Oh, Henry

This silly little feller is now available on Ebay.  He's a "Henry" character, and what a comical character he will be when he finds a straightman (or woman).

On another note, I'm pleased to say his distant cousin "Durwood" finally made it to Austria (via USA to Australia to Austria).  The little globetrotter made it safe and sound having accumulated several thousand frequent flyer miles. 

Moving soon

Amid the stacked boxes sits a new "Henry" almost ready to move... like me.  Only we'll have separate destinations.  I'm moving to Bandon.  He'll be moving somewhere else in the world. 


This little fellow has very nice green eyes with plastic irises. He'll get a snappy wardrobe and a matching pair of shoes.  He'll also get a loony back story when he's finally listed on Ebay.   

"L" of a difference

This little fella (dubbed "Durwood") was shipped to Austria to meet his new partner.  Unfortunately the US Post Office sent him to Australia instead.  It's amazing how the single letter "L" can literally make a world of difference.

In checking the tracking, the Australia Post confirms that they received the package and they are aware the destination is Austria.  The last entry states the "the item has been lodged".  I don't know what that means, but it sounds ominously like a holding pattern.  I hope they release Durwood soon so he can start his yodeling lessons sooner rather than later.

Hairbrain idea

This li'l goof is almost done.  I'm really excited about giving his wig a haircut with an electric mustache/beard trimmer.  I'll be clipping curly furry fleece. (Say THAT three times... without moving your lips).    It'll either turn out cool or make a terrible mess. And ruin the electric mustache/beard trimmer.

Oh well, I don't have a mustache/beard anyway.

Works for me

I learned to make an axle and pulley system to open and close the jaw from Al Stevens' "Fred Project".  That's the pulley on the right.  The pulley is actually a screen door pulley, available at your local True Value Hardware store.  The pulley on the left helps cross the eyes.  It's the first time I've placed two pulleys on the same axle.  For crossing the eyes, I used to slip a 1"-length of brass tubing over the axle, and the cord would pass over it.  But adding a second pulley actually works better.

The old switcharoo

I have an idea. If I still performed regularly, I'd steal the idea myself. :-)

Most ventriloquists (and all I've ever seen) usually give their figures a different voice than their own. Kid and baby figures get high squeaky comedic voices, old guys get... well... old guy voices. Cheeky boys get smart-aleck kid voices. But I've never seen a ventriloquist adopt the silly voice permanently as their own, and give their signature character the ventriloquist's real voice. (This is what I think about when I'm not installing eyebrows on foreheads).

 The vent with the silly voice could converse with a bevy of other figures with different voices, too. (Think Pee Wee Herman and the playroom of characters he converses with.)

Or, an act could consist of vent AND figures each playing different roles in each routine. For example, Smart Sheriff vent and Dumb Deputy figure, French maitre'de vent and Red Neck diner-figure, Grizzled Baseball Manager vent and Incompetent Baseball player-figure. Back in the 50's, Paul Winchell would do some of this on his TV show.

Or is everybody already doing this and nobody told me about it.

Abe Buzzard (aka "Uncle Earl")

Clinton Detweiler again turned to my "Uncle Earl" head to recreate the notorious chicken thief Abe Buzzard.  I'm always surprised and delighted to see the many variations of character that can be created using the same cast head.

Earl by another name

This photo was sent to me by a ventriloquist named Connor.  He purchased an Uncle Earl head from the Kenny Croes Collection at Braylu Creations and built himself a dummy.  Connor calls his new pal "Clarence". 

Good job, Connor.  Looking forward to seeing a photo or video of "Connor & Clarence" in action.

Will he learn to yodel?

I put bigger eye sockets and a pair of Mike Brose eyes in an Elmore head.  The result is "Durwood".  He'll soon be on his way to Austria to meet his new pal.

My blog and dummy-makin' may slow down for a short while as I pack everything up and move to a new home.  Among the cool things about my new residence is I'll get a 400 sq.ft. workshop out of the deal.  You may recall that I've been doing my work in a small upstairs bedroom all this time.  It will be wonderful to have much more room to build and create.

Mr. D's Earl

Clinton Detweiler's sterling reputation in our vent community is well-known. So when he made a figure from one of my Kenny Croes Collection heads, I was naturally very pleased.  Clinton purchased the head from Braylu Creations and built the old feller pictured on the right. 

Along the way, Clinton passed along some great advice for me.  I planned to make some revisions on my jaw designs and Clinton's observations have been very helpful.

On the move

Sometimes we must disrupt our own lives on purpose.  Such is the case now.  We're in the process of buying a new home in Bandon, Oregon.  Though it will be a smaller home (ah... a chance to downsize!), I will have a much larger workshop for my dummy making.  I can hardly wait!

Meanwhile, a question and answer...

Q: I bought a "Cheeky Boy" head from Braylu.  I can't for the life of me figure out where to drill in the jaw to set the thing so it will open and close correctly. I read your blog (OK... I skimmed through it quickly) and didn't see anything about my particular problem.  Can you give me a pointer or two?  Thanks.

A: I’ve posted a photo with an arrow pointing to where the hole should be drilled to insert and mount your axle tube. As you will see, the place to drill is the upper back corner. I use a 1/8” drill bit. I insert a length of 1/8” inch brass tube. I file the holes to make sure the axle tube is straight across. I use Magic-Sculpt to epoxy the tube in place.

Then... after the axle is solidly set…

• I insert a 3/32” brass rod (cut 3-1/2” long) through the tube for the axle. I put the jaw with the brass axle in the head and place the jaw in its closed position and well-placed as I can. If the brass axle is a little long, thus preventing the jaw to move far enough forward, I trim the axle length.


• Holding the jaw closed in place, I note and mark where the ends of brass axle touch the interior sides of the head. (I like to use a Sharpie to make the marks).


• I remove the jaw and make slots for the axle on each side of the head with Magic-Sculpt, placing it approximately where I marked.


• I put a little Vaseline on the ends of the axle ends and re-fit the jaw in the head so the axle ends sink into the Magic Sculpt to form slots. I try to “massage” it into the best position for the jaw to open and close. It may be a little tight or loose, but you can always file, sand or fill for the smooth movement and good fit later.


• Making sure the slots I’ve formed are open enough so the jaw and axle can slip out easily (thus the Vaseline), I leave them in place until the Magic-Sculpt firms up (about an hour). Then I remove the jaw and axle to continue the finish work on both the jaw and head. The Magic-Sculpt will harden completely overnight.  (See photos below)

 

Eyelets

Q: Are the eyelets on the inner part of the eyes for the crossing affect?

A: Yes. I attach a cord to each eyelet. The cord is strung over the pulley bar in the back pf the head and down the headstick. It's attached to a trigger. When the trigger is pulled, the eyes are tugged inward, thus crossing the eyes. When released, the springs return the eyes to the center position.

Spring has sprung

No, the season has not changed while we were in our workshops ignoring the great outdoors. 

I received a comment on my "Wired" posting that proved to be very helpful for centering the iris in the eye socket.  The suggestion was that I tweak the self-centering spring rather than wire the spring.  And it worked like a charm. 

What a great idea.  Thanks!

Friendship

The photo is a bit soft and dark, but if you look carefully, you'll see Mr. Fenster sitting on his new partner's knee.  Mr. Fenster's pal is named Michael and he lives in Pennsylvania.  Michael's wife reports that he's practicing his ventriloquism very diligently.  I hope Michael and Mr. Fenster are giving audiences the giggles very soon.