Pinball Rolling Ball Sculpture

[twilightzonepinball]

I wrapped galvanized steel wire around a copper pipe and soldered it with a torch. Don't forget to clean and flux!

[Nickk388]

how did you make the spiral lift pipe?

[Cuppasoupn00b]

Nice!

[blocksarefun1]

think that as a rolecoster.

[Eric333333333]

What's the song called?

[twilightzonepinball]

@Eric333333333 It was part of the editing software I used, Pinnacle Studio.

[Boosze7]

this makes me fell like pulling out my Rokenbok set :D

[HaikuAutomation]

Very fun rolling ball sculpture you put together. Would be neat too for you to post a film about the process and bill of materials to make the system. Cost, parts, time, design and considerations. That would complete at least the understanding of duplication and also education of others that admire your work.

[twilightzonepinball]

@HaikuAutomation Yes that would be fun to do, but would take a lot of time and effort. I can answer any questions you have about materials and construction methods here if you like. In general, I recommend building the lift first, then the rest around it.

[MiRRoR220]

How long did it take to bulid this?

[twilightzonepinball]

@MiRRoR220 I only work on this as a hobby so this took about 6 months to build. I would guess about 40 hours of time.

[MiRRoR220]

@twilightzonepinball wow, this is a great work :) Respect!

[protomangx1]

i love watching balls roll for 6 minutes...

[twilightzonepinball]

@protomangx1 I made the video long enough to show all the areas of the sculpture in detail. Glad you liked it.

[Karmoon7]

You say you made this yourself?

Incredible.

Well done - you should feel proud. :)

[twilightzonepinball]

@Karmoon7 Thanks!

[twilightzonepinball]

What help do you need?

[mijnvideokanaal]

Nice video. you have made the video with pinacle? I now that music. Ha Ha I have made a marble machine to But I can't make views. Can you help me a little bit?

Will you sent me a reaction thanks. I love that music and rolling balls together!!!

René

[headphonegal]

I could watch this for days on end o_o

[snakertube]

ta cool



[terlizziproduction]

so yeah dan terlizzi owns cyborg chicken and this one. So Dan was typing those messages and is typing this one.

[terlizziproduction]

tom, cyborg chicken was dan terlizzi. This is my new acount because im a idiot and forgot the password. I havent made videos yet but i will tell you when i do.

[twilightzonepinball]

@terlizziproduction Hey Daniel! Looking forward to your vids. -Tom

[OregonDARRYL]

Wow! That's one sweet creation. Love the ball lift. I haven't seen one like this... Very sexy design. I made something similar (but not nearly as cool as this) in the past so I know what you mean about being level and controlling speed..... so true.

[twilightzonepinball]

@OregonDARRYL Thanks so much. I used to make RBS sculptures out of cardboard as a kid so I had some practice with energy bleed off on these things.

-Tom

[dungeonblue]

CRAZY

[love4knex]

So cool!!

[twilightzonepinball]

@love4knex Thanks!

[cyborgchicken1]

hi its DAN!!!!!!!Very nice.I wish i could make these!:(

[twilightzonepinball]

@cyborgchicken1 I know several Dans.......

[twilightzonepinball]

@cyborgchicken1 Daniel Terlizzi??

[iamaswiss]

Yes :)

Can you say me how to make the motor?

and how to make the sculpture "stable" ? thanks

[twilightzonepinball]

@iamaswiss The motor is out of an old VCR. To make stable build on a level surface and you must master art of speed management.

[twilightzonepinball]

I would say that you can learn a lot from various websites. Try googling "rolling ball sculptures" and look for fabrication tips. Did you have any specific questions?

[iamaswiss]

Hey i am a student from switzerland and i make my project work now.

I would to make a rolling ball sculpture. Can you help me? thanks

[bellajohn]

This is great. I would like to know why some balls enter the 'elevator' on their own while others need a push from the following ball to bump them onto the elevator?

[twilightzonepinball]

@bellajohn The entrance to the lift has a rail which has to be gotten over for the ball to ride up. Sometimes a little push from another ball is all it needs. Sometimes the momentum works to carry it over.

[mchlwngr]

make one that does a loop, or mod this one so that it does a loop then it would be even more impressive than it already is. Great work.

[twilightzonepinball]

Loops are cool, yes. I tried to keep this RBS in keeping with the old time roller coasters which did not have loops. Loops need a lot of speed and that would not fit well into this RBS. Thanks for the tip though.

[MormonCINEMAdotCOM]

I really enjoyed watching this Tom.  Thanks for the show. I really like the lift mechanism. The copper tube in the center is a great touch and ads a bit of class/contrast. How long did it take you to build this one?

[twilightzonepinball]

Thanks so much and I am glad you enjoyed it. Difficult to say how long, took about 6 months of spare time here and there. I built the lift first and the track around it. Then had to tweak it to get the balls to stay on all the time.

-Tom

[ttharold]

Great stuff, man! Is the lift a copper pipe with wire soldered to it? Appears to be so. I've been working with copper for a bit. I thoroughly enjoy your design, and the use of a VCR motor for a lift motor is genius! Mounted at an angle makes it fun to watch the progress of the balls up the lift.

[twilightzonepinball]

Thanks! Yes the lift is a copper pipe with the same wire soldered to it. Took a while to solder since I used a very large iron that I had at work. A torch would have been the way to go!

-Tom

[14carlos99]

Amazing! What's the name of the song?

[twilightzonepinball]

It's a sound track which is part of Pinnacle Studio 8 which is the editing software I used to make the vid.

-Tom

[boswell255]

It fits perfectly. Especially with your YouTube name being what it is.

[twilightzonepinball]

Just wanted to add a comment since there seems to be some concern regarding using galvanized steel wire which is what I did. This wire can be soldered if cleaned properly. Welding and grinding galvanized metal is hazardous due to toxic fumes. I clean the wire with an abrasive pad and the flux does the rest. The heat of the iron does not vaporize the zinc and therefore I feel that this is a safe way to build an RBS. I will admit that the solder is not the strongest method but it can work. -Tom

[Mauser712]

Zinc can also be easily removed in a dilute bath of muriatic (Hydrochloric) acid. Just do it in a plastic bucket outside, and be prepared to immediately clean the formerly galvanized material immediately because it will be totally raw, and totally ready to oxidize on contact with the air.

[twilightzonepinball]

Thanks for the tip regarding the removal of zinc. In this case the zinc is what the solder sticks to though. Raw steel is much more difficult if not impossible to solder. I just give the zinc a quick shine with a Scotchbrite pad and some flux and then solder. Works well, with no danger other than the flux fumes. - Tom

[Mauser712]

Ah, My experience is more on the Welding side. MIG + Galvanized steel is a mess. The acid also does a really good job of getting mill scale and rust off of steel. If you don't want to weld, I'm had a lot of luck with Braising, which works a lot like solder, only stronger.

[twilightzonepinball]

I am not sure I would recommend braising the zinc coating. I think the temps are too high and there might be a fume hazard.

[Mauser712]

That's what the acid I mentioned is for. It takes the zinc off, leaving pristine, clean steel.

[twilightzonepinball]

Typically since a sculpture takes many days of work, I am able to let ideas simmer and finalize as it's being built. Being a rebel I am always looking for new ideas to incorporate. I am also a pinball enthusiast and I see a relationship between RBS and pinball and would like to explore that as well.

-Tom

[Yaheuben66]

Amazing! I am in the process of struggling through my first rolling ball sculpture... did you design it first? Or build as you go? Did you build from the bottom up, top- down? I have so many variables, I don't know where to begin...

[twilightzonepinball]

Thanks and good luck with your sculpture. I find that you must build around the lift. Since the lift usually takes up a large area and can't be moved much. I then started at the top and worked my way down. Sometimes I make a particular element off the sculpture and incorporate it in as I go. I do generally have a basic idea of how the sculpture will look and some of the major elements that I want to use before hand. Sometimes it's a design build and I just go for it. -Tom

[cb714me]

Nice work!!!!I like how the lift is mounted on angle and not completely vertical. Definitely does give it more of a roller coaster feel.

[twilightzonepinball]

I am somewhat of a roller coaster enthusiast so there is a bit of influence there for sure. You should see what happens on the lift if a ball slips off the rail on the spiral lift. It's an avalanche of pinballs! Doesn't happen now, but during construction it did. - Tom