I aquired a marrionette puppet someone was throwing away.It is a blue fuzzy osteritch (head body and feet)  the strings (actually it is fishing lines) are broken. All except for the head it still is attached to the cross bar. Each foot still has about 2 inches of string on it,and the body (butt area) has about 1 inch of string on it. the animal from top of head to bottom of feet is approx.40 inches.  the string on the head is 12 inches from the top of head to cross bar. I  need to know the lengths on the other 3 strings please
can anyone help wanting to have it all done befor x-mas if possible. thank you    ladyink

The two head and the butt strings should be taunt so that the bird is balanced on those three points. The leg strings should have just a little slack in them so that when you tilt the top control right and left it moves the legs up and down so it well walk. 

Hang the control from something so that it is level and the feet are off the ground.  Then attach the butt string to the back of the extension of the control.  If at that point you string the legs they would actually almost be taunt because when you operate the bird you want to lower the control just a bit so the leg are always bent at the knee. Make the knots a bit loose so you can get the loose and tie them tighter if you need and then test your puppet out.  If they seem like they need to be tightened a bit do it if not then tie the knots solid.  A heavy black button thread well be easier for you to work with then the fishing line or if you are in an area where they sell braided black nylon fishing line instead of the clear plastic line you can use that and it knots easier.

thank you so very much. I will try that in just a bit later this morning and let you know how it works out 
thanks again and have a great holiday  lady

Shawn what was the website that you get the black fishing line for stringing. I have seemed to have mis-placed it. Maybe I can get it from a sporting goods store but what type do I ask for? You mentioned braided but what weight?

Billy D.

10 - 20 lb is more then enough as a rule.  I use 20lb for heavier puppets.  Mason Tackle is the company I used to buy direct from but I don't think they have a web site any more. Black fishing line is normally used up north for fishing in dark muddy waters.  If your near a coast line it is going to be hard to find locally.

Black fishing line is normally used up north for fishing in dark muddy waters.  If your near a coast line it is going to be hard to find locally.

Brilliant deduction Shawnlock Holmes,...Never thought of that.

I bet a snow shovel in Arizona is a rare commodity..lol

mr sorrell hi
i'm still having difficulty with the stringing of my puppet. i followed your instructions yesterday just like you said. the puppet is moving about and the smaller children are loving it. but its still not in correct working order. 1st question...is the strings on the butt and head spose to be at even lengths? and the right foot constantly turns to the right almost wants to turn a full circle. and i musta missed you saying yesterday about the TWO HEAD strings cuz i've only got one attached (maybe thats why the head tends to bounce and spin out of control every so often. can you please let me know if i missed something or am doing something wrong?  hes very sloppy in his moving and somewhat uncontrollable. ( and i do understand that it takes alot of practice to control a puppet such as this but...even though its been quite a few years , i used to have one exactly like this as a kid and i was pretty darn good with it)  i appreciate any advice or anymore suggestions you might have . thank you so very much  lady

Lady, (That makes me laugh, reminds me of "Hey Lady!" that Jerry Lewis used to say)

You have the marionette strung correctly.  It might be it could use a bit of fine tuning but this type of marionette is very simple and pron to be hard to control.

The head and butt strings won't be the same length but they well be taunt.  It is not odd that there is only one head string. If you want to add perhaps a bit more control to the head you could add a string on each side of the head instead of one from the middle of the head and bring them both up to the same point on the control. You would want these two strings comeing from just above the middle balance point of the head.  The two videos below well help you understand what I mean by the last statement.
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https://youtu.be/f-KL58zcabo
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https://youtu.be/igOhUc_VDkA

In regards to the right leg turning to the right you may be able to gain a bit more control by where the string is placed on the foot/leg itself.  The same concepts of balance and placement come into play as with the head although you are only working with one string.

I picked up a thicker thread than black button at an auto reupholstery shop. It had no brand name on it but it came in a large black cone (like a serger cone)-Steve