Quiz: Guess what the parachute is
made from?
.......no prize... but it was interesting figuring out how to 'engineer'
this. It is still not perfect.
Well it is actually made from
transparent packaging tape..... the type that you use to tape up boxes when you
are moving.........you should be able to find it a local store...get the 2 inch
wide type.
As for the wire, it is 35-40 gauge copper wire... you will likely get 25 strands
of it if you strip the insulation layer off a regular electrical wire
.......there is some trade-off to be made between how thin to scale it to and
how strong the wire to carry the weight of the chute.
Firstly, the
things you need..
.. A roll of packaging tape - transparent type 2 inch wide
.. A board with the outline of the chute
...A strand of wire |
Click
on image below to see larger image
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...oops... and
of course, a light bulb |
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Secondly, the
details...
1. You need to prepare a board to help line the 'parachute strings'...mine
consisted of 1.5inch square divided into 7 equal portion as below, I also
marked out the middle portion that I will be trimming off as a
reference..... you can also use your cutting mat as reference but it may
be 'messy' when lining up the strings |
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2. Next, you
will need to strip out the wire (see photo to the right) and spray paint
it black.... It should be about 35-40 gauge using normal household wire,
the length should be about 3 times the length of the chute, in this case
about 13.5 inches..... (note that in this tutorial, I will be using a
thicker 30 gauge and unpainted wire)
....that's about the main
stuff you will need... |
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On the subject of material for
the string, here's the current list:
- Piano string....hmm that's a
new one (should open up the piano to take a look)
- Long Hair.......Need to drop
by the Saloon
- Horse hair...exotic, but
interesting
- Fibre Optic.......ah, that's
interesting....maybe I can design it in such a way that is glows in the dark
Any other?
Ok...on with the tutorial.
1) Layout a
strip of packaging-tape with sticky side up and taped it down at the end
as shown with scotch tape....make sure you have a gap between the edge and
the scotch-tape |
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2) Next lay a
strip of packaging-tape perpendicular to the first and tape it down with scotch-tape |
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3) Start laying
the wires in both directions! |
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4) critical
step..... lay a strip of packaging-tape sticky side on the wire OVER the
wire in both directions. Basically you are sandwiching the wires between 2
layers of tape |
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5) You can now
remove the entire construction for further processing |
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6) start
trimming with sides with a regular scissor.... not to close to the wire or
you may have wire being ripped of the edge during the forming stage,.....
there is still a finishing trimming |
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7) Trim off the
middle slots.... |
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8)..and finally,
get rid of the scotch-tape... |
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9) Now you use
the light bulb... to form the curve shape! |
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10) Trim off as
close to the wires as possible |
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11) DONE......
Strong enough to stand on it own wire...and take some load! |
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now wasn't that easy ?
QC
PS here a link to what my
complete model looked like. 1/48 Academy Su-27 Flanker
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