Animator Charles F. Hamper of Monterey Motion Graphics published a cool tutorial on how he makes his own adjustable stop-motion puppet armature parts from hardware-store raw materials including stock brass, threaded rod, and lamp parts. The images are small, but they’re big enough to see what’s going on.

BY Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I write for MAKE, serve as Technical Editor for MAKE magazine, and develop original DIY content for Make: Projects.

4 Responses to How-To: Build Your Own Stop Motion Armatures

  1. I was pretty excited about this until I saw he was making the joints completely from scratch. Yikes. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen those double ball-and-socket things somewhere else, pre-made.

    • Sam poop on said:

      Those remind me of the ball-link control linkages you see in model airplanes. There is a really clever use for the ball-screw in a safety-breakaway hold down for cowlings on remote control boats using some O-rings attached with landing gear straps. The O-ring stretches over the ball-screw and is secure enough until a crash when it pops off preventing any unnecessary damage.

    • Kieran Taylor on said:

      Those joints are used on “third hands”, those little stand mounted crocodile clips that are used to hold stuff when soldering.

  2. I can’t figure out how to actually view the artical Help please

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