From: Rolande Duprey <puppetpro-AT-aol.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:57:05 -0400
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] string a marionette


Hi, Steve!  Wow!
Thank you to you and to Fred and Caro as well!

It's most amazing to hear about your practice. I have been stringing  
marionettes with the trial-and -error method and was hoping to find a  
secret rule out there that would make it simpler...but I guess perhaps  
it is experience.

Interesting about Bil Baird.

Rolande




On Apr 25, 2008, at 3:24 AM, Widerman-AT-aol.com wrote:

> 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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