Editing Garland Wand

[[File:Red_garland.jpg|thumb|700px|left|A garland wand in action.]]
==Garland Wands==
[[File:20130208 3955 jcc garland bubbles crop.jpg|thumb|697x697px]]
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[[File:Completed_Tangle_Resistant_Garland.jpg|thumb|left|700px|A garland wand is made up of a series of looplets.]]{{ClearFloat}}
[[File:Edward_garland_IMG_0051_2.jpg|thumb|300px]]A garland wand or bubble garland, as it is sometimes called, is a variation of the [[Wands#Tri-String|tri-string]] wand made up of a series of looplets that that allows the creation of a multitude of small to medium-sized bubbles at once. They are great for filling the air with bubbles. 6-inch (15 cm.) looplets can create basketball-sized bubbles. With the right bubble juice and a little wind, you can create hundreds of bubbles with one dip of a garland.

'''Great for windy days'''! They work great even on windy days where standard tri-string wands fail.

[[File:Garland String Open-Sourced by KMJ|thumb|right|300 px]]Keith Johnson invented the Garland Wand in 2005 when he released a YouTube video announcing and open-sourcing it.]]Garland wands are easy to make. A large tri-string can be quickly converted to garland-use with twist-ties, little clips, or zip ties, but you will probably want to have a dedicated garland wand.{{ClearFloat}}
[[File:Small_looplet_garland_test_20140418|right|300px|Small looplets are great on windy days when nothing else will work and fill the air with hundreds of bubbles per dip.]]The smaller the looplets, the more wind that is needed. Looplets with 5 to 6 inch tops work well on most days. The looplets of the garland shown to the right have 3-inch tops and work great on windy days. They can fill a street or park with bubbles in no time on a windy day. The garland shown is a twill garland (see below).{{ClearFloat}}
==Types of Garlands==
Regardless of the design, single strands of twine are generally not a good choice for the wand material (wick) as the loops tend to twist on themselves. Somewhat heavier/thicker or non-twisted materials (like hollow diamond-braid cord) tend to work better than string.

There are many variants of the bubble garland.

===Most-Basic Garland===
The most basic garland is a large tri-string converted into a garland by spreading out a large tri-string and gathering the midpoint of the bottom string and connecting it (with a ziptie or twist tie or by tying a piece of string to the midway point of the top-string. Continue to divide the loops in half until you have looplets of the desired size.

Keep in mind that the smaller the looplet, the more wind that is required to create bubbles. Looplets smaller than 4 inches or so across the top require quite windy conditions.

=== Popular Materials ===
[[Wicks#Cotton|Diamond-braid cord]] and [[:Category:Twill|cotton twill]] have become very popular for garland construction. Cotton twill is cotton "tape" used in upholstery and clothing and can be purchased very inexpensively on the internet. (Finding appropriate twill in fabric stores can be challenging.) Composite garland looplets with diamond-braid cord for the top and [[T-Shirt Yarn|t-shirt yarn]] for the bottom have been reported to work well also.
===Modular/Segmented Garlands===
[[File:Brian_-_garland_DSCN0563.jpg|thumb|300px|A section of one of Brian Lawrence's modular garlands]]Looplets separated by swivels reduce the tendency for foldovers. Brian Lawrence, of {{SBF}}, has been credited with a nice modular, segmented garland design that features looplets that you can chain together to adjust the size of the loop on the fly. The design also has the advantage that the loops are less likely to become twisted together than 'standard' garlands. Essentially, each looplet has a jump ring on one side of the looplet's top-string and a fishing swivel on the opposite side. Brian uses cotton twine to secure the swivles. The smallest size cable ties (pulled very tight) are very useful for quickly securing the top and bottom strings of the looplets. Read more about Brian's design [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soapbubblefanciers/message/11876 here] and [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soapbubblefanciers/message/11898 here]. {{ClearFloat}}

[[File:Brian_-_Garland_Detail.jpg|thumb|300px|Detail of Brian Lawrence's garland design. Note the use of cable ties to secure the top and bottom strings.]]Garlands are great fun when there are a lot of kids that would be inclined to interfere with the creation of giant bubbles. So many bubbles get produced by a nice garland that kids can gleefully chase and pop bubbles without ruining the show!

'''TIPS!''' [[User:Glowby|Glowby the Bubbler]] recommends using the swivel without the "snap" that often comes attached. He prefers size #0 stainless steel ball-bearing swivels rather than the more common brass barrel swivels.

===Tangle Resistant Garland Designs===
Quick-dirty-garland wands and garlands made from twisted materials (such as twine or yarn) have a tendency to get twisted over time. To reduce tangles, use non-twisted wick materials such as diamond-braid cotton cord (with the core removed) or t-shirt yarn.

'''Twill/cotton tape garlands. '''Mr. Hisao Oono has come up with a very nice design that uses cotton twill (cotton-tape). You can use cotton twill and fabric glue or hot-melt glue to make a garland in minutes. Find out more about it [[Hisao Oono Tangle-Free Garland Wand|here]].
[[File:Twill garland construction.png|left|thumb|700x700px]]

'''Other tangle-resistant designs'''. See [[A Tangle Resistant Garland Design]] for step-by-step guide to making another tangle-resistant garland. It is also discussed [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soapbubblefanciers/message/14362 in this SBF post]. Rick Findley has posted his take on the [[User blog:Burbrujo/BUILDING_AN_ANIT_FOLDOVER,_TANGLE_RESISTANT_GARLAND_IN_3_phases|anti-foldover garland]]. See the [[:Category:Garland|Garland category]] index for a complete current listing of related projects.{{ClearFloat}}

===Plastic Chain Garland===
Garland wands made of plastic chains are widely used in Japan. This is a useful tool, especially if you want to generate a large amount of bubbles repeatedly. Very lightweight, and prevents muscle soreness the next day.
Find out more about it [[Japanese_Soap_Bubble_(Dec.2020)|here]] and [[User_blog:Uroshi_Pond/Lighter_weight_multi-stage_garland|here]].
[[File:012e4cb36988fdbd504e8fa415cd5c900aa3a2efdd.jpg|thumb|500x500px|made of plastic chain|alt=|center]]

===Other Variations===
Many variations of the basic garland are possible.

[[File:Garland Variation - Garlands strung between two poles|thumb|300px|left|Several garland's attached to two poles create thousands of bubbles.]]In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgqOTaPvtAk this video], several garlands are attached to two poles and a child's wading pool is used for the bubble juice container.{{ClearFloat}}
===See Also===
See a listing of [[:Category:Garland|all articles in the garland category]].

Read [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/soapbubblefanciers/conversations/topics/16522 this SBF discussion] for some interesting thoughts about bubble garland designs.

==Garland Miscellany==
'''Swivels (Glowby's thoughts'''). Glowby the Bubbler recommends size #0 ball-bearing type swivels without snaps to go between looplets or looplet groups (he uses them every two or three looplets) to reduce tangling. He notes that barrel swivels and snap swivels are more prone to getting stuck or tangling than ball-bearing style swivels. These swivels can be purchased from stores and web sites that sell fishing tackle.

'''Bottom/Top String ratio explorations'''. Some materials are more prone to "foldovers" and/or tangles than others --- in such cases having a bottom:top ratio of more than or less than the common 2:1 ratio is advantageous. Glowby discusses some experiments in this [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/soapbubblefanciers/conversations/messages/16817 SBF post].
==Videos==
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[[File:Garland Wand, Thanksgiving 2011|thumb|right|300px|72-inch 6 Looplet Garland Wand in Action]]
[[File:Mike Miller Bubble party With Garland|thumb|left|300px|Some great garland wand action from Mike Miller]]
[[File:Lionel's Bubble Garland in HD|thumb|right|300px|Lionel shows off one of his garland wands]]
[[File:How to make a Bubble Garland by Lionel|thumb|left|300px|Lionel Shows How to Make a Garland Wand.]]
[[File:Jakey's First Garland wand|thumb|300px|right|3 year-old Jakey uses a 36-inch garland wand]]
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==More Info==
See more at [[Wands]].

See [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soapbubblefanciers/message/14347 this discussion] on SBF.

All articles in the [[:Category:Garland|Garland category]].
[[Category:Wands]]
[[Category:Tri-String]]
[[Category:Garland]]