Mouthplate Material

[Tom Morrow]

mouths

I often use needle point grids form the craft store. The kind made from a clear-ish plastic. They're flexible but hold their shape well. they're also not too bulky.

I back them with some black gaffer tape and occaisionally add a finger grip on the upper. I make the mouth with a top and bottom and then use the gaff to create a "hinge" for the back.

I use foam backed with gaff for the "hand cover" to keep your fingers in place. (depending on the character). I then use felt for the inside of the mouth to finish it off.

hope that helps...
tom

 

[Sir Didymus]

If you can get your hands on black video cases, cut them up and use them for mouthplates. They work good for me.

Sir Didymus

 

[Scrid]

Long ago, I found a remnant of a wonderful fabric: red on one side, with a looser-weave grey on the back. It was fairly thick, and the layers gave it heft, yet it was still flexible (Solid mouthplates remind me too much of wordbiting puppeteers) I used it for mouths until I ran out...and I've never found the stuff, again.
TV

 

[scarylarrywolf]

I just found great substitute for gasket rubber. I haven't tried it out yet, but I saw some at the local Value Village and it reacts like gasket rubber: it's the rubber lining used around the base perimeter of rooms to (I think) prevent the carpet edges from tearing up. The stuff comes in about 4" X 60" strips, which is more than Gasket rubber, but the 4" dimension is a bit limitting.

 

[Show and Tell]

I found at a flea market they have disposable cutting boards that are the perfect thickness. they only cost a dollar and you can make half a dozen puppets from each sheet. lots of expression without buckle or binding of the mouth. Gaffers tape or duct tape seams to pull away for me so I'm using a cotton/poly blend material that is contact cemented to the plastic. The plastic also doesn't seam to wear out because its made to bend a bit.

 

[Jinx]

I just love the creativity displayed in this forum! Just a quick glance at all these posts would seem to suggest what we pretty much already know... there is no right or wrong solution, only those that work or don't work! And most of us know, too, that experimentation is usually what it taked to find out. But when you find a great bunch of people here who are willing to share their experiences in order to help others out, well, it just gives me the warm -fuzzies!

If you liked working with the sintra that came with your ALP kit, it's not as hard-to-find as you might think! It is a very common item at sign shops. In fact, the scraps that they are inclined to throw away, they might just give you for free!

The only other thing that I've used that hasn't been mentioned yet, is 3/16" foamcore as suggested by Grey Seal Puppets in their books/videos. Its nice and rigid, but incredibly lightweight. It does need to be completely covered, as excessive moisture (from perspiration and the like) will cause it to break down. But I've gotten nice results with it.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

My only issue with foamcore is the one you mention, that it can break down. It's just not terribly durable. If I need a rigid mouth I like corrogated plastic (which I think Drew & Donald suggest in the Foam Book) because it's just as light and you can do more with it.

 

[Show and Tell]

My only issue with foamcore is the one you mention, that it can break down. It's just not terribly durable. If I need a rigid mouth I like corrogated plastic (which I think Drew & Donald suggest in the Foam Book) because it's just as light and you can do more with it.

I made 14 puppet bases (mouthplate and necksleeve) for training purposes out of foam core and with the abuse they have taken they have held up quite nicely although I did reenforce them with some good fabric and foam finger tubes. I didn't even use any sculpt or coat. I do like how light weight it is. Its just that I like the way you can rivit down the hand straps to sintra and stitch down the straps to cutting board plastic. Otherwise I think the foamcore would be my fav.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Reinforcing helps for sure, but how old are these? I'm not trying to give people a hard time about foamcore but it just does not last as long a Corroplast but if you're building puppets that don't have to last years on end or don't get used regularly it could be OK.

Foamcore is also a little cheaper and easier to cut. I have to buy Corroplast in 8'0 x 4'0 sheets which is a huge pain, but you can sometimes get smaller pieces from sign making shops.

 

[FISH'N'WOLFE]

I will yet again mention that leather makes for a wonderful mouthplate, its what I prefer over most other materials. I have large rolls of soccerball leather from Spalding which I cut my mouthplates out of. Leather is flexible and VERY durable, it simply does not wear out. If you need a really stiff mouthplate, then yes use the corrugated plastic. But for an expressive, flexible mouth, leather is perfect.