Make a Fidget Spinner
Are you keen to get in on the fidget spinner craze, but low on funds? Do you want to learn how to make your own fidget spinner? It's a fun and doable project once you know how.
Contents
Steps
Toothpick Method
- Gather the necessary materials listed below.
- Decide whether you want a two-prong or three-prong fidget spinner. Depending on the type of spinner, you'll want to glue two or three pennies onto two or three water bottle caps. Three-pronged spinners are favored for their longer spin time versus the two prong.
- Choose a water bottle cap that will be the center where the "bearing" will be. Do not glue a penny on it. Many water bottle caps have a small point in the very center. Use a craft knife or pen to make a hole in the very center of the cap. It should be big enough for the toothpick to spin without being disturbed but small enough that it won't slide out.
- Trace a water bottle cap onto the apple sauce cup with a permanent marker and cut it out.
- Make a hole in the very center of the thin piece of plastic. Make sure the hole is perfectly aligned with your center cap's hole. Super glue the cap and plastic together, but make sure to keep the holes aligned.
- Super glue all the other caps that are weighted by pennies to the central cap in whatever design you choose. For a two-pronged spinner, the formation will look like a line, and for a three-pronged spinner, the formation will look like a triangle.
- Take a spare penny. Trace it ten times on your thin cardboard, and cut out the circles.
- Poke small holes (the size of the holes on your central cap) directly in the center of 6 of your cardboard circles.
- Separate the circles into two piles of five. Make sure that each pile has 3 circles that have holes in the center.
- Trim your toothpick so that it can go into the spinner and still have room enough on either side to spin without being interrupted.
- Super glue the circles into separate stacks of five. Make sure that the three with holes are all touching each other directly and are on the bottom.
- Insert a small drop of super glue into the hole made by the circles. Insert one end of your toothpick into it. Thread the other end through your spinner and then repeat the first step on the other side.
- Decorate if wanted and your spinner is complete!
Bearing Method
- Obtain the necessary materials listed below.
- Decide whether you want a two-prong or three-prong fidget spinner. Again, the latter is more favored. Depending on the type of spinner, you'll want to glue two or three metal nuts to the bearing.
- Glue the metal nuts to the bearing.
- If you are using a regular bearing, put 2-3 glue spots on the bearing, maintaining an equal distance between the spots.
- If you are using a sliding door roller, you need to put one of the nuts on the roller, hold it there, and fill the gap with glue. Do that with the rest of the nuts. Remember to maintain an equal distance between the spots.
- Put the nuts on the glue spots.
- Let the glue dry for 10 minutes.
3D Printing Method
- Obtain the necessary materials listed below.
- Download this model online: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1802260
- Open up a slicing program and configure the model for SLA printing. Print at a 95+% density.
- Upload the G-CODE that was created by the slicer to the 3D printer. You can learn more about how to do this in 3D-Print-an-Object.
- Turn your printer on and print the model. SLA uses a laser to 3D print items, which allow it to print at a higher quality (the ideal 3D Printer for a Fidget Spinner). But you may use any type of 3D Printer to print the fidget spinner.
- Sand it down. Once the base for your Fidget Spinner has printed, you will want to sand it with sand paper to make it smoother.
- Obtain some bearings. You can find them at your local hardware store or online.
- Snap the bearings inside of the fidget spinner. Soak the entire thing in alcohol 1-3 times to make spin much faster.
- Spin away!
Tips
- Use the "preferred" tools for a spinner of higher quality.
- It may take a few times to get a spinner that has a nice spin.
- If the glue breaks, scrape it off before re-gluing again.
Thing's You'll Need
For the Toothpick Method
- Pennies (2 or 3)
- Water bottle caps (3 or 4)
- Hot glue gun or super glue (preferred)
- Toothpick
- Pen or craft knife
- Thin cardboard (like a cereal box)
- Disposable applesauce cup
For the Glue Method
- Hot glue or Gorilla Glue
- A bearing or sliding door roller
- Three construction nuts
For the 3D Printing Method
- 3D Printer (SLA compatible)
- SLA filament of your choice
- Bearings (2 or 3 of 608xx size)
- Small tub of alcohol (optional)
