Brass Spin Top
140.00
This project is a Prerelease.
Objective: Make a spinning top.
Release 06/10/2015: V2
This is the second iteration in this series of brass tops. Version 2 is much easier to spin, spins longer, has a lower center of gravity, and unique spindle-less design.
Each top is machined out of solid brass and finished with a precision ground ultra-hard tungsten carbide tip with ±0.0001" diameter tolerance. The superfine point of contact minimizes friction and gives the top an incredibly long spin.
This top design has no spindle to decrease wobble by bringing the center of mass as low as possible. Most of the material is pushed to the periphery while keeping the overall shape minimal and compact.
The top can be spun with two hands grabbing the large diameter or with one hand by spinning it from the tip with two fingers. The single handed spin takes some practice. The key is to get the top to land with as little wobble as possible. That's hard because it needs to jump onto the surface from your hand. Practice makes perfect! You should be able to get a 5 minute spin or longer in few tries (on glass).
Release 05/12/2015 : V1
V1 is a machined piece of solid of brass. The tip is made of precision ground ultra-hard tungsten carbide with ±0.0001" diameter tolerance. That gives the top a ultra-fine point of contact to the surface, minimizing friction.
The design of V1 places as much weight to the periphery as possible to give the top a good amount of momentum. The shaft tapers to allow for different types of grips. The skinny part of the shaft gives you more torque but requires a stronger grip while the wider area of the shaft is good for beginners to get a feel for the top. Be warned...this is not an easy top to spin, but once you get it, it'll spin for a really long time.