Heart Crank toy

For this lab I had to work soley with my hands. I created my own crank toy. I followed the instructions from "Makers" magazine and came up with my own version of the crank toy. This lab was by far the most difficult. It required a lot of improvisation. The article stated that 20 AWG bare wire was required . I couldn't find 20 AWG bare wire at a reasonable price and length. I ended up purchasing regular 20 AWG wire. The sales man at Radio Shack said that I could strip the wire and it would be just as good as bare wire. He was greatly mistaken. I spent hours striping wire just to have it constantly break apart. At first I thought my technique was all wrong but then I realized the wire just wasn't strong enough. I decided to start my project with the wire not stripped. The instructions in the magazine were confusing. I used the pictures as a reference. My first bird crank toy looked exactly like the picture but it didn't move. I realized then why bare wire was a requirement. For my second attempt I didn't follow all the pictures in the magazine. I used electric tape to hold the wire together and I twisted wire together to make it more sturdy. My heart crank toy does show some movement but only when it is laid down flat and you crank both sides. Next time I do this project I will use bare wire. I am sure I will get better results.