| This quick tutorial will show you how to modify the existing Stikfas feet to give them bendable "toes" for better posing. It's a Moderate to Advanced level custom, since it involves fairly precise cutting and drilling or gluing to get the desired result. The original "Jointed Feet" idea was created by "PopeRocket" at the Asylum some time ago. The steps below are a slight modification of his original concept. Click on the images below to see the larger, detailed views.
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| Step One |
 | The first step is to gather the tools and parts that you will need to complete this process. While you can probably get away without some of them, they're the basics that I've used while putting this tutorial together. You should have a Dremel with a thin cutting disk, fine grit sandpaper, a pair of pliers, Super Glue (not pictured) a drill bit (optional) and either Epoxy or Sculpey (also optional).
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 | The Stikfas parts you'll need are: a pair of feet (obviously), a pair of small sockets (like those from the K-9 leash, Beta's ponytail, G2's ponytail or the horse's saddle) and a pair of ball joints. For the ball joints, you can use pretty much any extra Stikfas part you have laying around, assuming that it's long enough to serve our purposes. For example, the "head" joint on a t-bolt would not be long enough, while the arm joints would be just about perfect for gluing directly to the foot. More on that later though. |
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| Step Two |
 | Once you have the parts gathered up, you're ready to start cutting. The first thing you should do is take a quick look at the image to the left so that you can work out where to cut on your own Stikfas feet. You should end up removing a slice from the middle that will be big enough for one of your extra sockets. Make sure you don't cut too close to the front of the toe or too close to the back socket either! One good tip is to draw lines on the bottom of the foot to mark where you intend to cut before you start.
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| Step Three |
 | After the lines are drawn, you're ready for your cuts. Grip the foot firmly with your pliers at the back end and carefully make your first cut with the Dremel tool. For easier handling, I'd suggest cutting the "toe" section off first, then cutting the center gap out last. If you feel uncomfortable holding the foot in one hand and the Dremel in the other, try holding the foot in a desk-top vice instead.
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 | Quick Tip: Your second cut (to remove the center gap) should run right along the edge of the square peg on the bottom of the foot. You can see the peg in the image here. By cutting right there you will avoid damaging the socket in the back of the foot, but still give you enough extra plastic to drill or glue onto later. Your cut foot should look similar to the one shown here. Repeat the steps above to cut the same gap in your second Stikfas foot. |
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| Step Four |
| Now we need to prepare the sockets to be glued to the front "toes" of our feet. That basically involves sanding the back side of each socket so that it can lay flat against the back of the toe, giving plenty of surface for the super glue to stick. As you can see in the image to the left, the back of the socket is flattened.
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| Once the backs are sanded down, clip the sockets off from the rest of the plastic. Or, this can be done before sanding, whichever you feel works best. Sand any sharp edges if needed. |
| Step Five |
 | Now we can glue the sockets to the backs of our "toes." Glue the socket at the BOTTOM of the toe, rather than centering it in the middle. In other words, when you look at your toe from the side (not pictured) the socket should be resting on the surface of your desk, even with the bottom of the toe itself. Also, glue the socket so that the open end is facing upwards, allowing the inserted ball joint to swivel up and down properly. |
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| Step Six |
 | Now it's time to make a quick decision. Do you simply glue part of an i-bone ball joint to your foot (bottom of image at left), or do you drill a small hole and insert the ball joint that way? If you go with the i-bone option, the gap in your foot will be a bit more obvious without some added Sculpey/Epoxy later. However, if you decide to drill then you have to be very, VERY careful that you don't drill too far and ruin the socket in the back of your foot. Either option will work fine. It's mostly an aesthetic issue. If this is your first attempt at jointed feet, I'd suggest trying the cut i-bone option first, as it's easier. Just cut the part as pictured to the left so that you end up with a "T" shaped ball joint. Sand the bottom flat and line it up with the help of your socket/toe before gluing it onto the back of your foot.
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 | If you go with the drilling option, use a drill bit that matches the diameter of the ball joint's shaft. Figure out where you need to drill in the back of the foot to make everything line up properly, then drill VERY carefully to make a shallow hole. Test fit the ball joint and adjust the size/depth as needed until you're happy with the results. Then, superglue the ball joint into the back of your foot. Quick Tip: plug the square peg of the foot with some superglue and an extra "pocket" part before you start drilling. Otherwise, you may have trouble getting a hole drilled if it needs to be lower in the foot. |
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| Step Seven |
 | Once the glue dries, pop the parts together and see what you have! If you're happy with it, continue on to the second foot and do the same thing. |
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 | When both feet are glued and popped back together, test them out to see what kind of range you get with your new joints. You might have to do a bit of sanding around the top of your socket if it doesn't quite bend as far as the image to the left. If you like the look of the joint the way it is, then you're done! However, if you want to hide the gap a bit better then pay close attention to the way your toes bend and get out the Sculpey or Epoxy. Quick Tip: If you want to add magnets to the toes as well, this would be the best time to put them in. BEFORE you add the Sculpey/epoxy is best so that you won't scratch or break it while you press the magnets in. |
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| Step Eight |
| The final step is to take the toes of your feet and add some epoxy to them in order to make a "hill" of sorts. The slope is necessary to allow your toe to bend as far as possible. Just apply the Sculpey/epoxy and then sand it down as much as you need to in order to get the full range on your toes. You might want to paint over the epoxy to make it match the plastic or the custom you're creating as well, like the black on the feet to the left. |
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 | And there you have it, Jointed Feet! If anyone uses this tutorial to make their own feet, please email me a picture to let me know how they turned out! Send any questions or comments to the same address. |
