Red-bull waves back ★Showcase★

This recycled-materials made garden windmill not only adds some dimension to my otherwise boring balcony garden.
It also serves as a scare-"sparrow" protecting my Aloevera and ladyfinger plants.



Redbull cans, saved from being thrown.
1. Use a knife to puncture a hole and next cut the sheet with a sharp scissors.
































Finally some use for my dictionary (last time I opened it was during my secondary school days)

2. Placed the cut sheets in the pages of the dictionary (any thick book for that matter) and place additional weights to speed the process of flattening.


3. Make a template of the blades.
(I did not wait long enough for the sheets to flatten completely, but it was not curling back excessively)

4. Trace the blade pattern on the flatten sheet.

5. Cut out the blades (and if your blades have sharp edges fold them to make a blunt edge) Thankfully, these blades are blunt.




6. Cut a rectangular piece. (longer that the middle width of all the blades combined and give some allowance between the blades)
7. Make a slit to allow the blades to slide in.
8. Fold the rectangle piece and tape any loose parts
9. Bend the rectangle piece into a circle loop.











10. Tape the front and back of the center joint (axle).
11. Puncture a 2cm-3cm long strong into the taped joint.












12. Take a curved straw and "string" it through.

13. Place small sticks (plant branches) at the front and back of the axle.





























Errors:










The making of the axle without any planning proved to be dangerous.

Trial and error is not the most effective method.


My Aloevera plant is now safe from the pesky sparrows. Its just nice to see the windmill spin and the shinny (non-sharp) blades reflect light around the balcony. The display of running reflected light is a unexpected fridge benefit.

Reflections:

More research on the net could have helped.
I relied on my observations on a garden windmill I saw long ago.
Solely relying on memory to build something may not be the best way to go, but it certainly pushes your mental ability.

I felt that I applied SCAMPER unconsciously when I put the red bull can, straws, and even plant branches to other use. This proves that SCAMPER can become part of one's flow of creativity after some practice.

I am also surprised that I could build something like this without drawing plans or looking online for a step by step guide. I've learnt that, creativity forces one to "deviate" from one's comfort zone and in doing so, one expands his ability. It also provided me with a lot of joy in seeing a fully functional garden windmill.