instructables

Cotton Swab Card Stock Micro Gliders

by zdedesigns

Here's a delightful little glider that ies pretty well despite its small size. If you're looking to sharpen your ne motor skills,
look no further.
Three options for your principal material(s) are listed. I prefer the manila folder. The third option (see picture) allows for
some fun color combos, but results in a heavier glider.
Supplies:

-manila le folder
or sheet of card stock (80 lb. / 215 gsm )
or sheet of printer paper and sheet of light card stock (65 lb. / 175 gsm)
-cotton swab
-liquid white glue and glue stick
-ruler
-scissors

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Step 1: Download and Print or Transfer Shapes

Download the PDF. Now you have some options. If you chose to use a manila le folder, you can trim the folder to 8.5" x
11" (or A4) and then print on it. You can do the same if you opted to use medium card stock.
No printer? That's okay. You can transfer the shapes to your material by any of several methods, such as drawing a grid
and just carefully copying the shapes.
If your choice was the third on the list, print onto the light paper and use a glue stick to paste that onto the light card
stock.

https://www.tinkercad.com/embed/2fZB8T6DrIn?editbtn=1

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 Download

https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/F33/FI2Q/KS1SE2N1/F33FI2QKS1SE2N1.pdf

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Step 2: Cut and Trim

Very carefully cut out the shapes. (If you're skills are advanced enough, try to stay on the inside edges of the lines.)
Trim the cotton swab to 6 centimeters of length.

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Step 3: Add Brace and Swab

Use a glue stick to attach the long strip to the top of the main piece.
Use liquid glue to attach the swab to the bottom of the main piece. It terminates at the trailing edge line of the wings.

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Step 4: Wings

Pinch along the trailing edges of the outer sections of wings to curl them down very slightly. Approximately the aft 15%
(of the wing chord) should be curled. Aside from helping the wings produce lift, the curvature will add some rigidity.
Establish creases on the dotted lines. Raise the elevator a few degrees, then raise the wingtips to about 10 degrees above
horizontal.

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Step 5: Tail, Nose, and Canopy

Place a thin bead of liquid glue at the aft end of the fuselage. Set the vertical n and hold it for several seconds. Make
sure the n is centered and straight.
The rectangular strip gets wrapped around the swab stick, right at the front of the fuselage. It adds nose weight that is
needed for ight, and it kind of looks like an engine cowling. Apply glue to one end and let it bond to the swab for a few
minutes. Add a bit more glue and wrap it.
Form the canopy such that the sides are almost vertical. Add two dots of glue where the relief cuts are, and push the
front section back so it overlaps the rear section a little. Lastly, glue the canopy to the glider.

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Step 6: Review

Check the glider from all angles for imperfections, such as a warped n or twisted wing. Correct these as best you can.

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Step 7: Test Flights

Test your glider indoors. To hold it, pinch the cowling between the tip of your index nger and thumb.
Throw the glider straight, level, and with minimal force. It should glide for about 20 feet. If it is consistently pitching up,
lower the elevator a shade. If it continues to pitch up even with the elevator in a neutral position, add a tiny amount of
nose weight. One way to do that is to add a strip of card stock (see photo).
If the glider tends to turn left or right, try using the rudder to correct that. The curled areas at the trailing edges of the
wings can also cause a roll and turn if they don't match (since they are basically ailerons). For this reason, it's important to
check the wings frequently and make sure they mirror each other perfectly.

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Step 8: Have Fun With It

Also, be patient with it. A glider of such diminutive dimensions is a ected by everything, from the slightest breeze to a
strand of spider's web caught on the tail. At any rate, frustration is just a step to greater skill and success.
Now that you're done, why not make a fancy version? I peeled some re ective paper o a soda box to decorate mine.
Cheers.

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Step 9: Video

The best ights, and a few of the worst.

https://youtu.be/9F9FuCounzI

Just made my first glider :)

Made with the SVG-File on a K40 Laser. Worked at first try.

Those clean lines are so satisfying. Very cool.

add ink on the end and aim at some paper to make some art!

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Thanks for your great idea. I am so happy with results. I made a simulated flight in "homemade
wind tunnel"

Whoa! That is such a fun loop to watch. I might have to steal that idea from you for a future
project, if you don't mind.
No problem!! Thanks for your reply.

This is my favourite one of your fleet, good on you for turning our classroom stationery designs
into practical instructables! You seem to be gaining a firmer grasp of aerodynamics at this micro-
level too - very nice!
Thanks very much! It's high on my list, too.

My son, wife and I made these! While I misunderstood where to wrap the stock around the nose,
we still had a great deal of fun and learned a lot about the flight characteristics of a small glider!

Way to go! It makes me happy to see that a family made these together.

Really nice! Thanks. Enjoyed with kids. Will do others ;o)

Yeah! I like the color. Looks great!

Dude did you come up with this? Man if you did that's just insane I could never even remotely do
that!

J'ai hâte de m'y mettre et de partager les vols avec les enfants. Merci pour ce project pas à pas.

Super. Bon chance.

I am so glad that you posted a project that does not need a 3D printer, laser cutter, table saw,
lathe and Arduino. I am eager to try it.
Great project and very detailed instructions! Can’t wait to try and build it with my nephew later this
year!!
I haven't made this particular project, but this is exactly the kind of thing I spent countless hours
doing as a kid. Usually I went for "scale-ish" WWI and WWII planes, and in fact one summer I
dabbled in a series about this size.

Thank you for posting this; I got to favorite and share some of my childhood joy!
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Very nice project! Please, what is the name of the spindle plant that appears right at the
beginning of your video. It's two vases, one of them colored. Thanks, Paulo from Brazil.
Thanks for your question, Paulo. It's aloe vera.

OK, thank you. We also have aloe vera here in Brazil, used as a medicin, cosmetics, etc. Popular
name here is "babosa".
I think this is the first instructable that I've immediately felt confident I can try to build. Printed and
will try it out!
This is a Great Project that, is good for keeping busy and getting some exercise during this Long
Pandemic. I am going to try and scale up the size by a factor of 2 and see what happens. Thanks
for Posting!!
Glad you liked it. "Try it and see what happens" has led me to some of my best designs. : ) You
might need to reinforce the wings with a strip of card stock as a spar.
Thanks for the Tip! I will try to take some pics and post them when I get them completed.

Oh, that is delightful! Nice design.

this is a awesome paper plane that only took me ten minutes to make.
thanks for the great instructable!

You're welcome. Looks like you did a fantastic job.

Ooo! I love this fabulous project! I am going to use this for a "1st days of school" middle school
science activity ==>> engineering and design method.
I can remember all the fun i used to have with the 25 cent balsa gliders and the 50 rubber band
units. Brought back memories. Thanks
Love this one! The tiny cockpit looks so nice :)

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