Track elements are the fun parts that are added so you can watch
other moving parts, instead of just the ball. They can be simple, like a
spiral or tipping arm, or be more complicated like a track switch. Each
element serves a specific purpose, even if that purpose it just to look
cool! There will always be more to add to this
page, keep checking back to see what's new!
Marble and track elements
1) Single ball tipping arm
2) Multiple ball tipping arm, drops one marble, holds the rest back to wait
their turn.
3) Marble collector, tips with any ( 2+ ) number of marbles
4) Wavy track (up and down) sections
5) “S” curves (back and forth) track sections
6) Teeter totter
7) Marble drop; marble rolls up a small incline, then rolls back into play
8) Spiral, flat – ball slows down
9) Spiral, medium height - ball speeds up a little
10) Back and forth marble drop – Ball rolls back and forth, dropping down
to the track below each time the marble changes direction.
11) Spiral, tall – ball speeds up a lot
12) Spinners; Can be any shape (circle, triangle, heart, random shapes), or
size, or could be specific letters of the alphabet. Many possibilities.
13) Marbles on track; the rolling marble hits a row of marbles sitting on the
tracks and sends the end marble off to continue on.
14) Plinko track scrambler; takes the tracks on the sculpture, and mixes
them up so the marbles take different/random tracks when they drop out the other end. The marbles bounce around between pins, like in the plinko game from the price is right with (the ol’ bob barker)
Listed down here are items that may already be included in your Rolling Ball Sculpture, and options for the loop d’ loop track.
15) Loop d’ loop, just a lot of loops ending in regular track
16) Loop d’ loop, jumping into basket
17) Loop d’ loop, ending in backspin
18) Track switch; 1 track turns into two tracks (left, right, left, right)
19) Track switch; Several balls line up, and they are all started at the same
time. (like on #70)
20) Chain lift, can be any height from 12” to 30ft…or more.
21) Helical lift, good for sculptures under 24” tall.
This wooden bowl is 13" across at the top
and
has a 2.5" hole in the center. Several 2"
marbles roll around together until
they all
slow enough to fall through the center. A
good way to mix up the
marbles, slow down
the time it takes for the marble to get from
top to
bottom, and randomize the path
a ball will take if there is more than one
path
to fall into.
This is a gravity lift. The 2" marble
pushes
down the yellow arm, lifting the marble at the
other end. This
smaller marble is lifted and
released onto it's own short track. It rolls
along
that track, then back to the end of the arm, waiting
to be lifted
again.
This element is pretty complicated. The ball rolls across the
top and lifts the arm that is holding back the marbles sitting on the
track. The marbles at the bottom are released to go into the farris
wheel lift, which raises 1" marbles at it's center. See the video below
to see the marbles being lifted.
