The Flying Frogs

This is the "Flying Frogs," a minor ride in the Froggy World amusement park for adventurous plastic frogs.

This started as a sketch, then the tower and cross bar holder were designed and 3d printed:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:53059

The frogs were made out of clay, baked, then glued to the cross rod.

Step 1:

Start with a base and a couple of extender pieces.

Use acetone (nail polish remover--available in most grocery and drug stores) to "weld" the pieces together.  I "paint" the pieces with a small brush then put them together.

Step 2:

I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the bottom piece for the wire to escape.

Step 3:

I used a Jameco (jameco.com) gear motor (part number 15582) to move the frogs in a nice slow manner. The motor friction fits inside the column.

For power, I use a 9 volt dc source.

Step 4:

This block accepts a 12 inch long (3/8 inch diameter) wood rod as the cross rod.  The block friction fits the end of the Jameco motor.

Step 5:

My wife molded the frogs from clay (leaving a space for the rod to fit).  She then baked the frogs for about an hour.

Additional frogs were made to be "hanging around" the ride.

Step 6:

She painted the wood rod while the frogs were baking, then she put a clear finish on the frogs. We glued the frogs to the rod and let them rest over night.

Step 7:

Put screws in the base to secure the assembly and apply 9 volts to the wires.  Reverse the polarity to the wires if the frogs turn in the wrong direction.

Step 8:

Now, I have a tall ride to fit in the growing Froggy World park!

Step 9:

Here's a couple more shots of the ride as it was discovered by local frogs.