Using my head(s)

As I have said before, I sculpted four 2T heads and sent them off to Braylu Creations so owner Buzz James could make molds of them and sell the castings... which he has been doing. They seem to be reasonably popular. And of course, I'm a buyer of the head castings, too. And I've worked with all four; Uncle Earl, Elmore, Cheeky Boy and Mr. Winkle (Mr. Winkle's not yet available for sale... but I have one). I've discovered some tips that might make it easier to move your dummy-building project forward.

Here's a few tips worth noting for all the heads:

1. Always cut off the back of the head first. The jaw won't slide in from the front. They have to be placed from inside the head.
2. Fit the axle in the jaw early on so you can work with the jaw fit. You'll probably have to grind and/or sand the jaw, mouth opening or both. You also may need to fill with Magic-Sculpt or similar material. These are not "snap together" projects. I like to Magic-Sculpt some open slots in the head so I can slip the jaw in and out. Toward the end, I'll close the openings to secure the jaw permanently.
3. You'll probably have to sand and fill to smooth out the castings. I personally prefer a little roughness, especially with the old guys. Flawlessly smooth dummies look like... well... dummies. (personal opinion)
4. The interior of the heads are very smooth. I use a Dremel tool to rough up the interior of the head so Magic-Sculpt will stick better.
5. Be sure to eventually cut off the post(s) in the back of the jaw. They're handy for handling the jaw while painting, but the posts will get in the way of other animations if you leave them on.

Here are some head-specific tips :
Uncle Earl:

1. I cut off the roof of the jaw. I wish I'd modeled it that way in the first place. With the roof cut off, I set in a lower roof. Then I add a tongue on top of the new roof. This adds more depth when his mouth is open.
2. I also grind away some material under the jaw's chin so his jaw will open wider. (Mark where the jaw makes contact with the neck and grind some of that away.)
3. You may need to add some Magic-Sculpt to the underside of the jaw (the part that's inside the head) to cover any open space where the jaw meets the neck.

Elmore:

1. The upper back sides of the jaw (where the roof meets the back of the jaw) may need to be cut away about a 1/4" to a 1/2" at the corners. Otherwise the jaw may bump into your eye tray bolts. Just be sure to check it before you secure the jaw.
2. If you install an eye hook at the back of the jaw, be careful not to install it too high. Otherwise the angle in relation to the jaw axle (I use a plastic screen door axle ala Al Stevens' recommendation) may be too slight for the jaw to open. Better to mount the eyehook lower or even toward the underside.

Cheeky Boy:

1. If you use a tube and rod eye control that sits just behind the jaw, you will need to cut away the center portion of the underside of the jaw (about 3/4"-1"wide) to accommodate the tube and rod. Otherwise, the mounted jaw will bump into the tube and rod preventing the jaw from opening. If you use a rocker style eye control, then you won't have to worry about it (unless you've got some other gizmo that sits behind the jaw).
2. Buzz had a Cheeky Boy casting that accommodated two 1-1/2" eyeballs with no problem. The Cheeky Boy I'm working with would not allow two 1-1/2" eyeballs because the walls of the head were slightly thicker on mine. Solution: Check first and grind away some of the interior walls so the larger eyes will work. (I'm using 1-1/4" eyes on my Cheeky Boy and they will work fine, too.)

Mr. Winkle:

1. I just started with him, so I don't have much to say yet. But I'll clue you in after I work with the old guy for awhile.

I hope these hints are helpful to you as you undertake building your own figures. Email me if you have any questions.