Have you ever played Chinese Finger trap in your childhood? The puzzle is quite interesting and the procedure of creating a Chinese finger trap is also very interesting. In this game, a star-type paper craft is taken and the person enters both of his/her fingers in the two openings of the finger trap.
It becomes difficult to get your fingers out of the trap without damaging the trap. That’s why it is also known as, Chinese handcuffs and Chinese thumb cuffs.
Who invented Chinese finger trap?
The trap was invented in the 6th Century by a Chinese Philosopher “Lao Tzu”. At that time, the trap was made of Bamboo. Later in present times, this trap can be created using paper and used as an entertainment craft. The trap was also used for curing Bennett’s fracture in past.
When a person enters his/her index fingers at both ends of the trap, it becomes difficult to get the fingers out which looks interesting.
How to escape Chinese finger trap?
When a person tries to get out the finger, the trap starts to tighten. To get fingers out, the person should try to push the ends of the trap towards the middle point. This will enlarge the openings of the trap and the person will be able to get the fingers out easily.
How to make a Chinese finger trap?
Here we will tell you some easy points to making the Chinese handcuffs. There are 3 to 4 methods but the following method is the easiest method to do.
Requirements:
Here are the things you require to create the trap. You can buy these things from your nearest stationary shop.
- A glue
- A tape
- 4 strips of paper (at least 20 cm long and 0.8 inches wide).
- A finger-sized (wide) paper cylinder or a board marker.
Grab these items and let’s start making the Chinese finger trap!
Star with Cylinder type object:
To start the process, you need a board marker or a cylinder-type small object (which matches the size of your finger). This will make the procedure simple and easy. If you don’t have such an object then you can create a paper cylinder. Here’s how to do it:
Grab a sheet of paper and put it on the table. Now, roll it fully and put your index finger to ensure a finger-sized wide cylinder as you can see in the below picture:
Now, put a drop of glue on the edges of the paper to roll the paper thoroughly. An extra step you can do is to tape the center line of the paper end to ensure a perfect paper roll.
Attach Papers on the roll or Board Marker:
We will recommend you choose to pair of 2 paper strips of different colors. For example, two paper strips of blue color and two strips of purple color.
Now, drop some glue on the edge of one piece of paper and attach the edge of another strip (second color) to the glued edge as you can see below:
Do the same procedure for the other two strips of different colors.
Start Wrapping Board marker or roll:
Now, add glue to the combined edges of the connected strips and stick it on the head of the Board marker. On the other side of the board marker, attach the other connected strip. Now, the craft will look like this:
Now, start rolling each left strip over the right strip and do this for another left strip. Do the same thing for both right strips. You will get waves like a shape over the board marker or the paper roll You can see the structure here:
Roll until you reached the end. Now, attach the edges of opposite colors with the glue leaving a finger space between the paper strips.
You can also watch the tutorial:
Now, slightly remove the board marker or roll from the strips and you have made it!
Now, put your fingers in the Chinese finger trap and enjoy! For more fascinating content, visit PostManiac.
