I was looking to find a simple mobile to hang over my daughter's crib. All I could find was crummy plastic junk, so I decided to make my own. It turned out to be a lot of fun. Here are a few simple steps to get started making a mobile. These are great kinematic art project that seem to float in the air and dance on puffs of wind.
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Signing UpStep 1: Assemble the parts and tools
First thing to do is to find the objects that will hang from your mobile... they should be small and light for a simple mobile (although, keep in mind, that there are some really cool mobiles made with huge plates of welded steel)... but to start, keep it simple. For the one I made for my daughter, I used little alphabet blocks into which i sunk a tiny screw-eye (sold for attaching wire to the back of picture frames). For this instructable, I used tea-bags because they were handy.
Next thing is to find some hanging wire. If you are working with larger stuff, you can use welding rods, which come in 1/16" sizes and have nice, copper coating. For smaller items, I used piano wire, which I got at a shop that sells remote-control airplanes. This comes in very precise diameters... I started with 0.020" and got a range of sizes up to about 0.1"... Whatever you use needs to be stiff and springy, so steel is ideal. Get a lot more than you think you might need... I probably used 40' of it for the mobile shown here.
Then, you need some tools, specifically, pliars and nippers. What you really need are some round-jaw pliars, shown here... these allow you to make circular bends in wire. Crafts stores that cater to jewelry makers will have little ones, which are good to start with, but they can't do much with bigger wire. A google search found me a tool store selling bigger ones, I think they were 6.5"... I'd like a bigger pair still, but I haven't found them. You also need wire cutters; a fairly large pair will save your hands some trouble since steel is tougher to cut than the copper that wire cutters are designed for. A large pair of needle-nose will help with some bending steps.
Wherever you work, do your best to get a hook in the ceiling. Mobiles don't really sit well; they only hold together when hanging, and it is impossible to see how it will look unless it is suspended.
Finally, I want to acknowledge a video that I watched while working on this. The movie is "How to make a mobile" by Timothy Rose, sold here:
http://www.mobilesculpture.com/makeyourownmobiles/
I have no affiliation, and frankly, he made it look too easy and I wasn't able to do nearly as well as he did... but, if you want to see how to nip out an incredible mobile in a few minutes, it's worth watching.
Next thing is to find some hanging wire. If you are working with larger stuff, you can use welding rods, which come in 1/16" sizes and have nice, copper coating. For smaller items, I used piano wire, which I got at a shop that sells remote-control airplanes. This comes in very precise diameters... I started with 0.020" and got a range of sizes up to about 0.1"... Whatever you use needs to be stiff and springy, so steel is ideal. Get a lot more than you think you might need... I probably used 40' of it for the mobile shown here.
Then, you need some tools, specifically, pliars and nippers. What you really need are some round-jaw pliars, shown here... these allow you to make circular bends in wire. Crafts stores that cater to jewelry makers will have little ones, which are good to start with, but they can't do much with bigger wire. A google search found me a tool store selling bigger ones, I think they were 6.5"... I'd like a bigger pair still, but I haven't found them. You also need wire cutters; a fairly large pair will save your hands some trouble since steel is tougher to cut than the copper that wire cutters are designed for. A large pair of needle-nose will help with some bending steps.
Wherever you work, do your best to get a hook in the ceiling. Mobiles don't really sit well; they only hold together when hanging, and it is impossible to see how it will look unless it is suspended.
Finally, I want to acknowledge a video that I watched while working on this. The movie is "How to make a mobile" by Timothy Rose, sold here:
http://www.mobilesculpture.com/makeyourownmobiles/
I have no affiliation, and frankly, he made it look too easy and I wasn't able to do nearly as well as he did... but, if you want to see how to nip out an incredible mobile in a few minutes, it's worth watching.
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dabboy
says:
May 3, 2011. 4:57 AMReply
OK this is my tech homework I need to find how to make a project and the materials, but in google all I find is all simple mobiles but I need those mobiles need power drill and those so HELP it due next week we are making it
3
Fuogger
says:
Dec 7, 2008. 1:35 PMReply
very helpful thank you. I am making a mobile for my physics project on center of gravity and this really helped me. Thank you!
11
susie
says:
Oct 18, 2007. 12:36 PMReply
It was surprisingly difficult to bend the 24 gauge piano wire I tried. My project went a little haywire. But thanks for this tutorial to get me started!
captioneer
says:
Feb 8, 2007. 3:46 PMReply
I guess if you used pieces of cardboard or metal you could make ones just like Alexander Calder's. I found some cool looking ones at calder.org and modmobiles.com [http://http:www.modmobiles.com modmobiles.com]
amw
says:
Nov 19, 2006. 11:16 AMReply
Question: How is this related to kinematics?
3
hethlee
says:
Nov 14, 2006. 11:56 AMReply
ooh I like this It reminds me a lot of Alexander Caulder's Mobiles... great job at balancing all the blocks that's so hard.
Omni
says:
Oct 22, 2006. 11:04 PMReply
Nice tutorial on constructing mobiles. Good art project. Suitable for placement in rooms for adults or older children. I don't want to bring down the fun and art of mobiles but you should add a warning that the string, wires, and some hanging objects used in mobiles may be dangerous to children under age 3. Little ones will put almost anything in their mouths and these items could lead to choking or strangulation. There are studies showing that babies vision is still developing when they are in the crib and visual development is improved by mobiles with simple shapes, high contrast images, and bold colors or solid black and white.
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