Mobile from TroGlass Pastel

To prepare the artwork for your mobile, you will require the following components.

• 1 large suspension ring
• 1 small suspension eyelet
• 8 elephant cutouts
• 8 elephant ear ear cutouts
• 8 heart cutouts (large and/or small)

You can choose whichever colour combinations, as well as ear and heart designs, you like best for your mobile. We suggest using the TroGlass Pastel sheets for the bodies of the elephants, and the TroGlass Satins for the ears and hearts.

We prepared a template (above), which you may download and adjust as desired.

Once your artwork files are finalized, send them to your Trotec laser using the settings below.

If you are preparing your own custom artwork for this project, ensure that the slots for the elephant ears corresponds to the thickness of the material. If the slots are too big or too small, the pieces won't properly fit together.

Print Settings

Leave the protective film on both sides of your TroGlass sheets. Proceed to place the first sheet you want to process on the acrylic grid cutting table in your Speedy laser. Cover the remaining work area with scrap paper (e.g., standard printing paper) to concentrate the laser's vaccuum suction on your material. This trick will prevent it from moving while being cut and engraved.

Select the design you wish to cut from the sheet in your laser, and enter your laser processing settings. The recommended parameters below apply to both 1/8" TroGlass Pastel and 1/8" TroGlass Satins.

Please note that the optimal processing settings may vary based on your particular laser and its maximum wattage.

Repeat this process until you have all of the required components for your mobile.

Laser Parameters

Once all of the elephants are assembled, select one of them. Thread the string through the first hole on the elephant's head (i.e., the one in front of the ears, closest to its trunk). Then continue to feed the same string through the hole at the back of the elephant's ears (as pictured below).

Finish by cutting the string, leaving enough to tie a knot above the elephant's ears to keep them firmly in place.

Repeat this process with the remaining elephant cutouts.

Take the large cutout, and choose a larger hole on the outer edge of the ring. Thread a long (for example, 3 ft.) piece of string through that hole, as well as the same-sized hole directly beneath, closer to the interior of the ring. 

Take the small-oval-shaped ring, and thread the same piece of string through its centre. Finally, thread the string through the large holes directly opposite to the first and second holes you threaded. Do not yet tie a knot.

Repeat the same process with the remaining large holes on the large ring. Be sure to thread the string through the small ovular ring. Once you are done, lift the mobile by the small ovular ring (see the image below).

Adjust the length of the strings as desired, and tie a knot at the ends when you are ready to move to the next step. 

Finally, cut pieces of string to hang all of the elephant and heart cutouts to complete your mobile. 

IMPORTANT

This project is intended for decorative purposes only. Ensure to keep all parts out of the reach of infants and children.