Register Flyer #2 Pinwheel

Well I moved from a cold state to a hot state. My air conditioner fan now comes on most of the day, To offset the idea of how hot it is outside - I came up with a new register flyer.  

A register flyer is something that is place over a heating and cooling vent and moves based on the current of air that comes out of the vent.

I have been thinking of doing one with a toy pinwheel (I have done other register flyers ).

This will show how to create a base to sit over a floor register to allow a pinwheel to spin freely by magnetizing two ball bearings.

PLEASE SEE THE VIDEO OF THE REGISTER FLYER ROTATING WITH THE VENT AIR Step 1.

• Pinwheel ( I found it in dollar section of store) plastic handle 7 inch diameter fan
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• Upper bearing 3/8 inch diameter - steel
• Lower bearing 1/2 inch diameter - steel
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• 3/8 inch Outside diameter copper tubing ( I used old refrigerator icemaker tubing)
• I used approximately 3 feet of copper tubing
• 3/8 inch fitting connector
• 3/8 inch threaded nuts (two)
• 3/8 inch compression fitting
• 9/16 inch diameter by 1/8 inch thick rare earth magnet (screw hole type)
• 1/2 inch diameter by 1/16 inch thick metal washer
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Just wanted to provide an example of the spinning register flyer pinwheel

I am using a plastic pinwheel but I needed a way to suspend it on a curved arm.

• The image shows the concept / design of my idea

Since I was planning on using the magnet and ball bearing for the rotation of the pinwheel I choose the copper pipe.

• The images showed some preliminary measurements
• It took some additional time to finalize how I would suspend the pinwheel from the pipe and rotate.
• at first I thought of putting a metal bolt or screw in the end of the tube to attach the magnet.
• please note, copper is non magnetic
• Then digging around in my hardware storage, I found the tube fittings
• the fitting provided the solution to holding a ball bearing and attaching it to the tubing.

I just made notes of some of the materials and tools I would need.

• The image shows my notes

• tube cutter
• side cutter (aka wire cutter)
• hot glue gun
• craft knife (not shown)

To convert the plastic pinwheel from horizontal to vertical wind action

To convert from plastic to metal for magnet application:

Rod cutting (cutting off the pinwheel from the handle)

• with side cutter - cut the plastic rod as close as possible to the back of the pinwheel plastic washer
• use a craft knife if needed to trim off excess rod
• the rod portion needs to be lower than the holes of the metal washer and magnet

Glue metal washer to plastic pinwheel

• Using the hot glue gun put a circular dap around plastic
• Push metal washer on dap of hot glue
• remember to unplug your glue gun

Magnet to metal washer after glue is cool

• place the magnet with the concaved side up.
• this is to allow the lower ball bearing a better seating for magnet contact

Add lower 1/2 inch ball bearing to magnet

Cutting the tube

• using the tube cutter,
• I cut about 3 feet off of my reel

Bending to shape

• This copper bends very easy
• I used my knee to bend the base - part that touches the ground
• I then bent the arm portion to bend over the base
• Then I put almost a 90 degree bend pointing down to the base

The major points to this step

• is to push the base down so that you have a flat portion to touch the ground
• leave room for the pinwheel to spin
• have a straight section to connect the tub fittings to.

Slide the upper fitting on the tube

Put compression fitting on the tube

place smaller upper ball bearing in the lower fitting

Assemble all the fittings together

Note - I just did hand tightening on all the fittings

Remember that the small ball bearing will be facing down.

take the pinwheel portion and let the magnet work thru the lower ball bearing and attach to the upper ball bearing.

Move the final assemble over your floor register

I manually turned on the fan to see it spin or you can wait for the heating or cooling to come on to spin

Remember the bearing to bearing touching gives a minimum surface contact to allow it to sping

The metal washer converts the plastic to a magnetic surface

the magnet connects the pinwheel portion to bearings to the stand.

This was a great project.