Re: Body Puppet Refurb Posted by Shawn on Sep 21, 2010
I've used weldwood before, you are right it is much easier to find. In fact I think every Home Depot I have ever been in has it and or the 3m brand. Really for basic puppet construction, they all do pretty well.
The thing I think that most folks do not understand, is the process of using contact cement. They often coat only one surface then try to "glue" the two pieces right away. You must always coat both surfaces. You must let the contact cement get "dry". Part of the time I was working on the trees above it would be up to an hour before I got back to joining my pieces together. We where working factory style so would go down the line and cover all the joins for say two sections then go back and start putting things together. There was even one time we got ahead of ourselves on one "part" at the end of the day. Over 8 hours is a bit to long so the next morning I reactivated the dried parts with just a quick thin coat of the Barge.
Another important aspect of the process is pressure. When a cobbler uses contact cement to apply the sole to the bottom of the shoe, he uses a mallet to "hammer" the pieces together. They also have machines that have a plate that comes down and presses the two surfaces together. Both of these methods is making sure that the two surfaces of the pieces are really getting a good bond. Once you understand this concept of contact cement, you'll always get a good bond on your puppets.
Once last comment... don't forget to stir or mix your contact cement before every use. They do have components that tend to separate over time. Yes I forgot one morning to do this and it took me a couple beats to figure out why the joints where not working as well.
The thing I think that most folks do not understand, is the process of using contact cement. They often coat only one surface then try to "glue" the two pieces right away. You must always coat both surfaces. You must let the contact cement get "dry". Part of the time I was working on the trees above it would be up to an hour before I got back to joining my pieces together. We where working factory style so would go down the line and cover all the joins for say two sections then go back and start putting things together. There was even one time we got ahead of ourselves on one "part" at the end of the day. Over 8 hours is a bit to long so the next morning I reactivated the dried parts with just a quick thin coat of the Barge.
Another important aspect of the process is pressure. When a cobbler uses contact cement to apply the sole to the bottom of the shoe, he uses a mallet to "hammer" the pieces together. They also have machines that have a plate that comes down and presses the two surfaces together. Both of these methods is making sure that the two surfaces of the pieces are really getting a good bond. Once you understand this concept of contact cement, you'll always get a good bond on your puppets.
Once last comment... don't forget to stir or mix your contact cement before every use. They do have components that tend to separate over time. Yes I forgot one morning to do this and it took me a couple beats to figure out why the joints where not working as well.
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