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 > > > ************** 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) _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. 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