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	Flag Staff

  

See the Moving Chapter for more instructions, hints, tips, and ideas.

I originally made this slide in remembrance of the victims of 9/11/2001. The flag can be flown at full-staff or half-staff. You could wear it anytime there is a death that is significant to you. This project could be enlarged for a table decoration at banquets like the Blue and Gold.

This is not a good neckerchief for younger children as it could be dangerous. However, a small base could be easily made to turn it into a standalone decoration.

This is a bit tedious for children, but you could prepare all the parts ahead of time and let them assemble it. For a nice touch, paint the PVC ring the same color as your neckerchief so that it's not as noticeable.

First you need to get a flag about 1 1/4" x 2". You could purchase a cloth or paper one if you can find them in the right size. I used some clipart from the Microsoft Design Gallery Live web site (this site is free as long as you own a copy of the Microsoft Office products). The clipart was easy to scale to the correct size. You will need to print a normal view and one flipped horizontally. To flip it horizontally, you will need a drawing program like Paint. Cut out the flags and glue them back-to-back with white glue. Then laminate them in plastic. Cut the flag from the plastic leaving a small edge.

The bead that I used was smaller than a pony bead. It needs to have a large hole because the string needs to slide through it easily.

• Carve or sand a cleat from a small piece of wood. This is used to tie off the bottom of the string. It is shaped like a short fat "T" and is 1/2" long x 1/4" tall x 1/8" wide. Glue it to the staff about 2" from the bottom using E-6000™.
• Make the knob for the top of the flagpole from the 3/8" x 3/4" dowel rod.

• Drill a 1/8" hole about half way through the length of the dowel rod - this is for the flagpole. Note the drawing above shows the hole going all the way through the dowel.
• Drill a small hole in the front of the dowel for the eagle pin.
• Below this hole, carve or sand out a square-ish area for the bead. Place the bead with the hole parallel to the flagpole.
• Try all the parts to make sure they fit properly.
• Now you are ready to assemble it. Using E-6000™ glue the knob on top of the flagpole with the knob facing the same as the cleat. Glue the bead onto the flagpole (hole goes up and down) in the notch cut out of the knob, and glue the eagle into the knob. Let this dry.
• Wire the PVC ring below the knob using the method shown below. Make a couple loops around the dowel and ring and twist the ends of the wire together so the wire is tight and secure.

• Thread the string through the bead and tie the ends together using a square knot. Put a drop of white glue on the knot to hold it fast. Cut off any excess string.
• Attach the flag so that the knot is at the bottom of the flagpole when the flag is at the top. Pull the knot to the bottom of the flagpole. Somehow, mark or hold the spot on the string where it goes into the bead. Attach the top of the flag to this spot using transparent tape.