Introduction: Light-up Felt Lightbulb
Creating your own felt lightbulb is a great way to explain how circuits and how switches work.
Step 1: Materials and Tools
You will need:
Materials
- 1 Handful of yellow wool roving
- 2 Pinches of grey wool roving
- 1 Coin cell battery
- 1 LED
- Vinyl Tape
Tools
- Felting needles
- Styrofoam block
- Scissors
Step 2: Felting the Lightbulb
- Gently pinch off a piece of the wool roving and place it on your styrofoam block. Do not cut the wool with scissors. Cut wool roving won't felt very well.
- Stab the wool with the needle. Keep stabbing it until it becomes a piece of fabric.
- Repeat this process until you have two small squares of grey fabric, and one large oval of yellow fabric.
Step 3: Complete Your Circuit
- Tape down the long lead of an LED to a coin cell battery's positive side.
- Leave the other lead untaped.
Step 4: Create a Pocket for the Battery.
- Cut out a hole in one of the pieces of fabric.
- Sandwich your battery between the two pieces of felt, with the taped-up side facing the fabric without the hole.
- Keep the LED's short lead outside of the pocket and hanging loosely outside the fabric side with the hole.
Step 5: Felting It Together
- Felt the two pieces of fabric together to form a tight pocket.
- Place a section of the yellow fabric between the sandwiched pieces as well. Felt them all together.
Step 6: Shape the Lightbulb
- After some time, your lightbulb should be felted together.
- Take your scissors and cut out your fabric to shape it into a light bulb.
- Test the circuit occasionally by squeezing the battery. It should light up!