How to Make Brass Tube and Lead Wire
Armatures for Stop Motion Puppets

Clay puppets animate nicely when you use lead wire. The reason for this is the lack of memory (or spring-back) that occurs with lead wire.

 

Aluminum is the second easiest, but will require extra attention to animate. That is because you must bend the puppet part beyond where you want it, wait for it to spring back and check the position of the part. In this tutorial, Marc Spess goes through all the steps of how to cut and adhere all the parts for a successful armature.

 

This being said, the traditional ways of using lead are not used as much any more. Issues of toxicity of course are one reason why. Where possible it is best to use aluminum wire. While it does have some memory, it is the only choice I recommend for kids to young adults. Brass tubing and aluminum wire also work perfectly together without any issues.

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