Pazo - Icosahedron Decor

pazo is an aesthetic, playable 3D puzzle toy, a great learning kit of polyhedron study, intelligence toy, or even home decors.We design this module in Fablab Taipei and we found it could be a great educative toy.So we place an open source here to let more people could approach it.

If you like it, we also have mass-production edition live on Kickstarter now. We set the fair bargain price even cheap than you did by yourself. Even the material is much better than you can made, the magic of mass-production lol

Step 1: Prepaer Pazo Pieces

Before making a Icosahedron decor, download the PDF file and prepare some sheet material, thickness around 0.6~1.5mm. You can use wood, metal, plastic, paper and so on. Then using laser machine, CNC or any cutting machine to make 20 pic (2 types 10 for each) of pazo piece as attachment.

*in mass-production edition we use a food grade, flexible and strong plastic that you can reuse it for thousands of times. And yes it's advertising, we are live on Kickstarter now. lol

**pazo actually owns patent on its structure and not just on circular shape. Please, respect on our Creative Commons rules, thanks :)

Step 2: Start to Assemble

You can learn the pazo principle though our Guildbook. But here we will have more training in detail in this case.

The two types of pazo you made, one is two gap group inside another is two gap group outside, don't actually have to care the rule too much for now.

The very basic idea of pazo is to link the two different gaps you can see the picture the red line areas. you can bend the piece a little bit to link it easier. It might need few practice but it's actually very easy than you think.

Step 3: To Build a 5 Piece Link

The principle of Icosahedron is 5 triangular surfaces share 1 corner. So try to use 5 piece of pazo to make the 3D form like the picture. You might meet problem to link the last piece to the first piece. Once the problem happened, you can change the different gap group to link in different angle or just change another type or pazo.

That's how pazo challenge and train your logic thinking. Let you trial and error to think it. But now worry, the problem only happen in the last piece, you only have to remove one or two piece and change it. Don't have to redo it all.

Step 4: Continue the Pattern

Now you know the pattern of Icosahedron is 5 piece of pazo in a group. So you can try to continue link any closing 2 or 3 piece to be a 5 piece group. When you finish all the 5 piece group, you will get the Icosahedron.

Again, you might meet problem to link the last piece to the first piece. Once the problem happened, you can change the different gap group to link in different angle or just change another type or pazo.

Step 5: Video Process

if you cannot get the idea, here's the assemble process video. You can try to finish it first and think again to get the principle of the shape :)

Step 6: The Piratical Use

The finished works is beautiful enough to be a decoration. But you can still remove some piece to make a basket or put a light bulb to make a gorgeous lamp. Try to find you very own style to use it and share with use on our Facebook page :)

And don't forget to visit and share our Kickstarter campaign!!