I made a bunch of these for a work event yesterday and I almost forgot to take picture before I gave them away.
Very nice!
I’m guessing that’s acrylic?
If I may, how’d you get the crisp white numbers?
Also, did you make or purchase the center holder thingy? (I’m sure this has a proper name.)
These are great.
You were close, it’s my understanding the proper name is the ‘center holder thingamajig’ but I’ve not found a source for these. Perhaps @chris1 knows an alternative name and source?
1 Like
Fidget Spinner Caps.
https://www.amazon.com/Bearing-Holody-Spinner-Bearings-Plastic/dp/B072MWSMGK/
Back when fidget spinners where the rage, I used to machine them out of 6061 (Aluminum)
7 Likes
It looks like there’s an engraved layer of clear acrylic over a colored acrylic. So the engraving on the clear stands out.
Ya know, when I was looking at the pics the left one made me think that, too. But I wasn’t sure. And now that I look closer, that’s probably the case. But now I’m not sure if these are “single-sided” or not. Would be hilarious to do the other side and just have the number continue from where it leaves off on the 1st side. 
1 Like
Very cool! I like the Pi addition. 
Yes, the text is back engraved on clear acrylic, and there’s an unengraved piece of opaque acrylic behind it. The bearings are very tight and hold everything together like a bought one.
It’s the same as Miscellaneous Projects, Not Elsewhere Classified where you can see the layers more easily. Since I have the template from that one, it’s easy enough to open it up and change the text for a different occasion.
The caps and bearings are purchased from Amazon. I’ve been ordering the parts in bulk-ish whenever the prices look good (they vary a lot) so I’ve got everything in stock when I want to make some. These are the products I’ve used:
- Cheap bearings for outside weights (and the spinner after a generous cleaning with WD-40, if the recipient doesn’t deserve a deluxe model)
- Ceramic bearing for people worthy of a $6 upgrade, 3 models: 1, 2, 3. I’m sure people who are really into fidget spinners can tell the difference and care, but I can’t and don’t.
- Caps. I’ve 3D printed some, but it’s easier to buy them.
The original design I got from a web site I don’t have the link to on this computer, but I can find it later. Assuming the license allows redistribution, I’ll post my file.
11 Likes
These are great!
Thanks for taking the time to provide the product links you’ve used!
Thanks @chris1! Finally got around to ordering some parts. Great design, went together perfect!
4 Likes
I found the design easy to customize. Using Inkscape, I duplicated the outer cutline and used [Path->Inset] to shrink it just a little bit – created my custom text and used [Text->Put On Path] – edited the text for length, converted the text to an object and mirrored. I’m quite happy with how it turned out, thanks again!
5 Likes