·ｑπΌ β.Λ Β°β§π π π ·ｑπΌ β.Λ Β°β§ π π π ·ｑπΌ β.Λ
This project was honestly really time consuming, especially the exoskeleton part of this project. I was looking for a cool light up project that can bring in a little bit of whimsy into my room (and hopefully yours as well!) with a functional on and off switch that isn’t just a button to press on π
βｑΛπΌ β.Λ MATERIALS Λ.βπΌ Λｑβ
πΌ β.Λ – Kraft Paper (or card-stock)
πΌ β.Λ – Tissue paper
πΌ β.Λ – Felt
πΌ β.Λ – Bendable Wire
πΌ β.Λ – Hot Glue Gun (and lots of Glue Sticks
πΌ β.Λ- Conductive Tape
πΌ β.Λ – Fairy Lights
πΌ β.Λ – Scissors
πΌ β.Λ – Time (LOTS OF IT)
βｑΛπΌ β.Λ THE SLIDE SWITCH Λ.βπΌ Λｑβ
The slide switch should be the easiest part! just follow the pattern and all will be well π
You will first cut out a rectangular piece of your Kraft paper or card – stock paper (any kind of paper that is relatively sturdy) then bend the corner to be able to place the battery down π
πΌNOTEπΌ this part is a test to see if your lights actually light up! so be mindful that you will have to end up cutting just a bit to allow the switch to slide through
You will then cut out a small part of your circuit after testing your lights, you will create two small pieces, one will be a folded piece of paper with conductive tape going though and the other will be a long piece of paper with conductive tape going around the top part only π
πΌNOTEπΌ make sure the long piece is sturdy enough to not bend as easy or wear down
You will then attach the tube like piece to the empty part and connect it together with more conductive tape π
πΌNOTEπΌ make sure the “tube” part is parted enough to allow the stick to go through, when you add it, you should see your lights turn on and off when you slide it through
And Tadaa! you have made your slide switch! every time you ‘close’ it, it would turn off as you push the stick up, disrupting the current and when you ‘open’ it, your lights will turn on π
βｑΛπΌ β.Λ THE FISH EXOSKELETON (HEAD) Λ.βπΌ Λｑβ
This part is when you should have enough time, as the exoskeleton takes quite a long time to make. especially to bend and twist everything.
πΌ β.ΛTIPΛ.βπΌ
Think of the exoskeleton as an actual skeleton, break it down to smaller shapes to create the bigger shape π
For the head of the fish (of your choice) you will create two half circles and bend the wire to make a hinge – this will create the mouth to open and close π
πΌNOTEπΌ Make sure the half circles are big enough to fit the slide switch (the rectangular part) and leave a spot in order to make the stick of the switch to go out to turn off
The circle for your base will be held up to give the head of the fish more space for the lights to go through and to the rest of the body. Then you add two more hinge like pieces that will allow the mouth to open and close with ease π
πΌNOTEπΌ to make the wire for the head open and close easily, you make the hooks bigger so when you pull up the mouth it would go back without it looking awkward, tighten the hooks at the front of the mouth to make it more stable
βｑΛπΌ β.Λ THE FISH EXOSKELETON (BODY) Λ.βπΌ Λｑβ
This is where it can get a bit tricky, I suggest breaking things down little by little and making them into shapes
You will first start off with four long wires and attach them to the head, these you do not have to make large loops, make them tight so you can get a sturdy foundation for your head, here with these four loose wires, you will be able to shape your fish to whatever pose you would like the fish to have. Then you will add the first two circles to make the body more circular.
πΌNOTEπΌ make sure once you have your finale pose of the fish, the loose ends of the long wire have to be twisted to make it a bit easier to apply the circles
Now you can mold your fish to your liking, I was trying to make a sockeye salmon, I kept it straight for the sake of viewing it better than how it would be shaped up.
πΌNOTEπΌ you can hold the circles down with glue after making the circles bend for a cool and more visually pleasing “welding”
to apply the circuit, you will need to add it to the mouth, I added the fabric as a base for it to rest on, the fairy lights will go through the hole in the middle of the circuit and to the body, here you can make the lights spiral into the body or shape them however you want and glue them down
πΌNOTEπΌ for future reference, I would suggest you do glue them down as when you are moving it, the fairy lights inside would move overtime.
you will then wrap in tissue paper… (to your choice of course)
πΌAnd tadaaaaaa! you are finally done!πΌ