eye lid mechanism

[goshposh]

I'm trying to make an eye lid mechanism (like Gonzo) for one of my puppets. Does any one have any helpful tips?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Take a look here.

 

[goshposh]

thanks!

 

[practicecactus]

I still don't like those references that always get handed out to anyone who asks about blink mechs. I don't see them as very practical.
What I did is here in this thread. Just scroll down to the pics.
I'm not saying do what I did, but it might give you some ideas. Play around with it, and see where it fails and fix it. You'll get far more satisfaction if you riff off an existing idea and mold it for your own prefrences.

 

[MGov]

How are they not practical?

I don't see much difference between your's and the other.

 

[staceyrebecca]

I don't see much difference between your's and the other.

Wow Mgov, you must not be on the ball with this one. Clearly, one is Mechanical Eyes and the other is Eyelid Mechanism...

Actuallly you need to read further down to see what practicecactus was talking about.

I still don't like those references that always get handed out to anyone who asks about blink mechs. I don't see them as very practical.

I'll have to gently disagree with you on that point, practicecactus. I think researching all ways are useful. Just because something is well known or commonly referred to, shouldn't make it bad. We're all on a muppet forum for crying out loud.

Also, just because something doesn't work for you, doesn't make it not practical. Building foam skeletons hasn't worked for me so much, but for some it does (for MOST it does). Arm rods are another example.

I always tell my students that what they're learning is the way I do it. Its not the right way, its just one way. If they figure out something else, then hooray! (They are 3rd-12th graders)


To speak to eye mechs...It's something I'm afraid to try without someone in the room holding my hand. I think I'd get great satisfaction to master someone else's eye mechanism

Wow, I've been getting preachy lately. Sorry guys.

 

[Nojoy]

To speak to eye mechs...It's something I'm afraid to try without someone in the room holding my hand. I think I'd get great satisfaction to master someone else's eye mechanism

Never be afraid to try something new... experimentation is essential to innovation.

There's been several attempts since I picked up this hobby that have failed miserably for me... but each one taught me something new that improved my next project. So that pile of discarded puppet carcases in the corner means I'm growing as a builder.

As far as all the tutorials and links out there... Not all of them may be suitable for everyone's build style, but each one may have an idea or two that can be adapted to improve something.

 

[practicecactus]

How are they not practical?

I don't see much difference between your's and the other.

Well, of course all blink mechs are gonna be based on the same principles, but those diagrams people keep referring to means you have to stop the mouth, move your finger/s back to the lever and then push it up to make the eye close. If that's practical for you, then fair enough. I tip my hat, but to me that looks rather impractical.
I put the lever on the front of the axle [so it's not an opposite action] and added an elbow to keep it parrallel.

But my point was don't just copy something for the sake of copying it. [I'm still against puppet builders keeping their methods closely guarded secrets, even if it's in a "well if they can't figure it own on their own, they shouldn't be doing it in the first place"]
Research yes, but then walk away and make one that works for you. That's what I did. I'm posting pics of my own so someone can look at it and get ideas and maybe even do something completely different. I want it to spur on creativity.And I am not saying mine is perfect.[Far from it] I have small hands and it probly wouldn't work for someone with long fingers.
But hey, if that other way works for you, okie dokie, hunky dorey. I might just be the only weirdo that gets a kick of making mechanisms and finding new ways to make things move.
I just gotta see em through to the end.

 

[staceyrebecca]

Research yes, but then walk away and make one that works for you.

I think that's what most people on this earth do...even if we ask for a common jumping point.

 

[dkmontgomery]

Well Said

Some very well spoken remarks on this train of thought!