Ballin led tutu plan needs some help

You don't need shipping, just go to the store =p And the solder I got with mine came free.

Also, you can use 24 gauge stranded wire for extra lightweight stuff and extra bend-ability. If it's black, you won't even notice it.

Yeah, about that.
I have the extreme misfortune of having recently moved to a town so small that we don't have a Radio Shack. Or even a craft store. I have to drive an hour to buy fabric or things of almost any craft nature.
The shipping is cheaper than the gas to get to the store.
Ugh, how sick is that?

Also the soldering iron details
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
1 x Cool-Grip 30-Watt Soldering Gun

No mention of free solder so I was unaware.

=O You don't need a soldering GUN! You need a soldering *iron*. Let me see if I can find an online link for you at the radioshack store.

That's weird... I guess it's only an in-store deal :\ Sorry. But still - I am sure you can get cheap solder elsewhere.

That's what came up when I searched soldering iron and looked in the price range you mentioned.

Sorry, I can't be of any more help then. Soldering would be the best solution, but I suppose you could just do the whole "twist the wires together, using clips, etc." idea.

Way cool.
I appreciate all efforts.

And honestly, I'm kind of afraid of soldering irons. Hot glue guns I can handle but the thought of molten lead makes me uneasy.

Meh. It hurts for a while (my left thumb is covered in burns) but you get used to it and it gets easier. But to each their own.

If I can befriend someone here who will let me borrow theirs or, dare I say, do the hard part for me then thats the route I'll go.

Go for it. Good luck on your build! And you better show us some pictures!

If I can make it work, there will be pictures.

I really think it will work out and be stunning.
Last year I made a tutu and used some scrap booking glue dots to adhere a ridiculous amount of glowsticks. It was most excellent. The best part about the glue dots was when glowsticks fell out they could be squished right back in with no trouble.
I've done that tutu up the same way a few more times. Glowing tutus are fantastic. They light up the ground so you and anyone within 5 feet of you are less likely to trip and bite dirt.
I was a jellyfish for Halloween last year. It was a super full white tutu that was all solid sheets of tulle so it could have been wired really easily but I ran out of time to research it. Otherwise that would be my led tutu. The tentacles were awesome.

Sadly I don't have pictures of either of them.
This one will be different. Loads of pictures.

Yes, it can be done also in that way (both the wires on the waist side), but this constrain you to use plastic insulated wire, cause conductive threading is not insulated and crossing it, you will end short-circuiting all.

The "spot" leds are better for illumination purpose at more distance, but are less visible (they have an emission angle that is usually 4 to 6 degrees) ..... the "straw hat" ones do less illumination in distance, but are much more visible, cause usually they have a diffusion angle from 100 to 120 degrees, and using 100 of them the illumination all around will be still enough, and more uniform diffused (where instead the spot ones just make randomly moving "spots" of light when you move)

About the duration, assuming that you use the 4 x 14500 cells and strips of 4 leds in serie, powering each strip at 15mA, you can expect a current consumption of 375mA for 100 leds, and cause these batteries are rated 900mA/h, you can expect at least a pair of hours of duration, with a single battery pack (always consider that the mA/h printed on the batteries are all the times a bit less of that what the manufacturer state ) ..... the double with 2 battery packs, dividing half of the diodes on one pack and half on the other, or just using the 2 packs in parallel ..... i don't suggest you to use more battery packs, the weight can be excessive.

An alternative can be using 18650 batteries, that are bigger, but i have not found around battery holders for this cell size, so the thing may end a bit more complicate.

About the wires, you can use silicone insulated wires, for the maximum flexibility, if you want to use insulated wires and keep both the wires on the waist side ..... one of the users here (Flaminpyro ?) had it for sale, but i don't know about the size and diameter and color of it, you need to ask him for this ..... an alternative can be using AWG24 or AWG28 wires, they are less than 1mm diameter usually, but you need to find one flexible enough, for not "appear bad" when you sew to the fabric ..... or also, using that what is called "magnet wire" (copper wire insulated with paint, instead that with plastic), but this is usually single-core wire, and is more easy that it break for repeated movements.

Anyway, the more important thing is, imho, the way you choose for fit the components and the wires together ..... soldering is still the better solution, but if you can't solder, need to find an alternative ..... about conductive threading, i've found this pdf, it does not say too much, but can be a starting help ..... in another post, someone was talking about a conductive glue, that can be used for join threads and pins (it's all to test, ofcourse) ..... there are a lot of possibilities, the problem is that this is not a common use, so all still need to be experimented.

BTW, as far as i remember, there are 3 different types of wires called "conductive sewing thread" ..... the carbon based ones have high resistance and are used for antistatic purposes, the stainless steel ones are good conductive, but ridgid, and the silver based ones are the ones usually used for make "soft circuits", so if you decide for this solution, be sure to get the silver based one ..... also, you can cross them placing a thin layer of fabric between the wires where they cross, and then securing the point in place with "sewing glue" or "fabric glue" (i think those glues are based on "vinavil" polyacetovinilic solution, so when they are totally dried, they become like plastic, and are insulant ..... just don't power up the circuit til the glue is not 100% dry, cause is water-based )

Alright. That's wonderful info.

I think I'm going to post on topix in my town looking to borrow a soldering iron. I live in the country so I'm sure someone has one and will be cool.

I'm comfortable enough with all this fabulous information to have decided on a plan.

Straw hat leds.
Any coated wire I find that is lightweight. It can be a little stiff as it will maybe even help the tutu stay fluffy. It just can't be heavy. I'm certain I have the resources and info to select it on my own with no problem.
I'm not messing with the conductive glue if a loaner soldering iron is available.
And probably two battery packs.


Thank you all so very much. I had no idea where to really start on this and now I'm confident it will be everything I dreamed it would be.
Seriously, I cannot express how much I appreciate all of the advice.

You can find very thin and flexible wire with black insulation inside the cables of computer
peripheral devices, like an old keyboard or mouse.
Also, you can buy a 30~40W soldering iron on ebay for ~5$ from china sellers.

No problems.

Only one suggestion, i don't know what material is used for your tutu fabric (as example, if nylon or synthetic, it can be ruined from heat), so, if you decide for the solder, test it with a discarded piece of fabric til you find the better way for do the work without ruin it.

It will probably melt if anything. I'm sewing multiple layers and the leds will be on one of the inner layers so should there be any melting, it probably won't be too noticeable.

How long does it take solder to cool?

2-3 seconds.
Why don't you just solder up all the wiring with the LEDs and only then stitch the whole thing
to the tutu from "underneath", pushing each diode through the fabric?