Red Matter
- Thread starter chosetec
- Start date
You're in the ballpark with color and feel. I like the stand too.
chosetec
New Member
For size reference, the stand is about 1.3 meters tall, and there is about 1430 cc's of Red Matter, which is plenty.
The stand is made from poplar, acrylic paint, and stainless steel, turned on a wood lathe. I wanted it to have a simple minimalist shape (partially influenced by the Saarinen table) which is suggestive of Red Matter's wormhole creating properties.
And yes, it floats.
The stand is made from poplar, acrylic paint, and stainless steel, turned on a wood lathe. I wanted it to have a simple minimalist shape (partially influenced by the Saarinen table) which is suggestive of Red Matter's wormhole creating properties.
And yes, it floats.
chosetec
New Member
Ah, well you know how Red Matter is known for its unique gravitational properties?
I generally tell people that, and when they press the matter, I tell them it's being held up by science fiction. But since this is the Replica Prop Forum and I'm guessing that most people here want to know, I'll tell you how it floats in my next post.
SPOILER ALERT: My next post reveals how the Red Matter floats.
chosetec
New Member
SPOILER: Red Matter Levitation secret
What keeps the Red Matter up is this: The Levitron Revolution
Amazon.com: Fascinations Levitron Revolution with Floating Globe: Toys & Games
It's an off-the-shelf electronic base containing an array of electromagnets and a ring magnet, which repels a small permanent magnet and holds it in place using a feedback system. The small magnet is inside the globe near the south pole. Basically, as long as the unit is plugged in, the globe floats (and slowly spins).
If anyone remembers, Levitron is the same company that made those spinning magnetic hovering tops that were a pain to keep afloat and fell down as soon as they stopped spinning (still pretty neat, though). They make several electronic hover units, the Revolution (not world stage revolution, be careful!) is the 'heavy lifter' which is why I used that particular model. It can hold up 12 ounces.
The sphere of Red Matter is just the included globe, joined and sanded, painted, and then sanded and polished.
Crealev seems to make another similar product, but in larger scale, however, I get the feeling that their unit costs more. (If anyone's used a crealev platform, please share!)
Crealev Magnetic Levitation Technology
There you have it.
What keeps the Red Matter up is this: The Levitron Revolution
Amazon.com: Fascinations Levitron Revolution with Floating Globe: Toys & Games
It's an off-the-shelf electronic base containing an array of electromagnets and a ring magnet, which repels a small permanent magnet and holds it in place using a feedback system. The small magnet is inside the globe near the south pole. Basically, as long as the unit is plugged in, the globe floats (and slowly spins).
If anyone remembers, Levitron is the same company that made those spinning magnetic hovering tops that were a pain to keep afloat and fell down as soon as they stopped spinning (still pretty neat, though). They make several electronic hover units, the Revolution (not world stage revolution, be careful!) is the 'heavy lifter' which is why I used that particular model. It can hold up 12 ounces.
The sphere of Red Matter is just the included globe, joined and sanded, painted, and then sanded and polished.
Crealev seems to make another similar product, but in larger scale, however, I get the feeling that their unit costs more. (If anyone's used a crealev platform, please share!)
Crealev Magnetic Levitation Technology
There you have it.
Organic Mechanic
Sr Member
Love the Red Matter, it really does capture the look. Your explanation, however, is priceless!
jazzygeoffery
Well-Known Member
The paint on the red matter is perfect! how'd you do it?
chosetec
New Member
I used multiple coats of red gloss spray enamel, sanding between coats. I thought at first spraying from the can would be enough, but inevitably there were too many little lumps and miniscule wrinkles, so I even had to sand the last coat to 1000 grit and polish with plastic polish (Novus polish)
There are still imperfections: the finish could use some more polishing to remove scratches, and the northern hemisphere is a lot finer than the southern hemisphere which remains in shadow.
Lastly my camera was barely out of focus and that helps to hide the scratches too.
I really love this. You took a concept and were creative about it. Def. paid off!
Wooooah! Great!!!
keysersoze30
Sr Member
That looks awesome :cool
