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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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