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Subject: Turnbuckles and Plumbers Strap
Content: I'm all about making stuff cheap, and I've found a couple cheap things at the hardware store that have really helped my armatures.  I'm not a big fan of wire, since I know it's going to break, sooner or later.  So I've been searching for stuff to make hinges, etc. out of.  Plumber's Strap:   My new best friend.  http://www.stopmotionmagic.com/gallery/view/id_760/field_time/title_plumber’s-strap-roll/   Pros:  Cheap and easy to use.  Thin enough to make little bitty joints, cuts with tin snips, drills easily.  This foot: http://www.stopmotionmagic.com/gallery/view/id_759/field_time/title_plumber’s-strap-foot/   is made from two pices hinged at the arch.  With a good tight bolt and some nylon washers I'm hoping it will hold enough tension to make the puppet tip toe.  It took a while to work out a pattern for cutting the two parts, but eventually I got smart enough to trace them onto a sheet of paper as I cut (BEFORE twisting it into shape)  Pliers made for electrical work make it pretty easy to bend.  I recommend two sets of lineman's pliers and a beefy needle-nosed.  Cons:  The huge holes punched through the middle can make bending it easier, but are often right where I need a little bitty hole.  Galvanized  flashing (for roofing) might be a good material to try.  Turnbuckles:  I still am not sure about these.  http://www.stopmotionmagic.com/gallery/view/id_761/field_time/title_turnbuckles/   They have potential, I think, but I'm struggling to get good, consistent tension.  I need a lot of wrist rotation for my puppet, so I thought I'd try these.  I cut the turnbuckle in half, cut the loop/hook off the end, pounded a bit of the remaining stump flat, and filed it even flatter.  http://www.stopmotionmagic.com/gallery/view/id_762/field_time/title_turnbuckle-wrist/   I drilled it to make a hinged joint which let the wrist flex up and down.  That combined with the rotation give the wrist a full range of motion.  A lesson I learned the hard way: Make sure you file that sucker flat.  If it is at all wedge shaped, your joint will lose tension every time you bend it.  My newest trick is to bolt/epoxy on a little extension made of plumber's strap, since it's a consistent thickness.  Cons:  I thnk there are solutions to these, maybe you can find one and tell me how you did it...     Tension!  The best I've come up with is teflon tape wrapped around the threads.  It needs to be freshened up too often for my taste.  For the shoulders, http://www.stopmotionmagic.com/gallery/view/id_763/field_time/title_cheap-armature/  I used some dense spongy stuff to serve as big washers, but they eventually got too mashed up to spring back.  I haven't tried little springs yet; they might be able to hold tension on the threads.  Hope this helps. John