Hey, guys!
I got a question. Well say it, a help. I want to build a duck, and I have the head, but I can figure out how to do the beak. Does anybody know how to do it? If somebody could help me with a duck beak pattern!
I really will appreciate this help.

Thanks again

Miguel!

What head shape/pattern are you starting with?  That might help folks figure out the addition of a beak. My first thought was just to simply cut the shape of an upper and lower beak... Kind of a "U" without the middle cut out... and then make the mouth plate for it.  The back of this "U" would need to follow the curve of the head you already have and then be glued to it.

I'm using a pattern similar of the free round head with a ovalate hole in the front!

Maybe this will help  



Billy D.

Yeah, Something like that! How to make a foam beak like those?

Thanks Mr. Fuller

Miguel,

I'm not sure how to explain this idea of mine, but here goes. Cut the basic shape out of foam. Coat the sides and front with contact cement, and let it dry. Then take a piece of wire (like florist's wire) and wrap it around the side and front edges of the foam and wrap the glued edge around the wire, so that the wire is embedded around the edge of the foam.

Then you can bend and shape the wire to be similar to the shapes that Billy has illustrated in the pictures that he has posted. By making two pieces, you make an upper and lower duck bill of appropriate sizes and shapes.

I'm grateful that you posted the question. I have to build a duck puppet also, and hadn't forced myself to think about it yet. Now my head thinks it's got a head start, I just have to get my hands to catch up.  

Wao. Thanks Chris

I'm going to work on that. If more ideas, please let me know!

Here's a prototype of what I was talking about.

I also pushed the florist's wire through the foam on the back side where it would be glued to the head. That way I could shape the back of the duck's bill, and still leave a flat edge to glue to the head.



Now my drawing looks like this:


The dotted line indicates that the wire is going through the middle of the foam. I hope this makes sense.

This is good Chris, I was just fiddling about with some foam trying to figure out some kinda beak thingy, when I came across this thread. This is a really good solution. So the wire begins and ends at the same point I'm thinking, so you can 'arch' the back of the beak to suit.

In fact, I liked my prototype so much that I am getting ready to dye it and some other foam orange (my first dye job) and make the full duck bill. Then I'll build the rest of my duck puppet around it.

The wire around the foam does make it possible to create all kinds of gentle contours. The folks at Grey Seal puppets www.greysealpuppets.com (The Foam Book people) talk about putting wire around foam hands this way to make poseable hands.