If I say anything about this ... it is going to be a SPOILER. Just watch ... it is under 3 Minutes 😎
Here you go .....
To fully experience 'X-Y Stop Mo Rig Mover' ecstasy ... click player window for full screen size!
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Note - Click on photos, then again, for larger image
It looks 'pretty' but as to 'functional', that is a different story. I chose this screw drive style because I liked the 'look' ... kind of retro, industrial age. For stop motion it has a somewhat minimal presence on the table top animation stage, so that the rig would perhaps be easier to digitally erase in post production. My other objective was to construct this with only common hardware parts. NO precision machining. I only used drill press & a power hack saw to cut the metal and lots of hand filing & belt sander. Yes, there are different designs in fabricating screw drive mechanisms such as using aluminum extrusion channels that does not require guiding rods but as I said ... I gravitated to this aesthetic design of ol' school.
I knew, when I almost finished the unit, there were going to be some issues. I made the wrong choice of using only ONE guide rod ... this unfortunately allows some 'slop' in the movement. Usually there are two guiding rods, with the screw drive in the Middle. I thought I could get away with only one guiding slide rod which also would reduce the weight. Also, I used Home Depot cold roll steel rods which are not precision sized, which was a another contributor to the wobbly movement issue.
The weakest component is the Middle Block for the X axis horizontal movement. When the X movement reaches its maximum linear extension, there is more leverage and instability on the ends and the entire 'arm' rests on the narrow center block. These blocks are the important component and I need to redesign with a 'wider' center block and most importantly, use double guide rods made of machinist grade precision sized steel rods.
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As I may have mentioned in the past, my small metal working & machining set-up is in semi-storage in garage buried under piles of stuff. Not easily accessible and also, not having time! However, last year I had an idea brewing. I drew up a schematic of my own design ... a version of a 'stop motion winder rig'. It is not the usual 'geared tooth rack & circular gear pinion' winders that many stop motion enthusiasts LUST for 😛. What I came up with, is a Screw Driven X-Y Mover Puppet Support Rig. It would be fabricated, NOT using any precision machining metal techniques. You can literally get all the parts at a hardware store. Click on image to open separately, then click image again to enlarge.
The primary tools I would use is, a small Metal Cutting Band Saw and especially, the Drill Press. Again ... NOT using milling machine and no lathe turning operations. I will not be doing any intricate cutting & shaping of metal parts. Click on image to open separately, then click image again to enlarge.
Theoretically, design should work but we shall see. I will update later as to the status of this mini-project.
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They call this Rust Bluing but the actual color is a very Dark Gray to Black. My interest in this, was for the stop motion armature fabrication process in which some of the components are usually made of steel and can be subject to oxidizing or light rusting when immersed in rubber foam latex, or silicone might have some affect on the steel surface. Of course, this blackening does not 'completely' protect the steel parts from moisture, but can help in reducing rust. I would still wrap the armature with teflon tape before placing it in mold. The best protection for steel is chrome plating which can be expensive for small quantities of armature parts. An alternative is the lower cost, using nickel plating.
In the past, I have done a different type of steel blackening. Using a torch flame, you heat the metal until it turns a straw color, then quickly plunge the highly heated metal parts into motor oil. This creates a dark micro protection layer on the steel parts. I might later, do another post about this oil plunging metal darkening method.
The oil plunge technique is similar to seasoning cast iron cookware. I tested this method on the above dinosaur armature. Everything that is of black color, ... is Steel that has been Oil Blackened. All the other light colored metal parts in photo, is aluminum metal. Also, there is the Groovy - Coolness 😎 of the 'Black' color 👍 If you go to my Stop Motion Works Facebook Album you can see this clearer photo and this other photo.
BELOW, are a few videos that explains the basic steps of the Rust Bluing (blackening) technique of steel parts. I have not done this with armature parts ... but I did some tests on some small automotive parts. To my surprise, the rust blackening worked reasonably well. NO harmful chemicals used! Just Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Salt.
Below is link to original article that inspired the above videos, to try Rust Blackening method
Quick Rust Bluing (blackening) of Steel
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Anodizing is a plating method of protecting Aluminum metal. The side benefit is, one can anodize plate coat in different colors ... red, blue, green, yellow, black and also clear. This video is by 'Ken'. He demonstrates a do it yourself method of anodizing aluminum metal pieces. The more traditional anodizing techniques requires harsher chemicals such as liquid caustic acids. This demonstrated method appears to be safer, but any techniques there can be risk. This is not for beginners, but for the experienced handyman, do-it-yourselfer who have some degree of mechanical & dexterous ability and understanding of 'How-to'. Presented for informational purposes only.
For more details, go to the above video at the Youtube Channel and look at the additional information underneath the video. Ken's method relies on a dry powder called Sodium Bisulfate. It is a safer than the liquid caustic acids used for plate anodizing, however, that chemical might be difficult for the general consumer to purchase in International countries. In the USA this can be purchased as a swimming pool product, look HERE.
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If I say anything about this ... it is going to be a SPOILER. Just watch ... it is under 3 Minutes 😎 Here you go ..... To fully experience ...
