>>8948730This blog covers the basics of how to construct a metal ball joint armature very thoroughly.
>https://morezmore.wordpress.com/2018/12/30/m3-superflex-instructions/Since mine is meant to fully sealed within the plush, without the access points a stop-motion puppet has, it doesn't have the protruding tension knobs. The screws are all sealed in place with threadlocker, then a layer of JB weld. I also soldered all the ball bearings to the rods, instead of just using JB weld. I wrap everything in teflon tape to make sure the metal won't discolor the fabric down the road.
Ugh I can't find the tutorial I used to help design the demon hound armature. The important thing to keep in mind when using longer joint plates (the femur and humerus) is that they need extra support to keep the tension without bending. So there's an extra ball bearing placed in the center of the joint sandwich, with a screw on either side, rather than just a single screw in the middle.
I use Illustrator to make .SVG files for the laser cutting service. A really important and easily missed step is to set the decimal point value to at least 2 or 3 when saving out the .SVG file.
Let me know if you guys want any further details.
