Fixing Abused Puppets

[charlie bird]

I'm starting a thread aboute fixing old and abused puppets.Manny puppet teams puppets can be ruinned by inresponcible puppeteers, that dont know, or dont care about taking care of them.The puppet that I'm trying to fix right now is for sale at one way street for $425.If any member has any questions about fixing their puppets feal free to post.
please post on the following topiccs , it would help alot!
Thank you, Benjamin Johnston

 

[charlie bird]

The first topic is how to clean antron fleace on a puppet.Is there a way out there to clean antron fleece.
Thank you

 

[TheCreatureWork]

Good ol' soap and water. I would recommend making a little solution in a bowl first of soap and water- then take a toothbrush and dip the brush into the solution. Try "washing" the puppet in an area not seen- under clothes on the puppets back would probably be good. Gently scrub the area. This is your test site- if it fades, or discolours then you'll have to clean the puppet in a different way.
If the test area is good then wash the entire puppet using this method. The antron will pil a bit but should be okay.

The rule of thumb here is to always do a test.

Tide to Go might also work but again...do it in a test area and wait to see if it causes any harm.

 

[charlie bird]

Is there any way to coat foam to make it stronger and last longer.
Thanks
please post

 

[TheCreatureWork]

Sorry the message at the bottom was the original message- it double posted then when I try to delete this it won't let me :-(

 

[TheCreatureWork]

Foam is foam. It is hard to put something other than fabric on it to "save" it from degrading as foam is flexible and anything you put on it has to flex too. You can try liquid latex and latex paint but they will give you a different look and may crack if put on too thick.

Someone might know better than I about this as foam is not my most knowledgeable topic.

 

[charlie bird]

Thank you so much for youre help.I used dish soap and it worked great! Thanks times amillion.

 

[charlie bird]

The hair on the puppet is black foam ,and it has been smushed .I filled the shape back in the hair,but there still is a slit that is noticable between the foam and the head. I think it is best to glue it back to the head . Is there any thin foam that I can cover the shape with , glue it on the hair and paint it black,if that makes any sense .

ps:the puppet at the top I made ,please coment!
Thanks!

 

[Melonpool]

There is a way to make smashed foam relax back into its original shape. All you need is a steam iron (a regular iron that has a steam setting).

What you do is shoot the hot steam at the foam in quick bursts (be careful not to hit your hand -- it will burn you). The hot steam will cause the air inside the foam to expand and push the foam back out into its normal shape. It will be a little damp, but will dry very quickly.

Things to watch out for: This may also cause contact cement on the puppet to come apart. You may have to reglue. Also, if the foam is colored with water-soluble dyes it may cause it to run. But this technique works great for things like smashed bodies or heads.

Hope this helps!

 

[TheCreatureWork]

what an awesome piece of advice! I gotta try that sometime.