A CROSS TO SHARE

Building Your Cross To Share Gene Chism

CONSTRUCTION OF A CROSS FROM CLOTHESPINS

SUPPLIES

Clothespins, spring type 20Clamps, spring type 4 ea.Wax paper 8” x 8”Flat piece of wood 4” x 8” – ¾”Glue – Woodworking waterproof –

This is supplied free.Brush – small for glue.Sandpaper grit size 150 1 sheetSandpaper grit size 210 1 sheetBlock of wood for sanding 2 x 3Hanger & screwNewspaper for top of tablePaper cup – smallPaper towels 4

Cost of above material is $10.50 or ifyou wish you may do your ownshopping at one of the hobby supplystores in the area.

PHASE 1

1. The first step is to gather up 16 clothespins and I suggest maybe 3 or 4 in addition.

2. Inspect the pins for roughness and lightly sand if you find it necessary.

It is my belief that after you have completed this project it will open your eyes to the time needed in the construction.

Please feel free to work on the project at home. You can use this time to glue the pins for the next class.

DIRECTIONS1. Remove springs.

2. Glue 1 pin back to back. Use your wax paper to separate the pin being glued from another object.

3. Glue balance of pins (15) face to face. Being careful to keep them aligned properly. These pins should be glued a few at a time and held tightly together for a good bond. Allow glue to set overnight. Clamps may be removed after 30 – 45 minutes.

4. At this point you are ready to start the construction of your cross.

5. Start placement of pins to form cross but only 2 or 3 pins at a time. By following this detail of the construction you have better control of the assembly process. Use the pin from number 2 above to form the foundation of the cross.

PHASE 2

1. Take apart the pins but keep them in pairs.

2. Now that you have disassembled the pins you will want to glue 1 pin as shown in the far upper right side of the picture. This is glued back to back.

3. The other 15 pins will be glued as shown the 2nd

from the right. Make certain that you align the pins.

4. The springs may be thrown away unless you can think of another use for them. A possibility would be to make a bracelet for the grand-daughter.

PHASE 3

1. You will use the one pin that is glued back to back to start the cross.

2. To this add a normal glued pin to the bottom as shown in left photo.

3. The next step is to add supporting pins to the basic as seen in the upper right photo.

4. Now we start to add and this will strengthen the cross.

5. We will move on to the next phase.

DIRECTIONS

You must be careful in the construction making certain that the pins are aligned properly. If not, the cross will not be constructed correctly and perhaps be weak.

As you apply glue be certain to wipe off any excess glue from the pin or pins. Use a paper towel or cloth that is damp. Not wet but damp. If too much water comes in contact with the glue then the glue joint will not be strong.

Sand your cross and apply the finish of your choice.

PHASE 4

Here we start the arms of the cross and at this point we are attaching the pins without much contact being given. Please be careful, as this will determine the strength of the cross.

Notice how we have on the left side started to add the three pins. Before we complete these with glue we have added another pin to the original vertical pin. This helps to give support and tie the group together.

After this part has had time to set, we start on the right side and repeat the placement.

THIS IS YOUR CROSS TO SHARE

A finished picture of your project. You may paint, stain and add to this as you wish. We leave a lot to your imagination and skills. It is possible to find miniature flowers at one of the hobby stores to decorate the cross

In the assembly of the cross, it is very important that the joining of the parts are in good contact with each piece and that the glue is allowed to harden over night before any stress is used in handling the parts. We cannot emphasize this enough Some of the connection are very delicate and do not allow much of a surface contact for gluing.

AT LAST FINISHED, BUT YOU HAVE TOMAKE THE CHOICE OF HOW YOU WISH TOFINISH YOUR CROSS.

STAIN FINISH STAIN FINISH WITH MINIATURE FLOWERS