mo-sephenthusiast
523 posts
Location: Edinburgh, UK


Posted:
I remeber a question about getting custom contact balls with things in them, but I can find the relevant thread.

I've found a place in the UK who can set anything you like in a sphere of polyester (which is slightly lighter and probably more scratchable than acrylic, but looks lovely)

They are:
https://www.hafodgrange.co.uk/hgp5.htm

and they mostly make paperweights (my mum's got one with a dandelion in) but they can make them completely spherical if you want, and if you don't want flowers, you can send them something and they'll embed it for you. I don't think they can embed in acrylic, but I'm going to find out.

They also have a juggling balls site with a very silly name:
https://www.jugglingballs-u-like-r-us-direct.co.uk/

I like the look of the crysanthemum, or maybe a dandelion. Does that make me a poncey fairy? biggrin

monkeys ate my brain


mechBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
6,207 posts
Location: "In your ear", United Kingdom


Posted:
On a side not mo-seph, have you come across the block of crystal that have a design lasered into them and it shows up, like, tiny buddles inside?

THese an look amazing, but they cant yet be cut into accrilic, but i think there is a system of red lasers that i was listening to when i was out in oz with arsn, that might work into accrilic........

Step (el-nombrie)


mo-sephenthusiast
523 posts
Location: Edinburgh, UK


Posted:
Yeah, I've seen some of those, they look very interesting; having custom bubble designs in a ball would be lovely... Do you know what plastics they do work in? And anyone who can do it?

monkeys ate my brain


mechBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
6,207 posts
Location: "In your ear", United Kingdom


Posted:
they dont work in plastics, from what i understand, its a crystal structure they are in

noting to expensive mind, but a crystal structure all teh same, and it breaks down parts of the crystal to form flaws, and thus an image is created

its explained a little better here

https://www.crystal-fox.com/index.cfm?Cat=256

Step (el-nombrie)


GlåssDIAMOND Member
The Ministry of Manipulation
2,523 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
Ooh Moseph,
You are a finder of interesting links.
Hford Grange I knew, I'm not sure if a dandylion set in an acrylic is beautiful or tacky
but I never found the site with the silly name,

And They offer a repollishing service !!
I might try that out on my old balls first though.

For folk who are wondering, thats the cheapest UK supplier of acrylics.
They're the manufacturer for all the rest

GlåssDIAMOND Member
The Ministry of Manipulation
2,523 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
PS Polyester is pooo,
although its relatively easy to mold your own in polyester and i've got lots of suppliers for the resin
and it wouldn't be too hard to make a centerless polishing machine to finish them

mo-sephenthusiast
523 posts
Location: Edinburgh, UK


Posted:
Is polyester poo cos it scratches easily? Or will it shatter when (if... biggrin ) dropped? Or is it because it makes really scratchy jumpers and cheap school trousers?

monkeys ate my brain


GlåssDIAMOND Member
The Ministry of Manipulation
2,523 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
Polyester is
Softer,
weaker
Less resistant to chemical attack (you sweat boyo) and so (i believe that) a lot of the surface imperfections it gets are from crazing and chemical attack from your sweat.
and noticeable less optically pure, and polyester is a horrible grey colour

You win a prize, check you PM's

Gri-griMember
84 posts
Location: Richardsbay, South Africa


Posted:
I had a contact ball with myname in it. Looked pertty good when it wasn't being used but I found it lost the effect when I performed with it, so it became a paper-weight.

Where the mind goes,
The body will follow...


CodySILVER Member
That guy from Reno
556 posts
Location: Reno, Nevada USA


Posted:
BINGO Gri-gri, That's just what I was going to say. Unless you put another sphere inside you'll loose the acrylic floating effect. Unless there is a way to have the object float upright inside the sphere. Then it would look really cool, but it's not too feasible.

Cody Canon
Controlled Burn, Reno Nevada


mo-sephenthusiast
523 posts
Location: Edinburgh, UK


Posted:
I was thinking of getting one of those joke eyeballs from joke shops, where the eye always looks out horizontally. With the magnification of the ball it should look quite freaky. eek

Or a clear sphere full of coloured liquid. biggrin

monkeys ate my brain


mechBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
6,207 posts
Location: "In your ear", United Kingdom


Posted:
i see what you are saying, but i was thinking

a lose liquid inside would cause the ball to be a little more unstand during some tricks surly?

as for an objectinside, how about something tha looked like a magnified cats eye marble?

Step (el-nombrie)


TheBovrilMonkeySILVER Member
Liquid Cow
2,629 posts
Location: High Wycombe, England


Posted:
I've been looking for a giant catseye marble contact ball for a while now.
Just not very hard, since I don't have the money to buy one if I find it at the moment wink

I also have some small glow in the dark zombies - I'd like one of them inside a contact ball too, mainly because I'm curious as to how the lens would work on something inside it.

But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.


mo-sephenthusiast
523 posts
Location: Edinburgh, UK


Posted:
Written by: mech



i see what you are saying, but i was thinking



a lose liquid inside would cause the ball to be a little more unstand during some tricks surly?



as for an objectinside, how about something tha looked like a magnified cats eye marble?






Yeah, loose liquid is probably a bit funny to play with, although it might be good for some things. Maybe you can do a stall, and have the ball stop slightly before the equilibrium point, and then as it's about to fall back down, the liquid washes up and gives it an extra kick so the stall lasts longer. Maybe...



On a similar note, these people (cheers Glåss) have a "snail ball", which rolls really slowly down slopes. Possible contact applications? Super-slo-mo chest rolls?



Yeah, like the cat's eye idea. I was thinking if you could get one with a vertical black lizard's eye design, and then get lit with red light from behind, you'd have a lovely "eye of sauron" rolling over you biggrin



I think things which maintain their orientation while the ball rolls could add to the floating illusion.



Finally, I found a place selling crystal balls with bubble patterns in, like you were describing. (Buddhas and faries and and suchlike cheese...). I think they might be reduced in the sale to the point where they're worth getting. Any idea what they'd be like for CJ? They're a lot heavier than acrylics (which I like), but I don't know if they'll shatter or scratch easily. Any thoughts?

monkeys ate my brain



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