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

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Icosahedron.gif

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icosahedron#Uses_and_natural_forms

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!

NOTE:

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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?

or_ford98 says: Feb 1, 2013. 12:36 AM

WOW! Nice idea. Also good photography, pretty rare on instructables :P

colorex (author) says: Jan 14, 2012. 8:15 AM

Awesome. I've been featured in lot's of places. Not significant places, but still!

Just search "Popsicle Stick Icosahedron" on google and you'll see!

lexkeepsitsimple says: Jan 11, 2012. 12:07 AM

Very cool. I love things that are simple to make, don't involve power tools and can be done relatively quickly but look elegant. Great job!

lullerfly86 says: Oct 7, 2011. 12:19 AM

IT WOULD BE REALLY COOL IF YOU PAINTED IT THEN PUT PICTURES INSIDE EACH TRIANGLE.

colorex (author) in reply to lullerfly86Oct 7, 2011. 7:47 AM

You're right. But I don't have the patience... LOL

evacooper says: Oct 6, 2011. 9:49 AM

i once made one of these with cardboard, also one with cardboard that i cut out and put platic, and i hung it like a lamp... it wasnt very sturdy though. i must try this!

colorex (author) in reply to evacooperOct 6, 2011. 10:07 AM

This one is indeed very sturdy. I dropped it once, 3 ft high, still intact.

ko'donnell johnson says: Oct 1, 2011. 11:31 PM

I made this but added tissue paper on all the faces. You could use different colors on each face if you wanted. I also used a "flameless" tea light candle to avoid burning my house down!

geeezer says: Sep 25, 2011. 2:01 PM

cool. gotta love platonic solids... (platonically of course)

Would it work to make 4 of the pentagonal "lids" and stick em together?

colorex (author) in reply to geeezerSep 25, 2011. 9:07 PM

Nope. You can make three lids, but the fourth wont fit anywhere. Nice play on words, there!

mispel says: Sep 25, 2011. 9:01 AM

I made something similar SO long ago in middle school art class. We made a "stellated icosahedron", which is the addition of spikes that come out from each triangle on the surface of the icosahedron. I had that thing hanging from my ceiling for years.

We used small diameter straws (think cocktail straws), strung together with strong thread, which made it more or less impossible to see how it was held together and also gave it some flex.

To "stellate" the initial icosahedron shape, string longer sections of straw off of each intersection and then bring their tips together, eventually making the whole thing a 3D star...

Thanks for this 'ible, brings back fun memories!

colorex (author) in reply to mispelSep 25, 2011. 10:01 AM

Yeah basically I could do the same thing with 180 sticks more. You just build a pyramid on each of the faces.
I did think about that, but I had only 100 sticks...

I'm glad you like it :)

mispel in reply to mispelSep 25, 2011. 9:07 AM

Oh yeah, and a tip for assembling this way is to use a heavy needle to string the thread through the straws. That way it just drops through quickly and easily...

colorex (author) says: Sep 21, 2011. 8:16 AM

I?m EVEN HAPPIER!

I got my instructable featured on the homepage!

YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

Thanks Instructables!