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  • Author Author: dubbie
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Makevember : Wire Frame Christmas Trees

dubbie

For a contribution to the Makevember topic I decided to make some wire frame Christmas tree decorations. I wanted to make them to look good and to have some LEDs on them. I didn't quite (yet) manage this although I have made something, see below.

 

 

I aim to try and improve more on the wire frame trees and then I will have to work out some way of attaching LEDs and getting them to light up nicely.

 

Dubbie

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  • Hi Dubbie,

     

    I got curious and decided to run my own experiment with some 3.16 mm ( 1/8 inch ) aluminum ground wire that I had in the shop. Here is the initial shape of the wire:

     

    image

     

    I put the wire in the vise and drill and pulled as tight as I could and it looked like this. At this stage there would still be quite a bit of bend in the wire if I hadn't twisted it.

     

    image

     

    I began to twist the wire with the drill and I watched the tight bend near the center of the wire as I hoped it would totally disappear.

     

    image

     

    As you can see things did get better but the tight bend did not disappear completely. I put a lot more twists per meter of length into this wire than I usually have to. I am not sure if it was the aluminum or just the tightness of the bend I was hoping to eliminate. At some point it is prudent to stop twisting as twisting puts the same weakness into the wire that bending it back and forth would. The twisting is a compromise whereby we sacrifice some strength for the straightness. In most cases the loss of strength is inconsequential compared to the improved appearance of the finished project. If you continue the twisting, the wire will eventually twist off at its weakest point which is usually right at the point it is held in the vice or the point where it enters the drill chuck.

     

    Here is the finished wire:

     

    image

     

    I usually work with 10, 12, and 14 Gauge copper and I straighten 3 to 4 meter lengths. Usually there are no tight bends just a curve left from the coiled condition of the original packaging of the wire. In these circumstances the wire straightens almost perfectly with only minimal twisting involved.

     

    This is an aside on a non-related subject. In astrophysics the Universe has shown itself to be remarkably FLAT. This means that the geometry of Euclid applies. While I am not an expert I could sense in my readings that it was a bit if a surprise to those that are experts that this condition of FLATNESS is so precise. After working with bent wire I always wondered if there might be some analog in the early Universe to the twisting of the wire such as spinning that might have contributed to the Flatness that we observe today.

     

    John

  • in reply to jw0752

    John,

     

    I'm not sure what the problem is but I can only see the first few lines of your Blog and no pictures.  Is this something wrong with my version of the element14 web site? I would really like to see the picture.

     

    Dubbie

  • in reply to dubbie

    I can see the pictures on a Windows 10 machine and an iPad

  • in reply to jw0752

    reported the same thing about a comment I posted a few days ago. I pasted 2 screen captures.

    I can see them on different computers in different browsers. logged in or out. cache refreshed.

    Shabaz does not see them...

  • in reply to Jan Cumps

    Currently I'm seeing no photos and one video in the main blog, and there's a comment from Dubbie where I can see 4 photos.

  • in reply to shabaz

    Hi Shabaz,

     

    I believe there is only one video in Dubbie's main blog and the only comment with 4 pictures is the one that I posted that Dubbie can't see. What you describe, at least from my perspective, is a correct characterization at this point.

     

    John

  • in reply to jw0752

    John,

     

    I have already commented that I can now see the pictures but another strange thing I have noticed is that if I click through the email associated with a particular comment, to the Element14 site then the comments are helpfully indented, see below:

     

    image

     

    But as soon as I log in all the indenting disappears, as seen below.

     

    image

     

    How strange is that. It must be something to do with my Browser or settings or something (There's that something again.).

     

    Still, as long as I can see everything - well most of everything anyway, I'm happy.

     

    Dubbie

Comment
  • in reply to jw0752

    John,

     

    I have already commented that I can now see the pictures but another strange thing I have noticed is that if I click through the email associated with a particular comment, to the Element14 site then the comments are helpfully indented, see below:

     

    image

     

    But as soon as I log in all the indenting disappears, as seen below.

     

    image

     

    How strange is that. It must be something to do with my Browser or settings or something (There's that something again.).

     

    Still, as long as I can see everything - well most of everything anyway, I'm happy.

     

    Dubbie

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