Making Hand Armatures

I made these hand armatures (3 pairs) using aluminium tubing, floral wire, card and hot glue.

They are thin, flexible and long lasting, ideal for small puppets or those with thin fingers.

Here is a step by step tutorial for how to make them:

- Draw a guide for the size of hand you desire, so that you know how big each section of hand is going to be. Use an anatomy reference if needed.

- Mark the aluminium tubing with a sharp tool.

- Cut the aluminium tubing with either a saw or tin snips. If you choose to use tin snips, be wary of squishing the tubing. Place the cut pieces on the sticky side of masking tape to ensure they are not lost or muddled up. Ensure all tubes good quality and able to thread. This step may take a while.

- Once you have all the pieces have been cut, you need to thread the floral wire through each of the 5 sections of the hand. One length of wire should go through the finger sections, folded, then both lengths should go through the hand section.

- Once all the wires are threaded, place each of the 5 sections onto the masking tape once more.

- Cut two pieces of card out the shape of the palms of the hands. They must fit the character which you are building for. If they are meant to be symmetrical, ensure that they are.

- Using a hot glue gun, attach each of the 5 sections securely to the piece of card, building the shape of the hand as you go. Ensure the sections are stuck in the correct position as it will greatly determine the final look of the armatures. (* Note: Be sure to leave enough wire for the fingers to bend *)

- Allow to dry.

- Twist the wires together at the wrist.

It's as easy as that. A fully functioning animatable hand armature that can be adapted to small puppets if needed.