Introduction: Popsicle Stick Icosahedron
What is an Icosahedron?
"In geometry, an icosahedron is a regular polyhedron with 20 identical equilateral triangular faces, 30 edges and 12 vertices. It is one of the five Platonic solids." - Wikipedia
Why should I build an Icosahedron?
- To get inspiration. Trust me. Once you have started, a million creative ideas start to pop up in your head!
To build the icosahedron you need to see all the images. To see all the images, you need to join Instructables.com
Do it. It's really worth it.
Step 1: What You Need:
You will need:
- More than 60 popsicle sticks. (100 for $1.02)
- Hot glue gun. ($ 5.00)
- Glue sticks. ($ 0.34 each)
- Tape. ($ 1.00)
Is that really too much?
Step 2: Sort the Sticks
Work with the good stuff.
Go through your pile of sticks, and take out sticks that look ugly.
Bent, broken, dirty, stained, rough, all those you put aside.
Step 3: Basic Setup
This is the basic building block that we will use.
Have fun. Glue a bunch.
We'll need twenty of these. (Icos = twenty)
Do a few more. You really can have fun with these triangles.
Just make sure they are all alike. A flipped one won't look so good.
Step 4: Have Fun While You Can
Now, didn't I tell you that you'd have fun?
Grab'em, stack'em, break'em... No. Don't break'em.
Have as much fun as you want.
Step 5: Starting the Construction
Grab a pair of triangles, match them up, and tape them together.
Now grab one more, tape it.
Do the same with two more triangles. You should come up with something like in the second picture.
Now flip it upside down, so the tape faces towards your working surface.
Step 6: Lift It Up!
Time to LIFT!
Carefully lift up the center of the figure. The two "loose" corners should meet.
Tape under the two sticks that you matched together.
Make sure you put the structure on a flat surface. Then you can glue all the joints.
Step 7: Think!
The next steps are a bit hard to explain. It's the same building process, but complicated to explain.
Take a look at what you just created. The tip of it is a vertex. It is the point where five triangle tips join. It is important for the next steps that you only put five triangle tips in each vertex.
Now go ahead and join trianges with tape, in groups of four, three, and three. In a straight line.
Step 8: Keep Building the Structure
Grab the first part you made, and the group of three triangles.
Tape as shown in the pictures. Then place the structure on a pile of books, with the unglued vertex pointing upwards. Make sure all three edges are touching the books surface.
Hot glue the vertex and the other tips.
Step 9: Keep Building the Structure
Grab another group of triangles. Tape them to the main structure.
Make sure that you only have five triangle tips in each vertex.
Hot glue the vertexes again.
Step 10: Make a Lid
Make a lid like the first one, using five triangles.
Place it on a flat surface before gluing it.
Step 11: Finish the Icosahedron
Join the main structure with the lid. There are five vertices (plural of vertex) to glue this time. You don't need to tape this time.
If your edges don't join perfectly, like in the third picture, melt the smaller joints, gently pull the triangle tips together, and glue the vertex.
When you have glued all the vertexes, and the glue has hardened, remove all the tape strips from the inside.
Also clean up all the silicon threads from the glue.
Step 12: You're Done!
If you have followed all the steps correctly, you should have an Icosahedron.
Feel free to remix the idea, by adding your own decoration. Maybe paint it, varnish it, cover it with paper, put a LED in it, etc.
I like the look of the little candle inside it, but fire and wood don't go well together. Neither do heat and hot glue. But it still looks cool!
- Download "Magic Lights" on your iPod/iPhone, turn up the brightness, and use the disco option!