New Desktops

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

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

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

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 and what rolling ball sculpture materials you may need. 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.

Go here: http://www.rollingballsculpture.com/videostore/

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

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

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.

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
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Wall Mounted #79