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As a special thank you to all the members of robives.com I'm delighted to present this free festive download.
This collapsible tree sits nicely on your desk or mantlepiece and folds flat for easy transportation. I hope that you enjoy the model and the season. Thanks again to all the members, I literally couldn't run this site without you!
Print the parts of the project onto thin card. (230 micron / 230 gsm) Score along the dotted lines then cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Fold up and glue together the base and sides of the box.
Glue the box inners into place lining them up with the hole in the side of the box.
Fold the top down and glue it into place making sure to glue the top tabs on the box inners as well.
The trunk sections are fitted with tabs which are zig-zagged to make double thicknesses of card. Some fold inwards, some outwards, use the dotted and dashed lines and the grey gluing areas to show you which goes where.
These double thickness tabs are glued to the inside of the trunk
Assemble the four trunk pieces.
Curve round and assemble the three branch cones.
Glue the trunk section labeled 'Top' to the inside of the top cone. Make sure that is it straight.
Fit the trunk sections 2 and 3 to their appropriate branch cone at the end opposite to the double thickness tabs.
Fit the last trunk section over trunk section 3. Make sure that the inner and outer double thickness tabs are on matching faces. These will stop the tree expanding too far.
Fit the other two cone sections into place in the same way.
Complete the tree by gluing it into place over the hole in the base.
Once the glue is completely dry you will be able to collapse the tree by pushing it down then restore it to ful height by blowing into the hole in the side of the box.
Festive felicitations!
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As I'm sure I have mentioned before, robives.com is run entirely by the support of the members and shoppers to the site. I literally couldn't do this without you. Thank you all!
I'd like to pick out a few members for a special thank you. Both JayHavvic and tjzich have recently renewed their annual membership+ packages, thank you both! Thanks also to new members amy1231 and ksyfine119 who have signed up today for respectively a monthly plan and a membership+ subscription. Thanks to you both and to everyone who helps support robives.com
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A poseable paper faerie to download and make. This project has arms that can rotate at the shoulder and bend at the elbow as well as a poseable head. Members can download the project for free, non-members can download it for a small fee.
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| Poseable Head | Poseable Arms |
Print out the parts onto thin card (230gsm / 230 micron) Score along the dotted lines and cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the parts.
Roll up and glue down the neck tube. Note that it rolls round itself twice.
Glue one of the thin slip rings onto the grey area at the top of the neck. Wrap the wider ring round the neck and glue it to itself. The wider ring should be free to rotate round the neck.
Glue the second narrow ring into place to trap the rotating ring on the neck.
Roll round the tabs and glue them to the neck.
Roll round the head inner and glue it together. Fit it over the tabs on the top of the neck.
Glue the covers into place being sure that the head inner can still rock back and forth.
Roll round and glue together the two legs as shown. Glue the shoes into place so that they are pointing slightly outwards.
Glue the two legs together with the two long tabs at the top of the legs opposite each other.
Fit the nose into the back of the head.
Roll the head round and glue it together.
Glue together the three parts of the hair.
Weave the long hair stands over each other and glue them together approximately halfway along their length.
Glue the hair to the head using the tabs along the top of the head. Note that the top of the head fits just behind the start of the fringe.
Assemble the shoulders as shown above.
Fit the shoulder tabs into the holes in the body. Fit the covers into place on the tabs making sure that the shoulders are free to rotate.
Roll round the body and glue it together.
Fold up the neck support as shown.
Glue the neck support into the top inside of the body.
Glue together the hand to make it double thickness then carefully cut it out. Shape it slightly for a more realistic appearance.
Glue the elbow tabs to the inside of the arm.
Fit the hand into place.
Fit the second arm cover into place making sure that the elbow joint moves freely.
Tricky bit. Fit the tabs into the arm holder. With a cocktail stick apply a tiny dot of glue to the two tabs and to the centre of the tab piece. Press the circular cover into place. You must make sure that no glue squeezes out from the tabs as this part need to be free to rotate.
Glue the arm tabs to the rotating centre.
Fit the completed arm into the shoulder. A pair of tweezers is useful to nip the tabs into place.
Repeat the process with the other arm.
Fit the head inner into the head so that it runs side to side. Line it up so that the chin is lifted slightly.
Fit the neck into the neck holder.
Done! Pose your faerie and send in pictures!
There is a choice of colour or mono version.
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A project for members to download and make. This character based project is a two axis neck joint. Use it to make this slightly disapproving paper character or as the starting point for your own designs.
Download the file from the usual place then print out the two pages onto thin card (230gsm / 230micron card) Score along the dotted lines and cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Start by rolling up the neck tube, curve the pieces over a pen or something similar. The tube rolls round on itself twice for extra thickness. Note that the area marked 'Inside ' is on, well, the inside.
Roll the tube round and glue the end down so that the end lines up with the edge of the grey area.
Starting at the top of the tube, glue one of the fixed ring strips, lining it up with the top of the tube and starting at the seam.
Roll it right round and carefully glue it down.
The second ring needs to be free to rotate. Roll it round and glue it down to itself, make sure that it doesn't stick to the neck.
Leaving two small gaps, fit the last of the fixed strips into place to the hold the rotating ring into position.
Crease and curve the tab piece as shown above
Glue the tab piece to the rotating ring. There will be a small gap between the two ends of the tab piece once it is glued down.
Make the head inner as shown.
Slot the tabs through the holes in the head inner. A coffee stirring stick is useful for poking at the tabs in this stage. Fold the tabs down and glue the circles into place. Make sure that the head inner is free to rock back and forth.
Assemble the head.
And glue on the nose.
Roll round and glue together the body.
Glue the neck support inside the the body so that it straddles the seam at the back of the body.
Glue the neck into the neck support.
Assemble the two shoulders as the one shown above.
Glue the shoulders to the grey areas on the body. The shorter side of the shoulders faces the front.
Glue the head to the head inner so that it is lined up front to back.
Complete the model by fitting the arms. The arms slip up inside the shoulders and fixed into place with a dot of glue on the front of the body.
Once complete, place your paper character somewhere where he can disapprove of whatever is going on.
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As a by-product of the on-going development of an animated Paper Rock project I've designed this speaker cab and amp to which I've added the original Flying V from the Paper Rock model as well as an SG, featured in the picture below. I've made it available as a free download for members. Thanks for signing up!
It goes nicely with the Paper Rock model I think you'll agree. Mine now has pride of place on top of the piano :-)
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Two corrections and a modification for you to try:
Firstly, I always thought that the Geneva mechanism was named for the Geneva cross, so when I was looking up images to use in the blog and found that the Geneva cross is the same shape as the cross of the Red Cross I was a little taken aback. The cross I was thinking of was the Maltese cross. It turns out that the Geneva part of the mechanism is named for the city of its invention. I've now corrected that on the mechanism post here.
Second correction. The drive mechansim that I have been experimenting with is not a Geneva Stop, its a Geneva Drive. Makes sense. The Geneva Stop is the mechanism originally invented in Geneva. It is used in clocks and watches to stop the main spring from being over-wound. Again, the mechanism post has been updated here.
And for you to try? I have put together a file for members to download with a couple of alternative stop pieces. These parts interchange with the slotted wheel in the Geneva Six project.
The slotted wheels are made in the same way as those in the Geneva Six model. Fold the wheel piece in half and glue it together to make double thickness card then cut out the outline. Glue together the axle. Slide the wheel onto the axle lining it up with the grey line in the centre of the axle.
The new Stop Wheels fit into the project in place of the slotted wheel. This wheel lets the handle turn five full turns in each direction before the drive wheel stops as it touches the outside of the stop wheel.
In this alternative layout, the pin collides with the missing slot stopping the drive wheel turning any further. The handle in this model can turn five and a half turns each way, a half turn extra which may or may not be useful in your project.
So just to be clear, the model shown here is a Geneva Stop or Geneva Stop Works. The model with the fully slotted wheel is a Geneva drive. Sorted.
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A ratchet driven paper animation kit to download, print out and make. Rock the ratchet handle back and forth and the early bird tries in vain to pull the worm from the ground. Members can download this model for free. Non members can buy the file for a small fee.
Print the parts sheets onto thin card. (230 micron/230 gsm.) Score along the dotted/dashed lines and cut out the holes before cutting out the parts.
Fold up and glue together the top and the base as shown above.
Fold over the tabs on both side pieces and glue them down to create triangular tube sections.
Fold round and glue together the two triangular pins.
Slide the pins into place through the triangular holes in the top piece. It is not necessary to glue them down.
Glue on the two sides, the red line lines up with the edge of the top piece. Notice how the side has a notch which lines up with the pin.
Glue the end cap into place between the two sides.
Glue the body top to one of the bird sides starting with the curved tab. Line up the edge of the curved tab with the edge of the body and with the small dot at the top of the body.
Fold round and glue together the leg supports.
Glue the leg support to the body side lining up the edge of the grey area with the end of the leg. Make sure you use the longer leg support on the longer leg!
Glue on the other side again using the dot for alignment.
Glue down the remaining tabs on the body top.
Fit the body to the top through the holes in the top.
Use the grey areas to line up glued areas.
Glue together the first 20mm of the beaks.
Fold the worm in half and glue it down to make a double thickness card. Once the glue is dry, cut out the two worm pieces.
Cut out the marked hole in the bird beak.
Fold the cam in half and glue down to make double thickness card. Once the glue is dry carefully cut out the part. (Like the nails ?)
Repeat the process with the two gears.
Fold up and glue together the cam follower. Glue the cam follower end to the grey area.
Complete the cam follower as shown.
Glue the neck to the body. Note the the centre tabs are folded forward.
Glue the head to the centre neck tabs using the dots on the head for alignment.
Glue the cam follower to the end cap.
Glue the small tabs to the end of the worm.
Fold a small dog-leg into the top end of the worm body.
Thread the worm up through the hole in the top. Glue the tabs on the end of the cam follower, thread the other end through the hole in the beak.
Glue the worm head onto the tab. Make sure you don't get any glue on the beak.
Glue together the square section of the crank shaft. Thread the cam into place on the crank shaft. Make sure that you put the cam on the right way. Note in the picture above the cam lines up with the red line and the yellow line is to the right. Glue two washers to the green rings on the crank shaft with the tabs pointing inwards.
Wrap a small (20mm diameter) in a small offcut of card and glue it to the front on the cam follower.
Fit the cam shaft into the box. In the picture above the purple ring is towards the front.
Glue on sides to the base.
Glue the cover into place.
Fold the pawl over and glue it to make double thickness card.
Glue the bottom of the secondary pawl to the base...
...the glue the top to the box side.
Thread one of the gears to the yellow ring on the cam shaft aking sure that the pawl is in place as shown
Fold over, glue down, and cut out the hole in the pawl housing. Fold over the top to make a triangular section then fold over and glue down the pawl to make it double thickness.
Thread the pawl housing over the cam shaft. Fit it into place with the washer.
Assemble the stop as shown
Fit the second gear to the cam shaft. Check front and back to make sure that the teeth are lined up.
Glue the handle into place. Positioning of the stop is more art than science. Hold it roughly over the marked area without gluing it. Rock the handle back and forth. Move the stop so that both pawls click as the handle is rocked. Once you have found the best location, glue it into place.
Your Early Bird is now complete!
Hold the handle, rock it back and forth and the bird will pull the worm from the ground a little at a time before the worm pulls back and the cycle begins again.
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So, you made the Butterfly model for your true love and now you're in the mood to make more paper models.
Why not download and make the Heart Flower, it makes a beautiful table decoration and is quick and easy to make.
I think I'll make one and put it on a breakfast tray to give my true love breakfast in bed.
Lovely.
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The Fluttering Butterfly is a pendulum powered model to download, print out and make. Any slight movement of the model make the wings tremble and flap. Members can download the model at the link for free. Non-members can download the parts for a small fee.
There are three pages of parts. Print out page one and two onto thin card. (230 gram/230 micron) notice that page two has a front and a back. Print out one side, flip the card over and print the other. Page three is the same but should be printed onto thin photocopier paper (80 gram)
Score the dotted lines then carefully cut out the parts.
The finished model.
Fold the bottom of the pendulum up and glue it into place.
Fold the pendulum in half and glue it at ninety degrees.
Glue the paper hinge into place on the grey area.
Glue the two linkages to the pendulum. Notice that the linkages fit between the grey lines (arrowed)
You'll need four coins of approx. 25mm diameters. Wrap the coin holders round the two pairs of coins. Glue the coins to the end of the pendulum.
Fold the ends round and glue them down to make triangular sections.
Repeat the process with the front and back of the box.
Glue the front, back and sides to the box base as shown.
Fold the box up and glue it together.
Fold up the flaps from the base and glue it to the inside of the box.
Glue the paper hinge to the box. Make sure that the glue is completely dry before you let the hinge take the full weight of the coins.
Fold up the wing stand.
Glue on the paper hinges.
Glue the two triangular wing bases to the paper hinge.
Glue the wing stand to the box.
Glue the linkages to the wing bases.
Glue the smaller of the leaf stands into place.
Fit the leaf over the wing stand and glue it to the small leaf stand. Make sure that the leaf doesn't catch on any of the moving parts.
Glue the larger leaf stand to the side of the box in the position shown.
Glue the two lower wings into place. Make sure that the ends of the wings are touching each other.
Glue the top pair of wings into place.
Complete the model by gluing the antennae to the bottom surface of the wing bases.
Once complete, present the model to your true love. Awww!
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An animated paper octopus to download and make. Turn the handle and the double crank mechanism moves one set of tentacles slightly later than the other set giving this interesting fluid motion. The parts are free for members to download at the end of this blog post. None members can get hold of the parts file for a small fee.
There are two version of the model in the file, colour and line only. Print out the version suitable for your needs. Note that the colour version has a front and a back for each sheet. Print out the front, flip the card round and return to to the printer then print out the back.
You'll need to print out the last page, the tentacle page, four times so that you have enough tentacles!
Print out the parts onto thin card (230 micron/230gsm is ideal) Score along the dotted lines and cut out the holes marked with 'Cut Out'. Carefully cut out and collect together all the pieces.
Fold in half and glue together the linkage sides so that they are double thickness card. Set them aside until the glue is completely dry.
Once the glue is dry, cut out the centre hole with a sharp knife.
Complete the linkage sides by carefully cutting them out.
Use the end of a pair of scissors to smooth the inside of the hole. Notice that the card is now slightly mushroomed out. This helps the parts run smoothly on the completed model.
Glue the linkage sides to the appropriate inner linkage. (Match the correct colours together.) Note that the end of the inner linkage is lined up with the small red arrow on the linkage sides.
Glue the matching colour tabs to the end of the appropriate linkage.
Fold round and glue down the edges of the side pieces to make triangular sections. These will help make the sides of the box rigid.
Repeat the process for the tabs on the base of the box.
Glue together the box top and the slider tube as shown. Note that the tabs on the hole in the box top fold outwards.
Thread the slider tube up through the holes in the box top and use the tabs to glue it into place.
Glue together the inner push rod and outer push rod.
Glue the outer push rod side to the outer push rod. Note that the centre tab is folding upwards in the above picture.
Glue the outer push rod link point into place.
Fold up the inner push rod end as shown in the top picture.
Glue it into place inside the inner push rod lining up the parts as shown above.
Assemble the four crank parts as shown above. First fold round and glue down to make a diagonal piece then fold over and glue down to make this rigid square section piece.
Glue the two pairs of crank parts together as shown. Each pair has one short piece and one long piece.
Take one of the crank parts and thread the shorter of the two linkages onto the longer crank half. With the parts aligned as shown, glue the crank joiner to the crank shaft. Use the diagram and picture to help with alignment.
Thread the other linkage onto the long part of the other crank half.
Glue the crank to the crank joiner. Make sure that everything is lined up and square before the glue dries!
Fold round the ends of the crank joiner so they join the the crank parts together.
Finish off the crank assembly by gluing the small joiner tabs to the arrowed places. These will strengthen the finished crank.
Assemble the handle using the three steps pictured above.
Fold round and glue together the two square sections.
Fold up and glue one section into the other.
Roll round and glue down the long tab to complete the handle.
Glue together the eight tentacles using the top tab on each tentacle only.
Glue together the body as shown.
Roll round and glue together the tentacles.
Glue the body to the tabs at the top of the tentacles
Glue on the eyes so that they are centred on the point where the body joins the tentacles.
Work your way round the body gluing the middle tab to the adjacent tentacle.
Complete the tentacles by gluing the bottom tab to the adjacent tentacle. Note that the tentacles will now be curved slightly upwards.
Gently pre-curve the tentacles starting with a downward curve at the top and finishing with an upward curve at the ends. Looking good!
Thread the outer push rod into place into the slider tube. Thread the inner push rod inside the outer push rod. Use the picture above to make sure that you have the correct orientation.
Glue one of the box sides into place. Make sure that it is lined up accurately with the top of the box and is square.
Fit the crank through the hole in the box side. Note that the shorter linkage should fall under the inner push rod and the longer linkage under the outer push rod.
Glue the tabs to join the linkages to the push rods. Set the model aside to allow the glue to dry completely.
Thread the second side over the end of the crank and glue it into place. Again make sure that everything is lined up accurately. Let the glue dry on the side piece before testing out the mechanism.
Glue the two stand pieces into place so that the red arrows are lined up with the edge of the inner push rod.
Assemble the sixteen linkage parts. Note that the ends of the long pieces are squashed down to make a small flat area.
Glue the long pieces to the push rod. Note that they are marked 'L' and 'R'. Glue them to the left and right respectively.
Glue the linkages al the way round as shown.
Fit the body to the top of the push rod lining up parts as shown. Make sure that the eyes are pointing forward!
Glue the tentacles to the linkages. Note that there is a small dot on the tentacle to help with alignment.
Curve the end of the tentacle upwards to give an octopus like feel!
Glue the medium length linkages between the box top and the 'R' linkages using the grey areas for alignment.
Glue the shortest linkages between the L linkages and the grey areas on the outer push rod. Not that the tab connected to the push rod is folded upwards.
Glue on the handle to complete the model. Let the glue dry completely before trying the model out.
Turn the handle and be amazed at how the octopus moves!
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