Cheek speak

The third cast head from the Kenny Croes Collection is now available for purchase at Braylu Creations. The first two (Uncle Earl and Elmore) having been selling well, and that's a good thing. Still to come... a cast head of Mr. Winkle.

After I return from vacation, I plan to tackle my first 3T/4T head design in earnest. (Maybe I'll call him "Earnest"). 'Til then, I hope vent figure do-it-yourselfers enjoy adding the Cheeky Boy character to their stable of little friends. If you happen to build one of my character designs, please send me a photo. I'd love to see your handiwork.

I've struck Earl

I just finished my third "Uncle Earl" from the KENNY CROES COLLECTION casting on Braylu Creations. I just got a look at the first casting of our brand new cheeky boy character. Keep a lookout for him.

Meanwhile, Uncle Earl needs a good home.

Gettin' even

After I hooked up the spring to open and close the jaw, I had a much wider gap in the left compared to the right. So last night, I applied a touch of Magic-Sculpt to the left side to narrow the opening. I held a thin metal nail file in the crack to act as a flat barrier so the application of Magic-Sculpt would be uniform from top to bottom. This morning I sanded the area with some fine sandpaper. Next I'll touch it up with matching paint.

The clothes make the dummy

Well... actually I make the dummy, but nice clothes help.

I usually buy my dummy clothes from thrift stores. (I love Goodwill's Senior Discount Day). I've purchased some clothing on Ebay, but you have to search carefully for good deals when shipping is involved. I also prowl Walmart and similar department stores for clearance sales on 2T clothing. The outfit in the photo was one of seven I purchased from such a closeout sale. The 4-piece outfits were under $15 each (reg. $38 each). Fifteen bucks is a little more than I pay for separates that I assemble into outfits, but I saved a lot of time by getting ready-made ensembles. Plus they're brand spankin' new!

Don't bet on the horses

Well... that's a good tip, too. But it's not the one I had in mind. My tip is for the "Elmore" cast buyers.

Be sure to liberally mark the contact point for the the jaw's axle on both sides of the head interior before mounting the eye tray. If you'd prefer, go ahead and mount the jaw and axle. If you use Magic-Sculpt or a like substance to mount the eye tray, you'll want to make sure you don't cover the jaw axle contact points. That's why you may want to mark them clearly.

Ok? Ok! My work here is done.

Tipping pointers

Folks who purchase an "ELMORE" casting from Braylu Creations will be helped with the tip sheet on the left. The upper-back corners of the jaw should be cut and filed to accommodate the eye tray screws. Secondly, I recommend the placement of the eye hook for attaching the spring as pictured in the tip sheet.

I've also found that the jaw fits better and opens wider if you prepare the "UNCLE EARL" jaw according to the tip sheet on the right.

Both models are my design and I've been able to build both characters from the resulting castings. I tried to make them "snap and play", but I'm just not smart enough yet. That being said, both characters are still fun to build and make fun-loving vent figures.

S'more Elmore

Here's my first completed Elmore.

Before and after

I'm just about finished with my first Elmore figure made from the Braylu Creations casting. I just have to assemble the body and dress the little fella. He may go up for auction as early as this evening.

He was really fun to make. I have two more Elmore castings in stock and I'm about a third of the way done on a second Elmore. I learned a lot about prepping the head inside and out. The jaw requires some alteration in order to move smoothly. I'll post the steps here so that folks who buy the casting from Braylu Creations will know the best approach to getting a good fit and smooth operation. The Elmore castings aren't for sale yet, but may be available later this month. I'll flag you when they're ready.

Also, keep an eye out for two more figures from the Kenny Croes Collection for sale soon on the Braylu Creations website.

Let there be light

I was blessed this Christmas with the company of my wife and Mom. We had a lovely day together.

And I got some really cool stuff.

Among my "ill-botten gootie", I received some underwear (boxers... I know... too much information), V-neck undershirts, a gorgeous cardigan sweater handmade by my power-knittin' wife Joyce, and a magnifier/lamp for my workbench.

Of course, I'm very excited about the lamp. I assembled it and attached it to my workbench. For about an hour I would sit back and admire it as I worked. My oh, my, what a wonderful tool!

And then it occurred to me.

Maybe I should actually turn it on!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I'd give my right arm for a third arm

No, it's not a puppet. It's called a Dog Groomers Third Arm. The attachment you see in the photo is a hair dryer blower. I attached the opposite... a ShopVac hose.

I was watching a video about a local myrtlewood factory. I noticed that the craftsman had a powerful vacuum nozzle mounted just above the piece he was sanding. The vacuum sucked away most of the debris.

As I've mentioned before, I build my dummies in a bedroom in the house. When I sand or grind, the particles fly around the room and I'm left with a lot of vacuuming. When I saw the aforementioned video, a light went on in my head. (ding!)

I visited the local tool store, but didn't find anything inexpensive that would do the trick. Then I got on the web and poked around. That's when I found the gizmo in the picture. It was only $20. The clamps are very strong. They clamp to my work bench and the ShopVac attachment quite securely. Now when I sand or grind, most of the debris will be sucked into my ShopVac. (Of course, along with my gas mask and eye protectors, I'll have to add earplugs. I'm looking more Hazmat everyday).

More Elmore

This week I received my first "Elmore" castings from Braylu Creations. I sculpted the model, then Buzz James (Braylu entrepreneur) made the mold and castings. I think the "Elmore" castings will be available for purchase soon on the Braylu Creations website. Meanwhile, I'm about to build my first figures from the "Elmore" castings. When completed, I'll forward the pics to Buzz so he can display them next to the raw cast so folks can see what a completed "Elmore" could look like.

Bonehead

I have been encouraged to try my hand at sculpting a head suitable for a 40" figure. I've been scratching my noggin over what to use as an armature. I've seen some built out of wood. I've seen others built out of Styrofoam or foam insulation. Some folks use mannequin heads.

None of those caught my fancy. So I asked myself... what is shaped like a human head... but is slightly smaller... is hollow... and has all of the anatomical features in the right place? Hmmmmmmm. What could I use?

I KNOW! A skull! God used it with some success. Maybe I can, too! Does Ebay sell skulls? Why, yes they do. And mine arrived today!

Not to put too fine a point on it... actually somebody else's skull arrived today. My skull is still in use. (I need it for scratching.)

Better Winkle

I re-worked the lower portion of Mr. Winkle's face. I added Magic-Sculpt to round Mr. Winkle's head. He also has larger earlobes. I still need to work on his jaw to close the gap on the underside and then sand him.

Since a mold will be made, every mistake will be permanent.