Stop Motion Puppet Armature

So we want to make a stop motion film. After some research about how they do it at Laika studio's for movies like Boxtrolls and Coraline, I figured I should start by making an armature for the stop motion puppet.

You can also buy armatures, but they are very expensive and it is also a lot more fun to make them yourself.

Materials:

• Ball head screws (M2.5)
• Brass pipes with an inner diameter that is just smaller than the thread of the ball head screws (2x4)
• Small screws (M3)
• Brass plate (strips 2mm thick)

Tools:

• M2.5 thread tap
• M3 thread tap
• Pliers
• Screwdriver
• 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm drills
• Drill press
• Loctite
• Power sander
• Bandsaw
• File

I used a drawing from internet to figure uit the dimensions of the skeleton.

• Mark the length of the "bone" on the brass tube.
• Cut tube to length.
• Sand (or file) it square.
• Use the tap to cut thread in both sides of the tube.
• Screw the ball head screws in the brass tube.

Do this for all the "bones" you need.

To make the plates for the hinges is something to do in series and not one by one.

• Drill 2.5 mm holes on both sides of the brass strip.
• Drill 2.5 mm holes between half of the holes you drilled.
• Drill 3 mm holes between the other 2.5 mm holes.

• Use the 3 mm drill (or even bigger) to create some kind of "cup" on the 2.5 mm holes on the sides. Do this by just drill in the material a little bit.
• Cut thread in the 2.5 mm holes in the middle with the 3 mm tap.

• Sand the end of the strip with all the holes as close to the first 3 holes as you dare, without damaging the holes.
• Cut the part with the first 3 holes from the strip.
• Use pliers to sand the other side also as close to the holes as you dare.

Be careful while sanding: this will get very hot!

For a hinge you need two "bones", a plate with a 3 mm hole in the middle, a plate with a M3 tread in the middle and a M3 bolt.

• Push the M3 bolt through the 3 mm hole.
• Screw the bolt just slightly in the M3 threaded hole in the other plate.
• Make sure that the "cup" on the outer holes of the two plates is towards each other.
• Hold the ball heads on both sides in between the two plates.
• Tighten the bolt to hold the "bones".

• Clamp two strips of brass together.
• Cut a line of four 2.5 mm holes through both strips.
• Make with the 3 mm drill a cup on the two outer holes on both strips.
• Drill one of the middle holes bigger with the 3 mm drill.
• Cut M3 tread in the same hole on the other strip.
• Also cut M3 tread in the other middle hole on both strips.

• File a gutter over one of the middle 2.5 mm holes that is not opposite the 3 mm hole.
• Cut both strips to size.
• Sand the torso pieces a bit smaller, but be sure to keep the width of the gutter.
• Use one M3 screw through the M3 hole to keep the ball heads in place.
• Use an other M3 screw to hold the brass tube that goes through the gutter in place.

• Drill a 2.5 mm hole in the middle of the feet.
• Drill a 2 mm hole where the heel comes.
• Cut M2.5 thread in the 2 mm holes.
• Cut M3 thread in the 2.5 mm holes. (this is to attach the model to the table while shooting)
• Cut the feet to size.
• Sand off the sharp corners.

When your armature is how you like it, you will need to fix the ball head screws in place.

• Unscrew all the ball head screws until they are almost out of the tubes.
• Put a small drop of thread fixator (Loctite) on all the threads of the ball head screws.
• Screw the ball head screws back in.
• Wait at least one hour before playing, but wait one day to be sure.

You can tighten or loosen the screws according to your wishes.

Step one of our movie is finished.

Now we just need a story, character design, background, music, voice actors, wardrobe, more armatures, camera, software.....

So, we are almost finished! :P