From Orange Juice Carton to Folding Hand Fan

I live in South Texas where the summer months can average mid-90s with high humidity so many of the days can feel 100+ degrees outside. In that kind of weather any circulation of air or manufactured breeze can offer a modicum of relief. The design is based on the folding hand fans from China or Japan.

SUPPLIES

3/4" screw with nut

Half Gallon Orange Juice Carton (cleaned and dried)

[You could also use a milk carton or really any type of traditional half gallon carton.]

TOOLS

Paint

Scissors

Sharpie

Single Hole Punch

Utility Knife

For this project we're first going to use the cap from the orange juice carton as a stencil.

On the top of the carton we'll use the sharpie to draw two circles the size of the cap.

Then, using the utility knife we're going to carefully cut off the top of the orange juice carton.

And with the scissors we'll cut out the two circles that we created with the cap-turned-stencil.

Finally, use the hole punch to create holes in the center of each circle.

These circles will act like bearings once the fan is put together.

For this step we're going to start by cutting out the bottom of the orange juice container.

Then we'll cut along the sides so we have four equal pieces.

These four pieces will cut in half lengthwise so we have eight equal pieces.

Finally we'll take the hole punch and punch holes at the bottom middle of each piece.

I had some extra spray paint from a previous project so I sprayed everything a nice bright blue , letting each side dry after each coat. While I used spray paint you could use permanent marker or other types of paint as well.

My paint happened to be a glossy protective enamel finish. I'd recommend a matte or acrylic paint so the different fan blades don't stick to each other.

To put everything together we're going to start with the 3/4" screw and one of the round pieces. Thread the round piece onto the screw and then add each fan blade threading the screw through the holes we punched earlier. Once all the fan blades have been added put on the remaining circle piece and screw on the nut.

Don't screw too tightly as we want all the pieces to be able to move somewhat freely.

And That's it. Enjoy your newfound ability to create a breeze on command.