Building a Stop Motion Monster: Making an Aluminum Wire Armature

[Loveparonramen]

There is 'Epoxy putty' in clas ohlson you know ( in sweden), but instead it is called " express putty " or something like that ; )

[xXnetXx1000]

C'est dla merde...

[RobSassiissasbor]

I use epoxy instead of plastic... opinions?

[bluworm]

@RobSassiissasbor I use Friendly Plastic simply because I couldn't find any good epoxy in Sweden. I've just kept using it ever since. I understand that US plumber's epoxy is really good for armature making.

[RobSassiissasbor]

@bluworm Ah! Makes sense, and yes it is. :] Great video though!

[RooniversalStudios]

One last thing is could you send me link on paints, like put in latex make it tinted and stuff? thanks!

[RooniversalStudios]

Thank you so much!!!!!! I really need this info!!!

[RooniversalStudios]

Oh, also what brand latex do you use any way, I have trouble getting my hands on this!?

[bluworm]

@RooniversalStudios I use something simply called "mask-making" latex. It's sold by many retailors.

[RooniversalStudios]

Ok, thanks so much, and yes i live in US!?

[bluworm]

@RooniversalStudios I'll write to your inbox with some good links to getting the stuff you need in the US.

[RooniversalStudios]

Um were can I buy Tinted Latex, and friendly Plastic? thanks!

[bluworm]

@RooniversalStudios You can tint your latex by adding either tinting powder or liquid tinting medium for latex and latex-based paints. Ask at a paint shop. Be sure to only add very little -less than a drop goes a long way! Some make-up effects suppliers on the web have great tinting mediums as well. I buy Friendly Plastic from craftcellar in the UK (just google). Where do you live? US or UK?

[xXScytheFishSerieXx]

For example if i want to give my creature hooks for hands, what material should i use ?

[bluworm]

@xXScytheFishSerieXx I would probably build up the shape of the hooks over a piece of wire using cotton and latex. This would make the hooks leathery and tough, without making them brittle. They'd still hold their shape when I animate the puppet. If the hooks really needed to be hard I'd create them as plastic casts in a silicone mould, made from a clay sculpture.

[xXScytheFishSerieXx]

@bluworm Well, thank you.

[sgtjlopez]

See, why don't other people talk about this friendly plastic?! This sounds like something that would be perfect for me--does it allow plasticine clay to stick?

[bluworm]

@sgtjlopez I don't know why friendly plastic isn't used more. Most puppet makers seemt to prefer plumber's epoxy. I like the plastic since you can melt and re-use it. You can stick plasticine clay to it but it won't stick permanently. If you attach melted friendly plastic to a hard material, like dried clay, it'll stick pretty well. It sticks hard to porous materials, like cloth, dried paper clay and such.

[sgtjlopez]

@bluworm I don't expect it to stay permanently, even armatures don't stick to clay. Just wanted to make sure it didn't repel it. I know that some materials, clay just doesn't want to attach at all to.

[kwil2559]

Hey great clip! Where do you find that sort of plastic? Does it have a name?

[bluworm]

@kwil2559 It's called "Friendly Plastic" and comes as pellets or thin rectangle bars. I only use the bars. As you can see in the clip, I use a heat gun, and heat one end of the plastic bar to soften it. Then I just smear the droopy plastic on the aluminum wire where I want it. Google for it, and hopefully you'll find a supplier near you or online. I buy my plastic from the UK, which is the closest supplier for me in Sweden.

[kwil2559]

@bluworm Thanks so much for that. I've just ordered some online now. Thanks for replying so quickly.

[bluworm]

@kwil2559 No problem! When you use it, smear some of the hot, softened plastic on the aluminum wire, where you want a "bone" in your puppet armature. Then wet your thumb and index finger with your tongue and gently dab the plastic until it's spread out and shaped around the wire. If it didn't turn out like you wanted, just re-heat the plastic.

[volpe3fuego]

Oh I also had a couple more questions, if you don't mind, please:

1) To get the length of the wire you want, would you just go by the size of the puppet you're making and multiply that x2 so that you can get that 2nd piece and fold it over for the added strength? For example: if I wanted to make a puppet that's 6 in tall, I'd basically cut a foot of wire correct?

2) I see that you use melted plastic but I've also seen others use propoxy. What's the different between the two?

[bluworm]

@volpe3fuego Just ask away :) 1) That's a very exact way of doing it, and a good way if you don't want to overspend your wire. I just measure by eye. After having done this for a while (I'm building my 94th puppet now) you get the feel for how much material you need for each portion of puppet construction.

2) For a long while I couldn't get propoxy, so I used what I had, which was Friendly Plastic thermoplastic. I prefer the plastic since I find it's more durable, and it can be reused.

[volpe3fuego]

Awesome tutorial :) So the tool you use to twist the wire, is that just a power drill without the nose attached?

[bluworm]

@volpe3fuego Yes; it's an ordinary power drill. I attach the wires to the muzzle of the drill (don't know what it's called) where the three clamps bite down on the drill bit when using the drill in the usual way. You can twist the wires by hand, which I do for smaller puppets, but doing it this way makes the braided wires very tight, and therefore much durable.

[haddeox2347]

hey what gauge is that good sir?

[bluworm]

@haddeox2347 I'm afraid I don't know. Using the measurements we gave here in Sweden, the thickness of the wire is 1 millimetre. 2-3 wires of that variety are braided together. But I also use a 2,5 mm wire, two pieces braided together, for part of the puppet that sometimes needs to be sturdier, like the spine or the legs.

[bluworm]

@prammaven I've used it for ages, and I never tire of it. I've actually made entire sword handles with Friendly Plastic. Check out the big sword in my "Jabberwocky". The guard and the pommel are Friendly Plastic.

[drakken11]

Thanks for the informative video! Does the Thermoplastic stay flexible once it is dried or are those 'joints' inflexible......thanks again for your video! Mac

[bluworm]

@drakken11 The thermoplastic stays hard, but is does have a little bit of flex to it. This means you can put quite a bit of pressure on the wire joint without the plastic "bone" crumbling at the end. Also if the hard parts are too hard, the wire joint will actually break faster. It's a hard-earned lesson I made a few times!

[bluworm]

@AkwenESC I buy my aluminum wires at kinn.com (Sweden). Every other type of wire BUT aluminum wire that I've tried have broken during repeated bending (which you do when you animate). The absolutely thickest aluminum wire (3 mm) that I've found was bought at a florist's shop. I'm making an oliphaunt puppet that is about 35 cm tall using that wire, unbraided, for the joints. And that's working out very well.

[bluworm]

@AkwenESC I've built a Triceratops puppet using this type of armature. Since the puppet was a bit bigger than usual, I used slightly thicker aluminum wires. When you build it up, try to find really soft urethane foam to pad it's body. Then the armature should bend and stay in place pretty well anyway. If you need any help in your project, just drop me messages in my Inbox, and I'll give you all the advice and tips I can.

[bluworm]

@AkwenESC No; just use thicker wire. I use this technique on all my puppets, no matter what kind of character I'm building. Right now I'm doing the armature for a creature known as "The Marduk Dragon", if you Google it. It's quite big, coming close to two feet with tail and neck. But the aluminum wire/plastic method works very well, even for puppets of that size. The thermoplastic is very light, and since it's plastic it can take quite a bit of a shock. It doesn't break easily.

[adfdasfadfdaaaa]

Simply amazing! I hope that you're posting some great new movie soon! Cheers!

[bluworm]

@adfdasfadfdaaaa Thanks! Yes; I have a few new things up my sleeve :)

[Gragorathegiantsnowb]

awesome armature making technique! It seems as if you can dish out armature using friendly plastic faster than you could with any other material.

[bluworm]

@Gragorathegiantsnowb I like this thermoplastic, because it's fast. Since it's plastic, it can also take stress better than, say, epoxy putty, and it'll take quite a bit to brake it. It's also very light.