The Claw- Light Up Fun!

This is a project I did with my daughter. The claw serves no particular purpose apart from being cool!

If you feel like you want to be wolverine, with lights, this is the project for you.

LED string - I got a 20 light colorful string powered by 2 AA batteries.

Construction paper

Fake leather (or fabric)

Hot glue gun

Clear tape

scissors

pliers

Small piece of Velcro

The lights I bought were 20 lights in 4 different colors in repeating order. Since I wanted 4 lights per finger, I cut up, with pliers, the length into 5 parts of 4 lights each.

The wires are coated, so the end of each of the 5 light strings needs to be stripped with pliers.

Connect the wires from each light string and twist them together (I don't have a soldering iron)

Then I test to make sure that the contact is good, and that all the lights are in the same color order.

From construction paper, cut five 6x7cm rectangle.

tape roll each rectangle on the diagonal into a cone and tape.

Make sure that the cone is short enough for the finger to bend.

Each light string has to go into a claw.

Push the end light all the way to the tip. Make a small hole with scissors half way on the claw.

Press the second light through the hole and hot glue from the back.

Fold the light string so that the third light is close to the end of the cone. Add a drop of hot glue to fasten it about 1 cm in.

Repeat for each claw.

Create straps by gluing folded over pieces of the fake leather. Cut out the long straps.

Circle your hand with the strap and glue in place.

Make sure that the strap can circle your wrist at least once - but do not glue.

Glue two extra strips at the back of the hand that will be the place to connect the wires.

Wrap and glue strips of fake leather over the wire between lights 3 and 4. If the distance between the lights is too long you can fold them over before covering with fake leather.

With the end of the wires connected in 2 bundles put the hand strap and claws on and connect the bundles to the vertical strips.

Fold the wires to fit the length between the 4th light and the connection points.

Wrap and glue strips of fake leather over the wires between light 4 and the connection.

Connect the wires to the battery pack wires and test that they all work.

Battery pack arm wrap:

Tightly wrap and glue a wide long piece of fake leather around the arm (near the elbow for me).

Glue the piece tightly over the battery pack.

Hiding the wires:

Glue pieces of fake leather to cover the wire.

Hand strap Velcro:

Glue pieces of velcro to close the strap in place at the wrist.

Well enjoy waving and wiggling your fingers...

Also, seems that it works really well as a dog scratcher.

Side note- not a favorite among teachers, seems its not very helpful when you try to write.