Mobile Sculpture Making Tutorial
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- How to make a mobile- Tutorial
I made this mobile years ago as a coffee table puzzle. Here I am just putting it together. The second half I try and break down the basic mechanics of how to make the different bends. There are three basic bends.
1. The element hanger -(attaches the wire to element) basically a simple loop. That is not offset.
2. The nib- attaches each armature to the fulcrum. The nib is bent perpendicular to the fulcrum and to the element hanger. After the bend is made you off set it 45degrees so it looks like a lollipop. Then you need to turn it sideways and tweak it down 45 degrees.
3. The fulcrum- placed at the balance point. Find the balance point, grab it with the pliers and bend each end upward and around the pliers (its anti-intuitive at first.
There are many variations and other more complicated bends but you can do 90% with these.
Thank you very much you showed up close you have one of the better videos
aat the beginning i was envying the perfectly designed rods and attachments and by the end i was ransacking my closet for some coathangers. just awesome
The wire I use most often is called "piano wire". It is usually found in hobby stores and is used for push rods on RC cars and planes. Look for a display by a company called K&N. High carbon steel wire has the best stiffness and work-a-bility to weight ratio and allows you to cantilever weight out the furthest, creating the illusion we are looking for.
@@actualsurfer thanks so much. "the illusion we want. what better way to pass time during this global lockdown. much appreciated.
Martyn. Thank you so very much for your kind words. I just read them again this morning and because of you I decided to make more mobiles and make more videos about them.
I really enjoy learning new things. (I made a fancy pair of nunchucks the other day as an example)....But why not focus on what I am excellent at doing?
When I first discovered mobiles and making them it was like lightening. It took over everything, every thought. All of my time. They are a kind of magic that unlocks the imagination. Early on I started calling them Imagination Engines.
It is nice knowing that you were grabbed in the same way that I was.
If you need any help or instruction please do not hesitate to ask...even small subtle things as the secrets trapped in these sculptures are as vast as they are subtle. All of them necessary to get the result you envision.
Take Care
\That is the best instructive videos i think i've ever seen in mobiles specifically but really in most genres i've studied. your clear skills and craft step by step, that speak louder than words. i'm watching many times. to absorb. just great teaching. thankyou.
You are welcome. That might be the best compliment I have ever received. Thank You.
Wow, you are so generous to put this video out. Would it be possible to explain a little bit about how you are adjusting/ manipulating the loops on the end? I can see that you are changing the angle of the loop, but is this fixed or changing on how it looks or behaves?It seems that theses adjustments are vital for the exciting and interesting movement if you mobiles.
Just seeing this comment now.
Once you have a section put together you can observe several variables.
1. Is the truss "in line" with itself. You need to sight down the length of the truss and see if everything is straight. Usually the fix is to bend things by holding the loop it hangs from with pliers and swing the front or back or both into line.
2. You will want to adjust for any twist in the truss. usually it shows up at the tail end rotated off to one side. Hold the middle loop with pliers just as above and see if your front loop and rear loop are in phase with the center loop. Its difficult but youll have to twist it by hand or with another set of pliers to rotate the end around the axis of the truss.
3. Now look and see if the balance is correct. if its not either the tail is too heavy or it is too light. There are two things you can do to adjust this...First is a fine adjustment and the other is a macro adjustment.
Lets say the tail is too heavy by just a tad. You can adjust the andgle of the front loop in the "Up" direction from its 45 degree angle. This effectively lengthens the truss at the front end and makes the front end heavier (in physics it would increase the torque in the system by lengthening the fulcrum) If the tail is too light you can do the opposite.
Often that is not enough so you have to do a macro adjustment. That is "rolling the center loop either forward or backward to increase or decrease the fulcrum length.
If the tail is too light then you need to roll the center loop forward. To do this, grab the loop through with your round nose piers and you will need to continue the bend by consuming a little more of the wire from the front of the truss. After you do this you will need to grab the loop where the wire is doubled up and unroll the loop out of the tail piece of truss.
It is very subtle but once you do it many times your timing will get better so that most of your adjustments will be at the front end of the truss by only adjusting the angle of the front loop.
Let me know if you have more questions.
very artistic and pleasing proportions
Hello there 😊
Amazing and very interesting project..
Super like 👌👌👌
Thanks for sharing
Do keep posting new ideas 💡💡💡
Warm regards and best wishes
The UnknownManCub 👍😎🧑🏭
Hello, that looks really good. Can you tell me where you got the metal discs from?
Thank You.
The metal discs are 20 gage aluminum sheet that I cut out myself with tin snips. Drill the holes, chamfer the holes, sand the edges to tapers and paint using Testors model acrylic paint.
The copper discs late in the video were purchased at a bazaar in San Francisco about 18 years ago.
What is it made of and how did you make that base??
Douglas, Thanks for your interest.
The base is made of aluminum discs cut from sheet. about 1mm thick...then glued together. the discs I made using a standard protractor and decreased the radius by some harmonic amount. After I glued the discs together I drilled the hole for the armature. Then I painted the whole thing using a rattle can flat black.
I wanted the base to mimic the discs flying in the mobile.
The rest of the mobile is also made of aluminum of the same thickness. Painted using Testors model paint available from most Hobby stores. The trusses are made of wire known as "piano wire".. Hi-tensile strength and available from most hobby sores...I think supplied by a company called K and T??? You will need "Rosary pliars" to get the round bends right.
This whole thing breaks down...I call it the "Puzzle" because it comes in a box and you have to figure out how to put it together based on the clues....ROYGBIV, size of discs and length of trusses.
A lot going on there...
If you want further advice on how to get this perfect...let me know and I will be glad to guide you through.
Bravo !! What materials u used for the painted elements? could u share the measurements/ lengths of each stick?? Thanks ahead❤
What are the exact size of the circular discs?
They can be any size but these range from about 5/8” to 2 1/2”.
I used a circle stencil to trace them. The kind with many circles from small to large.
@@actualsurfer wow thanks for the help! I am planning to make one from recycled cans
Also could you tell me the thickness of the piano wires? 0.45mm would be too thin right?
@@lucyjun79 Build to the materials you have on hand. You can always make another.
These discs are thicker than soda can aluminum...maybe 3x thicker?
As far as the wire goes...I typically use wire that is 0.039 - 0.062
I think these wires are 0.055 - 0.062?
Take the wire that you are using and test to see how far you can cantilever the "elements" you are using and still maintain its structure without drooping.
Also, after you cut them, there will be a burr on the edge. Sand that burr down and smooth out the edges well before you paint. It will look better and paint easier.
Enjoy the process! you will never know less about it than you do now and you can harness that newness to try things you wont try later when you have more experience.