swear I've seen some somewhere...

I've only used the foam glue on the fun foam.  The trick to working with the glue and fun foam is to let the glue set up just a tad before pressing together otherwise you have a slippery mess.  I just let is set up until it gets a bit tacky then I press two sides together.  Again, I have not tried it on any other foam so yes, please let us know how it worked out.  Good luck!

Aloha,
Nikole

The glue seems to be working well; like you said Nikole, I found it a bit too liquidy (like watered down PVA), and had to try twice to stick the pieces together. But at least I know now. I'm letting the foam dry, but it looks like it will work out well.