rolling stone machine

[browne92]

I pulled CarlW's picture up in AutoCAD and scaled it so the width of the track matched Mopar's measurement. That allowed me to measure the width of the weight, which comes in at 0.193 and agrees with Max's measurement of 0.187.

weight drawing.jpg

When I first saw this picture, I thought there was a wire loop at the top of the weight that the string attached to. Now it looks like some sort of clear protector over the knot. Because of this, I can't really tell how long the weight is by the picture, which makes Max's measurement of 1.140" very helpful.

Can anyone tell me how the string attaches to the weight? I have my own idea, but I'd like to know how the original was.

I'll see what I can do in the shop tonight.

[mxfaiman]

Hope this helps. It has a little tab on the top where there is a hole. The string it tied through the hole. Then there is a clear plastic sleeve to protect the knot. My measurement of 1.140" came from the bottom of the cylinder to the bottom of where the tab is. If I was wager to say the tab was probably between 1/64 - 1/32" thick. And about 1/8" tall.

IMG_8271.jpg

[browne92]

That does help. If I take your length of 1.140 and add .125 (1/8") for the tab, I get 1.265" When I measure it in AutoCAD from the top of the clear protector to the bottom of the weight, I get 1.288". This I can work with.

My guess is, the original weight was not machined, but cast. I'm going to change the way the string attaches so as to simplify the machining. I think so long as the weight is the same and the string is centered in the top of the weight so that it hangs straight down, we should be good to go.

There's also a good chance that the original is made of pot metal and not brass.

[mxfaiman]

My guess is, the original weight was not machined, but cast. I'm going to change the way the string attaches so as to simplify the machining. I think so long as the weight is the same and the string is centered in the top of the weight so that it hangs straight down, we should be good to go.

There's also a good chance that the original is made of pot metal and not brass.

You would be right about keeping the string on center.

Also it is brass. It is able to be polished very easily. Plus like you said they probably were cast and casting brass isn't all that hard to do.

[ballsofsteel]

That does help. If I take your length of 1.140 and add .125 (1/8") for the tab, I get 1.265" When I measure it in AutoCAD from the top of the clear protector to the bottom of the weight, I get 1.288". This I can work with.

My guess is, the original weight was not machined, but cast. I'm going to change the way the string attaches so as to simplify the machining. I think so long as the weight is the same and the string is centered in the top of the weight so that it hangs straight down, we should be good to go.

There's also a good chance that the original is made of pot metal and not brass.

It is brass. It isn't cast. It is a short piece of rod, with a couple of flats ground and a hole drilled through. "Machining" couldn't have taken more than a few seconds.

Didn't think to take pictures when it was apart.

Sorry.

[browne92]

So, I went into this project with the knowledge that my lathe was down. The old(er) one has been taken out, and the new(er) one isn't quite ready to cut yet. What I didn't realize is that the only brass I had was 1/2" in diameter. So I tried something I had only seen before. Turning on a milling machine. Clamped the HHS bit on a 1-2-3 block and used the quill feed to turn 1/2" down to 3/16":
DSC01340.jpg

The finish cut:
DSC01341.jpg

The intent was to drill the hole all the way through the weight, but with no lathe, it was turning into an all night project, so I decided to grind some flats on the top and drill like the original:

DSC01346.jpg

I cut it off long and weighed it. The length is .1" longer than the original, but only weighs in a 4.8 grams, opposed to Max's 5. I'm figuring the weight is more important than the length, so I'm going to leave it as is.

DSC01347.jpg

The finished product:
DSC01348.jpg

Mopar, if you want to be the guinea pig, PM me you're mailing address and I'll send it to you. If it's too heavy, use a grinder or file to trim some off the end. If it works as-is, I'll order some 3/16 stock and add it to my web site. If it needs to be heavier, I can turn one to a slightly larger diameter, or drill out the bottom and add lead solder.

To those that have access to one of these, if you polish it up, does it have a red tint or yellow one? The difference between red and yellow brass might explain the weight difference.

[naha13]

If the string is shot and you want something to run smooth, take a piece embroidery floss(hey, the wife has a collection of craft crap so why not) and pull one strand out of it of. I used it on a rolling stone once and it ran like clockwork. Plus no wax or other material to keep it running smooth.

[mxfaiman]

I cut it off long and weighed it. The length is .1" longer than the original, but only weighs in a 4.8 grams, opposed to Max's 5. I'm figuring the weight is more important than the length, so I'm going to leave it as is.

Looks really nice.

Yours could be more accurate. I just had a cheap scale here and it read 5 grams even. Could be slightly less so it might work just fine.

[Moparformances]

the weight from Brother Brown was in today's mail slot..

im stumped but calling it good.. his weight is to light and to heavy at the same time.. im sure its a sting issue..

i ended this with dental floss.. with a single ball it moves nearly half way down with a somewhat smooth action.. when a second ball enters it drops with a thud.. then kinda sorta moves back up and with help or a bit of vibration it returns to the top.. im sure with some lube or something it might be right or with different string..

a huge thanks to Brown92 for the custom weight..

[browne92]

a huge thanks to Brown92 for the custom weight..

Glad I could help.

I've never seen the mechanism before, so I can't be of much more help. But there must be some binding somewhere. No doubt you've cleaned it to death. Could any of the plastic parts have warped over time and are binding? Does the string go over a little pulley? If so, the hole in the center could have worn unevenly so that it doesn't want to turn.

We gotta get this figured out. Those machines are just too cool not to have it working right.

[CarlW]

the weight from Brother Brown was in today's mail slot..

im stumped but calling it good.. his weight is to light and to heavy at the same time.. im sure its a sting issue..

i ended this with dental floss.. with a single ball it moves nearly half way down with a somewhat smooth action.. when a second ball enters it drops with a thud.. then kinda sorta moves back up and with help or a bit of vibration it returns to the top.. im sure with some lube or something it might be right or with different string.. a huge thanks to Brown92 for the custom weight..

I'm assuming you took the entire mechanism apart and cleaned and polished it?

My experience (1 machine) was the brown piece on the back of the machine had to be just so; and was difficult to remove, clean, re-install, etc.

[Moparformances]

yes did not want to get so carried away that i made the hole oversized..

before the round (pulley) part would not even move.. now it seems smooth...

[Moparformances]

this weekend i got another rolling stone for repair.. it had all its parts but a broken string again...

P1150079.jpgP1150080.jpgP1150083.jpgP1150089.jpg

72.5 grains ------ .116 ounces

[browne92]

Excellent! Thank you. I've recorded the numbers and will save the pictures locally when I get home. Next time I make a metal order, I'll get some 1/4" brass that I can turn down to .196". I'll post here when it's ready so we can locate a suitable test subject.

[Phulkrum]

I've had good success with this..

http://www.amazon.com/Braided-Dacron...cron+kite+line

[mxfaiman]

I've had good success with this..

http://www.amazon.com/Braided-Dacron...cron+kite+line

Good idea. That is pretty much what the original stuff was.