New monster on e-bay with raising eyebrows

[Lab Rat]

Hi all i have just listed another monster puppet on e-bay this one has Bert type raising eyebrows i hope you like him heres the link~http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6042868468&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:UK:31

 

[puppetise]

nice how did u build that mech like berts????? diagrams would be sweet

 

[sugarbritchez]

You do some awesome work!!!!

 

[Lab Rat]

Thanks folks i'm glad you like it the eyebrow mech is made from coat hanger wire.

 

[TopperFraggle]

This eyebrow mechanism shown is one of the simplest to do, yet very effective. It's basically a simple loop, not necessarily a circle, but a loop. One half is inside the puppet and operates as the control, and one half is on the outside, covered in whatever material you make the eyelids out of. The points on either side of the eye where the loop meets the head, act as the pivot point. When you pull down on the control inside, teh eyebrows on the outside, go up. When you push the controls up, the eyebrows go down. Like a teeter totter. This is the basis for most eyelid mechs, but some have more complicated shapes and configurations.

Great looking puppet by the way.

 

[SesameKermie]

I think Michelle (Puppet-Planet) had a dissection of an old Fisher-Price Animal's eyebrow mech at some point. I know she's been re-vamping her site so I don't know if it's back up yet. Does someone have it in their archives?

 

[madpaperhat]

Has anyone seen a comprehensive diagram that details the workings of this type of mechanism? Even an aproximation would be worth viewing. I've seen some overly simple diagrams but they convey little or no helpful details as to how it works or how it would be put together. So if anyone could post something it would be helpful.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I'm always mentioning this, but if you want to get a good understanding of how mechs work, pick up Michael Browse's book "Figure Making Can Be Fun". It has loads of diagrams and is very helpful. Some free examples are available online at http://www.puppetsandprops.com/Mechanics.html and the actual book is much more detailed. It probably won't answer every question you have about mechs, but it gives you enough of an understanding of them to start experimenting and designing your own.

 

[madpaperhat]

Thanks for the tip and the link Buck, it looks like a good place to start

 

[Buck-Beaver]

There's also some good resources (videos and links) for building mechs in my Guide to Puppet Building Resources.