Working on the presenter

The next step in my entertainment:

 last week i had the idea to do some drawing and writing from the tools i restore. 

after that came that short little video of removing the axe head to expose a slightly ornate outline of the tool and some notes from the restoration process.  the video was a way for me to sort out some thoughts, so now from live video comes the move to try stop motion. 

i decided to create some VERY short stop motion scenes and a figure to present the tool being worked on. the initial idea is to make some sort of figure that can somewhat bridge the two tangents together, tool care and pen work. i thought it seemed fairly logical to have the figure made from materials used in restoration and in making the pen work. realistically i needed some other parts so i opened up the materials used to items that can be found inside the shop.

the materials used to make this fellow are items from the shop: 

1.  a retired double bit axe helve (all of the wood parts), 

2.  a deer antler (for textural variety and common in the shop), 

3.  a dip pen (to help bridge the two facets of tool and writing), 

4.  a handle from an old stanley block plane (such a great moveable head and brings in the shop motif), 5.  a manual counter (can not see, it is on the back. this will be to count the scenes),

6.  misc leather, copper and brass parts.

stop motion protagonist

the epoxy was added right before this image was taken. 

stop motion fellow made from parts inside the shop

next step will be the hands and the backbone. 

i think i can make the hands from old metal wedges extracted from restored axes.

i am still unsure about the backbone, maybe antler and brass pieces.

all the wood pieces are from the old axe helve

another variable to sort out is that the head moves up and down but i need a system for it to express side to side motion. 

despite the name being spelled out, this fellow will not be called stanley

after the body is done i will start fabricating the support for keeping this fellow upright.

even if nothing comes out of this project i have enjoyed the figure making process.