by 


is another "Grand Master" acquaintance of mine.  She has, (as far as I know), enthusiastically duplicated every "Trick in the Book".  So much so, that now is even discovering her own "TriX"!   Below are the instructions and diagrams for her aptly named "PULSARS".  A Pulsar Flake is a flake that "switches" from one design back to the other,
with a pause between each switch.  It creates a dramatic unfolding that is "x"citing to watch.    ...Enjoy!

 
ThanX,-these directions are fabulous, and so is the PULSAR effect!

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Preliminary description of the triangle, for clarity:
TOP of the triangle is point "A".
The right angle at the bottom LEFT is point "B".
The only remaining point is "C", to the RIGHT of  B.
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STEP ONE:
Make a simple flake, like a one-cut star.  Start a little south of Point A, just touching the left edge. Going outside the triangle curve around Point B without touching it, and end your cut just barely inside the triangle at Point C.
(You can make a few more cuts, but they will add up later as the Popular Front computer keeps track of the moves.)
Be sure to leave a rather large dark area available for making token cuts "in the dark" in Step Four.  (I make the white part of this design show up on the hypotenuse, but the actual location of this design in Step One is not essential.

STEP 1 - Make a simple 1 cut STAR FLAKE along the right side of your triangle.
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STEP TWO:
In the black area that was created by your first cut, draw alongside your design. You won't be able to see the dotted line you are making, but you can sort of keep mental track of what you are doing. As an example, start cutting a little outside and below the triangle at Point C, enter into the triangle and make a wiggly line sort of parallel to the line in your original design. Stay in the dark! Exit the triangle a little south of Point A, head south outside the triangle towards Point B, then curve around B towards your Point C starting point, and try to cross over the line where you started this move. The point of crossover ideally should be just inside the triangle at Point C. Nothing should show up on your screen!   The computer kept track of where you cut, however, and it will show up in the next step.

STEP 2 - Make your design in the BLACK area running somewhat parallel to the star's edge.
Be sure to travel outside the flake and connect your line where it started!
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STEP THREE:
Reverse the entire flake. I call this move "Reversal One".   (There are many ways to reverse the entire flake, so if you have started your Pulsar the way I described above, this is the move you should use.)  Start with your cursor outside and below Point B, considerably to the left of the vertical line of the triangle.  Drag the mouse outside the triangle on the lower side, heading to your right. Don't let go of the mouse and don't cut into the triangle. Go around Point C, still remaining outside, curve around the top of the triangle at Point A, and head back down on the left side. You are going to cross over your original starting line, but before you do, try to "nick" into Point B of the triangle. You can't see where it is on your screen, but you can estimate it. It won't matter if you cut a fairly big chunk into the triangle at Point B because this line will not show up in the final design. If you have done this move properly, the flake will reverse. Your original design is now dark, and the wiggly line you drew alongside the original design shows up as a white outline. There should remain a large area in your triangle that is still dark. This area will always be dark for the Pulsar to have the proper effect in the end.

STEP 3 - Reverse the entire flake as shown to make your invisible design "appear".
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STEP FOUR:
Make several V-shaped notches into the left side (Line A - B) of the triangle. You can't see anything happening, but the computer is keeping track of the moves, and if you do several of them (I usually do seven) the end result is a pause as the flake opens to the viewer. You can make all of these notches in the same area; it doesn't matter, because they never show up! (Unless you do an "improper" reverse later on.)

STEP 4 - Take several "notches" out of the left side of the flake.
The more "notches" you take, the longer the pause will be between the switching of the design.
NOTE: For a "proper" PULSAR effect, the same amount of "notches" should be used each time you repeat this step later.
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STEP FIVE:
Reverse the entire flake again, but use "Reversal Two." (This move is a bit different from "Reversal One.") Start well to the right and a little above Point C, outside the triangle. Draw toward Point C, nicking into the point just a tiny bit, and exit the triangle on the lower left side of Point C. (You will stay completely outside the triangle for the remainder of this move.) Draw in the direction of Point B, then go upwards to Point A, go over the top and draw along the
hypotenuse (stay outside!) towards Point C. If you started this move well to the right of the triangle, you will automatically cross over your starting line. Just try to remember about where it was. The entire flake will reverse, and you will end up with your original design.

STEP 5 - Reverse the flake again, this time in the opposite direction to "retrieve" your ORIGINAL star!
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STEP SIX:
You have now completed the PULSAR flake with one "Pulse".  To get the "pulsar effect", which is the flake continuing to "flash" from one design to the other, (with the pause in-between),  you have to repeat a few steps....

REPEAT STEP FOUR (cut seven notches)

REPEAT STEP THREE (Reversal One)

REPEAT STEP FOUR (cut seven notches)

REPEAT STEP FIVE (Reversal Two)

Etc... until stopped by the SP.
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That's it! You have two designs that you reverse between. There is a
pause between each reversal, due to cutting the notches in the side.
This type of flake is really easy to make, and it does not require a
lot of patience, as the cuts go very quickly after you make the first
and second design.
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