Rotatable Ferris Wheel Pop-Up Card

Intro: Rotatable Ferris Wheel Pop-Up Card

Do you know those foldable pop-up greeting cards?
A few years ago I saw them on different handcrafting markets (nowadays you can find them almost in every bookselling store) and I was really fascinated. Especially by the Ferris wheel card. They looked so filigree and huge and impressive and beautiful. Very special...

But there was one point that I thought might be even better than "just" a Ferris wheel pop-up card and that would be if the wheel would be turnable. But all the cards I saw were "just" fixed.

So I started about constructing a turnable Ferris wheel. That was almost exactly 3 years ago and since then I worked on the prototype until I was satisfied and now I can show you my version of a rotatable Ferris wheel pop-up card.

The pop-up card is done using a desktop cutting machine and the files are constructed to be used by one. But since I know, that not everyone has a cutting machine, I added a less filigree version as a pdf, so you can print the files and cut them by hand with an X-Acto knife (but that might take a while :-) )

I start with my learnings over the different prototypes, then in Step 3 you'll find the desktop cutting version and its assembling and in Step 8 you'll find the print and hand-cut version.

Enjoy the making.

STEP 1: Material and Tools

Material:

• 30x30cm (12"x12") heavyweight cartridge paper (220g/m³) in blue (or every other color)
• 30x30cm (12"x12") heavyweight cartridge paper (220g/m³) in white
• white thread
• paper glue

Tools:

• desktop cutting machine
• needle
• optional: scissors, x-acto knife
• cutting mat

Cut the files with your desktop cutting machine or print the pdf and cut them by hand.

STEP 2: Learning Steps and Prototypes (a Short Overview)

1) The first thing I learned while constructing my first pop-up card was: If you want an element to fold flat, it is necessary that all folding hinges have the same direction. Seems to be obvious, but it wasn't for me at the very first moment.

2) If you want to keep an unfixed element in place you need a good guiding structure. In this case for the wheel on its stand, and for the Ferris wheel gondolas on their suspensions.

3) If you want to keep an unglued suspension in place you should make sure that it doesn't fall out when you turn the slot in the wheel 180 degrees.

4) If you fix a pop-up on the card there are specific points where you can fix it so it folds flat while closing the card. Unfortunately, until now it's still a try and error for me because I couldn't find a geometrical calculation to define the distance between the two fixing points and their position on the card. So if you are keen on geometrical calculations feel free to help me out :-)

STEP 3: Assembling the Upper Part of the Ferris Wheel

You need:

• 2 white wheels
• 2 blue fixing disks
• 2 blue axes
• 2 blue side stands

Please have a look at the pictures, there is a legend with the description of the parts.

1. Take one of the white ferris wheels and set it onto one axis.
2. Slide the second axis next to it and fix the axes with the fixing disk. Make sure that the Ferris wheel does not slip with the slot.
3. Now slide the 2 axes through the slots at the Ferris wheel side stand. Make sure that the small hole at the bottom is on the right side.
4. If you find it hard to grab, you can also pull gently with tweezers, to have a better grip.
5. Turn the element around and repeat on the other side.
6. Slide the white wheel on the 2 axes.
7. Fix it with the fixing disk.
8. And slide the axes into the ferris wheel side stand slots. Make sure that the small hole at the bottom of the ferris wheel stand is on the right side.

STEP 4: Assembling the Bottom Part of the Ferris Wheel

Please have a look at the pictures, there is a legend with the description of the parts.

You need the 7 cross pieces

a) 2 pieces with 2 holes in the middle

b) 3 pieces with slots from the top side

c) 2 pieces with slots from the bottom side

1. Slide the first a) piece in the first slot of the Ferris wheel side stand.
2. Continue with the 3 b) pieces, slots facing up
3. Finish with the second a) piece in the last slot.
4. Slide the 2 c) pieces into the holes of the first a) piece.
5. "Weave" the cross pieces together and slide the other side of the c) pieces into the holes of the second a) piece.
6. Slide the 5 pieces into the second Ferris wheel side stand.

Check whether you have lost one or both of the fixing disks. This might occur while turning the whole element. If they have fallen down, simply put them back in place.

STEP 5: Completing the Ferris Wheel

Please have a look at the pictures, there is a legend with the description of the parts.

1. Turn the 2 white wheels until their slots are parallel with the ones on the opposite side.
2. Take the first cross brace and slide it at the top through the slots on both sides of the wheels.
3. Continue with the other 7 cross braces.
4. Hang the Ferris wheel gondolas on the cross braces.
5. Congratulations the first part of your pop-up card is done :-)

STEP 6: Completing the Card

1. Spread the glue on the backside of the cover and set it to the front page of the card.
2. Spread the glue on the backside of the white card (to avoid getting glue into the balloons space) and set the back cover on top.
3. Let it dry and open it.

Voilà your rotatable ferris wheel pop-up card is finished :-)

STEP 7: Combining Card and Pop-up Figur

1. Make a middle fold on your white card.
2. Turn the card around, that the balloons are on the right side and set the ferris wheel on top of the fold.
3. Focus on the right side of the card. Take the needle and some white thread and stitch through the left hole (which is closer to the fold), then through the whole in the ferris wheel side stand and back through the second hole.
4. Carefully pull the thread tight and tie a knot on the backside of the white card. (I usually tie 3 simple knots) And trim the thread.
5. Sew the ferris wheel also to the left side.
6. While carefully pulling the thread tight fold up the card. Then carefully tie the knots and trim the thread.
7. After trimming the thread fix it on both sides with a little bit glue.

Small cutting machine tip:

• When cutting paper, always take off the cutting mat from the paper and not the paper from the cutting mat. This avoids bending the paper.

STEP 8: Hand-cut Version

1. Print all files in your preferred colors (but still on heavier weight paper)
2. Cut all parts with knife and scissors

Actually, the assembly is the same as in the other version, so please follow the steps 3-7. The only difference is the bottom part assembly (but it is easier, since there are less pieces - have a look on the pictures).

STEP 9: And Enjoy Your Pop Up Cards

One last thing:

Since all hinges must have the same orientation while closing the card, there are two positions of the white wheel where you can close the card. The one which is already there when opening the card and then you could turn the wheel for 180 or 360 degrees. All slots must be upright to fold and close it down.

I realized that the best way to close the card, while avoiding bending the gondolas, is when you turn the card upright (like a normal folding card) before closing. Then all gondolas point in the same direction and also the Ferris wheel follows the earth gravity.

And if you make a card, please let me see your results, I'm very curious about your version of the pop-up card :-)

Comments

[sunskist]

what size is your ferriss wheel pop up card for an svg cut with a cricuit maker.

[SueZ8]

I sized it so the height of the white card background was 11.362.
(also made the changes in the comment below, but in the end did not use "bumps" on the cart axles/supports.) Here's the latest:

[SueZ8]

I just saw this a couple of days ago, and thought it was fantastic. The first attempt turned out pretty well, but there were some issues. My paper (80 lb) was not really up to the strength needed for the supports and wheel, and the cars tended to fall off easily. So I took the design into Inkscape and redid some pieces, keeping the underlying design. I wanted to double-layer the sides, wheel and cart, so I redrew those to be symmetrical (to make it possible to glue back to back). I added a couple of bumps to the car-bars to keep them centered a bit more. and I enlarged the center "washers" just a bit and glued on a strip along the bottom to lock them in place. The result is basically the same look, but sturdier. I can make the svg available if the OP is OK with that. It's going to make a wonderful card for my SIL's birthday.

[ElectroFrank]

Now if the axle was a wire rod, and you added a tiny electric motor and coin battery, a switch that turns it on when it erects itself . . .

[sun.]

:-D I also thought about this, but everything that came into my mind was too bulky to still fold down very flat.

[ElectroFrank]

You can cheaply buy the tiny 4mm diameter, 8mm long electric motors that are used in phone vibrators.

Run that from a CR2032 battery, with a simple switch made from bent wires that connect when the card is opened. It winds up a thread on spool that pulls up the structure.

Search EBay or AliExpress or google "phone vibrator (or vibration) motor"

[cmcaron]

Hmm. This intrigues me but I know so little about how to implement what you are suggesting...

[ElectroFrank]

The electrical circuit is only:
battery(+) ------ switch N/O ------- switch N/C ------- motor ------- battery (—).

1) Fit a thin long spindle to the motor shaft - it winds up a thread to pull up the structure. (Probably opening the card lifts starts to lift the structure.)

Use very thin flexible insulated wire to connect components.
(The motor only takes a tiny current.)

Each switch is two pieces of bent bare wire that touch together to complete the circuit in the appropriate position.
The first switch (Normally Open) closes to start the motor when the card is opened fully.
The second switch (Normally Closed) opens to stop the motor when the structure has raised. Some kind of ratchet catch can be included to prevent it falling down.

There would also need to be a motor de-activation switch to allow the card to be closed (as the motor spindle unreels the thread). There are CR2032 battery holders with a little switch that would do this.

2) Another similar motor can rotate the wheel, with a gearing down by means of a rubber band and a little plastic pulley ot little nylon gears. (Model or craft shops will have these, or online model suppliers.)
A switch would close to start the motor when the structure is fully raised.

There are also very thin "pancake" motors that might be useful in such things.

It will not fold as flat as a conventional card. To accomodate the motors, make the card with a double fold at the hinge, so it is like a book, perhaps up to a 1/4" thick.

You will have to devise the details of the mechanism according to your design.
Perhaps experiment with various types of fixed structure, then think of ways to make them fold down flat.

I am an electronic technician, I fix all kinds of things, but I am just contributing ideas off the top of my head to this project.

[ElectroFrank]

Or even that erects itself by motor when the card opens . . . ?

[cmcaron]

When I load the SVG file into my Cricut program, what size dimensions should it be? As long as the cards are the same size, the pieces should scale properly?

[Céline R]

Wow that's beautiful thank you you save me for mother's day!

[Chathupa]

Nice work!!, Keep it up!

[kiD]

Wow! Thats awesome!
Congratulations on the win!

[sun.]

Thank you very much :-)

[BerenV]

Wow this is mind blowing! I had never heard of a desktop cutting machine, which one do you have/recommend? Alternatively, I wonder if one could use a laser engraver/cutter... it probably wouldn’t look as nice because the edges would be singed

[sun.]

Thank you :-)
I have 2 cutting machines, both from Silhouette America Cameo 1 and Cameo 4 I can recommend them both. I would say for makers this would be the best hobby brand since Cricut and Brother are more difficult to work with if you want to design your own files.
I also tried my design on the laser cutter in my local FabLab, but the focus was not small enough and the edges were not good enough for my opinion.

[BerenV]

Interesting, good to know!

[MerlinTheGreat]

Awesome! It sure took a lot of time thinking this over and then making it work.
Congratulations on your work.

[sun.]

Thank you very much :-)

[mrdebos]

Very impressive! Thanks for sharing!