File puptcrit/puptcrit.0804, message 359


From: Widerman-AT-aol.com
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:24:12 EDT
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] string a marionette


I would just like to concur with Fred and add a few things, including a few  
tricks of the trade. I enjoyed Fred's description of mitered finger joints,  
which I have had some success with. I am shocked that he describes himself as  
not being a good woodcarver. I have seen your work, Fred!  As an organist I  
am obligated to mention that mitering is a last resort employed to cramp  pipe 
organ pipes into spaces that are too small for the full length of the pipe.  
Good organ builders avoid mitered pipes.
 
There is no rule for a pick up point for a string. I am assuming Rolande is  
asking about placement of strings on other parts of the marionette in addition 
 to the shoulders. Leg string placements are particularly tricky for getting  
a good walk. Also, pick up points will vary with the type of control being 
used,  and any specialty strings can't be generalized. Studying some of Bil 
Baird's  marionettes closely, I was fascinated to find abandoned drill holes where 
Bil  had apparently experimented with different pick up points. Many of these 
were in  the hands. Perhaps he changed them to get different movements? I am 
also  surprised he didn't try to conceal unused drill holes. Anyway, the point 
is that  trial-and-error is the best method, with experience being the guide.
 
I agree with Fred that just a slight change of placement of the string can  
make a big difference. Also, I meticulously adjust the lengths of strings,  
sometimes by tiny increments. until everything feels right after all the  strings 
are attached.
 
Stringing, for me, always takes much longer than I anticipate. It sometimes  
takes me a full day to string a human figure marionette and fine tune  
everything. This means bringing the strings through the fabric of the costume in  
just the right place. There are lots of little tricks. I put a small patch  of 
duct tape on the inside of the costume where the string comes through. This  
stops the string from enlarging the hole in the costume over time from constant  
wear. I use very small needle-size drill bits for drilling holes where strings 
 pass through. I hate when I see giant holes drilled for a string.  
Moving-mouth and blinking-eye strings can usually be tied as slip knots outside  the 
head and then slipped down into the head. I use fat knots and slip knots a  lot, 
and other specialized knots where needed. (Reference your  Scouting manual.) 
I never use pliers to turn in a screw eye that will have  a string through it 
or tied to it. This creates a burr that will cause the  string to wear out and 
break. Instead, I use an awl to make a starter hole in  the wood, and start 
the screw eye by hand, and then put the awl or a short  length of hanger wire 
through the eye to use as a crank to turn it into the  wood. A favorite 
home-made tool is an extra long version of a needle  threader for bringing strings 
through small drill holes. I always use hardwood  for my controls, never pine. A 
razor saw slit cut into hardwood will  hold a string that can be adjusted 
easily, then wrap the excess around the  control. Controls should provide a way 
of hanging the marionette for easy access  and quick re-hanging during a 
performance. I use a #3 or #4 Bulldog clamp for  the leg bar to avoid dropped leg 
bars.
 
Is this helpful to anyone?
 
      -Steven->
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 4/24/2008 11:23:04 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
Angusson-AT-aol.com writes:

Dear  Rolande:

FWIW: I will go in reverse order, since the stringing (pick up  point) may be 
the most involved answer.

> Three  questions:
> 
3. How can you connect two pieces of doweling end to  end -- sturdy 
enough so they become a single piece....?

I join  dowel all the time....
I build my marionette hands of segmented, carved  pieces of maple or birch 
dowel. Since I am not a good woodcarver, I find  this method to give me what 
I 
want. It may seem a tedious process, but for  me, it's worth it. I will be 
happy 
to send pics of finished hands on  request. But, to the point.....

I use two methods,  depending.   End to end gluing just won't do it -read on.

If  one has SUFFICIENT gluing surface glue alone will work.
The simplest is to  TAPER the end of the dowel back from the cut end for an 
inch or more on  each piece. The trick is to keep the angle of the taper 
exactly 
the same  on each piece so that when the pieces are put together, the 
(visual) 
LINE  of the dowel is not broken. Obviously, the greater the angle, the 
longer  
the taper, and thus more gluing surface. 
I sometimes cut the rough  angle on a bandsaw and then sand it smooth against 
a piece of sandpaper.  
I place (and sometimes glue) a sheet of sandpaper onto a FLAT surface to  get 
good results. If you 
have a steady hand and some patience, this  will work just fine. Another 
trick 
is to use a simple JIG of some sort to  hold the dowel piece at a consistant 
angle. One has to work  carefully.   A bench disc/belt sander speeds things 
up.  
Obviously, gluing tapered surfaces together presents a few problems. Once  
wet 
with glue, the sides tend to slip away from each other. One can drill  a tiny 
hole through both DRY pieces while holding the two pieces together.  A small 
brad or nail will keep the pieces from slipping. There are other  ways. 
Invent!

The other method which seems to be (relatively)  indestructable is to SPLINE 
the joint. (The spline being a thin piece of  hardwood.) The spline is placed 
into a SLOT cut at the center of each  piece of a dowel.   I use a band saw 
and 
simple jig to keep the  slot cuts parallel and consistant.   
A good hand saw would also  do the trick. One should clamp the pieces in a 
vise, if possible. Be  careful!

I sometimes use birch tongue depressors as the spline  material. The GRAIN of 
the spline MUST be perpendicular to the END CUT of  the dowel for strength. 
The 
width of the slot cut depends on the spline  material width.   A snug fit is 
best. The glue will swell the  wood slightly so work fast.
The spline is cut to length, depending on the  slot length, glued and 
inserted. I always put glue on ALL surfaces that  mate. With yellow 
carpenter's glue, I 
usually just hold the pieces  together for a minute and then carefully place 
them on the bench for  curing. Believe me, in three or four minutes, it's 
really 
difficult to  pull the joint apart. So do a dry fit first....

2. How does one find  the actual CENTER of a circle (when drilling 
dowels, for  example)...

I have found that most dowels are NOT true rounds.  Especially those made of 
softer woods. So one has to check...
I use two  methods. One is similar to Caro's method, only I use a plastic 
device made  for the same purpose found at most GOOD woodworking stores.   It 
 
allows a dowel of any size to ride into the apex of a right angle 'V'  which 
is made 
up of two 'walls' of plastic molded onto a flat piece. There  is an open side 
in the flat which is the GUIDE for your pencil mark. Make  the mark and turn 
the jig 90 degrees and repeat. You have your  center.

I sometimes use a draughtman's 'compass' set to half the  diameter of the 
dowel/circle, etc. 
I rest the steel point against the  side of the dowel end, and mark an arc. I 
turn the dowel 90 degrees and  mark another arc.   One has to have a chisel 
point on the  graphite, and should set/check the radius agaist a rule before  
marking...

> 1. What is the easiest way to find the pick up  point of a marionette?
> 
Not sure what you mean. But I will assume  you are asking where to place the 
shoulder strings.
For many  marionettes, these carry most of the weight of the puppet. The 
weight of  the figure would almost certainly keep the puppet hanging 
vertically, no  
matter where you place the shoulder strings. 
I usually place my  shoulder strings as far out on the shoulders as possible. 
I don't want  them interferring with the head movement.   I try to place them 
 
SLIGHTLY behind the line of the neck joint if I plan to use an airplane  
control. For most marionettes, this works. (I hate to generalize...each is  
quite 
different.) 

But there are other factors to consider. In  actuality, the placement of any 
string is realative to, and affects other  strings and puppet parts and their 
relative weights. Not to mention the  design of the figure as a whole (as a 
factor). 

I need to simplify  this. It's becoming a manual.
The puppet hanging from the shoulder strings  ONLY, will hang vertically in 
one plane. If the weight of the head is then  lifted by its own strings, the 
vertical line   of the body will  shift, albeit slightly.   So when I am 
stringing 
a marionette, I  have to adjust the placement of the strings at the shoulders 
AND the head  until I get the balance I want. And so on. 

Let me also state the  obvious....and a few not so obvious... factors: 
The costume is/should be  very much a part of the equation. 
With my marionettes, even moving a  string a quarter inch makes a world of 
difference. 
It's like tuning a  fine instrument. One wants optimum results. It takes 
time. 

Obviously,  my methods are not for everyone. 
> 
> Rolande. I hope this helps.  I apologize for the length.
It's difficult to write it clearly. I see it  but......
> Fred.
> 
>  










> Rolande
> 
>  
> 




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**************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car 
listings at AOL Autos.      
(http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851)
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