Going Insane Over Eyes

[Fozzie Bear]

Uh....I think you're OLDER than me Foz. lol

 

[puppet builder]

A little work, but worth it...

I have been searching (maybe too hard?) for plastic half spheres which have a post in the center and some type of snap on thing. I have sifted thru numerous catalogs from novelty shops, plastic suppliers, and god knows what else to try and find exactly what I want..... but nothing in this shape that has a post with a snappy thingy on the back!

Hey Michelle,

Do it the way Jim did... (with some lightweight updates)

1. halve ping pong balls with sharp razor blade
2. carve a piece of foam to fit inside and glue
3. drill a hole into the foam, insert plastic screw set leaving some sticking out for the post (available at any hardware store)
4. very lightly scuff surface before applying primer and eventually paint

Take Care,
puppet builder

 

[DPuppets]

Eyes

As a builder myself I have found two things that come out being good eyes. One is to buy them from Mercury Plastics. They are good price...and if you are going to experiment...you need extras. Also you can get a very cheap vacum form machine and make any shape and size you want. I bought one for only $99 but you can make one for less than $20.
Darren
www.dpuppets.com

 

[Buck-Beaver]

You gotta scroll down and look for davids name towards the left. But here is the info:

Mercury Plastics Corporation
929 Utical Ave.
Brooklyn, NY
(718) 498-5400

Hey, I am in NYC right now so I am going to try and head over there tomorrow afternoon and pick some up.....someone told me they will do a certain amount of walk-in business. I let `ya know what I find.

 

[Phantom]

I bought one for only $99 ... you can make one for less than $20.

Can you elaborate?

Ben

 

[DPuppets]

Quote
can u please tell me how do you make mouths?

I do my mouths last in the building my puppets. I constuct the head and then I start work on the mouth. My hand grip is pretty much what David Pannabecker uses...I have modified it some...to fit what I like.

As for the vacum form machine. You can buy plans on the web. And build one very cheap. Just do a search for plans on vacum form machine. All you do is heat up a piece of plastic...but before you do that you mold a eye or what every out of wood or harden clay. You set that in the middle of the machine...lay your hot plastic over it and vacum pulls the plastic right over the form you want to shape. So, in doing this you can build any eye shape you want. And even eyelids that fit perfect. Hope that helps some.
Darren

 

[Phantom]

Thanks. I may try that, after I've been at this a little longer. Besides,my garage looks like some mass puppet crime scene and my wife is wanting to park a car in there--something about winter weather coming. She'd never go for it...yet.

"It was horrible. There wuz foam everywhere. Pools of contact cement on the floor. Pieces of fleece hanging from the ceiling. Truly this is the work of a mad-man"

Ben

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Originally Posted by Pino
what I did was just on a working bench making them eyes from wood!
Afer that just pain and stitch.... Much cheaper and easier!

huh?

Then it's "just painT and stitch." It should have been PAINT (I'm sure of it).

So, rather than "huh", I wanna ask "How?" Details, Pino!

 

[Puppetplanet]

Hey, I am in NYC right now so I am going to try and head over there tomorrow afternoon and pick some up.....someone told me they will do a certain amount of walk-in business. I let `ya know what I find.

Hey Buck... will you marry me?

 

[FISH'N'WOLFE]

Also try using styrofoam balls, the plain white ones (THEY ARE NOT POROUS) not the semi-white shiny ones which are porous. You can sand them, shape and mold em', thread a screw into them, whatever and they come in several sizes. They also do not dent easily, unless you plan to drive over them, you'll be safe *laugh* And for you out there who are interested, for the black dots I cut open googley eyes and presto; you have dots. They also, come in different diameters-