chaos pop-up card

This is two V-mechanisms abutted at the point. Kissing, as it were. In so touching they have forfeited their full tabs and now they share tabs. It is possible to construct them separately and retain their full tabs, but why bother? 

They will be as two arms opening their own card. Their card at cross angles with our card. 

We will have the two posts open the insert for us but it must be attached to the side of each post. That is the problem because it defies proper pop-uppery and so must be provided a little wiggle-room, some fudge from authentic mathematics. The paper must bend and stretch and tear a bit and we don't like that so we're fitting it with loosy-goosy locking tabs instead of gluing them fast. We cannot glue it effectively at a single point as if pinching it and for now  don't want to glue a loose hinge for demonstration purposes, although that is how it is usually done. 

I did not invent this. This is a common pop-up device. But it is a higher level mechanism to attempt because it's not so easy to see, but now you have seen it step by step and this is just one of the logical extensions to the marvelously adaptable V-mechanism, to connect them and use the connection for a new platform for extended content. 

You notice the V-mechanisms so far are all 45° arrow shape. That makes it possible for the posts to stand straight up when closed and completely flat when opened. It's not the best angle for V-mechanisms, usually lesser than that, like 30° makes better posts but those do not tuck in at 90° as these do conveniently and flip out completely flat. So it is these V-mechanism posts that can best create a wreck. And what a wreck they make!

This slot is cut cartoonishly large for demonstration purpose. I'm trying to show that a slice is insufficient room. But the cut is so close to the spine that it must be clean. Nothing extra can hang from this spot and interfere with this critical movement. 

You have the choice of gluing the piece in the open position and that will be its natural shape, everything perfectly flat including all of the content. 

The method of gluing shown, the paper wraps around the arrow shape and is glued into place in that form and when dry it is expected to open flat but it cannot do that so well because it was glued stretched in the closed position. That prevents the V-mechanism and all of their content from ending up perfectly flat. 

In theory, six mathematical points converge to one point but six layers of paper cannot be expected to do that. It's one of those things where physical reality does not match mathematical theory, it's the nature of paper to take the shape that it's glued, it shows there are actually 3 dimensions to paper and its thickness is also a factor, that the paper is being laminated in shape. So the pieces are glued either stretched or compressed and the obvious compromise is to glue them in the half opened position, but I have not tried that because I suppose I prefer pressure, and prefer it not being perfectly flat. A second obvious solution is simply eliminate the problem area by nicking the tip off the point of the folded mechanism after it is positioned, and it will not be missed.

Ignore the little repair there. Ignore it I said.

Bend back the tip to fit the tab through the slot you made then restore it to lock it in place. Usually a tab like this will have two points but these are shoved next to the crease of the post so one tip is nicked off so that it doesn't interfere with the movement.

The point of the tab restored. Notice the non-point is abutted against the dotted line, that is the spine of the post, and that is why the tip is nicked off, so that that the tiny tip does not interfere when the V-mechanism post collapses. 

That's the mechanism. Now for the content. The art. Yes, ART!

Shut up, it's art.

So much tidier. It's like a crew cut. Now I know exactly how far I can go.

So get to going.