This is really helpful. I found that at many points during I was noticing how much I liked the composition of the shot. The camera on the file was a fun one. That's a nice bonus on top of the great content. Nicely done, thank you.
here's a pro tip.... ... use tongue ring barbell stainless steel 5mm or 6mm externally threaded.... balls... with a 14 gage or 12 gage bar setup.... (you can now skip all this crazy metal work that is sooooo time consuming
This is very nice Jason and the smooth quality of your animation speaks very well itself for your armature making skills. However, though you did go into a lot of great detail on all of the other aspects of crafting the parts, you completely skipped over how you drilled the holes in the balls for the ball and sandwich plate joints before you soldered the rods in them. There are probably folks that would find that part difficult do correctly and a good example would have been welcome. Even I would be interested in seeing if you were doing anything different there. Constructive comment for next time, please include that step in future videos.
Thank you for this awesome video, this the first time on a search, that I have come across you page and this method great, but! I still may get a mini lathe because I was looking to use aluminium and brass to achieve my ball and socket joints, but! awesome other option sir! thank you for this much needed video. UK 👍
I remember you being my teacher in 2009. Being a dumb teenager, i wish that id taken more advantge of your knowhow and creativity. I never figured out how to channel mine, but every time i watch a stop motion film or show (PLasmo, gogs, Aardman anything) i remember you giving your talk on working on Wererabbit and Mary&Max and how i wish i could be involved in something like that. I often wonder if ill ever aim in that direction again. :) I hope youre doing well mate.
Great video! Unfortunately, I have hardened steel ball-bearing balls only. I've managed to anneal them with a MAP gas torch to take the hardness out of them then file a flat spot quite easily. Heating the steel ball until it turns red hot then letting it cool down to room temperature in its own time (approx 5 to 10 mins).
You want them hardened also as soon as you heated the ball bearing to a certain temperature it's ruined and a ball bearing. It will lopsided which will be acceptable for these joints but it allows microscopic abrasives to get in and make that terrible dirt in ball joint noise.
7:32 get a center drill bit as well. Typically, they are exclusively used in a metal lathe but I use them for any steel drilling. Center punch three times, then center drill until enough steel has been removed to prevent thinner bits wobbling, and just keep lubricating it. Lube should have been put first but everyone of your problems is because you didn't lube the drill bit or tap. Wobbling bit? Not enough lube. Chuck has runout? Not enough lube. Dog shit on the carpet again? He saw you didnt use enough lube when drilling. Jokes aside just make it a habit every new drill step quick spray of wd-40, one wipe from the oil can brush, or a kittle dab kf butter whatever you got haha. Most people end up spraying way too much but theres little downsides to excessive lubrication and many for not lubricating. Wd-40 is cheaper than taps.
i am planning to make these armature this is a great video very helpful... can you work and make these with aluminium instead of steel or brass as that must be easier to work with..
I’ve made similar with brass aluminium and steel. The only catch is to use different steel types for the balls and plates. (Eg brass balls with aluminium plates as with the ‘money or the box puppet) If you use the same, they seem to stick.
Thank you Jason! This is the best ball and socket tutorial I have come across so far. After a lot of frustration and money spent using ball and socket kits, I've decided to learn the craft of custom armature building and will be referring to your video throughout the process. Quick question: What width and thickness of mild steel do you use for the plates? And have you experienced any bending of the plates/breaking of the soldered joints at high tension? (I've started to play around with silicone puppets. The body of the one I am currently working with is beefy, requiring high joint tension, and causing the threadlock in my kit to fail) Thank you!
Thanks Samuel. I appreciate the feedback. I'm glad it is of use. Yes it can be finicky, but it's fun and a good feeling of satisfaction knowing you made your own.
Anyone have an idea how much resistance these size joints give? I'm making a new skeleton for a rescue manikin and I want some play but only when enough force has been applied. They will be covered with that hard brown plastic they typically have so adjustments are not easy.
I had a heap of larger balls that were pre-drilled, but yes, like pulling teeth, I drilled out the 6mm balls, Filed the top, drilled a pilot and then drilled a 3mm hole. Painful, but I did about 50 in a run. (3 at a time.)
Ok, this video is simply amazing! I have a question: what do you call the balls for the joints? Yours seem predrilled but I cant seem to find any of them at the local hardware stores. I tried using a regular drill, but probably only thing that will work is a colomdrill
Hi. The balls vary depending on what i have at hand. Normal Ball bearings are coated and very hard. You can heat and slowly cool them to be able to drill, but I use sling shot pellets, which are shiny and softer for drilling. It's a process, and I usually drill out 30-40 at a time so I have a stash at hand. I generally use the 6mm (or 8mm for the spine)
PS: I drilled out the 6mm balls by Filing the top, drilled a 1mm pilot and then drilled a 3mm hole. Painful, but I did about 50 in a run. (3 at a time.) Also, I made a jig to hold the balls steady and used the column drill. I have used a hand drill, but snapped lots of bits and had inconsistent depths
@@jasassin thanks for following up in the comments. it's a good video but I I was thinking the same thing as a lot of other people about the drilling of the ball bearings which I found to be the most difficult part in attempting to build an Armature. I never thought of using slingshot ammo though so I'll give that a go
+Nicholas Cartwright Thanks Nicholas. The Key steel I use (metric sized) is varied. For the legs and spine I used 300mm x 10mm x 3mm, for the arms I think it was 300mm x 6mm x 3mm. Hope this helps. Cheers, Jason
I guess solid wire is of use, I just find the Ball and socket gives you more control. It depends on what the character needs to do. Try not to overcomplicate if you don't need to.
Congrats for your work. It is amazing. I´m from Spain, sorry about my english. Actually I´m researching about this and building my first armatures. Can I ask you where have you bought the solid balls with 3mm holes? I was looking for it around the internet and i´m not totally satisfied with the results. Even I´ve tried to build they with piercings!!
+omar lopez The ball drilling is tricky. I usually don't use proper ball bearings. I use Sling-shot balls. They're not hardened. Then I run a file across the top to create a flat spot and drill that part slowly with a 2.3 or 3mm bit. Other people who use a hardened ball bearing heat the ball to red hot and let it cool slowly. This removes the hardened state (apparently!)
Richard Kirk if I were not filming, I'd say this one would take a solid 8hrs if I were clear on what I hoped to achieve and had all the tools and stock at hand. Once you get moving and everything is set up, I find building in batches speeds things up. Eg build all the plates at once, drill and tap holes at once. (Rather than building one joint at a time) Hope that helps.
+motorsickle Never thought about it before. I guess with parts costing $30-40 and it taking a day or so, probably $150-$200 depending on the complexity.
So you are ruining the hardness of rhe ball bearing as well as its roundness. If you are making a joint that requires precision you cannot solder, weld, or braze these. I'm putting mine in a three jaw chuck, center drill , and then tap but that's because i need that near perfect roundness to prevent dirt getting into the joint in a dirty environment.
I'm not making a puppet, but the technique you use soldering the rod into the metal ball is going to be useful for me, thanks for showing!
This is really helpful. I found that at many points during I was noticing how much I liked the composition of the shot. The camera on the file was a fun one. That's a nice bonus on top of the great content. Nicely done, thank you.
here's a pro tip....
... use tongue ring barbell stainless steel 5mm or 6mm externally threaded.... balls... with a 14 gage or 12 gage bar setup.... (you can now skip all this crazy metal work that is sooooo time consuming
Finally! Thank you for taking the time to make this. It was incredibly helpful.
Thanks for the Video. I've been having trouble with my cuts and drilling with aluminum, It is good to hear an experienced voice giving extra insight!
Very impressive! easy instructions and worked beautifully in my animations. Thank you!
Great video
This is very nice Jason and the smooth quality of your animation speaks very well itself for your armature making skills. However, though you did go into a lot of great detail on all of the other aspects of crafting the parts, you completely skipped over how you drilled the holes in the balls for the ball and sandwich plate joints before you soldered the rods in them. There are probably folks that would find that part difficult do correctly and a good example would have been welcome. Even I would be interested in seeing if you were doing anything different there. Constructive comment for next time, please include that step in future videos.
Thank you for this awesome video, this the first time on a search, that I have come across you page
and this method great, but! I still may get a mini lathe because I was looking to use aluminium and brass
to achieve my ball and socket joints, but! awesome other option sir! thank you for this much needed video.
UK 👍
Brilliant.. I was looking for this type of video. Thanks for the post!!
Thanks so much, this is truly awesome of you.
A really well done and informative video, thanks for taking the time to make and share it!
Love the video, vary helpful for an inspiring stop motion artist. Keep them comming!!!
Very nice and helpful and I'm going to give this a try. You did a great job with producing the video.
Thanks
Awesome video, seriously helpful. Thank you!
I remember you being my teacher in 2009. Being a dumb teenager, i wish that id taken more advantge of your knowhow and creativity. I never figured out how to channel mine, but every time i watch a stop motion film or show (PLasmo, gogs, Aardman anything) i remember you giving your talk on working on Wererabbit and Mary&Max and how i wish i could be involved in something like that. I often wonder if ill ever aim in that direction again. :) I hope youre doing well mate.
Great video loved the pace and the commentary!!
Good job
wonderful
nice work
ty
Great video, nice job!
Thanks for making this. Really great video.
Epic! Thank you
great tutorial thanks very much, really helpful!
Very cool. Thank you!
Great video! Unfortunately, I have hardened steel ball-bearing balls only. I've managed to anneal them with a MAP gas torch to take the hardness out of them then file a flat spot quite easily. Heating the steel ball until it turns red hot then letting it cool down to room temperature in its own time (approx 5 to 10 mins).
You want them hardened also as soon as you heated the ball bearing to a certain temperature it's ruined and a ball bearing. It will lopsided which will be acceptable for these joints but it allows microscopic abrasives to get in and make that terrible dirt in ball joint noise.
This is so very cool Jason! Looks like hard work but fun! :-)
Well done, great video..
Great video! Thank you :)
thnx>>>good work
Thanks so much so helpfull
7:32 get a center drill bit as well. Typically, they are exclusively used in a metal lathe but I use them for any steel drilling. Center punch three times, then center drill until enough steel has been removed to prevent thinner bits wobbling, and just keep lubricating it. Lube should have been put first but everyone of your problems is because you didn't lube the drill bit or tap. Wobbling bit? Not enough lube. Chuck has runout? Not enough lube. Dog shit on the carpet again? He saw you didnt use enough lube when drilling. Jokes aside just make it a habit every new drill step quick spray of wd-40, one wipe from the oil can brush, or a kittle dab kf butter whatever you got haha. Most people end up spraying way too much but theres little downsides to excessive lubrication and many for not lubricating. Wd-40 is cheaper than taps.
i am planning to make these armature this is a great video very helpful... can you work and make these with aluminium instead of steel or brass as that must be easier to work with..
I’ve made similar with brass aluminium and steel. The only catch is to use different steel types for the balls and plates. (Eg brass balls with aluminium plates as with the ‘money or the box puppet) If you use the same, they seem to stick.
+Jason Lynch - So cool but i'd prefer the hips instead of that metal square between legs
Thank you Jason! This is the best ball and socket tutorial I have come across so far. After a lot of frustration and money spent using ball and socket kits, I've decided to learn the craft of custom armature building and will be referring to your video throughout the process.
Quick question:
What width and thickness of mild steel do you use for the plates? And have you experienced any bending of the plates/breaking of the soldered joints at high tension? (I've started to play around with silicone puppets. The body of the one I am currently working with is beefy, requiring high joint tension, and causing the threadlock in my kit to fail)
Thank you!
Thanks Samuel. I appreciate the feedback. I'm glad it is of use. Yes it can be finicky, but it's fun and a good feeling of satisfaction knowing you made your own.
Whatever happened to you JASON?
Shalom from Florida
+Jason Lynch - A professional way to make it easy!!You spend time on it to get several types like this in one day
Hi Leo. I hope it helped;)
Anyone have an idea how much resistance these size joints give? I'm making a new skeleton for a rescue manikin and I want some play but only when enough force has been applied. They will be covered with that hard brown plastic they typically have so adjustments are not easy.
Great Video. For the sling shot balls, did you drill those out or did you find some pre-drilled?
Drilling those seems like it would be awful....
I had a heap of larger balls that were pre-drilled, but yes, like pulling teeth, I drilled out the 6mm balls, Filed the top, drilled a pilot and then drilled a 3mm hole. Painful, but I did about 50 in a run. (3 at a time.)
Ok, this video is simply amazing! I have a question: what do you call the balls for the joints? Yours seem predrilled but I cant seem to find any of them at the local hardware stores. I tried using a regular drill, but probably only thing that will work is a colomdrill
Hi. The balls vary depending on what i have at hand. Normal Ball bearings are coated and very hard. You can heat and slowly cool them to be able to drill, but I use sling shot pellets, which are shiny and softer for drilling. It's a process, and I usually drill out 30-40 at a time so I have a stash at hand. I generally use the 6mm (or 8mm for the spine)
PS: I drilled out the 6mm balls by Filing the top, drilled a 1mm pilot and then drilled a 3mm hole. Painful, but I did about 50 in a run. (3 at a time.) Also, I made a jig to hold the balls steady and used the column drill. I have used a hand drill, but snapped lots of bits and had inconsistent depths
@@jasassin thanks for following up in the comments. it's a good video but I I was thinking the same thing as a lot of other people about the drilling of the ball bearings which I found to be the most difficult part in attempting to build an Armature. I never thought of using slingshot ammo though so I'll give that a go
Hey! This video was a fantastic help! What were the dimensions on the key steel?
+Nicholas Cartwright
Thanks Nicholas. The Key steel I use (metric sized) is varied. For the legs and spine I used 300mm x 10mm x 3mm, for the arms I think it was 300mm x 6mm x 3mm. Hope this helps.
Cheers, Jason
Yes, very much so. Thank you!
What about using a solid wire for the spine? I want to make this model look real but would that through off the balance if I do that?
I guess solid wire is of use, I just find the Ball and socket gives you more control. It depends on what the character needs to do. Try not to overcomplicate if you don't need to.
how did you make the sockets for each of your pieces?
How do you drill through the metal bearing ball?
Congrats for your work. It is amazing. I´m from Spain, sorry about my english. Actually I´m researching about this and building my first armatures. Can I ask you where have you bought the solid balls with 3mm holes? I was looking for it around the internet and i´m not totally satisfied with the results. Even I´ve tried to build they with piercings!!
The 6mm are sling shot balls drilled out. The others I found in a hobby store for remote car steering assemblies.
How did you drill the ball ?
+omar lopez The ball drilling is tricky. I usually don't use proper ball bearings. I use Sling-shot balls. They're not hardened. Then I run a file across the top to create a flat spot and drill that part slowly with a 2.3 or 3mm bit. Other people who use a hardened ball bearing heat the ball to red hot and let it cool slowly. This removes the hardened state (apparently!)
+Jason Lynch Thanks man!!!
hi how many hows would you say it took from the very start as in the drawing to the finished armature model
hours
Richard Kirk if I were not filming, I'd say this one would take a solid 8hrs if I were clear on what I hoped to achieve and had all the tools and stock at hand.
Once you get moving and everything is set up, I find building in batches speeds things up. Eg build all the plates at once, drill and tap holes at once. (Rather than building one joint at a time)
Hope that helps.
thanks Jason i will have to give it ago this year would have don't it when i was doing my film degree but had to leave the course cos of circumstances
Richard Kirk sounds like a good plan. Give me a yell if you need any pointers.
cheers
How much would you charge for these?
+motorsickle Never thought about it before. I guess with parts costing $30-40 and it taking a day or so, probably $150-$200 depending on the complexity.
I have nothing of what you showed us and I don't want to use the wire one!
So you are ruining the hardness of rhe ball bearing as well as its roundness. If you are making a joint that requires precision you cannot solder, weld, or braze these. I'm putting mine in a three jaw chuck, center drill , and then tap but that's because i need that near perfect roundness to prevent dirt getting into the joint in a dirty environment.