UFO Solar Whirligig Idea

Sometimes all you need is a good idea.

            I had seen these globe shaped solar lights and used them in may other projects and after watching a great sci-fi movie realized they could be used to make a UFO. 

I began by cutting a circle out of a 2 x 6 scrap wood on my band saw, but I think I will use 1" of or thinner wood stock next time and glue pieces together as the thick cuts were somewhat difficult.

Dividing the circle in half with a pencil line.

And then using a belt sander I began beveling the top and bottom edges into a flying saucer shape.

I drilled a hole for the solar light to fit in and carved with the Dremel tool a recess for the solar light set in,

so it would sit flush is in the following photo.

Then using 2 x 2's created the pivot and vein part to mount the UFO on top of.

I used a screw that had no upper threads in the vertical mount, cut off the head, and using a drama rounded the top of the screw.

On the horizontal pivot I placed a brass tube in a hole I drilled slightly off center and then placed a BB in the tube to act as a bearing.

So I had something that looked like the following. 

I took a plastic florescent tube covering and cut a short piece to cover the black shaft of the solar light.

I painted the black shaft of the UFO solar light with florescent green paint and the inside of the clear tube with glitter.

Cannibalizing a second regular solar light, I used a Dremel saw blade to cut solar light carefully apart without disconnecting any wires. I cut a channel in the horizontal 2 x 2 and fitted the solar cell there and mounted the rest of the components(LED, battery) under the clear tube. But I found this to be too bright and later painted the inside of the tube with more florescent green paint to dull the brightness of the light.

I will later mount some type of tail fin and cow being abducted as a counterbalance to the UFO.

 As you can see I'm still not quite getting the effect that I wanted and in a future design I will most likely use cascading LEDs for the tractor beam at the bottom of the UFO.

So far the project has gone well and I will update this post when it is completed.

Not sure which one I like, so posted both. UFO on the back side is just a tail fin cutout to act as rudder in the wind. Cow is also just a cutout 1/8" stock or thicker. A propeller could aslo be added to lighted end.

Also checkout the following links
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Basic Pivot for Whirligig or Weathervane

Basic Pivot for Whirligig or Weathervane

    In this post I wanted to go into more detail about the whirligig or weathervane pivot and how it is put together. The diagram below is intended as a basic guide and can be adjusted in size or scale according to the size whirligig or weathervane that you're creating. 

    For basic demonstration purposes this is a basic 12 inch pivot for whirligig or weathervane. Were using a heavy screw with threads that only go halfway up and a non-tapered shaft. The type of screw head does not matter as it will be cut off once the screw is installed in the vertical mounting board. Screw the screw into the vertical mounting board just enough to cover the threats. Making sure to keep shaft of screw vertical. It may be necessary to drill a pilot hole to help keep the screw straight, as this is what your project is going to pivot on. This should leave the upper half of the screw without threats exposed. Then using a Dremel tool (with appropriate safety goggles and other protective equipment) use a cutoff blade to cut off the screw head and a grinding bit to either round the top of the screw shaft or grind a concave dimple. Once you've completed your vertical board with pivot it is time to create the horizontal part of your pivot. 

    One of the important things to take in consideration before drilling a hole is the metal or plastic sleeve that will fit inside the hole. The metal or plastic sleeve should fit tightly in the hole but the screw should fit closely but not so tight as to inhibit the upper part of the pivot from rotating. Any wobbling in the rotation of the upper pivot will simply create excessive wear and erratic movements.

    At the bottom of the hole place a 1/4" hunting shot (slingshot ammo found in the sporting good section) or a small ball bearing, or BB depending on the size hole being used for the vertical shaft. The basic reason for placing the metal ball at the bottom of the hole is to prevent metal rubbing against wood and to reduce friction as the upper pivot rotates. Using a metal ball that is slightly larger than the metal or plastic sleeve and then placing the metal sleeve on top of the metal ball in the hole will help keep the metal ball in place.

     Using wood stock that is approximately 1/2" X 1/2" X 12" long measure 3 inches from one end and drill a hole.  Where you position the whole will depend on how you want the pivot to react to the wind. The closer you position the hole to the center, the more erratic the pivot will act. The closer to the end you position the whole the greater the force that will be applied not only to the pivot reacting to the wind, but also to the pivot itself. I have found that a quarter of the total distance gives a good balance to the pivot and does not put excessive strain on the pivot. 

    Once you have the metal ball and sleeve in place the two parts to the pivot should be ready to go together. You can put a small amount of graphite lubricant at the bottom of the hole before you put the two together. 

There you have it a basic pivot to mount your whirligig or weathervane on. For this and other ideas please be sure and check out our website www.nevadacrafter.com and our blog's at http://craft44.blogspot.com/ and http://nevadacrafter.blogspot.com/ and http://3dpenideas.blogspot.com/

    If you have any questions please be sure and post those questions to the blog and I will try to answer them as promptly as I can.

Basic types of wind art and instruments

Description of basic wind art and instruments

This poster is intended to give a basic breakdown of the differences between the various wind art and instruments. This is also to clarify what I am talking about in the various blogs and the various terms that I use to describe what I'm working on. 

   


    Weather Veins are probably the oldest form of wind instruments. As time went by they evolved into more decorative forms and sometimes doubled as lightning rods as they were usually mounted on the tops of houses and constructed out of metal. 

    From this evolution arose the whirligig which not only functioned as a wind directional device but as a mechanical animatronic. Usually depicting some comic scene or action such as an old lady washing clothes or a mule kicking a prospector. Some whirligigs have also been adapted to create thumpers to chase away moles and gophers. Generally constructed out of wood there are not too many surviving antique whirligigs.

     Wind spinners or pinwheels are also among some of the oldest wind devices but were created more as a child's toy rather than decoration. When spinners are generally mounted on a short stick about 12 inches long or shorter. More recent designs are in the shapes of flowers and used as yard decorations.

     Weather stations are among the recent instruments created as a tool to monitor whether and meteorological events. Their sophistication now includes electronics that enable them to transmit information wirelessly, which allows them to be placed in remote areas and the unattended. 

    Kinetic art is the most recent addition to wind art and is generally constructed of metal. These works of art use the wind to create movement that is almost an optical illusions. They may also include wind chimes and solar lighting. Their design is more closely related to the wind spinners or pinwheels that children play with but on a much grander scale. They are generally omnidirectional which means they will operate no-matter the direction the wind is blowing.

This is a creation of www.nevadacrafter.com copyrighted 2016 not for reprint or republication without permission from Nevada crafter.com.

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