Tetrahedral Kite From the Dollar Store!

Intro: Tetrahedral Kite From the Dollar Store!

This instructable was inspired by one of my favorite historical figures: Alexander Graham Bell. This isn't a tribute or a history lesson, so if you want to learn why he's so awesome, google him! Suffice it to say that this instructable replicates his experiments with aeronautics using dollar store materials. Enjoy!

STEP 1: The Stuff

 FGForefFefereaeForF FfedweoewhafoehwafienlwajfFor this Instructable you’ll need:
-Straws
-Dental Floss
-Rubber Cement (or pretty much any glue you’d rather use)
-Tissue Paper
-ScissorsFor this Instructable you’ll need:
-Straws
-Dental Floss
-Rubber Cement (or pretty much any glue you’d rather use)
-Tissue Paper
-Scissors
For this Instructable you’ll need:
-Straws
-Dental Floss
-Rubber Cement (or pretty much any glue you’d rather use)
-Tissue Paper
-Scissors

STEP 2: The Cells

1. Thread 3 straws together with the floss, tighten the floss, and tie off with a square knot
2. Thread 2 more straws, and feed the end of the floss through a straw on the side of the triangle you made in step 1 and tighten
3. Thread 1 straw, and feed the end of the floss through a straw you added in step 2, tighten and tie off
4. Trace, cut, and glue tissue paper triangles to 2 sides of the tetrahedron.
5. Repeat 3 times (or for as many cells as you want)

STEP 3: Bringing It All Together

Using very much the same technique used to make each individual cell, you will now thread the floss through the straws to make a bigger tetrahedron out of the 4 little ones, ensuring that each tetrahedron has the 2 sides with tissue pointed in the same direction. In order to fly this kite, you must attach the saddle to the edge with both tissue faces touching it.

Comments

[kymyst]

I have built these kites using bamboo kebab skewers for the frame and metallised mylar for the covering, these are strong enough to build multi-celled structures and they fly magnificently.

[Kiteman]

This is almost exactly how I do this!

What is awesome is that you can make four of these, and then fasten them together to make a big kite. In theory, you could build even bigger, but the straws aren't really up to the stresses, and you need to build a bigger frame to support them.

[M3G]

Wow, very cool kite.