Rotatable Ferris Wheel Pop-Up Card
Introduction: Rotatable Ferris Wheel Pop-Up Card
Do you know those foldable pop-up greeting cards?
A few years ago I saw them on different handcrafting markets (nowadays you can find them almost in every bookselling store) and I was really fascinated. Especially by the Ferris wheel card. They looked so filigree and huge and impressive and beautiful. Very special...
But there was one point that I thought might be even better than "just" a Ferris wheel pop-up card and that would be if the wheel would be turnable. But all the cards I saw were "just" fixed.
So I started about constructing a turnable Ferris wheel. That was almost exactly 3 years ago and since then I worked on the prototype until I was satisfied and now I can show you my version of a rotatable Ferris wheel pop-up card.
The pop-up card is done using a desktop cutting machine and the files are constructed to be used by one. But since I know, that not everyone has a cutting machine, I added a less filigree version as a pdf, so you can print the files and cut them by hand with an X-Acto knife (but that might take a while :-) )
I start with my learnings over the different prototypes, then in Step 3 you'll find the desktop cutting version and its assembling and in Step 8 you'll find the print and hand-cut version.
Enjoy the making.
Step 1: Material and Tools
Material:
* 30x30cm (12"x12") heavyweight cartridge paper (220g/m³) in blue (or every other color)
* 30x30cm (12"x12") heavyweight cartridge paper (220g/m³) in white
* white thread
* paper glue
Tools:
* desktop cutting machine
* needle
* optional: scissors, x-acto knife
* cutting mat
Cut the files with your desktop cutting machine or print the pdf and cut them by hand.
Step 2: Learning Steps and Prototypes (a Short Overview)
1) The first thing I learned while constructing my first pop-up card was: If you want an element to fold flat, it is necessary that all folding hinges have the same direction. Seems to be obvious, but it wasn't for me at the very first moment.
2) If you want to keep an unfixed element in place you need a good guiding structure. In this case for the wheel on its stand, and for the Ferris wheel gondolas on their suspensions.
3) If you want to keep an unglued suspension in place you should make sure that it doesn't fall out when you turn the slot in the wheel 180 degrees.
4) If you fix a pop-up on the card there are specific points where you can fix it so it folds flat while closing the card. Unfortunately, until now it's still a try and error for me because I couldn't find a geometrical calculation to define the distance between the two fixing points and their position on the card. So if you are keen on geometrical calculations feel free to help me out :-)
Step 3: Assembling the Upper Part of the Ferris Wheel
You need:
* 2 white wheels
* 2 blue fixing disks
* 2 blue axes
* 2 blue side stands
Please have a look at the pictures, there is a legend with the description of the parts.
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Take one of the white ferris wheels and set it onto one axis.
2. Slide the second axis next to it and fix the axes with the fixing disk. Make sure that the Ferris wheel does not slip with the slot.
3. Now slide the 2 axes through the slots at the Ferris wheel side stand. Make sure that the small hole at the bottom is on the right side.
4. If you find it hard to grab, you can also pull gently with tweezers, to have a better grip.
5. Turn the element around and repeat on the other side.
6. Slide the white wheel on the 2 axes.
7. Fix it with the fixing disk.
8. And slide the axes into the ferris wheel side stand slots. Make sure that the small hole at the bottom of the ferris wheel stand is on the right side.
Step 4: Assembling the Bottom Part of the Ferris Wheel
Please have a look at the pictures, there is a legend with the description of the parts.
You need the 7 cross pieces
a) 2 pieces with 2 holes in the middle
b) 3 pieces with slots from the top side
c) 2 pieces with slots from the bottom side
1. Slide the first a) piece in the first slot of the Ferris wheel side stand.
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