materials for joint Options

[*mona lisa*]

Hi. Well, I have to construct a hip joint. It's really hard, and I'm all out of ideas of what materials to use. We have to use our imagination and come up with these things. Life would be so easy if your teacher told you all of these things.

Ok. Well, I need to know what I can use for bursae, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.

Ligaments: something that is rigid, but still have a tiny bit of stretch
Tendons: very strong, can be stretchy
muscles, obviously something that can stretch
bursae: it's a small sac used for cushioning

Any ideas?

[Spirited Away]

you can buy a bag of THIN red rubber bands and put them together for mucles...
there are denser and less stretchable rubber bands that you can use to represent ligaments and tendons. I think so long as you color code them, people will be able to tell the difference.

Oh oh oh, you can use paper clips as connecting tools.


since bursae are fluid-filled sacs, you may consider using a small balloon and flling it half way with some kind of dense liquid? you can hide/tuck in the mouth of the balloon easily. since it's also a gliding surface, you can dab on some oil .


ah... i don't know.

This post has been edited by Spirited Away: Oct 22 2005, 10:29 PM

[Gigi]

For the bursae, I'm thinking about some sort of...like the pads you put in the insoles of your shoes.I guess you could cut it out.

[imm]

Tendons..from a craft store you can get a thickish band of elastic. Hope that helps. ^^v

[sadolakced acid]

use nylon string for ligaments and tendons, as nylon string as a bit of stretch to it, but isn't rubber band stretchable. also quite handily meltable.

[*mona lisa*]

Oh oh oh, you can use paper clips as connecting tools.
since bursae are fluid-filled sacs, you may consider using a small balloon and flling it half way with some kind of dense liquid? you can hide/tuck in the mouth of the balloon easily. since it's also a gliding surface, you can dab on some oil  .
ah... i don't know.

Good idea. I'm just afraid the balloon might pop somehow when other people test it out.

use nylon string for ligaments and tendons, as nylon string as a bit of stretch to it, but isn't rubber band stretchable.  also quite handily meltable.

Great idea! I'll have to check into that. Thanks!

[sadolakced acid]

instead of a balloon you could use a whopee cushion.

if you can't find one, then just try to get the thickest ballon you can get. (solid color, large ones are the best i think)

[Spirited Away]

well, the bursae aren't that big. you wouldn't need to blow it up or anything, just fill the balloon half way with a dense liquid. it would work like one of those stress balls and wouldn't pop.

[*mona lisa*]

I just found out that I don't need to put in bursae. What a waste.

The hard part right now is deciding the tendons. My partner has nylon string and it's perfect, but it can be used for muscles, tendons, and ligaments. I don't want it too short though because it may come off easily if the glue doesn't stick very well.

[sadolakced acid]

^ melt it.

be careful not to hold it directly in the flame, then it catches fire.

[*mona lisa*]

Melt the string?

I was thinking if melting some rubberbands would help me somehow, but I can't think straight anymore. It's due on Thursday.

[sadolakced acid]

well, the best way to end a piece of nylon string is with a melt/burn.

if you cut and tie, the end will be frayed.

if you burn it (blow it out if it catches fire) the ends are all melted together.


if you wish to join lots of nylon string (for tendons, for example), you can melt all the ends together. you'd probably have to leave a few extra inches that will melt off.

i suggest, before you start melting anything, get a lighter and some string and play around with it to get a feel of how to melt or burn it the way you want.

what you'd probbaly want to do is to have three pieces of nylon string roughly the same length.
thread each through three thin rubber bands, and hold all the ends together.

melt the ends together. this is the insertion end.

on the other end, do the same, except use more strings (this is the origin end of the muscle), and don't use the same rubber band groupings.

shorten the nylon appropriately (easiest way is to set the end on fire and blow out when it's the right length).

if you feel up to it, you can melt the nylon onto/ arround the bone. would only work if the bone is porous.

then you have a muscle/tendon set.

(oh, you might want to interweave the nylon string the further you get from the rubber bands, and end in one large braid that you melt the end on.)

( you want the rubber bands intact- muscle fibers, and i've never melted a rubber band so i can't tell you if there are any toxic fumes (would probbaly smell like sulfer tho), or if it wouldwork)


how big is your model, and what material is are the bones made from?