Making a Steel Marble Track 👍

Here is a the step by step of making a steel marble track, with a twist at the end!

This is one of the toys I always wanted as a kid. One year I finally got one and it was as awesome as I hoped. I lost that one over time, but never the fun with it. Here I make one out of steel wire inspired by:    • How to make a STEEL MARBLE TRACK with...  .

I tried a few different types of wire before finally settling on 16 gauge wire. Soldering it takes some practice! One of the magic tools is the 8" bolt cutter. Wire cutters do ok if you can get the full wire close to the hinge. But in several areas, that is impossible to do. The bolt cutter makes it through the 16 gauge wire no problems.

The trick by using the drill to straighten the wire works very well. Put it into the chuck, grab the other end with pliers, then pull while you spin the drill. Sometimes the wire has a few curves at the very end, but it is remarkably straight!

Bending the wire I did by hand with the help of a few PVC fittings for the corners. In Pulling the Line off the Page (   • Pulling the Line off the Page - Wire ...  ) I used some 3D printed forms and I think those might be helpful here to get better control over the wire shape.

Since this was my first marble track, I decided to go fully manual. Lift mechanisms will need to wait until version 2.

Stick around to the end, my track has a surprise up it's sleeve! 👍 Don't forget to like & subscribe.


TOOLS & MATERIALS (affiliate)

- Steel Ball Bearings https://amzn.to/2KpAxBw
- 8 inch Bolt Cutter https://amzn.to/3gZOX63
- 16G Steel Wire https://amzn.to/2W9HhG5
- Helping Hands https://amzn.to/324HQom
- 1 inch Mini Spring Clamps https://amzn.to/3iTfGCM
- Black Foam Board https://amzn.to/2DwVGpv
- 65W Solder Station https://amzn.to/2ZXJxBr
- Solder https://amzn.to/3oEqFCP