Re: What tools have you made for yourself? Posted by Abdolos on Apr 11, 2010
Every little thing counts, right?
I started sewing and discovered another tool that I "built" for myself. It's this huge block of foam!:
I pin my patterns to the block to hold them still while I transfer them to the fabric. I drew on the edge of the foam so that I wouldn't carve it into puppet heads in a moment of desperation/inattention.
That's it!
I started sewing and discovered another tool that I "built" for myself. It's this huge block of foam!:
I pin my patterns to the block to hold them still while I transfer them to the fabric. I drew on the edge of the foam so that I wouldn't carve it into puppet heads in a moment of desperation/inattention.
That's it!
Re: What tools have you made for yourself? Posted by miguel on Apr 13, 2010
Thanks guys for sharing those great ideas! 
Re: What tools have you made for yourself? Posted by Abdolos on May 31, 2011
I solved another technical problem by building something to help, so I thought that I would resurrect this thread. The problem was that I wanted a shoulder joint made out of a wooden ball and a dowel. But how to drill the hole into the dowel without endangering my hands? Here's my solution, a vice designed to hold the little wooden ball for my drill press:
And somewhere in the middle of this mess is the vice at work:
And finally, here is the very snug fit I get when I use the vice:
Maybe I should start making drum sticks...
And somewhere in the middle of this mess is the vice at work:
And finally, here is the very snug fit I get when I use the vice:
Maybe I should start making drum sticks...
Re: What tools have you made for yourself? Posted by Abdolos on Oct 08, 2011
Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.
I'm sure.
It seems I never get tired of my own innovation. Here are two more tools that I've built to help me make my marionettes:
The first is a refinement on an earlier posted item, the small vice for stringing arms and legs. I decided that having only a single clamping surface made the vice awkward to work with, so I added a right angle and another screw to the whole thing. It makes it much easier to use, with a lot of space around the section being strung:
Actually, I've arranged the pieces in these photos in a less-than-optimum way, but I soon learned that it was better to have the joint bend away from the right angle of the vice. Once I get the music worked out, I should be able to post a video of the vice in use. But that's that for now.
My second invention is a simple sculpting tool I call a Wrist Spoon. Here it is:
And here it is fitted onto the end of the dowel that projects from the wrist of my marionettes:
It helps make sure that the place where the wrist meets the hand is flattened out so there is no irregular bump to get in the way of hand rotation. Of course, it needs to be used while the sculpting medium is still wet, unlike in this picture. Heh, that's two misleading pictures in one post. Well, if you can't work it out you probably didn't want to know in the first place.
We'll see what further things I invent to help me perform with these puppets. I'm pretty sure that's the last device I'll be inventing for their construction, but one never knows...
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.
I'm sure.
It seems I never get tired of my own innovation. Here are two more tools that I've built to help me make my marionettes:
The first is a refinement on an earlier posted item, the small vice for stringing arms and legs. I decided that having only a single clamping surface made the vice awkward to work with, so I added a right angle and another screw to the whole thing. It makes it much easier to use, with a lot of space around the section being strung:
Actually, I've arranged the pieces in these photos in a less-than-optimum way, but I soon learned that it was better to have the joint bend away from the right angle of the vice. Once I get the music worked out, I should be able to post a video of the vice in use. But that's that for now.
My second invention is a simple sculpting tool I call a Wrist Spoon. Here it is:
And here it is fitted onto the end of the dowel that projects from the wrist of my marionettes:
It helps make sure that the place where the wrist meets the hand is flattened out so there is no irregular bump to get in the way of hand rotation. Of course, it needs to be used while the sculpting medium is still wet, unlike in this picture. Heh, that's two misleading pictures in one post. Well, if you can't work it out you probably didn't want to know in the first place.
We'll see what further things I invent to help me perform with these puppets. I'm pretty sure that's the last device I'll be inventing for their construction, but one never knows...
Re: What tools have you made for yourself? Posted by Abdolos on Feb 03, 2012
I will not let this thread die!
Recently I had a problem with the stringing vice in my last post; I needed to hold two different sized pieces in the two parts of the vice, but because they were attached together, I couldn't do that. So here's a big improvement: The two parts of my new vice clamp separately, and there's a mechanism that allows one half to angle and shift side to side. The same mechanism allows the whole thing to fold down for transport.
I am clever.
Recently I had a problem with the stringing vice in my last post; I needed to hold two different sized pieces in the two parts of the vice, but because they were attached together, I couldn't do that. So here's a big improvement: The two parts of my new vice clamp separately, and there's a mechanism that allows one half to angle and shift side to side. The same mechanism allows the whole thing to fold down for transport.
I am clever.
Re: What tools have you made for yourself? Posted by Shawn on Feb 04, 2012
I think it is great that you are not letting this thread die! Keep it up!
You know I bet you could sell your specialized tools to other puppeteers. Not sure that you want to go that way but I bet if you took some to a puppetry convention they would be a hit!
P.S. Yes you are clever!
You know I bet you could sell your specialized tools to other puppeteers. Not sure that you want to go that way but I bet if you took some to a puppetry convention they would be a hit!
P.S. Yes you are clever!
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