I 3D printed some gears from a parametric model, to try making some wheel-within-a-wheel designs, before I purchased my Wild Gears.

I was pleasantly suprised with how precise they were. They weren’t quite the right size to mesh with Spirograph, but could be scaled before printing if you wanted to use them with Spirograph rings. It would certainly open up endless possibilities, as you can choose the number of teeth you want, before printing.

I was using an FDM printer, but I guess if you wanted even more precision, you could use a resin printer.

I like that idea. The cogs are turning in my head … the inventor/carpenter cogs, not the Spirograph cogs.

I have an original Denys Fisher Spirograph and have just purchased the Play Monster (formerly Kahootz) Super Spirograph and found the same problem.

The new wheels are slightly deformed, meaning they ride up and slip. I’ve been using my old wheels with the new racks, and had much better success. I also took the plunge and bought two original Denys Fisher Super Spirograph sets from eBay, so I can make a complete original Super Spirograph set.

I was thinking of selling the modern Super Spirograph set, but realised that the odd shaped wheels aren’t in the original Denys Fisher one, so looks like I’ll be keeping them all!

Mind you, even in the box, I still have to carry my original Denys Fisher Spirograph flat, otherwise they just bounce out. If you really wanted to go to town, a lightweight wooden carrycase, foam lined on the lid would be just the ticket! Although it’d be a lot of work too.

I’ve had similar issues when using felt fineliners. I found this particularly to be an issue with designs that are rotated and repeated, or the same position, but different holes. The best advice I can give, is to wait a little while between the separate stages, which allows the ink to dry more fully.

Here is a video from the BBC showing Denys Fisher working on the development of what eventually became Spiro 2000. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBvUahtCwqY

I had not heard of Spiro 2000, so I had to look it up. There are a number on offer on eBay, all from the UK except one in Australia. So I bet it didn’t reach Canada and the US. It was sold in the UK by Denys Fisher, the creator of Spirograph. It looks very different. Too bad there weren’t videos to watch to help you learn to use it! What year would that have been?

Buy the vintage Spirograph set. There is a big difference. The newer one is cheap. There are many complaints about this on Amazon reviews. When I first used Spirograph I was 5 years old and never had the problem with derailment and slipping.

The Super Spirograph cloverleaf shape makes patterns about 8 inches across. See this post: https://spirographicart.com/2014/07/22/super-spirograph-patterns-cloverleaf/

If you draw on the outside of a ring using a big wheel, you can make patterns the same size – 8 inches diameter. They have more radial symmetry but are not quite as interesting – depending on the colours you use. See this post for an idea of how that works: https://spirographicart.com/2016/11/06/video-drawing-outside-ring/

Of course if you get the Full Page Set of Wild Gears, you have more choices of big patterns.

Whatever you decide, practice practice practice on paper first. Figure out what kind of pen will work on the surface. Also how to hold everything in place with putty.

Pretty cool idea, though. If you want to share photos when it’s done, contact me!