I got you........like the ones they make novelty car tag plates with. That is much like the Styrene plastic I used. I ordered a roll of .060 several years back and just glued two pieces together. I was told the .80 would be to difficult to place in a roll to ship. I'll check on this product for you. The only downside to using this type plastic is that if your puppet is left in a heat environment for lengths of time it could cause some warping of the mouth plate. Thanks for clearing that up.............. i'll see if I can locate some.

Billy d.

Whatever this is, it's not corrugated.  It's 1/16 inch thick and fairly firm with some flexibility which is apparent only when you try to bend it.  Novelty car tag plates sounds like the kind of material.

@Puppetlady I personally love Puppet Producions puppets a lot more than the OWS puppets [EXCLUDING the blacklight puppets they sell] PP's puppets have so much more personality and look so much more professional the OWS plus they have great prices.

And this pattern looks almost exactly like one I have now that I see the puppet taken apart, I love having a foam plate over the mouth plate, or at least a thumb cup, it provides a better grip for performance.

I don't know about memory for 1 inch foam but it does have a lot more stability than half inch, cutting 1 in. foam is difficult though. Since 1/2" is too thin and 1" is too thick I usually go for 3/4" I usually find its just right.

And hey didja see the ministry team? =D


@Billy And sentra is plastic signboard, I'm not sure whether it's corrugated or not though but I think it is corrugated. I prefer using gatorboard over foamcore though, its a lot more durable and sturdier. I'm looking into trying flexible mouthplates though.

Here is what I'm talking about.......... Styrene plastic............ the higher the number the thicker it gets. I used .060 and it had to much bend but the .080 is firm with very little give.

http://stores.ebay.com/DetailModelersSupply_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ0QQftidZ2QQtZkm

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=76&product%5Fid=3008&cookie%5Ftest=1

http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Styrene_Hi_Impact

I bought mine local but will buy from US Plastics next time.

Billy D.

Update :

Might as well add what gatorboard is.........

http://artsupply.com/foamcore/gatorboard.htm

Here is sentra
http://artsupply.com/foamcore/sintraboard.htm

I use Sentra plastic for most mouth plates.  It is very sturdy, glue and tape will grip great to it.  I get mine at a Plastic shop, specialty shop that sells products in....you guess it....plastic.  Check your yellow pages for finding such stores you may be surprised about finding a place you never new about.  It is not corrugated and it is the strong but thin and light weight.  I cut it with a Bandsaw however I am sure you can use a Dremel tool attachment that will cut it.  Not hard to cut but when you want a nice curve for a mouth plate you really couldn't use a hand saw unless you have a certain talent beyond the average folk. I bought a BIG sheet of it and they will cut it down at the store in whatever sizes you want.  I know I was also allowed to buy as much or as little as I need at a time.  I just like it on hand so I make less trips getting material and wasting gas and time.

You can attach the straps with studs to really enforce them.  That is why I love the Sentra Plastic over many other materials.  Leather and gasket rubber are other great materials that give you the ability to make the mouth more flexible unlike the plastic. 

I use 3/4 inch foam (the same thickness they say in Armslength production DVD)and I have no problems with it, not to thick and not to thin just right, but others may disagree. 

Daryl H

I checked out the sign shop in my area.  They gave me a scrap for free!  It's spelled "sintra" and is measured in mm thicknesses.

Thanks for this Pam. the pictures were great. I find the insides of puppets fascinating just seeing how they're made. I'm sure all puppet makers have taken puppets apart and borrowed little bits of what they like from a variety of puppets to come up with their own design!

I use rigid plastic for the mouth - 1.5mm thick which I think is similar to sintra. I did use foam core (called foam board in the UK) but didn't feel it worked well with contact cement when gluing the mouth lining on.

I get so jealous of everyone in America - sourcing your puppet materials just seems so much easier than here in the UK!

Helen

Hi Guys and gals,
Long time no post.
Sintra is foamed PVC sheet and it is used in sign shops as well as movie prop and model shops. Be carefull when cutting it with a power saw or drenel moto tool, If it starts to melt when cutting it it will give off a toxic gas. But if your just using a hand saw or coping saw then you will be fine. You can find it in most plastic shops as well as some picture framing shops.

Hope this helps,

Mike
propologist

I have not had any concerns about it melting when cutting it in my bandsaw, make sure you have a fine tooth blade in the machine (these fine tooth blades you will have to buy separately since the machines usually come with the larger size ones).  I have not cut it with a Dremel it was my only other thought for people who may not be able to get a bandsaw in there homes. 

Thanks Mike for keeping us thinking about safety when using this product. 

Daryl H

I found a tool at the local walmart that cuts plastic, rubber, tin, for less than 1o dollars. it looks like any other pair of tin-snips but works great on the plastic for mouths.