\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.
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.
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
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.
Hello there 😊 Amazing and very interesting project.. Super like 👌👌👌 Thanks for sharing Do keep posting new ideas 💡💡💡 Warm regards and best wishes The UnknownManCub 👍😎🧑🏭
Do you need to sand paper the sheet metal before painting? Or can I just paint on it? Thanks for this video!! I'm making a mobile as a gift and your video has been super helpful!
You definitely want to sand before paint. When you cut out the shapes they will have a little lip on one edge....same as is left by the drill bit... I try and sand that off and on the thicker pieces I taper the edge from both sides and lastly, I go around the outer edge to knock down any burrs. When painting, paint the hole gently and the outer rim trying to not get paint to collect on one face or the other...just the rim. Then I typically hold it in my hands by the rim and paint the faces...rotating my fingers out of the way of the brush. Paint quickly and try not to go back over anything as it will glop up etc. Hang it to dry through the hole but in a way that the paint is not messed up by the hanger...(use a straight piece of metal) I have found that painting with a light yellow prior to painting with red or green really brightens up the color. I use Testors enamel paints sold in Hobby stores for model cars etc. Good Luck!
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.
@@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.
@@lucyjun79 The piano wires are measured in thousandths of an inch. It is called "Hobby wire" or Piano Wire. I use 0.025 - 0.065 with the best overall to use and bend and is not too thick to manipulate is 0.035- 0.049 That wire will make nice small mobiles.
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.
Thank you very much you showed up close you have one of the better videos
\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.
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
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.
Hello there 😊
Amazing and very interesting project..
Super like 👌👌👌
Thanks for sharing
Do keep posting new ideas 💡💡💡
Warm regards and best wishes
The UnknownManCub 👍😎🧑🏭
Thank you for saying that. I need the encouragement!
Do you need to sand paper the sheet metal before painting? Or can I just paint on it? Thanks for this video!! I'm making a mobile as a gift and your video has been super helpful!
You definitely want to sand before paint.
When you cut out the shapes they will have a little lip on one edge....same as is left by the drill bit... I try and sand that off and on the thicker pieces I taper the edge from both sides and lastly, I go around the outer edge to knock down any burrs.
When painting, paint the hole gently and the outer rim trying to not get paint to collect on one face or the other...just the rim. Then I typically hold it in my hands by the rim and paint the faces...rotating my fingers out of the way of the brush.
Paint quickly and try not to go back over anything as it will glop up etc.
Hang it to dry through the hole but in a way that the paint is not messed up by the hanger...(use a straight piece of metal)
I have found that painting with a light yellow prior to painting with red or green really brightens up the color.
I use Testors enamel paints sold in Hobby stores for model cars etc.
Good Luck!
very artistic and pleasing proportions
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 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.
@@lucyjun79 The piano wires are measured in thousandths of an inch. It is called "Hobby wire" or Piano Wire. I use 0.025 - 0.065 with the best overall to use and bend and is not too thick to manipulate is 0.035- 0.049
That wire will make nice small mobiles.
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❤