If you know much about Brazil, you are aware that Brazilians hotly contest the idea that the Wright Brothers invented the airplane.  They say it was a Brazilian guy named Santos Dumont. 

For his sheer inventiveness, my friend Cicero (Nice Braga's husband) gives credence to this idea.  Here are some of the machines he has invented to help the process of making puppets:

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This one is my personal favorite.  It is a machine that cuts the yarn to the specified amount necessary for a puppet's hair.  This particular machine is made out of a windshield wiper motor, a calculator, and a magnet from a door alarm.  The amount of rotations is entered into the calculator, and the motor winds the yarn.  The yarn is then removed and cut to the style required.

Absolutely amazing........................... this is so interesting. I wish I had a more scientific mind.

Billy D.

someting tells me that there's more going on between the calculator and the windshield wiper motor than Andrew is telling.  And whatever it is I think its great.  A truely wish I had the kind of technical know how to make this kind of machine.  Props to Cecero.

Brazilnut:
Do you know if Cicero's foam cutting machines use a hot wire or a thin blade to cut the foam?  Billy and I would love to more about this machine.

My own hair making machine is rather low tech compared to Cicero's.  I have a series of drawer knobs on the front of an old dresser.  I choose the length of hair I want by choosing two drawer knobs that best represent the desired length and I hand wind the yarn around the knobs until it starts to fall off.  I then tie and cut.  Cicero's, of course, is more elegant.

What is the standard length for yarn hair for most peope .......... I generally use 18" for girls and 6" for boys using this wrap method. What do you use?

Billy D.

I did design a tutorial for making a hair loom that is some where on the forum...... but works nothing like Cicero's machine.

when I make hair I take simple peace of wood or hardboard and wind it around.When it is enough I bind it cut and use it, simple but effctive

Billy:

I usually don't put yarn on the guys.  I prefer fun fur.  For girls I've wrapped knobs that are 33 inches apart.  Half that would be the length on the girl (approx 16 inches) for a large puppet, shorter (maybe 20 inches total) for small puppets.  For my fancier "human" puppets, I'm going to switch to wigs.  They look so nice.  I'm looking forward to Halloween clearance time for some good wig deals.

Fantastic machine.....thanks for sharing.

Daryl H