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Activities / Bamboo Craft / Bamboo Hand Fan

Bamboo Hand Fan

Bamboo Hand Fan: A Woven Summer Fan from Thin Strips

Level
Beginner
Duration
1 - 2 hours
Budget
₹60 – ₹878
Age
12+
State
Goa

Materials

  • Flat bamboo weaving strips, 1 cm wide, about 3 m long
  • Fine sandpaper, 220 to 400 grit
  • Water-based gloss sealer (optional)
  • Cotton thread, strong
  • Scissors and a pencil
  • Bowl of water and a towel
  • Thin gloves

Steps

  1. Cut 5 long ribs and 4 short weaving strips, then sand the edges
    From flat bamboo strips about 1 cm wide, cut 5 ribs of 35 cm (14 in) and 4 weaving strips of 11, 13, 15 and 17 cm. Fold a piece of fine sandpaper over every cut end and every long edge and rub until it feels smooth. Splinters in a fan are the one thing that hurts, so check each strip by running your thumb along it. Common mistake: skipping the sanding and finding splinters later.
    Tip: Wear thin gloves while cutting and sanding.
  2. Soak the strips in water for 20 minutes
    Put all the strips in a bowl of water for 20 minutes, then take them out and pat them with a towel until they are damp but not dripping. Damp bamboo bends without cracking and is kinder to your fingers while weaving. If a strip begins to feel stiff later, dip it back in the water for a minute.
  3. Line up the ribs and tie them tightly 12 cm from the bottom
    Stack the 5 ribs flat with all their ends level at the bottom. Measure 12 cm up from the bottom end, then wrap 80 cm of cotton thread tightly around all five ribs 10 times, going over the first wrap each time so it grips, and knot twice. This 12 cm bottom part is the handle and the tie is where the fan will open. Common mistake: tying loosely, so the ribs slip when you spread them.
    Tip: Pull the thread hard on every wrap. Damp bamboo shrinks a little as it dries and tightens the tie further.
  4. Spread the ribs open into a fan shape
    Hold the handle in one hand. Open the ribs one at a time above the tie, with a finger between each, until the tips are about 3.5 cm apart, so the fan is about 14 cm wide at the top. The ribs should look like the spokes of half an umbrella. Check the angles by eye and adjust. Keep the shape while you work by laying the fan flat on the table with the handle toward you.
    Tip: Draw a faint pencil fan outline on paper and lay the ribs on it as a guide.
  5. Weave the first short strip across the ribs, 12 cm above the tie
    Take the 11 cm strip and weave it across the five ribs, over the first rib, under the second, over the third and so on, leaving about 2 cm sticking out past each outer rib. Fold each end around the outer rib to the back and bind it with 5 wraps of thread and a knot. The strip should lie flat and straight across the ribs. Common mistake: weaving over two ribs in a row, which breaks the over-under pattern.
  6. Weave the other three strips at 15, 18 and 21 cm above the tie
    Use the 13, 15 and 17 cm strips, from shortest to longest. Start each row on the opposite side to the one below: if the last row went over the first rib, this row goes under it. Bind the ends at the back exactly as before. Space the rows evenly, about 3 cm apart. The fan should now hold its shape without your fingers.
  7. Trim the tips into a smooth round curve
    Lay the fan on the table. Mark a gentle curve across the rib tips with a pencil so the fan looks like a leaf or half a circle, then cut each rib on the line with scissors, cutting on a slant so the edge is not sharp. Sand each cut tip again until it is smooth. The ribs will end up slightly different lengths, which is how the curve is made.
  8. Wrap the handle with thread for grip
    Start at the top of the handle, just below the first tie. Wrap the thread in tight neat rings, each touching the last, all the way down to the bottom end. This takes about 15 minutes and about 3 m of thread. Knot at the bottom and tuck the end under the last wraps. A good wrap feels solid and does not twist when you hold the fan and wave it.
    Tip: Put a dab of white glue under the last wrap so it does not unravel.
  9. Add an optional coat of water-based sealer and let it dry
    If you want a shine, brush one thin coat of water-based gloss sealer on the woven part only, avoiding the handle thread. Hold the fan by the handle while you brush, then rest it on a clean sheet of paper. Let it dry for 1 hour. Do not use a thick coat: it runs into the weave and makes it stick to the paper.

Sustainability

High - bamboo is a fast-growing natural material; the fan can be composted

Safety

Bamboo splinters, so sand every edge and wear thin gloves; scissors are sharp; supervise under-14s