I would recommend getting this book for your son. I had it when I was a kid and I have never found a paper airplane book close to as good as this one.
Unfortunately I don't have it any more, but I recall there was one near the back of the book (maybe the last or 2nd last plane in the book) where you start with the paper turned landscape and do a bunch of folding width-wise. It looks like a clunker of a plane, but it's really cool because it generates too much lift. You throw it at the floor and it pulls up, and then starts to stall, and then dips down towards the floor, and pulls up again, like a rollercoaster. It's not the design that's going to win you competitions for distance or time aloft, but it's a tonne of fun.
Not gonna lie: when you said "Cardboard clock..."
I think I'd read through the first few sentences when I realized that you weren't talking about these old paper clocks. Still...the best part is that you actually did bring a working clock to school. Yours worked. Theirs didn't.
The shame about it is that it could have been a teaching moment. I'm visualizing a better teacher getting out a flashlight or something and showing the class how the extra step resulted in a working clock. Good teachers can see past their lesson plans; I had a couple of elementary school teachers who would have headed to the blackboard and run with it.
Not exactly what you're looking for, but this is a really cool coffee table type book that shows a lot of natural use packaging stuff.
https://smile.amazon.com/How-Wrap-Five-Eggs-Traditional/dp/1590306198?sa-no-redirect=1
The hexagon is one of the nesting shapes so you see a lot of bee hive inspired stuff.
I'd recommend purchasing either the Better Homes and Gardens 3-ring cookbook (used of course, so it's not $90) or the Betty Crocker one. Lots of easy recipes that I return to time and again: Banana bread, pastas, how to cook and use certain parts of meat, etc. Good luck!
What about a cut out book that you can make a working clock from the paper?
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Working-Paper-Clock/dp/0060910666
Not a big fan of amazon but it's something that you could do with him and it would work.
There are tons... search for Karakuri (japanese paper automatons) or search google for wooden automata, in particular the artist Dug North is doing some really cool stuff in wood.
There's a great Karakuri book: Karakuri: How to Make Paper Models that Move that does an amazing job outlining and demonstrating all the different linkages and gears you can use to generate different movements. It also comes with tear out pages to build the models and gears out of paper.
I've been meaning to get around to start building models of various gears and linkages for 3d printing, but haven't had a chance to yet.
>If anyone's interested I found this book on Amazon
>This book
>The actual Japanese book
Thank to /u/HiepNotik for providing these links.
If anyone is interested in learning this, they can buy the book.
I bought a copy, I'm excited to put it together. As an aside, have you ever considered making a clock, like in this book?. It would probably turn out pretty cool looking
> Ive been dipping the nib in Gum Arabic to keep it slick
This is the first project I have ever done this technique with since I've had such trouble getting it to flow. I have noticed that it helps. I read it in Modern Calligraphy: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started in Script Calligraphy, which I have seen recommended here before. On page 13,
> Gum arabic (also called "gum acacia") helps ink flow from the nibs, makes a little ink go a long way, and extends the life of the nibs themselves. Before starting a project with unusually thick ink or paint, start by dipping your pen nib in gum arabic, then in water, then gently wipe clean. As you work, repeat the process intermittently as you notice the nib flow slowing, or if the nib starts catching on the paper while you work.
Yes, I diluted the BPW with water to varying levels trying to find a good consistency. At its most thin, I was getting 3 drips of ink after dipping and holding it still above the jar. I thickened it and when it was 1-2 drips, it seemed to flow better, but still not sufficient.
I thought it looked familiar, but it simply reminded me of this old book, and the interesting planes.
The Great International Paper Airplane Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671211293/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ho10ybEMFCTWE
Lots of examples out there: https://www.google.com/search?q=modern+calligraphy&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjA17rRyZHOAhUGSCYKHcvmA5IQsAQIKQ&biw=1380&bih=725
Slickly produced book that I own: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Calligraphy-Everything-Started-Script/dp/1250016320
Aw, thank you!!
I really like the look of crepe and tissue paper flowers. And the supplies are super cheap too. I actually made rose buds from the Lia Griffith site but used tissue paper instead (those are the hand drawn templates I made in picture four).
I've been using the exquisite book of paper flowers and Paper to Petal. The Exquisite book has really pretty flowers and good technique. I don't love most of the flowers in the Paper to Petal book but it has good info on technique. Based on these two books, I've also made up my own flowers too.
It's modern calligraphy. I would recommend getting this book Modern Calligraphy. Has projects and tons of letter styles. The best thing about it is everyone's is usually a bit different so there is no need for total perfection, just beauty. :)
Robert j lang has published a book with many action models (the spring you mentioned is one of them):
http://www.amazon.com/Origami-Action-Paper-Gobble-Inflate/dp/0312156189
the easiest models to impress people are: water balloon a.k.a. inflatable box inflatable rabbit flapping bird (the one you can see on the origami action book cover).
intermediate models: roman diaz - swan (inflatable) jun makawa - samurai helmet search youtube - origami blue twitter bird
True, but I always love the amazing breadth of subjects the books cover, and the fascinating stuff I discover while just wandering around. I found, largely at random, what has become one of my favorite books: How to Wrap Five Eggs, a collection of artful photographs and fascinating explanation of the construction and use of traditional artisan Japanese packaging of goods and consumables. There are a lot of books made by a lot of people, and they
Still, it's true. A person who has a problem with distraction can lose a couple hours in there pretty easy.
I would love to get started at Origami. Do you if this is a good book or anything about the creator? http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Origami-Dover-Papercraft/dp/0486272982/ref=la_B000AQTHJE_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349470592&sr=1-1
If you're really looking to make your own clock from scratch, you might want to check out this book. It shows you how to make your own clock out of paper. It's pretty tedious because for instance, to make a gear, you have to cut the two sides of the gear out and then wrap a third thin strip of paper around each tooth. The book has you cut out the parts and assemble them, but you could trace them and cut them out of some pretty thin wood.
As far as the self-immolating feature, this pendulum clock is gravity fed, so you could just make a mechanism that would be triggered by the weight. Just lengthen the string so that it gives you 7 days of non-stop clockage.
Hey, if the string is a fuse, you could have the weight slowly lower itself into a flame :)
The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I have literally dozens of cookbooks and this one (and the internet) are all I ever use. It is great for "classic" recipes that never fail.
http://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Three-Binder/dp/0696201887
Another approval of Objectified, I liked it. Also, for a cross-cultural view:
...sorry for the amazon link...
EDIT: Style