Post #699244 by MadDogMike on Tue, Nov 12, 2013 8:56 PM

Thanks guys. My Hindi friend said the oil lamp added a gleam of contentment to their Diwali celebration :wink:

OK, here a project I have been working on for a while for Amy's Palm Springs Tonga Hut. She hasn't given me permission to post it but I figured it out in public view and there are other PS Tonga Hut pictures posted so it's fair game. If I suddenly pull this down you will know why :lol:

The Palm Springs Tonga Hut has an outdoor display window that faces the sidewalk about 4 feet wide x 5 feet tall x 1 foot deep. She wanted an animated display in a Witco-esque style, kind of a "Small World Meets Witco". This is what I came up with ~ a Drummer, a Fire Spinner, and 2 Hula Girls all made of burned and brushed wood. the background is a volcano with a red glow behind it and flickering flames on top. Red lava rock covers the floor.

Since TC does not allow video posted, here's a small animated GIF that sort of shows the movement (not so much on the Drummer)

This has been a fun project but rather challenging. The Drummer is about 24 inches tall, operates with wooden levers and cams. The Hula Girls are about 18 inches tall and are based on heavily modified plans for a dancing Santa. The left girl is driven by a motor, the right girl is linked with a Plexiglas bar so they are always synchronized in their dance. I had part supply issues with the dancing Santa that really delayed this project. The Fire Spinner has a rotating shaft with LED lights, a two contact brushes, pulleys made from wood, and a vacuum cleaner belt. They have lots of nylon bushings so hopefully they will run for a long time with minimal maintenance :D