Posted by Wes Wood on 17th Aug 2017
Top 10 Armature Makers Tools
Be ready for animation school and rock your box with these armature makers 10 top tools
- The toolbox - it’s obvious but where are you going to put everything? Do you need to cart it around. Think about size and weight (and of course the tools you need to put in it!).
- Ruler, pencil and marker pen - take time to design your armature to scale. Plan your joints (as they’re costly) and make copies of your plan to use as a building guide. Marker pens are good for marking metal. A variety of colours and sizes will give you options plus make you look like an armature nerd. Indulge in stationary!
- Digital calipers - measuring at a new level. Measure twice, cut once. Calipers are an armature maker's best friend. From measuring lengths on bar for limbs to checking ball sizes and threads.
- Piercing saw - the jewellers choice of saw. It cuts stainless steel with ease and saves you hours of sweat and blisters using anything else.
- Set of pliers - for cutting aluminium wire, tightening, adjusting and for pinching your skin (ouch). A small engineers set are perfect for the job and don’t bite (as much).
- Knifes - a simple stanley knife is good for the grunt of work but buy a Swan and Moreton and save it for the precision jobs.
- A cutting mat. Don’t cut through your sketchbook and into your halls of residence kitchen (or mums) work top. Seriously - save yourself the costly repair bill and your precious sketches (plus save a few blades too!).
- A set of needle files - when you are cutting metals bare edges need to be filled away to avoid harm to you and or clothes, silicone, latex finishes.
- A vice - buy a good vice (with weight) that you can lock onto a table. It’s always good to have a piece of steel gripping your armature parts securely. It will save time, frustration and your hands.
- A medical kit - yep this should be number one, but it’s down at number 10 so it’s the last thing you read - not the last thing on your mind. You’d be surprised at how beautifully quick a swan an moreton can slice through your finger. And believe me (yes it’s happened loads of times) - accidents like this can be quite serious, sore and messy! There’s nothing more a Swan and Moreton loves to do than pretend your thumb is a cutting matt (it’s a surgeon's favourite). Be prepared for the moment. Make sure you have a good kit to patch things up when you see red. And if not for you, then be quick to help a college dude out who was too stupid to think of this.
So there you have it. 10 top tools for you to rule animation school. Get kitted up and get ready for season 1 of your education in stop motion!