Відео

That's exactly right... essentially it is a mirrored version.

Thanks for your question. Here are some of the types of specialty tools I used, with time stamps: 1:53 - metal snips, straight cut 2:20 - sheet metal folding tool 2:57 - standard drill and bits for metal 3:22 - hand pop rivet tool, with 1/8” rivets

Thank you for the nice comments. It uses electricity to power a motor from a mirrored Disco Ball.

I was going to try solder, but this was so much easier than that: I just used foil tape. It’s 1/2” (~12mm) wide aluminum foil tape with an acrylic adhesive, wrapped around the spoke and onto the glass. I’ve tried a little soldering for other projects, and that’s probably best for anything designed to last decades, but adds a lot of weight and complexity and takes some practice. But I’ve had great luck only using tape. Copper foil tape works too, but often it’s too thin and tears easily. I now wrap the edge of each glass panel with a thin band of tape (1/4”, 6mm), just like you do for real soldered stained glass. And then I use the other tape to attach it all to the spokes. Good luck!

I only do a couple of big projects a year, so I guess you’ll have to try and build one! Thanks for watching

That sounds great! Any scoop will do... cans, measuring cups, etc. And yeah, screws or rivets would be super easy and durable. Just keep it all balanced well, and it will work. But bear in mind, with a smaller the wheel, the physics start working against you a little: The lever arm gets shorter, but the mass, friction, and scoop size stay the same, so it takes more work for the wind to get the same rotation out of the wheel. In my experience, smaller wheels still spin, but it may take a bigger gust to get it going, or it may just get blown around before it gets spinning. Adding a weight near/under the center (but not rotating with the wheel, can help). Also, keeping the scoops light yields better movement in light winds, and good speeds in strong winds. Heavy scoops definitely slow down the movement in light winds and can be harder to start. But the added momentum tends to keep it spinning well through changing winds. And in strong winds, heavy scoops are kind of amazing to watch (as long as it's balanced). But that's all part of the fun of it... trying things and seeing what works. Good luck!

sure! cable ties, epoxy, hot glue, rivets, bolts, screws... whatever works. Lots of options. Just keep things balanced, and it'll generally work great.

Thanks! Just put up a few more of these recently. 1 in Monroe, GA, and 3 in Covington, GA: ua-cam.com/video/BDp94KN93C0/v-deo.html

Yup. Cheap and simple. That’s kind of the idea. My goal was to make this project be the simplest and cheapest version that it could be, and accessible to the widest group of people. If you want to make a more durable version, go right ahead. If you do, please share your video. The wheel from this video is still working two years later in my backyard without any maintenance.

I do like to rebuild the hubs when I make these. That does take some specialty tools (cone wrenches and some practice), but I like knowing what kind of shape the bearings and races are in. And when I rebuild, I like to leave the bearings just a tad loose (at least looser than it would be if it was actually going to be on a bicycle). There should just be a tiny bit of play, as that helps it spin easier with light loads. As to adding grease for the bearings, yes. It could be argued that an oil might allow easier starting at low wind speeds, vs. a thicker grease. But of course you’ll get more life out of a grease. I typically use standard lithium grease in the bearings because I’m more worried about longevity. once it’s out in the wind and spinning, I may not service it again for 10 years.

Wait... your suggestion seems like extra work. Would you remove the axle and bearings from the hub of this wheel to then attach it to spindle of the lawnmower blade balancer? I don't see why you'd do that extra work when the wheel is already on an axle with bearings. Just clamp the axle parallel to the ground, and let the wheel settle to it's low/heavy spot, and adjust accordingly by adding weights to the opposite side. It could not be easier.

@@ARodDMD You obviously have never used a mower blade balancer, your method will never get it right

Well, maybe not perfect, but it gets it right enough. We’re not talking about spinning a heavy lawn-mower blade at thousands of RPM, instead we just need to try and keep this simple wind-toy level, and this method is more than adequate. That particular piece has been spinning for years out in my backyard, with zero maintenance, so yeah… balanced well enough. Even for my heavier pieces, this method works great.

@@markolsen7438 Is there a video you can point me to to show me your method?

Sure... though don't expect this to generate a whole lot of power. I have another video (ua-cam.com/video/YW4d2dJYq5Q/v-deo.html) where I used a dynamo bicycle hub (i.e. a generator built into the bicycle hub instelf), to make a windmill that powers itself to light up. That hub is designed to generate only a few watts of power at 6V. It's not much. But depending upon the application, that could be plenty. And with the right wiring and other hardware, it could be used to charge USB devices or similar. If you were doing this for power generation, you would want the pinwheel to be able to rotate to always face the wind (thus you'd need a "tail" section to keep it pointed upwind). It adds some complexity, but is definitely do-able. My art is more about fun than function, but good luck!

@@ARodDMD okay, I'll try to attach with bldc 24v 5A, thanks

I tried that, thinking it would be more solid construction. But those thin corners that get folded in towards the center... that's where I had failures around those rivets. I found that if the sheet metal was thick (rigid) enough, that attaching to both sides was unnecessary.

For this one I had a local welding shop fabricate this shepherd's hook.