OT: Small hand held manual fans from where please?

[T i m]

Perfect. So how much to get Lady Gaga to walk backwards in front of my Mrs bowing. ;-)

I'll show the Mrs that link tonight. Amazing what you can do with a few RC servos eh! ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember T i m saying something like:

[JimK]

indeed, does one have to apply to be put in? or can one nominate oneself?

cheers JimK

[geoff]

In message , Grimly Curmudgeon writes

[T i m]

I think you just have to ask the right question Jim. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Yeah, I had spotted those but the cost and lead time put me off a little. [1]

This is all part of why I asked here ... you would think something like that would be so easy to find but it appears not (but thank's to all those who have tried to help etc).

In the interim I think I've found a supply of the rounder folding fan and she has had one before (it was a gift from someone who knew she was on the lookout for such things). Whilst it worked the design (the upper half of the fan is only supported by the fact the paper is folded) so didn't last very long.

The item that Grimly kindly linked to above could indeed be cut down and_still_work because the lower half of the 'blade' would still provide a fanning function. Some fans of that size have 'spokes' at the lower end so would offer little effect when most of the material was cut away (as would be the case when reducing a 9" fan to 5").

I might have a word with one of the F1 design team and see if they could make me one from carbon fibre. [2] ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[1] I wonder if the supply of such things is seasonal. Like trying to buy a big tin of sweets when it's not Xmas or a wooly hat in the summer? [2] If they were wafer thin very stiff strips and wide enough to form the blade themselves (ie, with no need for fabric or paper) you could probably restrict the opening (so it doesn't over_open) by a pin through slots at the lower edge of the strip ('slots' at location of maximum bending moment would probably only work in something as strong as carbon fibre). Next question then, can you buy small affordable sheets of say .5mm thick carbon fibre and how would a d-i-y'er cut it?)

[S Viemeister]

Perhaps you could use strips from plastic mini-venetian blinds, tapered slightly, held with a pin/pivot at the base, using very narrow ribbon through slots in each blade, to control how wide it opens?

I inherited a couple of fans like that, made from very thin strips of decoratively pierced wood.

[T i m]

Hmm, i n t e r e s t i n g. ;-)

I think the key is having the spar bits stiff enough to resist flexing with flapped. So wood would be good for this (till it breaks) and I can't think of anything else that would be stiffer whilst being light and thin. Ally would be light at that thickness but has a low elasticity (once bent would stay bent).

Daves lolly stick idea could work (ready supply ... although probably bought from the gardening shop) with your ribbon for movement control.

Having some thickness in the spars is actually a good idea because it's how you can fan it out with finger and thumb (like a 'flick fan' ) but it can't be too thick or you won't get enough spars in a stack without making it too bulky.

Aren't bind slats slightly curved? I wonder if that would help to keep the stiffness (well, until the bend flattens out, like when you move blinds to see out etc).

Thanks for the input though ... more for the experimenters pot should nothing come up commercially. ;-)

Thanks, T i m

[The Natural Philosopher]

plenty of bamboo fans work like that..wide slats of overlapping bamboo.

If you wanted to make a fan, Id use basswood. light, just strong enough and very easy to work.

bass from

carbon fibre from

[The Natural Philosopher]

Laser cut the slats from sheet wood.

Probably about 1/16" is ideal, tapered towards the 'hub'

[S Viemeister]

Yes, they are very slightly curved, and I would think that curve would help stiffen them.

I want to see photos of what you eventually put together!

[T i m]

I think they would but because the curve is very slight and the material very flexible the curve might not make it stiff enough?

However, taking opportunities with the advice I've gleaned here I salvaged a small bundle of new wooden slats that were surplus from some new blinds. I think they are a bit heavy but might allow me to develop a proof of concept or a template to make one out of something thinner.

Deal. ;-)

T i m

[T i m]

Ok thanks, I'd not heard of that particular wood (well, not by name as such).

Handy, thanks.

I think it should have been:

very handy! ;-)

I wonder how well CF cuts and with what?

I'll drop em a line.

Cheers again, T i m

[The Natural Philosopher]

best to grind it.

cant slice it, and sawing tends to split the ends.

Doesn't laser cut either.

If you lay tour own up from tow and epoxy, the raw fibbers cut with scissors.

TBH use glass for laying up. More than strong enough.

[T i m]

Ah, thanks.

Hmm, When I've made stuff that thin out of glass before it seems very (very) flexible? Whilst it might be stiff enough in the sorts of lengths we are talking about here I don't feel it's anywhere near as stiff as the sample of carbon fibre I had.

If I can't go the CF direction I think I'll try the wood way. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember geoff saying something like:

Order 100 at a time - if the OP's missus is a consumer of these fans,

100 will be five year's worth. Alternatively, advertise the other 90 in HRT Monthly.

[T i m]

Or less!

Hehe.

T i m