DUSTIN HOFFMAN

SPITTING IMAGE PUPPET RESTORATION

 

This is an original Dustin Hoffman Spitting Image puppet bought to me by a private collector for restoration and conservation.

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Dustin has a very elongated nose which meant that over the years the weight of this feature was causing pressure on the weaker areas such as the neck which will have been used extensively when puppeteering and possibly to be hung up in between shooting. This area had deteriorated and torn substantially. 

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As with all of the puppets my first job was to stabilise any loose material before beginning work.  I then worked on supporting the areas which were under strain, in this case his neck, in particular reinforcing inside the piece at the point of stress. I made him a basic stand as per the clients wishes.

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 I then restored the head to be sympathetic to its authentic condition, maintaining the original features and paint work and ageing the restored areas appropriately.  

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• Stabilised all of the delicate areas of the face before being able to glue parts back together.

• Removed decaying foam from neck and replaced it with new foam.

• Rebuilt and reinforced his neck both externally and internally. 

• Fully reinforced the inside of his mouth and areas of weakness inside his mouth.

• Working from photos I rebuilt and re-sculpted his neck, jowl and chin area.

• I fixed any cracks on his face. 

• Colour matched and repainted his neck, mouth and chin area and any small cracks

that were filled on the face.

• Injected areas in his head to bind deteriorating material.