Halloween flying bat mobile

Halloween flying bat mobile

 If it is done right it's a pretty cool project. A light tug on the pull string and the bat will appear to be flying. It makes a really cool decoration and center of conversation . The entire project is held together by chords or heavy string and works something like a marionette. NOTE: it should not be hung over a crib and should be kept out of reach of small children as the chords and strings can become a choking hazard!

   First drill your preliminary holes and attach the wings to the body using your chosen cord or string. Making sure that the corridor string you choose is heavy enough to support the weight of the project. Start with a ring or loop at the top, add four strings of equal length. (Length is about 18 to 24 inches )  Run two strings on each side of the bat through slits cut in to the dowel and use a dowel to keep your strings separated. You should now have two strings on each side of the dowel for the wings. The most difficult thing about a project like this is finding the right balance points. Adjusting the weight in the pull cord is usually the easiest but in some cases you may have to move the cord holes that support the bat. The two outer holes can be moved closer to the body if the body is too heavy or move them slightly further out if the wings are too heavy. Before painting and finishing your project it is best to do a trial run with everything assembled temporarily. If it is done correctly it should be balanced as shown above in the small diagram. Holes drilled in the wrong place can be filled in with putty or glue and sawdust. Be sure and take notes of where the correct balance holes are if you intend to make more than one .The body can be sanded down to remove some weight or a thinner wood stock can be used. Basically the body should equal the weight of the two wings. Metal washers can be sandwiched In between two pull cord bats or a thicker one that is hollowed out if extra weight is needed for the body. The pull cord bat is actually optional and should be included with the total body weight if used.

    Once you have your project balanced you can then proceed to paint your project. Keep in mind to use an equal number of coats of paint for both the wings and the body so as not to throw your weights off.

    One of the nice things about this project as it uses a single color paint with only a few highlights as desired. Can use plastic animal eyes to make it more realistic or paint a couple of thumbtacks.

 NOTE: If you want to make a quick trial mobile, it can be made out of cardboard or poster board.

    In the poster board bat I had to move the holes for the wings out further to accommodate the width of the pencil length dowel. I used paperclips on the wings to adjust the balance. This way once I have the weight correctly adjusted I could simply insert the paperclips into the foam part of the wings Instead of using the small bat on the pull cord I used beads as a counterweight. That is so I can add or subtract however many beads I needed to. I also used beads on the underside of the wings to keep the embroidery thread from pulling through.
     The size and type of material will always cause you to make adjustments in the location of the holes, the weights in the wings, and the counterbalance on the belly (pull cord beads). This is why you completely assemble your project. Paint, eyeballs and anything else you add to the project also adds weight.
    Once you have made all your adjustments and have decided on all the materials that you're going to use, it is a good idea to make notes and adjustments to your pattern. That way any copies you build in the future will be simple and easy.

      

    As always it should be noted that this prototype design is the property of Nevada crafter.com it is free to the public to use so long as it is not put into mass production. (Anything over 500) please also note that this post is copyrighted and Nevada crafter does not allow reprint, redistribution or republishing without permission from Nevada crafter.com

Steampunk whirligig / weathervane by Nevada crafter.com

    This is probably the most complicated whirligig design that I have created thus far. And as such I would like to stress that this is an untested design that may be better suited as a decoration indoors rather than an actual functioning whirligig or weathervane.
    The reason for the complexity is that it uses several different materials that are not usually incorporated into a whirligig. The design is a steam punk style and uses everything from wire, tubing and even wiremesh.
    I think it would look really cool using a copper mesh for the netting. The balloon itself is a simple oval 1/4" cut out painted gray to resembled the dirigibles used during the Victorian era. The guide wires or ropes will need to be some type of rigid wire such as brass welding rod or even bicycle spokes to support the balloon. Steam generator in the middle can be part wood but also could be just as easily fashioned out of a metal cut out. Tubing could be substituted with copper or brass wire. The steam gauge itself can be a sliced dowel painted silver and then applying a decal for the gauge and numbers. The ship body is cut out of 1/2" to 5/8" wood stock. The propeller is actually quite simple, in that it is a dowel using beads as a spacer and cap.
    The rest of the design is left open for your own imagination, such as the type and style of anchor that you wish to use or whether you would want to add any ports. I personally thought about drilling a hole in the side and then mounting glass marbles as port windows. You could probably use pipe fittings or even Sculpey clay for copper or brass fittings.

   If you have any suggestions or ideas please feel free to post them in the comment section. I'd be very interested in hearing people's input so I can make improvements on the design or future designs.

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Seagulls And Fruit Weathervane

Seagulls And Fruit Weathervane

The design can be used with any fruit or object you like and the birds need not be seagulls. It is basically presented to demonstrate a concept that involves using wind drag instead of a tail fin to control the direction of the weathervane. The number of birds is up to you. I recommend that you use spring steal so it does not loose it's shape and will give the birds more action in the wind.

Basic types of wind art and instruments

Description of basic wind art and instruments

This poster is intended to give a basic breakdown of the differences between the various wind art and instruments. This is also to clarify what I am talking about in the various blogs and the various terms that I use to describe what I'm working on. 

   


    Weather Veins are probably the oldest form of wind instruments. As time went by they evolved into more decorative forms and sometimes doubled as lightning rods as they were usually mounted on the tops of houses and constructed out of metal. 

    From this evolution arose the whirligig which not only functioned as a wind directional device but as a mechanical animatronic. Usually depicting some comic scene or action such as an old lady washing clothes or a mule kicking a prospector. Some whirligigs have also been adapted to create thumpers to chase away moles and gophers. Generally constructed out of wood there are not too many surviving antique whirligigs.

     Wind spinners or pinwheels are also among some of the oldest wind devices but were created more as a child's toy rather than decoration. When spinners are generally mounted on a short stick about 12 inches long or shorter. More recent designs are in the shapes of flowers and used as yard decorations.

     Weather stations are among the recent instruments created as a tool to monitor whether and meteorological events. Their sophistication now includes electronics that enable them to transmit information wirelessly, which allows them to be placed in remote areas and the unattended. 

    Kinetic art is the most recent addition to wind art and is generally constructed of metal. These works of art use the wind to create movement that is almost an optical illusions. They may also include wind chimes and solar lighting. Their design is more closely related to the wind spinners or pinwheels that children play with but on a much grander scale. They are generally omnidirectional which means they will operate no-matter the direction the wind is blowing.

This is a creation of www.nevadacrafter.com copyrighted 2016 not for reprint or republication without permission from Nevada crafter.com.

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Whale whirligig / weathervane

Whale whirligig / weathervane

This original design was conceived for use with the wood from fruit and vegetable crates that grocery stores discard, but due to the use of pesticides and other chemicals that may have been used on the wood I no longer use this wood source. The Woodstock that I use is 1/2" or 5/8 " and can be scaled to what ever size you need. 

    For the water spout I give you 3 options, although I used the copper wire the most as it was more cost-effective. 

    [Note] The difference between a whirligig and a weathervane is that a whirligig usually has a mechanical or electrical action to it, whereas a weathervane is usually just a figurine that tells the direction of the wind. A weathervane will also usually position the pivot post so that the figure( animal, person, object) is moving in the direction of the wind and not in the opposite direction. If you wish to use this as a weathervane simply move the pivot post back so that the whale will pivot as if he is traveling in the direction of the wind.

This is a simple basic design that can be modified numerous ways but it was made simple so as to increase profits and to allow me to compete with other crafters. The design can be spray-painted with one or two colors and not a lot of detail and still look good. 

    The fiber-optic version is a recent concept that I have not had a chance to fully work out. So if you attempt to create it please keep in mind that you may have to experiment with it in order to get it to work right. This version also increases the cost of materials which you may not be able to recoup even though all of materials for the lighted water spout can be found at dollar stores. The LED light is cannibalized solar yard light and the fiberoptics is cannibalized from a battery operated light.

    Still, it is a good project to challenge your skills at whatever level you happen to be at. The whales design was originally cut from a single piece of wood with a coping saw, which was a lot of work to just cut out the tail and very imprecise. At the time a coping saw is all I had, but when I later invested in a scroll saw I found it to be a worthwhile investment. A scroll saw makes quick work of it in less than a couple minutes.

Tall Sailing Ship Whirligig

Tall Sailing Ship Whirligig

This is a concept design created by Nevada crafter.com Is mainly intended for entertainment purposes

and should not be considered a blueprint or plan.

However the concept is sound and with trial and error

it may be possible to construct a working model.

It is designed to be mounted on a fence post

and to work in light to moderate winds. Winds in

excess of 30 miles an hour may require smaller sails

or propellers or a more rigid mast. It is suggested that

each side of the sails be painted a different color,

such as white on one side and black on the other

so as to accentuate the spinning motion of the sails.

(Note this concept is not done to scale and its

size may need to be enlarged or decreased.)

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Fairy Silhouette

Fairy Silhouette

This is a www.nevadacrafter.com pattern. All copyrights reserved to Nevadacrafter.com this pattern is not for reprint or publication without the express permission of Nevadacrafter.com. Nevadacrafter gives free limited permissions to crafters and hobbyists to use this pattern for limited production of 200 silhouettes only for their personal use. This design is not for commercial mass production without negotiating royalties with Nevadacrafter.com

    This design may also be adapted to other projects such as whirligigs and weathervane's. Future posts will demonstrate how this silhouette may be used with whirligigs and whether veins. This is a basic PNG pattern fairy silhouette that can be enlarged to whatever size needed. It can be used as stand alone as yard ornament by attaching wire stakes or it can be enlarged and used as wall ornament.

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Blue Heron Silhouette

Blue Heron Silhouette

Limited use pattern for personal use only. Reprinting or publishing this pattern is prohibited. Mass production in excess of 200 without Nevadacrafters permission is prohibited. Nevadacrafter.com reserves all rights and copyrights to this pattern.  

The silhouette can be used as a stand-alone yard ornament or incorporated into a whirligig or weathervane. Please feel free to leave constructive comments or suggestions. We will try to reply within a reasonable time.

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Butterfly Multiuse pattern

The following is a multiuse butterfly pattern. It is designed so that it can be used on fabric as well as in woodworking, or other craft projects. The design can be copied for personal use on fabric as a outline for a butterfly pattern that would be filled in with fabric paints. It can also be traced onto wood and then cut out with a scroll saw. He can then be painted and used as a yard ornament.

Feel free to use this pattern for your personal use only. Do not reproduce or redistribute this pattern. Do not use pattern in mass production or in commercial use. If you wish to purchase copyrights or limited production copyrights they are available from Nevadacrafter.com.

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