Eco-Deer

Oh ho ho ho … Too many plastic around us… and too few a magic. Let's try to change such a sad thing by turning several empty plastic bottles into the Santa's best friend and assistant (Eco-Deer 3d-model).

Materials:

• 1 plastic bottle 5 l, preferably square cross-section (with cover);
• 7 plastic bottles 1.5 l (with cover);
• 5 plastic bottles 0.5 l (with cover)

Tools:

• wood burner (optionally with cutting blade);
• pocket knife;
• felt pen;
• ruler, tape-measure

First I recommend you to remove all labels and fixing rings from all the bottles. To do it we can use pocket knife (BE CAREFUL DURING THIS WORK).

See this drawing attentively (all 3d-models and technical drawings in this tutorial made in Autodesk Inventor). It is a plan of our work. According to a parts list we need to make some cut-operations with our materials. We will use standard covers and threads with special holes. All the holes have eight-beam "star shape". When we insert thread ends of bottles through the holes eight vanes prevent flexibility and reduce the distance to a covers.

Deer's body we make from 5 l bottle and we need to cut 8 holes in it: 4 - small for legs, 1 - large for neck, 1 - small for neck lock, 1 - small for tail, 1 - large technological , on the bottom for your arm ;-). All the small holes have eight-beam "star shape" (see drawing in previous step). Large hole for the neck has diameter the same as diameter of the bottle for neck (you can create a small vanes around the holes edge (the same as for small holes)). Large technological hole (on the bottom of the bottle) will be useful during assembly operations. Mark the holes positions using felt pen and then apply wood burner with cutting blade (TRY TO DO IT IN A GOOD VENTILATED AREA).

Next parts are the horns bases. You need to create 2 equivalent parts with 2 coaxial holes on the lateral surface on each of 0.5 l bottles: large and small. The size of large hole is the same as a diameter of the bottle for the top segment of the horn. The small hole is a "standard" for this project - eight-beam "star shape".

Rather simple part - the neck lock. To make it you need only cut the top of one of your bottles (leave only 30-40 mm).

To make the neck use one 1.5 l bottle. Create two simple holes on the bottom edge of it: large - technological for the lock input and small - for a lock thread.

The head is made of one 1.5 l bottle. You need to create 4 holes in it: 3 - uniformly around the top side with "standard" eight-beam "star shape" (for horns and neck), 1 - large technological (deer's mouth) to mount horns and neck.

At last let's begin to assemble all our parts. First assembly stage - horns bases and tops connection. Input the top side of the horn through a large hole and fix it using "star shape" hole and standard cover. Repeat this action for each horn.

Connect horns to the head using "star shape" holes and standard covers. Close the build-in input (on the "nape") by the standard cover.

Connect the neck with the head by the "star shape" hole and standard cover.

Connect the neck with the body by the lock part, two through holes and standard cover. Place the lock part using technological holes in the body and neck. Close the build-in input (on the body) by the standard cover.

Connect front legs (1.5 l bottles) to the body using "star shape" holes and standard covers.

Prepare two 1.5 l bottles for the back legs. Pour some water (~ 200 ml) into each bottle to provide sustainability for the whole construction. Connect back legs to the body using "star shape" holes and standard covers.

Connect the tail to the body using "star shape" holes and standard cover.

Send an invitation to Santa to meet his new "old friend"!

p.s. This is only a base model. You can use any additional elements and decoration to set individual style.