Project:Marble Run

Project: build an enormous marble run (Artweeks 2016)

Given the urgency, and the number of materials we could work with in the space at that point, most of the run was built out of scrap cardboard.

Final version

1-2 May: ramp. The first, longer attempt fell down, so this was put back up with stronger sticky pads.

14th May: a flip-flop to send the marbles alternate ways. Not completely reliable, due to landing on a bouncy bit of cardboard at the end, but still introduced some variety when sending several marbles down.

14th May: alternative paths rejoining. The lower route includes some bars from a xylophone, making prettier noises than the screw-filled tube from earlier.

14th May: finale. The last few tubes drop the marble onto a cymbal. Cymbal may be muted (with gaffa tape) to reduce annoyance to nearby hackers.

Run time 30-40s. Varies depending on speed when dropped into initial shallow runup, time to spin down the bottle-funnels, and which path is taken.

Abandoned sections

30th April: two long tubes, a winding trough, and a basic noisemaker. Run time 4.8s

Materials used

Mostly donated/loaned by members, or found around the space; some obtained specially from Orinoco Scrapstore

• loo roll/kitchen roll/clingfilm/mailing/Pringles tubes
• plastic yarn cones, old costa cups and chopped up plastic bottles (to guide fast-moving marbles into the next narrow channel)
• long thin sections of cardboard packaging
• drainpipe
• curved desk and noticeboard (the parallel routes - "big dipper" and groove)
• noticeboard legs and surplus bits of wood (from which to hang all the pieces of the run itself)
• section of hose from an old vacuum cleaner
• hi hat, several bars from a xylophone
• gaffa tape and string
• tub of marbles