Collaboration
ART
BEAUTY & WELLNESS
CRAFT
CULTURE & HISTORY
ENTERTAINMENT
ENVIRONMENT
FOOD & DRINKS
REVERSE ENGINEERING
SCIENCES
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
WEARABLES
English
Bird-flying toy — a fired clay bird with a hole pierced through the head, wings and tail made from palm leaf slipped into carved slits, a taut string threaded onto a 2-foot bamboo rod curved like a fishing rod; let it vibrate and slide down like a flying bird.
The flying bird is a children's toy, shaped from clay and fired hard. A hole is pierced through the head, a thin string is threaded through, and the bird glides from high to low, fluttering like a bird in flight.
This blueprint makes a real flying bird at the size given in the source.
Intermediate
Approximately 2 hours, not including drying or firing time.
Instructions
1
1
Actual size
Actual size
Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2
2
Earlier clay bird
Earlier clay bird
Water whistle clay bird is a bird that makes a sound when blown; a flying clay bird is one that slides down along a string.
3
3
Read from the source
Read from the source
"Because the bird's head has a small hole, the bird's body vibrates due to the taut string or sinew, so it appears to move like a flying bird." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not specified, CC BY 4.0)
4
4
Bird body
Bird body
Shape clay into the form of a bird. Use a knife to cut deep grooves where the wings and tail will go. Pierce a hole in the bird's head. Dry it in the sun. If you want it to be sturdy, fire it in a kiln.
Materials for this step:
Clay1 pieceTools needed:
Knife5
5
Wings and tail
Wings and tail
Use palm leaves, coconut leaves, talipot palm leaves, paper, or zinc sheets to make wings and tail, and insert them into the prepared slits.
Materials for this step:
Paper1 piece6
6
Rod and string
Rod and string
Taper a bamboo stick to a fine point, about 2 feet long. Thread a thin cord or sinew through the hole at the bird's head, and tie the end of the cord tight so the rod bends like a fishing rod.
Materials for this step:
Bamboo Poles1 piece
String1 piece7
7
Real image
Real image
Drawing of a flying bird (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author unspecified, CC BY 4.0)
8
8
How to Play
How to Play
Stand the stick upright, pull the bird back to the tip of the stick, then let it slide down. The bird will wobble as if flying. Children race to release birds from the tip of the stick; the bird that glides down more slowly wins. You can paint and decorate it to make it look nice.
9
9
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Bird flight troubleshooting
Flow
Loading...
10
10
History and limitations
History and limitations
Flying birds made from clay and leaves found around you. Be careful with the knife while cutting.
Materials
4- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
This blueprint makes
Related Blueprints
These blueprints share knowledge with this one — techniques, materials, or principles that connect them in the learning graph.
CC0 Public Domain
This blueprint is released under CC0. You are free to copy, modify, distribute, and use this work for any purpose, without asking permission.
Support the Maker by purchasing products through their Blueprint where they earn a Maker Commission set by Vendors, or create a new iteration of this Blueprint and include it as a connection in your own Blueprint to share revenue.