How to Make a Octahedral Paper Weight

In this step-by-step tutorial, we will be learning how to make a cool and creative paperweight that will be able to hold all your papers together and look cool too! So now let's dive into it!

Just like any step-by-step tutorial, we will need to first gather our materials. The materials you need to gather are

• 1x sheet of acrylic polypropylene that is 2cm thick(at least 15x15)
• 1x 9mm. cutter
• 1x black marker
• 2x cups of water.
• 1 cup of powdered plaster.
• 1x bucket of water that is at least 10 cm long in diameter.
• 5x yogurt cups(2 for water, 3 for plaster powder)
• 1x Metal ruler
• Buy sanding blocks(can be foam, wood, or metal) and sanding paper for sanding off uneven edges in your final product.
• 1x Ruler
• 1x Protractor

The shape of the octahedral net is comprised of equilateral triangles connected to each other in rotations. Above is the picture of a finished/cutout net. Each triangle needs to have the same length on all three sides. In this case, each side of the triangle has to be 4.5 cm. Use your ruler to measure this out accurately while using your protractor to measure 60 degrees in each of the interior angles inside each of the triangles. Draw the triangles as shown in the picture above using your marker while clearly distinguishing(showing) each side of the triangles.

When you are finished marking the shape, use your cutter to carefully cut the exterior/outer periphery of the shape. Place your safety ruler on a single, outer side of a triangle and align it with the black mark you have drawn. Once you have aligned the safety ruler, place your non-dominant hand on the safety ruler with all your fingers in the safety area while using your dominant hand to cut through the periphery of the shape. It is important that your dominant hand should trace exactly where the ruler is aligned. It is important to gradually increase power on each stroke of your cut to ensure that you do not cut out of the ruler's alignment. Once you are done the final net should look like the net from above.

The next part is to score each of the lines you have marked. CAUTION! To do this, cut lightly and superficially(near-surface of the thickness) through the interconnecting parts(line segments that connect each triangle) of each triangle and then gently and gradually bend the triangle from the scoreline until the triangle itself is loose and foldable but is still connected to the other triangle. Repeat this step for every segment that connects two triangles. CAUTION! After you have folded the triangle quickly apply tape to the scoreline to fix the position of the triangle in one place and ensure that the triangle does not break off!

Next, use tape to connect the triangles together into the shape above. To do this, hold a pair of triangles together in the designated position with no gaps; then cut out a piece of tape approximately the size of the connecting segment. Apply tape to the connected segment so that the position is fixed in the designated position and close any visible gaps between the connecting parts. CAUTION! Put each connecting triangle directly next to each other so that there are no gaps between the two triangles. This will be important later on as you won't want plaster spilling out of your mold.

In this step, we will need a bucket, 5 yogurt cups(2 for water, 3 for plaster), and a spatula for stirring. For this step, we will use yogurt cups of water to powdered plaster cups in a ratio of 2:1. Get two cups of water and pour it into the bucket. Put powdered plaster, filling up the yogurt cup, then apply 1 yogurt cup of powdered plaster into the bucket. Using your spatula, stir until the plaster is in a liquid state. CAUTION! Do not leave the liquid plaster still for more than 20 seconds as the plaster will start to become hard and pouring the liquid plaster will not fill up the spaces in the mold. Now, gently pour the liquid plaster into the mold until it is full and no other liquid plaster is able to fill into the mold.

After you have finished pouring your plaster, set the mold aside to dry. CAUTION! You must put the mold in a place where there is low humidity and keep the mold as still as possible until it is dried. If the mold is moved around, the plaster might spill out disorienting the shape of the final product in the end. Additionally, the plaster might also leak out if it is impacted by a moving thing.

When the plaster has become dry, use your cutter to cut(superficially) the tape that is connecting the net together. Cut the tape in a way that will not cut too deep into the plaster itself. Once you have cut the tape, try to look for any tape that can be pulled out with your hand like in the video. Refer to the video to clearly see the steps to cut the tape. When you are done the plaster should look like in the last part of the video.

When you have successfully removed the mold out, if any uneven edges are evident, put sandpaper on a small rectangular wooden block to sand off any uneven bits. Gently sand off and check each time you have performed this a couple of times. Perform this step until all the sides are even and smooth.

Now after you have finished all the steps you are now done! You can enjoy your cool paper weight and show it off to your friends!