Building Rolling Ball Sculpture - M Gaulden

More than just RBS...

2011-03-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

I never thought of making other things besides rolling ball sculpture. I had made a bench quite a while ago but never thought it looked that nice. It was for a potted plant, and did work well for that, just sitting there or having a knick-knack sitting on it too. So I made these two heart chairs. The larger one started out not having a heart back - but as you see here, ended up that way. With the second, smaller chair, I meant to do the heart - and now I have the pair. How would u use them?

Here's my rocking chair. I have one that resembles this one quite a bit right next to me in the shop. Quite comfortable to sit in while "testing" my latest RBS. I'm actually quite surprised it came out as well as it did. Now I'm not sure what to do with it either...

Here's a beach umbrella. It's best as a business card holder but could also just stand alone and make your work space cheerier. I think the umbrella makes you think that it's sunny out, and you need the umbrella to keep cool. The pessimist in us would say it's raining...

Here's the large chair again. I think it needs to have a display item sitting on it. This chair is like a moving shelf and needs a use...

DVD - How to Make Helical Lift

2010-01-30T11:47:00.001-08:00

Finally, for all of you out there waiting for a how-to video on How to Make a Helical Lift...It's Finished!

45 minutes of step by step instructions on how I build my Helical Lift.

It starts with an overview of which motors I use, and why. I show you the mounting pads I use and discuss different materials you could use for a motor mount. I don't show you how to make the mounting pad, but I do explain the parts I use, and why.

Then I show you exactly how I build the spiral that lifts the marbles to the top. I discuss what bearings to use at the top of the spiral, and how I attach it to the frame. As well as how I mount the motor/mounting pad to the frame.

I then show how I build the upright keeper track that holds the marbles in as they are lifted to the top, how I install it, and finally I talk about how to add the feeder and exit tracks.

If you have wanted to try your hand at making a Helical Lift but have been unsure of where to start, this is for you. After watching this DVD you will know what steps you need to take, and why. Why buy an RBS when you can make your own? Not only will you have a cool rolling ball sculpture to show to your friends and relatives, (not to mention kick back and watch on your own!) you can impress them further by telling them you made it all by yourself. : )

Get this DVD now. Kick start that hobby, and make your own RBS to watch!

Price: $40 - includes shipping in the US and International.

I also have a DVD on how to make flat spirals. $10 for you tube, and $15 for the DVD. If you buy both DVD's same time (or the youtube version), I will give you $5 off the total.

I am sold out of track clamps, but should have some in a month or so. I'll update this blog when they are done.

Payments only accepted through PayPal.
Contact me if you are interested... matthew.gaulden@gmail.com

Desktops #54 and #55

2010-01-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

After making this many desktops they all seem to blend together. But, there are a few details that separate them into groups. My most recent group of desktops has had a flat steel plate. The steel plate allows the marbles to roll and spin around, hit each other, and act unpredictably. I've done plate in much earlier desktops, and really liked it, so I'm not sure why I didn't keep on adding it to every one. Now, it has decidedly replaced the tipping arm. The tipping arm is OK. But it doesn't allow the marble to be itself...

And, as an added bonus it increases the length of time it takes the marble to travel from the top to the bottom.

I've also been adding a lot more of the wavy track to each one. In the past, I would make the tracks have tight corners and go in and out of the frame, making the most of the path the track could take. Now, I've found that the wavy track adds a very nice dimension curvy track cannot. Combining the two - curvy and wavy track, is very satisfying. It's neat to watch the marble dip down and then come back up, take a sharp corner, then roll over a couple humps before going into the steel plate or spiral.

Watch these two, #54 and #55 to see what I'm talking about.

#54

#55

Like 'em?
Both are for sale right now. See details on my website:

http://www.rollingballsculpture.com/pages/desktop54.html - #54
http://www.rollingballsculpture.com/pages/desktop55.html - #55

New Desktops

2009-09-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

So here they are. I made these three at the same time, and all have the same birthday, September.

The thing that makes each desktop special is the track. They do have the same frame, track switches, tipping arms, spirals and loop d loops...but the thing connecting all of these is...track. The sculpture can look quite unique if for instance one desktop had long, slight curved, flowing tracks that went around the outside of most of the piece, and the other desktop's track was very twisty with lots of hairpin corners and weaving in and out of the frame supports. They would look very different.

So check these three out and see how different types of track can make the desktop sculptures very individual and one of a kind.

Desktop #44:

Desktop #45:

Desktop #46:

If you're interested, all three of these are available to purchase. Check them out here:
http://www.rollingballsculpture.com/pages/desktop44.html Sold
http://www.rollingballsculpture.com/pages/desktop45.html Sold
http://www.rollingballsculpture.com/pages/desktop46.html Sold

Track Clamps for sale

2009-08-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right! If you're into RBS, but find it frustrating trying to keep the tracks in place when soldering or welding, then these clamps will fix that problem!

The body is made from 3/4" x 3/4" solid aluminum, with the grooves that fit 1/8" wire. The grooves are made for two sizes of railing. The smaller size is for 1" balls, and the larger size is for 1-3/8" balls. Here you can see the advantage of holding the track firmly when welding on a spacer. I can make you a custom distance for another size ball. Cost is $15 extra per clamp.

This is the clamp taken apart, and also shows a 1" marble.

Here's a 1-3/8" ball. I know, I know, billard balls are usually 2-1/4" but these are miniature.

Clamps....they just look nice and will make your RBS building much, much easier. I made these clamps all by hand. ALL ARE SOLD until I make more. Then I will have to make more. Get them before they are gone....

These Clamps are available now for $40 each. Or 3 or more for $35 each.
I recommend at least two clamps, but one will do the job.
Email me @ matthew.gaulden@gmail.com to purchase. I accept paypal only.

New Sculpture - Wall Mounted #85

2009-08-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

Not much time to write anything here now.

I will edit this post later with some description and explanation. I can say it is 62" tall, 28"wide and 16" deep with three separate tracks. The balls are lifted back to the top with an automatic chain lift. I am using 1-3/8" billiard balls. All welded stainless steel.

Until then folks, enjoy the video.

How to Make Spirals - Video

2009-07-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

For all of you out there that wants to make an RBS but is intimidated with all of the different parts and elements that go into one, I have decided to start a video series to help out. This video "How to Make Spirals" is #1 in the series. I plan to do more more complicated videos on how to make spiral lifts and chain lifts, etc. but before tackling that, I needed some practice.

This spiral is not the the ball lift, but a spiral of track that the ball rolls into from the outside and makes ever smaller circles until it rolls out the from the center.

This video details what tools I use, shows me bend the spiral with my hands, the aluminum track spacers/holder you will need to hold the spiral in place when welding to it, how to add the entrance wire and exit wire so the transition is a smooth continuous track and how to make the spacers you will use. In this video I use a TIG welder for welding, I am using 1/8" stainless steel wire and 14" bolt cutters cut it.

I decided on something less complicated, but very necessary, like the trusty spiral. This video shows you what tools you need, how to get the spiral bent, and a few handy tricks. Well worth the cost of the video.

The video is available two ways: First is with youtube. I have uploaded the 35 minutes of video to YouTube. Since they do not allow videos over 10 minutes, I had to split it into 4 separate videos. All there, just split up a bit. To be able to view the videos YouTube says you have to be my friend to be added to my private videos. In this case the 4 videos for the making of a spiral. I can have up to 25 usernames set to watch it anytime, if you wanna be my friend. : )
The cost for the youtube video is $10.

I can also send you a DVD - cost $15; which includes shipping. Now I hesitate to do this as I do not have a way to make labels for them yet, and you will only get a DVD with a handwritten title in felt tip marker. Not very nice to look at, but the video would be better quality and you won't need an Internet connection to view it. 35 minutes - .WMV file.

Paypal only for payments. Email me @ matthew.gaulden@gmail.com for more info or to purchase with paypal.

Let me know what other things you might like to see in a "How To" video and I'll see what I can do!

Happy building... ; )

Desktop #40 - Hojo Racing

2009-05-04T18:48:00.001-07:00

Here's my latest desktop, #40. This desktop has a theme - Racing. Ferrari racing to be specific. The marbles are kept at the top and are released with just the touch of your finger into a tipping arm. My usual desktop has the marbles roll into a track splitter. This desktop has them roll into a tipping arm that tips when two marbles are inside it, side by side. When it tips they are dumped out at the same time giving them each a fair start on one of the two full tracks.

This desktop will be going to Hojo Racing in Beverly Hills, Ca. (I tried to trade for a couple laps around the track, but no-go!) I made his car out of wire and also wrote out Hojo Racing in wire as well. In the photo below you can see Hojo Racing in red. I painted the letters red because if left in stainless steel you would never notice it behind all of the tracks. The red really brings it out, especially in person.

The car was quite challenging. I thought I could do it, but plans sometimes don't work out the way you imagine them when you actually get to doing. I cruised his website - www.hojoracing.com for a good photo. Once I had found one I used Adobe Photoshop to "find lines". I enlarged and printed this photo and then laid the wire right on the prited paper to make sure it was exact. I started out with the front tire, and then added the bumper, then added each piece one by one. I had at first tried to use 1/8" wire, but (HA!) that didn't work out like I wanted it to. It was much to stiff to get the small curves needed for the tire, and gave it up in about 5 minutes. So I switched to 1/16" stainless "fill" wire. I say fill wire because it is sold as a filler when welding thicker metal. I get it in 1lb packages from my welding supply. It is great for detail work, or like you might have guessed, filling in those gaps when welding.

I don't normally paint my sculptures because the paint doesn't stick to stainless well. But in this case it needed painting so it would stand out, and make it look very clean. Without the paint the small weld spots are noticible. With the paint it looks much cleaner.

The back of the sculpture:

The front of the sculpture:

And the video!

New Desktop

2009-02-12T22:52:00.000-08:00

I like new ideas. They take hold in my mind and percolate slowly, but constantly. I was given the idea of making a desktop rbs that tipped back and forth, with the marble rolling back and forth as the track itself tipped up and down. I did make one and it wasn't exactly what I had hoped for. So it sat. I showed it to my machinist, Bill, and he was all for making more of the motor mounts. Who was I to say no? So in a few days I had 8 new motor mounts with very nice machined aluminum center nose pieces.

Last week I went to San Francisco to deliver a sculpture - wall mounted #82;

And, Aaron, the lucky recipient of #82 had three sculptures from Stan Bennett a kinetic artist that lives in Ferndale, Ca. Stan's sculptures used a rotating arm to lift the marbles. Actually they used several in a row to get the balls from the bottom back to the top. I was so impressed with the arms, that I went home and used one of my new motor mounts for this type of lift, the ARM lift.

So here it is. Under the hood, it is still a basic desktop with a tetrahedron frame. But this baby has three tracks, is 26" wide X 18" high X 19" deep and is automatic.

Check out the video:

Catching up.

2009-02-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone. I wanted to dust off the blog and post something before it's been two months between posts... I know, I know, I need to post more often, and I think about my blog often, but it just does not make it from my brain to my keyboard. So for all of you regular readers out there, I apologize that I do not post more often. I have been busy with projects and have finished a few things since my last post and I aim to correct my lack of postings starting with this one. : )

I've since built several wall mounted RBS's. This one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOelpqNLT8A #79 and this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iSm9TVWUvc #81.

Now these two wall mounted sculptures have a little story behind them. When I built #79 the buyer wanted a sculpture like #69 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSpbsehaJLw) - and I didn't clarify with the buyer exactly what he wanted... So I built him a wall mounted the same size and with the same one slow track. It came out fine, but when I talked to Greg he was a little less than happy and explained to me that he wanted a copy of #69. Apprehensive, Greg asked what we could do...I cheerfully explained I'll just make you another. And that's #81. If you look, it is a pretty close approximation of #69, maybe even a little better... : )

So I sold #79 made him #81 and Everyone was happy!
And for anyone who is following my progess on sculptures, #80 is on hold for the moment.

Next post soon, I promise!

Wall Mounted #81
Battery Powered

Wall Mounted #79

Going Home

2008-12-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

Ooooooh Yeeeahhhhh, this is what I want for Christmas!!!

I dunno....if you got going really, really fast inside this tube (especially at the beginning) you'd be beat up pretty bad, if not dead. I'd still try it.

Making nylon bearings

2008-12-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you how I make my nylon bearings. I have gone through several different kinds of "pivots" for elements on my sculptures and these have proven to be the best. I start with a rod of 1" acetyl plastic. I get 4ft lengths. First I cut the rod into sections 1.125" long. This will allow me to take face off side of the bearing without making it less than 1" wide. "Facing" makes the end (face) smooth and flat.

(above) Here is some of the plastic pieces I am left with after cutting the rod into lengths.

(Above) Here's the part chucked into the lathe.

(above) This photo shows the first side of the part with the chamfer. Once I did all of the parts on one side, then I set my stop, and did the other side. With the tool shown I cut the chamfer, and faced the end so it was smooth.

(above) The center drill. The center drill just cuts a small hole to make sure the drill bit cuts true in the next step.

(above) Now I will drill the hole. It's drilled 1/64th under 3/8" (the OD of the bronze bearing)
(above) Now the final drilling step, the reamer. Since plastic "closes" on you after you've cut it, the reamer gets the plastic closest to the size you want without going over, or being too small.

Finally, here is the bronze bearing inserted into the plastic. The bearing on the left is to show you the bearing halfway in, and the bearing on the right is all the way in. I've still got more than a hundred to go. My son, who is 10, has drilled more than 20. I think he could do them all.... Who says child labor is wrong?

Desktop #32 and #33

2008-11-16T20:04:00.001-08:00

I posted quite a while ago about the 5 frames and accessories that I made up in advance for desktops. #29, #30 and #31 can be seen below in an older posting. These desktops just seem to keep getting better and better. It's all about practice. The more I make, the easier it is to build and the easier it is to add new things. Now these two desktops don't have anything new, per say, but both have some very nice track. I like track. Track is the fun space between elements.

What is noteworthy of these two desktops is why they were made. Desktop #32 was ordered by a woman for her mom's birthday. Great! I love to think of people opening their gift and receiving one of my sculptures! And just to make things interesting, desktop #33 was ordered by and man for his dad's birthday. Two in a row for b-days! Cool!

So to make these special I added a heart shape to the spinner for the mom, and the initial "S" (stands for the last name) for the dad.

Happy Birthday Everyone!

Desktop #32 (a gift for someone's Mom)

Desktop #33 (a gift for someone's Dad)

#78 Finished

2008-11-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I need to start posting more than once a month. : ) The best time to start is now!

This is the finished sculpture #78. It measures 30" square and 36" tall. There are 3 different tracks. Almost finished...It still needs the acrylic case that will cover this piece so it will be safe while unattended in the law firm's waiting area.

Track 1 is the loop d' loop track, track 2 has a marble collector which tips when the 3rd marble rolls on (then the three roll off together), and track 3 has several cool elements that it activates. The picture below shows the first section of the loop d' loop.

Here (below) is the second section to the loop d' loop. The marble, after exiting the loops, turns to the left and joins with track 3 before heading back to the lift.

This picture (below) shows the chain lift - lifting a yellow marble. The chain lift picks up and releases about 3 marbles per minute.

Here is a photo showing a couple marbles in motion.
In this picture (below) you can see the "Scales of Justice". The scales are really cool to watch. The scales will tip when the third marble rolls into the side closest in this photo. The other side has several smaller marbles to provide the counter weight so it will reset itself when the other marbles roll out. It tips with 3 marbles but is inconsistent with how many marbles are dumped out. Sometimes only one marble goes, mostly two marbles will dump out, and then sometimes all of them dump.
See the marble collector at the top of the photo.
And as you can see, (below) this sculpture will be going to the law offices of Kam, Ebersbach and Lewis. They are trial lawyers.

All pictures clickable. See this sculpture in motion here:

Getting Personal

2008-10-17T18:08:00.001-07:00

There's nothing like having your own RBS. Better than that, there's nothing like having it personalized so it says, "Look at Me! I belong to (you)". My next project will be located in the office (lobby?) of a lawyer, located in Georgia. As you can see from the photo below, the law firms name is Kam, Ebersbach & Lewis - Trial lawyers.
To make the letters I welded wire into a square, 3.125" high X 2" wide. I then cut the wires for the letters and fit them into the wire square to make sure they were all the same height and width. The B's S's and R's are the hardest because they all have curves.

Below you can see the names after they were installed in the sculpture. I made sure that I added them first so I had plenty of room for them, and I didn't weld myself into a corner, so to speak. When somebody comes in to his office, they will have no doubt of who this sculpture belongs to, or where they are.

To also reinforce the idea of a lawyers office, I also constructed a "scales of justice". This element interacts with the marbles. The right side of the scales has a permanent number of marbles. The right side of the scale does not lose or gain any marbles (unless you change it by hand), it is the counter-weight side. The left side will have a track to feed it and when the left side has one more marble than the right it will tilt down to the left and drop the marbles onto the large receiving plate below. There are a couple things that made this tricky. One is that I had to come up with some way to make the left side tip the marbles out when it dropped down to dump the marbles. To do this I attached a 1/16" wire to the back of the left plate. When it gets full (one more marble than the right side) and drops, this wire catches after a couple inches of downward travel and provides the lift needed at the back to tip the marbles out the front. The ring that is around the chain is there to keep the left side from swinging around too much after the marbles have rolled out. It would be bad for it to swing around too much and catch one of the ball pick-ups on it's way down.

Next up: Motorized table sculpture 30x36 - #78

2008-10-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

My next project, in progess now, is a table standing sculpture with a chain lift that stands 36" tall and is 30"w on each side. I only have the frame and lift built now...but I think it already looks great! This sculpture (will have) 3 tracks. These tracks will be my "standard" fare of: one track will be a loop d' loop, one track will have one marble rolling at one time, and the third track will have a marble collector so the marbles (probably 3) on that track roll together when the collector releases them.

This sculpture will have a couple items to personalize it for it's final location. The final location will be a lawyers office in Georgia. So to help visualize the lawyer theme I am going to make a "scales of justice" element. This element will be a ball collector, but not "the" ball collector which will be added near the top for maximum effect. The single marble will roll onto one side of the scales - tipping when it gets full. The other side of the scale will have marbles as the counter weight. The other personalization will be the Law Firms name spelled out in wire inside the sculpture. Under each name, I am going to add "marbles on track" as if the marbles are underlining the names on the shingle.

More pics later.....

Wall Mounted #79 - completed

2008-10-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

I just finished a wall mounted RBS. (click picture to view larger image) This one measures 33"w X 22"h and has a spiral/helical lift to transport the marbles from the bottom to the top. Something new is the adjustable speed of the lift. I purchased a "universal" DC power supply which has switchable voltage. You can choose from 3v - 4.5v - 6v - 7.5v - 9v and 12v giving you 6 different speed settings. (I say 4 speeds in the video because there isn't much difference between 3v and 4.5v or 6v and 7.5v) It's as easy as switching the voltage up or down to see it go slower or faster. Interestingly enough, Low (3v) has 1 marble going, (4.5v) has just about 2 marbles, (6v) sports 3 marbles rolling at the same time, and (12v) gives you 4 marbles.

One long continuous track, this sculpture is very smooth and quiet. See the video below to see it in motion. Oh, and if you are interested, this one is for sale: $1250 includes shipping in custom wooden crate within US. : )

A trio of new desktops: #29 - #30 - #31

2008-10-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

I really like desktops. They are fun to make because they do not take a long time to build, I can see right away how new improvements work, and I can try new things without having to worry too much about changing it if needed. These three were made in a row. I started out making 5 frames with the marble queue built onto the top, 5 arms and 5 track splitters. Then I worked one by one finishing them. I still have two left, but not the time to complete them now. It will be a few weeks before I get any more of these built.

The finger operated marble release is a somewhat new thing. I have added it to other desktops - but not for quite some time. I decided that to be really cool, they definitely need one. All of the marbles can be kept at the top of the sculpture and can be released one by one, or all at once, whenever you like. This eliminates the pesky chore of reaching out and placing marbles at the top each and everytime you want to see it run. If it is just you around, your toe could operate this kinetic desk toy when your relaxin' on the couch.

These sculptures are made from 100% stainless steel. They are neatly and durably TIG welded. 1" colorful glass marbles.

Desktop #31

Desktop #30

Desktop #29

Desktop #28

2008-09-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Really, this desktop should be #27, because it was made before...But as these numbering things go...I mean shoot...who really cares anyway? It's only off one number. But enough of that. This desktop was "commissioned". I had someone in mind when I started on it. This desktop is different in that I made an effort to leave the track spacing a little wider than normal. I have track clamps that are spaced at 7/8" that I use for loop d' loops with my larger marbles (1-3/8"). I use these for my desktops and squeeze the spacers a little to make them usable for the smaller 1" marbles. Leaving the spacing wider than in the past helps make the marble go slower, and in turn, make the action last longer.

There are three tracks on this desktop. My previous desktop had 4 tracks; two loop d' loop tracks, 1 tall spiral and 1 long track with elements. The person requesting this current desktop didn't much care for the teeter totter, or the loop d' loops (he said they go too fast). So I made this one with extra track, since that was what they wanted. In fact I was so focused on the track I almost didn't have room to add the tipping arm and spiral that are connected on the same track. But, with a little "can do" attitude, I got it to work. : )

The last thing I have changed for the better is where I merge tracks. I have found that using a little bit of plate eliminates the need for lots of wire. When one track dumps into another, the ball has to get over the rail onto it's new track. Now, this is not a problem if I have some vertical room to use. If I don't, then I have to use several wires to keep the ball moving, and not make a spot where the marbles can settle before merging. With the plate, that problem is eliminated completely and easily.

I don't have a snapshot handy, but here's the video on youtube:

Wall hanging RBS #77, in progress

2008-09-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on a wall hanging sculpture that measures 36" high by 24" wide. It has a chain lift that lifts 1-3/8" marbles at the rate of about 5 1/2 per minute. There are three tracks in this RBS. The loop d' loop is split between two different tracks instead of being a single path from top to bottom. Both of the built tracks in the pictures have just one marble on each track. The last track, still to be built, has a ball collector which will tip when it has 4 marbles. That track will be fast and slow, zipping about the sculpture with the marbles in a row. The marbles in a row are fun to watch because sometimes the marbles stay together, sometimes they spread out. It depends on the size of the marbles whether they stay together or not. Check out the pictures to see this sculpture as it comes together.

Desktop #27

2008-09-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

So here's my latest desktop. #27. It's 22" high by 18" deep/wide and has two tracks. This desktop has all the usual fun stuff such as; track splitter, 3 loop - loop d' loop, tipping arm, ring spinner, spiral and over 25ft of two rail track. On this desktop I decided to add a finger release. The finger release is a great way to play with your sculpture without having to reach out and place marbles at the top every time. Instead, place all the marbles at the top where they stay until your press the lever to release one, or all. Place the sculpture out of reach, and you could use your toe to release them during commercials. : )

So here's a couple pics, and the video I have uploaded to YouTube.

Completed sculpture #76

2008-07-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

This is my latest project. It stands 5ft high and is 3.5ft wide on each side. A chain lift brings the balls back to the top and releases them into the 4 tracks on this sculpture. This sculpture has several fun elements. First is the Plinko Track Scrambler. 3 of the 4 tracks go into this element and the marbles mix up, taking one of the 3 tracks exiting. The fun part is watching the balls bounce around randomly before dropping off and continuing on the stainless steel paths. The loop d' loop has 7 inversions, and jumps into a basket. See the video of the sculpture here:

One of the paths goes into the Ferris Wheel Lift. The 1-3/8" marble is directed around the outside of a large 12" ring. The ring has tines that catch the marble, and allow the marble to spin the wheel. When the wheel spins there is a smaller ring on the inside that lifts 1" marbles, about 4 inches, onto their own small path. They race out and around before returning to the lift. I have only made two of these elements, this being the second one. I spent a lot of time turning this one over in my head to make sure it was built correctly. I think it came out just right. The most complicated part to making this element was getting the bearing exactly in the center of the large ring. Once that was accomplished, the rest was easier, but no less important. Building slow, is the key to building something like this. Below is a video of the Ferris Wheel Lift.

Honey Creek Radio

2008-07-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

My Dad has started an online radio station with Live 365. He has a website: http://honeycreekradio.com/ that you should visit and you'll be able to access his station from the site.

While the station is not unique -- there are hundreds of online stations broadcasting the same stuff as Honey Creek Radio -- I believe you'll experience a good musical vibe when listening to Honey Creek Radio. Music is changed every 2 to 3 days. Since January 2008 Honey Creek Radio has been listened to in over 40 countries. Some days no one listens while on other days, many tune in to listen to a great mix of Classical, Celtic, Folk, and Native American music. While we here in the USA sleep, there are people tuning into Honey Creek Radio to hear a wonderful mix of artists and albums of quiet -- and not so quiet -- Gospel Hymns.

But the really cool part, for me, is that he's made me some rolling ball commercials! It was pretty surreal when I was listening to the station the first time, and then all of the sudden a commercial for my rolling ball sculptures played... I am not sure what I felt. It was a very odd experience as I had several emotions at once. It was very, very cool. So since that time Dad has made me several commercials. Here are the two most recent:

Rolling Ball Ad 01
Rolling Ball Ad 02

Right click and save the ad to your desktop to play it. They are in mp3 format. Are you looking to have a commercial recorded? Go to his site and drop him an email. Dad, (Ed) would love to work out an awesome sounding commercial. With google adwords you can set up ads to play on the FM radio. And you'll need a commercial to do that...

I'm sure there will be more rolling ball ads, and I will post them when I get them. : )

Thanks, DAD!

Poll results

2008-07-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to preserve my poll results, and comment on them a bit. I wanted to preserve my last poll, but I deleted it before I knew it would be gone forever... So I am not going to make that mistake again.

My current poll asked you, the reader, to pick what type of sculpture you would like to have. You were allowed to pick more than one thing. 29 people participated in this poll. Here are the results:

Large Floor Standing - 3 votes (10%)
Wall Hanging - 14 votes (48%)
Desktop - 7 votes (24%)
Tabletop - 8 votes (27%)
Enclosed in Glass - 4 votes (13%)
With bowling balls - 2 votes (6%)
Solar powered - 10 votes (34%)
Hand powered - 2 votes (6%)
Rolling Ball Clock - 3 votes (10%)
Ceiling mounted - 6 votes (20%)
Big enough to ride on - 5 votes (17%)
Wooden - 4 votes (13%)
'Only' Loop d' loops - 0 votes
Interactive - 6 votes (20%)

I thought it interesting, but not too surprising, that the wall hanging and solar powered took the top votes. A wall hanging sculpture is a good way to have a sculpture displayed without needing to make space to display it. As for solar powered, any of you who have purchased a sculpture from me with a DC motor could easily hook it to a solar panel, for a sun powered kinetic art rolling ball sculpture.

I am not sure what the defining difference between a desktop and a tabletop sculpture. If I had to differentiate between the two, I would say that the tabletop is a small motorized rbs, whereas the desktop would be non-motorized, it's all you.

Thank you everyone who voted and I look forward to the results of my next poll...

#76 - in progress

2008-07-21T21:19:00.001-07:00

This is my current project; #76. It is 5ft tall X 3.5ft square. 4 different tracks with a chain lift.

This is the exit following the "plinko track scrambler" There are 3 possible paths the marbles can take, each one starting with a tipping arm.

Side view

Top view

Spaghetti "S" track

Spaghetti "S" track, top view

Marbles just getting ready to exit the plinko track scrambler into one of the three waiting tipping arms, randomly.

Top and bottom sections of the loop d' loop track. 6 inversions total with a nice jump into a basket at the bottom.

This is new. Several marbles are shot at high speed up into this section of stainless steel sheet metal. If the marbles are close enough they will change positions in the "L" section at the top. Then they reverse direction and roll back out the way they rolled in and go straight into the "plinko track scrambler". The marbles have a very pleasant "free" feeling to them as they wobble around on the hard surface before joining back up with the track.

Construction of a Desktop

2008-07-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Building a series of desktops has been fun and rewarding. I get to finish a sculpture very quickly - which means I get to play with it sooner - and they are good practice for weaving the track in and out of the frame because of the small space given. I use 1" marbles for these smaller sculptures because the larger marble demands more space, and these just shouldn't be very large. Without the motorized lift, they will not be viewed from a distance, so a larger marble is not needed. I like the fact that I can fit in some very nice track and ball elements into such a small package. You get a track switch (splitter), spinner, 'marbles on track', loop d' loop with 4 loops, tipping arm, teeter totter and a spiral. All connected with track that uses ZERO guardrail. All of the corners are banked. I do use some guardrail for the elements, but that is a little different.
Something I have noticed is that my wire comes in two lengths. 12ft and 10ft. The 12ft wire is very springy and hard to bend, I think it is 316 stainless. The 10ft pieces however are easy to bend, and not springy at tall, leading me to believe it's 304 stainless. It doesn't make any difference, except that the 12ft stuff is harder to bend. Make sure when you buy wire that it is 304. They may give you a higher grade but are not really doing you a favor. I bend most of my track by hand, and use a couple pairs of strong needle nose pliers to get what my fingers cannot. The easier to bend the better.

The teeter totter can be problematic on any sculpture because if the marbles are spaced too closely, then while one end of the teeter is down because of the marble rolling over it, the other end is up and will allow the marble that's following to drop out. I fix this problem by having the spiral below to catch any dropping marbles, or a detour around the teeter-totter and then back on to the track.

The tipping arm can be tricky as well. If I do not add a little piece of wire that holds back extra marbles while the arm is dropping a marble from the upper track to the lower track, then the extras will just fly off over the top of the arm.

These are the steps I use to make one:
1) make frame, 1/4" round rod
2) make loop d' loop, make sure it works
3) make track splitter
4) attach loop d' loop to frame, test a little
5) attach track splitter
6) make the track that people will drop the marbles into - the one that leads directly into the splitter.
6) make track that will lead from switch to loop d' loop. All track should be made "on" the sculpture.
7) make next section of track leading from other side of track splitter, about 5 ft of track here.
8) make, then attach tipping arm
9) make teeter totter.
10) make track leading from exit of tipping arm to entrance of teeter-totter. make sure the ball picks up enough speed. Just a little will do, but it won't roll over if it's too slow.
11) attach teeter totter
12) make spiral, then eyeball where it will be, and make the entrance and exit tracks leading into and out of the spiral, OFF the sculpture. this way you can easily get to the critical weld.
13) install spiral
14) make the track that leads from the teeter-totter to the spiral.
15) make the track that leads out of the loop, that will carry the marble that exits.
16) Now make track that starts from the end of the spiral and connect it directly into the track leaving the loop d' loop.
17) make and add spinner if desired
18) bend up a speed bump for the "marbles on track" element. Make sure the marble has good speed for this element.

Add the supports and whatever else is needed as you go. Then you can easily drop in marbles to test it as you build. Adding the track supports as you go also helps keep the track in place once you find where it needs to be. It is held in place by the support, and you can keep bending.

Now final testing. Drop in lots of marbles at once to see where things go wrong, and adjust it. Clean it, and your ready to show it off!

Here's three recent desktops; #25, #24 and #19 respectively.

Desktops #21 and #22

2008-07-08T06:47:00.001-07:00

Finally, the last of the desktops.....for now...
These two I just finished.

#22 (below)

#21 (below)

Desktop #18 Completed July 1st.

2008-07-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

One more hot off the welding bench...
These desktops use more wire that you would think. I use at least 60ft of 1/8" wire, 5ft of 1/4" rod and 3 pivot bearings. The wire adds up quickly as it's not just used for the track, but also for support wire and guardrail.

Desktop 17

2008-07-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, here is one of four. Enjoy!

4 desktops

2008-06-28T11:24:00.001-07:00

I got a request for a desktop with some specific elements built into it. Namely the loop d' loop and the teeter totter. Being able to do both, I said "no problem" and welded one up. And as it goes with these things sometimes, it turned out well, and I received an order for another one immediately after. I took another day, welded up another that looked just the same. But, since it was popular, I sold it to someone else. I know, my bad, but they are family of my machinist, Bill, who has helped me in more ways than I could put into words. So I still had one to make for the previous order I did not fill, and Bill, wanted one for himself. That makes two more. So I thought; why just stop with two? Lets make four! So the last day and a half I've spent making all of the components I will need to assemble 4 new desktops. Oh, and these desktops use 1" marbles. See a picture of the individual components below:

What is shown in the photo is everything I will need, except for the track that will lead the ball from one element to the next. There are the frames, (upper left and right), the loop d' loops, the track splitters (center), tipping arms (right of the splitters), teeter totters (bottom center), and spirals. 4 of each. The one element not shown is the "marbles on track" element. That particular element is added to the track where the ball has enough speed. Want to see what I'm talking about? See the video below of #16. (Thanks Ann!)

A desktop - #15

2008-06-13T23:26:00.001-07:00

I found enough time this week to hammer out a quick desktop sculpture. This one has two tracks, and uses 1" glass marbles. There is a track splitter, a loop d' loop with 3 loops, a tipping arm, a teeter totter and spiral. All mounted on a very sturdy 1/4" stainless steel frame. All of the track is made from 1/8" stainless wire.

See this desktop sculpture in action below...

#75 Final Video

2008-05-31T16:47:00.001-07:00

32"w X 24"h X 18"d. This wall hanging sculpture has 3 different tracks and is made from all stainless steel. There are 1 3/8" marbles used on this sculpture. Watch the video to see all of the things that I don't have to describe!

For you who cannot view youtube videos, such as those of you in the military, I have also uploaded my recent videos to Google video. : )
Like this one:

#75 plus 2 more pictures

2008-05-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Three spinners, hot off (on) the welding bench. Literally.

Now those three spinners are welded on. Two on the single marble track; one before the tipping arm and the other just past the second section of wavy track. The third spinner is just after the loop d' loop where the marbles shoots out, giving the spinner quite a hard push. (Mostly hidden with this camera view.)

#75...it's construction in 10 pictures

2008-05-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

I tried to take a photo after each major step was completed. Here's what I got...

If only it was as easy as it looks!

The marble collector, up close

2008-05-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post the photos I had taken after each section was completed, but decided to wait until I finished it, and could post all photos in one. Tomorrow. So, instead, I decided to share the marble collector that I made today. Before today, what you see here was a 12ft piece of 1/8" stainless steel wire with no idea of what it was to become. With a little bending, cutting, welding and an added bearing, it has become the mighty ball collector, an important part of any RBS. This ball collector tips when the third marble rolls on.
Also in this photo is my trusty stainless steel block. Not just any block, it has been water cut into it's basic shape. The groove on the end looks like someone wanted to see if a very tight corner could be cut using the water jet. I dunno. I do know that it makes a great weight when needed, and is cool to think that only water was used to cut it.

Here's the collector installed on the sculpture. Note the added piece at the bottom. This was for weight, but will also be used as the stop when it tips down release the 3 marbles on the track below.

Another day, another track

2008-05-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today I was able to install the two track switches that I built yesterday before powering down my welder and lights. I also built the loop d' loop, installed it, and made the section of track that will collect the 3 tracks and merge them for the lift. The loop is very nice, with a large single loop. The ball gets shot out the end at a very high speed, and comes nearly to a stop because of the back-spin on the marble. Then the marble rolls nice and leisurely back to the lift. See the video of my progress below.

Two more tracks to go : )

#75 just getting started; framed and lifted

2008-05-21T19:34:00.001-07:00

This is my current rolling ball project - a wall hanging sculpture that measures 22" high X 32" wide. This ball run will have 3 tracks when completed.

This is the frame, it stands off the wall 7 inches so the track can go in front and behind the frame. It gives me more room to work and will keep the track from sticking out too far. The frame is made from all 1/4" stainless steel rod.

I just got the lift installed today. It's a helical lift, and uses a 7rpm DC motor. The tube in the center of the lift is 1" stainless tubing with 1/8" wire wound around the outside to lift the marbles.

Shown here are the two track switches I will need to turn one track into three. Think of it like this; The track from the lift leads directly into the first switch. Two track leave the first splitter-one track is full length and the other just leads to the next splitter. The second splitter has the other two full length tracks come from it, and that makes 3 total. The white plastic is made from a polypropylene rod, cut to 1" lengths and a 1/4" ID self lubricating bronze bearing pushed into the center. The bronze bearing keeps the switch moving smoothly for a long, long time.

The first track I will work on? The loop d' loop!

#74 Final Video, now with 7 spinners

2008-05-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the final video. I added 7 spinners to add some movement and fun. 3 tracks total. 4ft tall x 4ft wide x 18" deep. All stainless steel. 1 3/8" glass marbles. A very fun sculpture, it has nice sounds and rythyms.

Added some spinners for fun!

2008-05-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

This large circle spinner is installed on the single marble track.

This is the jump rope spinner. Only, the jump-roper does the spinning, not the rope!

Here's the other large circle spinner, this spinner and the jump rope spinner are both on the 3-marble train track.

And here are the 4 smaller spinners that get installed next.

This, of course, means that I will definitely be doing another video.

Photos of #74

2008-05-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

The first section on the Loop D' Loop

The ball pickup.

The second track splitter/switch

The ball collector. It will tip when it gets the 3rd marble.

The section of wavy track.

The spaghetti track at the bottom. This section collects tracks 2 and 3, or not the loop d' loop track.

The whole sculpture.

A shot of track and spirals.

More track and spirals, with the ball collector on the left.

Now that it is all complete I will be starting on my next project; a wall hanging sculpture. Stay tuned!

#74 almost completed.

2008-05-09T19:20:00.001-07:00

Track three coming to life.

Track three is gettin' to the bottom. I think I'll add another spiral, and leave the rest as fun track. The three marbles will chase each other from the top to the bottom. I'll be done tomorrow for sure. Next up... video! I'll definitely get some posted tomorrow - with the help of my cat Mia.

New sculpture

2008-05-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

My current project. #74. This sculpture is 4 feet tall by 4ft wide. It has a chain lift which delivers about 5.5 marbles per minute onto the three tracks. There is a loop d' loop track with 5 loops and a fun inverted section at the end that lets the back-spin on the marbles stop it. Track two, with only one rolling marble at a time, has 3 spirals, 2tipping arms and some fun wavy and fast flowing track that ends in the back and forth spaghetti section. See pic below. Track three has a marble collector which releases with 3 marbles. Track three is only 15% built and the rest is yet to be...and only exists in the ether and statistical mathematics.

This is spaghetti section at the bottom of the ball run, track 2.

This would be the end of day Wednesday.

Here is the spaghetti track installed at the bottom.

This is my progress as of today. I should be able to get most of track three laid tomorrow. I can't do the wavy track like you see at the bottom of the sculpture now with marbles rolling in a row, like a train. In a marble train, sometimes the marble behind another goes faster than the marble in front. When this happens then the marble behind can run into marble ahead of it, slowing itself enough that it will fall back and settle in a valley, stopping all other marbles that come next. It is quite enjoyable to attach the next track rails and then decide where I want the track to go. I plan a few moves ahead, build them, and go onto the next. I especially like to make the loops which is why a lot of my sculptures have them. They are FUN to make, and even more fun to watch, over and over. : ) I enjoy tracing the two rail paths in my mind as I bend the corners and try to imagine where the track can go next on it's fast, gravity defying path.

I will take some video soon. I will probably wait until I get it finished. It is close and I don't want to use the time to take video, when it will be better to film when it is finished. Can't wait!

Chain lift assembly

2008-04-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a motor mount for a DC motor. This motor mount was originally built for a helical (spiral) lift. The opening around the motor shaft is set-in to allow for the thrust bearing that is needed between the mount and the helical lift shaft. Without it, the weight of the lift and marbles would be directly on the motor. Not good. The only thing missing from this photo is the shaft that connects the motor shaft and the lift. I hadn't made any yet, and now I am glad that I did not. I needed to make a chain lift, and decided to use the DC motors because the mount was already made. So this means I needed to adapt what I had, to what I needed.

These are the extra parts needed. The square pad at the top is just to hold the roller bearing in place. The shaft fits over the motor shaft, goes through the bearing, and holds the sprocket. The allen head screws are easy to identify, also see the small aluminum 'stand-offs' that keep the bearing pad from pushing the shaft into the motor mount. And of course, the two sprockets. One is a 30 tooth, and the other is 45 tooth. Using a lathe, I turned off some of the shoulder on the big sprocket, to reduce the weight, and so the set screw hole would not have to be threaded as much.

Here is the shaft, installed first.

Next, the bearing pad fits onto the shaft.

To keep the bearing pad from crushing the shaft into the motor mount, a stand-off is used between the bearing mount and the motor mount. Once tightened it holds the weight of the sprocket against the face of the mount, while leaving room for the shaft to move around easily. The flat on the end of the shaft is for the set screw on the large sprocket. With a flat spot like that the set screw does not need to be tightened to within an inch of it's life...

The large sprocket is the drive sprocket. Here the ladder chain is draped over the top, but the motor will be at the bottom, so the chain will actually go around the bottom of the sprocket. The smaller sprocket spins loosely, so it has a bronze bearing pushed into the center. It will be kept from moving side to side once it is mounted on the 1/4" shaft that fits through the bearing.

I am very pleased to be learning to use a Lathe and Mill. Without them, this would be very difficult, if not impossible. (Thanks Bill B !!) To get the nice rounded look on the aluminum, each pieces is routed on the edge. To save time, and reduce costs, always make more than one. (I made three...)

This assembly has been installed on my next project....A 4' X 4' floor standing sculpture. 3 tracks. See it here soon!

Rolling Ball museum in Korea - Funique

2008-04-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Stephen Jendro posted this Link to a set of photos taken at Funique in Korea. The photos are taken at the Rolling Ball Museum which is part of Funique. There are a few of my sculptures in these photos (see below), as well as other RBS artists. The variety of ball runs will amaze you!

(above) These two hand powered sculptures use 2" balls. The closest sculpture used 3/16" stainless wire for the tracks. It was hard to bend, but was perfect for the larger marble. Using a lot of track spacers made the tracks almost look like train tracks. A fun sculpture to build and operate. Quite noisy though. Lots of clacking and clanking when in operation. 2 of 4 that I built in that size. I don't see the other 2 on the photos, perhaps they are somewhere else...

(above) There are 4 different tracks on this sculpture. 3 balls collect at the top, tipping with the third marble. Two of the marbles go through loop d' loops and the third marble drops to another collector. The second collector tips with two marbles, and each of those two marbles has it's own loop track too. All 4 tracks collect back at the bottom, and the marbles go back up the lift for another spin down the rails.

(above) See a great section of twisted loop d' loop track. 3 tracks on this sculpture with a wide flat funnel that dropped the marbles randomly into the three tracks. I remember taking video of this sculpture and was lucky that on my very first take of filming, all 3 tracks were taken at nearly the same time. Never occured again when filming this particular RBS...I couldn't edit my video then, so I had to use that first take.

(above) This sculpture uses 5/8" steel balls, and has the tipping arms at both sides.

Shipping #73

2008-04-13T12:03:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos of creating the shipping crate that will enclose my sculpture as it heads across the US. I live in CA and this RBS is headed for New York, NY. Shipping isn't as hard as it sounds, especially with a little practice!

#73 Final video!

2008-04-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

Finally ... see it all done. Next: shipping... : )

On the Stand

2008-04-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

#73 is now off the wall and onto a stand. The stand is made from approx. 40ft of 1 1/4" stainless steel square tubing. The frame on the sculpture itself is made from about 40ft of 1/2" stainless steel, and I used over 1300ft of 1/8" stainless rod for the tracks and supports.

73 Finally finished building tracks...

2008-03-31T17:17:00.001-07:00

Here is the final product. There are some cosmetic things to clean up, and maybe a support or two to add - but it's all done. Here is a somewhat long video showing how it will move when it's plugged in. This is with a 10 rpm motor which delivers a marble @ just about 3 per minute.

6ft high by 6ft wide. All stainless steel construction. The wood ring is made from Walnut with a nice oil/wax finish. See here for in progress photos of the ring being built. http://www.rollingballsculpture.com/pages/ringlift.html

I didn't build the ring myself as I like to work in metal....

If you'd like to see the video in full size, instead of reduced size and quality, then download it directly to your desktop: http://www.rollingballsculpture.com/images/VIDEO/73TakeFive.wmv

#64 at: "Coolest Toys on Earth"

2008-03-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

Sara was very nice and sent me some photos she took of my - (well, not mine any more) sculpture in the window of Coolest Toys on Earth. If your wondering it's #64. Check out the radiometers hanging from it to add movement in the sunshine...

Here is what Sara said to me-

"Here are a couple I photos I took when I visited the coolest toys on earth. It's a fantastic toy store. Not the run of the mill type. There's another shot of the other side of the store. I thought you might like seeing it since you said you never had.
Enjoy!"

Very cool! I was wondering what my (not mine anymore!) sculpture was doing these days....
...I should just make another....

Brenda's Tulip Dream.

2008-03-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Side A

Side B

I went to Flickr to look at tulips just before making the flower. I think it came out pretty good. The track goes through the flower in two places before rocking into place at the bottom. 15ft of track and uses 1" glass marbles. Base, stalk and flower are 1/4" stainless rod, the leaves are made from 3/16" stainless rod and the rest is 1/8" stainless rod. All neatly TIG welded.

See it in motion below.

Loop d' loop before and after.

2008-03-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Here are the two wires bent for a loop d' loop. Notice the track spacer at the start of the track. There are two spacers, but you can only see one in this photo. The spacers are to hold everything in place so it cannot twist while I am working on the curves.

See how well the loops came together after some spacers were added.

Now the loops are added to the others - for 14 in a row.

4 in the first section, 6 in the second section and 4 in the last section.

More about making track

2008-03-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Track is the usually ignored aspect of building RBS. But...it is surprisingly important and something you will do quite often if you build your own ball run. The most important thing about track is building the corners so the ball does not come off at any speed. That is why I think it is best when building a tall or multi-track run to start from the top and work your way down. You can let the ball go and see how fast it is going so you know how to bank the upcoming corners. The track you will need for the inside and outside track will vary depending on the amount of banking that you will need. A slow corner will not need much banking and the amount of track used on the inside of the curve is much less than the outside. But if your ball is going fast then it will just shoot off the curve if you do not bank the corner appropriately. The ball does not have to be going very fast to stay in a corner that is almost vertical. A vertical corner uses almost the same amount of wire on the inside and oustide rails.

My point is...make only a couple corners at a time. Add supports to that section and then send down the marble. Make your next curves match the speed of the ball while leading it all around your sculpture. My final advice? Keep the speed of the marble low whenever possible. A slow marble does not want to jump the track, and is less susceptible to ambient vibrations. More track...Oh no! Get a reliable way to space and hold your rails in place and it will be a snap! Well, almost... : )

Final spiral video

2008-03-10T21:27:00.001-07:00

See the last video that will deal with just spirals...I will be working on tipping arms next, and the remaining track. Stay tuned.

Aluminum caps dress up the Drive and Idler wheels BLING

2008-03-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

These caps are made out of aluminum, and mostly made on the mill. There are 36 grooves in each of the disks. The two pointy nose cones, which each have 12 sides, are polished.

Here are the parts, apart. There are two hidden set screws in the caps that go on the two idler wheels. The caps do not rotate, just the disk behind them, so you can see the disk's reflection in it's polished surface.

Here's the drive wheel. Both parts turn at the same time.

Here's the left idler wheel. And below is a quick Youtube video of the wheels in motion. Check it out!

More spirals, and a track tune-up.

2008-03-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

I built 5 more spirals. There are three counter-clockwise and two clockwise. It's easier to make several at the same time instead of installing and making one at a time. Track tip: Don't forget to cut and face the ends of your track incoming and outgoing your spiral. It may be difficult to get a grinder in there once it is in place.

Here are those 5 spirals installed and hooked up to track. It takes a little over a minute for a marble to get from the top to the bottom of this track alone. The track is pretty close to the bottom. I will leave it where it is. I may be able to fit on one more spiral, but until I know how high the tracks will be where the they starts to merge, I want to leave myself plenty of room. I'll try and get some new video next week.

I also fixed this ugly corner I had built after the last loop d' loop. It was not smooth and very loud. In the picture above I am refering to the 90 degree corner caged in at the bottom after the last tight loop - turing away from the wall.

Here is that same corner - except it is changed into a smooth, fast, quiet corner that looks better, too. Now the exiting marble glides through that section fast, and is ready to twirl through the next set of loops . (Not yet added). Also see the left idler wheel. Ready to be idle.

Now the spirals in motion

2008-03-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

Here are the spirals, added and functional. The track does bounce around a bit, but I don't want to add the final supports until all of the track and elements are in place. In a way, you want it to be self supporting by connecting to itself and not rely on long supports you may not have needed. Although I'm sure I could add a couple...

Spirals Online

2008-03-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Here are those same 4 spirals, installed, and ready to roll...

Spirals

2008-03-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

4 spirals. Two clockwise, two counter-clockwise.

And today...a video - #73 - Take one

2008-02-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

Here is what I built have so far...

Really, though, I still have a lot more to go...

Track day 3

2008-02-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

Here is my progress as of today. I still have a lot more track to build. I always build the loop d' loops first because they need their space. It's much easier to build around them, than to try and fit one in.

This is the loop d' loop close up. It has 10 loops in a row. There will be more then 10 loops total, but the last section is not build and added yet. This phase of building is fun and challenging. Even though things get to go wherever I want them, that doesnt mean that it is easy to decide where everything should go...

#73 In Progress

2008-02-25T18:09:00.000-08:00

I started building the track today. I installed the 3 switches needed to turn one path into 4 paths. The ring turns slowly so that approx 3.5 marbles per minute are released onto the tracks. It takes 1:15secs for one marble to get picked up from the bottom and get released at the top.

This is a closeup of the track. I still need to brush off the welds spots to clean them. When a sculpture has more than one track I always make and install all of the necessary track splitters and then go from there. The third switch will have fewest marbles.

Want to see how it moves so far? Watch this short movie.

10 hours later....

2008-02-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

I ended my Thursday with an idea of how I was going to make the ball ejector for getting the marbles out of the ring at the top. I had something started, and spent that night thinking all I had to do was go ahead a finish it. Unfortunately, it did not work out that well. I worked on that particular design until about 3:00 pm, on Friday - I wanted to give up as it just did not work. In fact I remade that part 5, count them, 5 different times. All a failure. The main problem being the wire that was supposed to push out the marble didn't travel into the hole far enough. The secondary problem was I had to make it work, at any cost of time. Finally I scrapped what I had, and after something to eat, tried again. After all of the problems I had been having with the first design, I was starting to get an idea of what I needed to change to make it work.

This picture (above) shows the ejector pin fully extended into the hole. You can see that the pin coming out from the wood ring is just about to pass the lever, and let it fall back to it's resting position.

This is design that works. There is a pin sticking out under each hole. This pin pushes into an arm, that in turn pushes into the bottom of the three white bearings. Since the fulcrum is off-center, the top will move farther than the bottom is pushed. Meaning: The bottom is pushed in about 3/4", and the top will move out 1 1/4". This shot (above) shows the pin just about to push into the lever.

This photos shows the pin fully extended into the hole in the ring. The 1/4" rod that is now straight out is a counter weight. It's weight will make the arm return when the pin passes. It will work better than a spring because it will have less pressure, and gravity will never fail. The rubber is to keep it quiet when it drops back to it's resting position.

Finally, here's a view from the top. The white bearing on the right is to keep the ring in the same position at the top, and so that it cannot shift and rub on the ejector pin. Lots of testing and retesting to get to this point, but well worth it. It works flawlessly, and is a joy to watch. (now that it works!)

Now on to track, track and more track. : )

Ring lift and frame completed

2008-02-21T19:49:00.000-08:00

For me, this is my blank canvas!

I finished with the first phase of my current project. The first phase is the frame and lift, and the second phase is the track and elements. The ring is 6ft diameter, made from walnut, and has 8 holes for picking up the marbles. The next step for me tomorrow will be to make the lever that will push the balls out at the top, and the track where the balls will be picked up from the bottom. I'll post another picture tomorrow with details of how the marbles will be pushed out.

Below is a close-up of the right idler wheel. This wheel is adjustable so the pressure of the wheel against the ring can be changed if needed. I threaded a piece of 1/4" stainless steel rod, and cut it to length. It is inserted into a nut that's welded to the idler supporting arm, and is adjusted by two more nuts on either side.

Below is the arm that is not adjustable. The blue washer is the ball cage from a thrust bearing, and will eliminate wear in the long run. Getting the idler roller the right shape took a little while to get just right. The wood ring only contacts the idler with the chamfer on it's edge.

Finally, this is how the drive roller is mounted to the frame. I have a C clamp holding it on until I get to the hardware store and purchase the 1/4-28 nuts I need. Good enough for now. To keep the steel from twisting I added the support "kicker" under the motor. Since the wheel is almost 10 inches from the wall there is quite a bit of torque applied to the 1/2" steel tubing. I'll have a movie posted soon.

Mill and Lathe

2008-02-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

Here is the Mill and Lathe that I have been using. Each machine has it's intended use. In a Lathe the part turns, and the cutter does not. In a Mill the cutter turns and the part is secured in the vise. Not much to say here, but, wow, I could not do 10% of what I want without these two machines. The lathe is great for making the nylon bearings used in any moving part I make. The mill is great for making the square aluminun pads for mounting my motors. Of course, if you do buy one of these machines, that is only like half the cost. The other half of the cost is all of the tooling you will have to buy to make it do what you want.

It's been fascinating to learn how to use these machines properly. : )

Finshed with the machining

2008-02-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished the drive wheel for the ring lift I am making for my next project. The drive wheel is powered by a 10 RPM AC motor. The motor is attached to a shaft that rotates a rubber and plastic wheel, which in turn rotates the large wooden ring that will lift the marbles to the top of the sculpture. The drive wheel will contact the ring at the outer edge. The base and bracket are made from aluminum. The coupling from the motor to the drive shaft is made from stainless steel. The drive wheel itself is made from rubber (center) and plastic end caps. The shaft is stainless steel also. The motor is from McMaster Carr. $45 - I have at least 40+ hrs into this assembly.

This was a very complicated process for the beginner machinist, like me. I won't bore you with the details of construction. This drive wheel will be mounted at the bottom of the frame to support and turn the wood ring lift that Gene built for me. I didn't build the wood ring because I don't work with wood, just metal. Besides the motor and thrust bearngs, everything you see here was made from scratch with a Lathe and Mill. I learned a lot! I wish I could say that I knew what I was doing and just did it, but the reality is that Bill helped me the whole way. I did do all of the work but Bill helped me with the process and what tools to use when, and why. I will probably get Bill's lathe, as he is 80 years old, but I would be much happier with a few more years of experience under him. Bill told me today that if I had to take this design to a machinist he would charge me $3000 to $4000 to complete everything you see in the photo above. Ouch. That wouldn't be a problem if your customer is going to pay for it, but how do you get a quote on something you are not sure of how to make yourself? My answer is to do it yourself. Piece by piece. To be fair I used several tools I had no idea existed, let alone how to use them. But now that I know....well...knowing is half the battle...

This is the wood ring that will lift the marbles to the top. The drive wheel runs clockwise, so this wood ring will rotate counter-clockwise. There is a small groove inside each of the holes to keep the marble from rolling out. I will need to make a mechanical lever that pushes the marbles out when they reach the top. The steel frame is made from 1/2" stainless steel square tubing ($80 per 20 ft) which is cut at 15 degrees. (30 degree total)
I bought a book "507 mechanical movements" very informative. With it I will be able to find just the right movement to get the marbles out. I will put a pin in the inside of the ring to actuate the arm that will push the marbles out, but first things first. This is the mock-up of what the frame will look like. Actually it is missing one more circle that will go to the left and intersect the other two rings, the last circle being smaller by at least half. This will give me framing to connect the two idler rollers to as well as the supports needed for the track and elements.

4 tracks total, should be very nice. Josh, the buyer, wants it to be elegant and quiet. I will have to pay special attention to the tipping arms, and anything else that makes noise.

I will post again soon as I get more done. Back to the shop!

Machining

2008-01-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a new project. This new project will be a wall hanging sculpture 6' X 6'. The customer wants to have a wooden ring lift. This means I have to make a ring 6' in diameter. Well, I do not work in wood, so I am having Gene build that part of the sculpture for me. He will be using all walnut, in 3 layers, 1-1/2" thick total.

I am working on the drive wheel and idler wheels. There will be one drive wheel at the center bottom, and besides driving the ring so it rotates, the drive wheel will also bear all of the weight. The two idler wheels will be made from black plastic, and will be located at about "9pm and 3pm". I am having to construct everything from scratch. Thankfully, I have the use of machinery, and Bill who helps me use it. Bill is 80, and has a lifetime of experience with machining. He can get gruff, but it's well worth it.

I have been using the mill for the last two days, making the mount for the motor, and the mount for the shaft, bearings, and drive roller. Everything is being made from aluminum. It has been very educational to do everything myself...

It's pretty cool to see a chunk or plate of aluminum be machined into something that is not only functional, but very pretty. My goal is to have my own lathe and mill soon. Now, when I get one, I will know what the heck I am doing. At least the basics. Some of the tools we use in Bill's shop are very expensive and I would never purchase them for just one job. But they are quite handy and can save a lot of time.

Layout, layout, layout. That's the name of the game. Once you get your piece of aluminum cut to size, squared and finished, then you have to decide where all of the holes are going to go. There is the motor to mount, the coupling between the motor and drive wheel, and the drive wheel assembly. The drive wheel will be made from 1" rubber with aluminum end caps that will match the 1/4" chamfer on the rings edge, on a 3/8" shaft. A spacer block had to be made to lift the motor to match the height of the shaft on the drive wheel. Lots and lots to think about and make.

It sounded terribly complicated before we started, but once you get going, it's not very hard at all. When it's on paper it looks pretty simple. It gets complicated when everything has to be just right, and you don't want to do it twice. : )

Shipping

2008-01-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

Shipping is a necessary evil. I like to weld because I like to work with metal. I didn't choose to be a woodworker. On the bright side at least a shipping crate doesn't have to be perfectly square, so any circular saw will work. I had to ship more than 5 separate shipments to Korea. Korea only allows wood from other countries that is either hardwood, or manufactured wood. It taught me to only use sheets of OSB to make the entire box. This saves me money, and reduces the tools I need to use. Take one sheet, and cut it into thirds (32"), clamp those three pieces together and cut out 2" strips of wood, getting 3 at a time. These strips can be screwed together for framing, or broken into pieces for stabilizing your artwork so it cannot move - at all. That's the trick. If your item cannot move, then you do not need to fill it with packing. I use saran wrap to make sure the important moving parts cannot move, securing with a bit of tape.

With a sculpture that sits on the table, I make the base first, with plywood. Then set the sculpture on the plywood, and secure each leg, and necessary framing, so it cannot move in any direction. Then make the rest of the wooden frame. Before adding the sheets to the rest of the sides, add more supports wherever necessary to the top of the piece so it cannot move either. Once secured, add the outside sheets to cover, adding sheer strength to your box, and your done. Don't worry that the strips you are using for to make the box are not connected very well. Once the sheets are added to the sides, they hold everything together. I use 1-1/4" drywall screws, and when needed 2-1/2" bright deck screws. Used liberally, you should have no troubles with shipping your piece of art.

If you plan to ship often, then make up these two simple items. A "fragile" template so you can add it as many times as you like, easily : )

Painting around the arrow will leave it's profile, pointing wherever you like. This one is easy. Take a small triangle and a short narrow piece and screw them together with a third piece on top. If you use a screw that is longer than needed, the top of the screw will provide a convenient hand hold.

The sculpture in this box is #72 - Now In: Kentucky

A couple of desktops

2008-01-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

This week I made up a couple of desktop marble runs. See video of the sculpture shown above, below. The first tabletop I built was for my dad. I started with the triangle frame using 1/4" stainless steel so that it would be very solid. The advantage of building the frame and then adding track is that you can attach the track to the frame as you go. I like using just three legs because it is much easier to set it onto any surface, especially and uneven one, and not have to worry about it rocking/swaying around when the marbles are rolling. I really liked how the "talking heads" looked and worked on the large wall hanging sculpture #64. So I recreated it for these desktops. This arm lowers the marble down to the track below it, and holds any other marbles back. One by one they are dropped. The advantage of this is that you can roll several marbles in a row and they will not fly off at the tipping arm because the arm was not yet fully back in the upright position when the next marble gets there. This means you don't have to worry about spacing the marbles out. It also serves to slow down the rolling marbles so you can watch them better, and it lengthens the time the marbles are actually rolling.

The one shown below is: 14" wide X 14" deep and 19.5" tall.

60ft of wire was used to make this desktop sculpture. Most for track, some for supports. There is 18ft of track with 1 tipping arm, 1 horizontal gate that flips around when the marbles roll into/under it, and marbles on track. The marbles on track add a nice visual as well, with a nice *click* each time a marble rolls into the stationary row of marbles. Really like it? Buy this one for yourself or someone you really, really like : ) $250 includes shipping in US.

See more info here at my website: Tabletop #08

These are great, fun little sculptures that don't take electric power, and are portable so you can show it off to everyone! I gave a smaller version of one to my mother-in-law and she took it work. She said people would come down on their break to play with it. She works at the contractors desk at a lumber store so she needed something to keep the guys quiet while she worked up their quote. She says it works fabulously.

2007-12-28T21:23:00.001-08:00

Well, It's finished. All done.

The marble collector is adjustable. It can tip with 4, 5 or 6 marbles depending on how many marbles are in the counter-weight. You can have 1-4 marbles in the counter-weight but it seem to work best with two marbles, which means it will tip with 5 marbles. I was going to use a weighted slide, but the marbles look better and match the theme.

The loop d' loop has 7 consecutive loops. Want to see it in action? See it here on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBg234PEkVI - Don't forget to rate the video!

I am very happy with the outcome of this sculpture. It is quiet and smooth with very little loud banging noises. Nice and compact. It takes a full minute and 5 seconds for the single marble to complete it's trek from the top to the bottom. The motor is a 5 rpm DC motor which powers the helical lift.

#72 completed

2007-12-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well, It's finished. All done.

There are 3 tracks on this rolling ball sculpture. 1 track for the loop d' loop, 1 track for the single marble and 1 track for the "marble train" which has 5 marbles in the train. The final dimensions are 46" wide X 30" tall and 18" deep. All stainless steel, of course. 1 3/8" marbles. The marble collector is adjustable. It can tip with 4, 5 or 6 marbles depending on how many marbles are in the counter-weight. You can have 1-4 marbles in the counter-weight but it seem to work best with two marbles, which means it will tip with 5 marbles. I was going to use a weighted slide, but the marbles look better and match the theme.

The loop d' loop has 7 consecutive loops. Want to see it in action? See it here on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhiqUD7-NUs - Don't forget to rate the video!

rolling ball sculpture #72 in progress

2007-12-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

This is my current rolling ball sculpture. It is 26" tall and 30" wide and 16" deep. The frame is made from 1/4" stainless steel rod. The track is made from 1/8" stainless steel rod. There will be three tracks on this sculpture. Right now, two of the tracks are installed; the loop d' loop track and the single marble track. Yes, all of the track you see is just for one track. It takes over a full minute for the single ball to get from the top to the bottom.

I have installed two track splitters. One is on the top left and the other is on the far right, top. The left splitter is the first and the one on the right is second. The top left splitter sends the marble - left onto all the track shown, and to the right into the next splitter. The second splitter sends the marbles either (left) to the loop d' loop or (right) into the ball collector, not built yet. The ball collector will be adjustable. This means you can choose if you want to arm to tip with three marbles (minimum) or up to 7 marbles (max). The idea for the adjustable ball collector is from the Chaos Tower I got my son Kennedy for Christmas. Their website had an adjustable ball collector for sale, I didn't buy it....I just needed the idea. I think I will use a weight that slides along a rod with a set screw. The farther out the weight is from the pivot point, then the more marbles the arm will hold.

I plan to be finished by Monday. I will post video to youtube when it is complete, and post the link here.

More track

2007-12-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

Rolling ball sculpture has a couple different major sections to it's construction. First the frame, then the lift, then track and elements. The frame is straightforward, and should be braced before you begin building, so that the frame will not move. It does not seem too important when the frame has no track on it, but when the marbles start to roll, they exert energy and can make the whole sculpture shake.

The lift is somewhat complicated, but I think the real challenge with the motor is installing it so that the weight of the lift is off of the motor shaft - more of a concern with a helical lift than a chain lift.

Finally there are track and elements. I have somewhat explained making track in my how to secion on my website, but I have a little more to say here. I am working on a table top sculpture that has three tracks. One track for the loop d' loop, one track with just one marble that goes slow and has a few tipping arms. The third track will have a marble collector (adjustable) that will tip with 3-6 marbles, you choose. Track seems like it is the easy part of making RBS. Actually, it can be quite frustrating to make a track that just doesn't seem to fit into the space you have for it. I have found recently that the best way to add track that fits perfect the first time is to bend as much, if not all, of the wire track after it has been attached to the previous section. Track is not just for the ball to get from one place to another, but can be an element in itself. It is very important to keep the spacing consistent and to test the marbles as you go so you will not be surprised later, and not be able to get to the spot to fix it because it is buried behind other things on your sculpture.

I think making track is a lot like drawing a maze. Sometimes the track path must be very carefully led out of a tight spot. If you are truly stuck, the use a tipping arm to lower the ball down. Get creative! Since everything you will make is one-of-a-kind then your imagination is your only limit (besides tooling....).

Loop d' Loops

2007-12-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves the loop. It even looks good without any marbles using the loop. Just imagining the marble swooping through the curves is sometimes almost as good. Today I set out to finish and install a multiple loop section on my current project, a table top sculpture. I not only finished the loop, but also had a personal best today - 7 loops in a row!

I always bend my curves inside track first, then outside. It seems to work better that way. But for loop d' loops that is not the way. Since there will not be an inside or outside to the corner, both wires of the track can, and should be, bent at the same time. This way the curve is exactly the same, and it is more than twice as fast to build!

Now back to the 7 loops. I will post a picture once I get a few taken tomorrow. The marble rolls down a decline about 18" or so and enters three elliptical loops (6-7" tall each) and then speeds into 4 ever decreasing loops (starting at a 4" diameter, ends with about 2 .5") which extend out to the side. It looks and sounds really cool. 7 *swishes* in a row that go increasingly faster is pretty satisfying to listen to.

The key to making a good loop, is bending a nice smooth curve, making your loops elliptical to conserve energy, and being able to hold the tracks evenly apart when you make your welds. The track in my loops is 1/8" narrower than my regular track. The closer the track rails are together, the faster the marble will roll.

Building Rolling Ball Sculpture - M Gaulden

More than just RBS...

DVD - How to Make Helical Lift

Desktops #54 and #55

New Desktops

Track Clamps for sale

New Sculpture - Wall Mounted #85

How to Make Spirals - Video

Desktop #40 - Hojo Racing

New Desktop

Catching up.

Going Home

Making nylon bearings

Desktop #32 and #33

#78 Finished

Getting Personal

Next up: Motorized table sculpture 30x36 - #78

Wall Mounted #79 - completed

A trio of new desktops: #29 - #30 - #31

Desktop #28

Wall hanging RBS #77, in progress

Desktop #27

Completed sculpture #76

Honey Creek Radio

Poll results

#76 - in progress

Construction of a Desktop

Desktops #21 and #22

Desktop #18 Completed July 1st.

Desktop 17

4 desktops

A desktop - #15

#75 Final Video

#75 plus 2 more pictures

#75...it's construction in 10 pictures

The marble collector, up close

Another day, another track

#75 just getting started; framed and lifted

#74 Final Video, now with 7 spinners

Added some spinners for fun!

Photos of #74

#74 almost completed.

New sculpture

Chain lift assembly

Rolling Ball museum in Korea - Funique

Shipping #73

#73 Final video!

On the Stand

73 Finally finished building tracks...

#64 at: "Coolest Toys on Earth"

Brenda's Tulip Dream.

Loop d' loop before and after.

More about making track

Final spiral video

Aluminum caps dress up the Drive and Idler wheels **BLING**

More spirals, and a track tune-up.

Now the spirals in motion

Spirals Online

Spirals

And today...a video - #73 - Take one

Track day 3

#73 In Progress

10 hours later....

Ring lift and frame completed

Mill and Lathe

Finshed with the machining

Machining

Shipping

A couple of desktops

#72 completed

rolling ball sculpture #72 in progress

More track

Loop d' Loops

Aluminum caps dress up the Drive and Idler wheels BLING