Follow-up Yesterday's Blog

Back in the shop and I finished the eye setup as intended. Two photos for you, one shows the the back, flush sanding completed and you may notice a little relief on the lower block that lets the eyelids open just a little bit further.  The eyeballs are in. The other photo is a front view. This chunk is done now until top works assembly so it is going to bed for a while.

View from back, eyelids in closed position.

View from front, eyeballs in place.

The other chore for today was to checkout if I could make the head opening action work as I had imagined. The photo below shows a prototype mockup using two scraps of pine. I decided to use SOSS hinges as they are completely hidden when closed and very compact. They can be a little stiff to operate so I wanted to try them out. The upper piece represents  one half of the top of the part of the head that opens. I figured it would be about the same weight as the piece of basswood I would use when it is all hollowed out. In the front right you can see what will be the operating cable. This one is actually a heavy aileron control cable used by model airplane builders made by DU-BRO. To work effectively it relies on being constrained in a tube so that the cable will not bend when being used in the push position. You cannot see the cable as it is embedded in the blocks on the front. The cable end shown is not contained, as it needs to bend to follow the attachment link as the head piece opens.  The more of the cable that is in a sheath, the better it will operate, so this will need to be carried down into the actuation point in the mechanism. For straight sections, adding solder to make it rigid also helps.

Anyway, it is a little stiff, but workable.  I'll see if there is something I can do to lessen up the hinge.