Designs with Two Racks: Instructions & Videos
Two rack setup with pins
Ready for a Spirograph challenge?
I didn’t get into the two-rack designs as a kid. Maybe I tried it once and found it too difficult; I don’t remember. But a request for some videos about them prompted me to sit down and give it a try.
The result is four videos (below), each one dealing with a different design.
Page 7 of the old Kenner Super Spirograph manual
I followed the instructions in my old Super Spirograph manual (image right). I have prepared PDFs of this page that you can download and print. Choose 8.5 x 11 (North America) or A4 (elsewhere).
The first video shows me first attaching the racks with “Spiro putty” (poster putty). Normally I prefer the putty, but I decided to use pins in this case as they make it easier to position the racks correctly. Note that I’m using a corkboard with the pins.
Not all the new sets (by Kahootz Toys) come with two racks. The Deluxe set has only one; the Tin set has one; the Die-cast set has none. However, the new Super Spirograph has two racks, as do the old Kenner Spirograph and Super Spirograph. See a detailed chart of what’s included in some of the sets here.
These designs are more complex and require a lot of concentration. However, I am now quite curious about experimenting with this method and creating some new designs!
If you try this technique yourself, feel free to share your experience in the comments below.
I’ve put my four videos in a playlist so you can watch them all together.
Where can I get a 2nd Rack? My set only came with one.
It’s true that the new sets only come with one rack, except for the Super set. Maybe you can find incomplete second-hand sets online.
Hi,
I’m trying to make a six point pattern, but I only see one available using 144/96 with gear 80. I was hoping to find one that looks more like the 8 point star using gear 60 or the 12 point made with gear 56. If there was a way to do that with the current selection of gears, I assumed it would be listed. So can any of the gears be modified, by perhaps drilling another hole in the right place, or using a gear or ring that is not in the set?
thx D
There is a table here that shows the possibilities with the standard Spirograph set. And you’re right, there’s only one 6-pointed pattern. There aren’t any other gears or rings available, even in Super Spirograph.
However, you could draw a 3-point pattern twice, starting halfway between two of the points the second time. Gears 32 and 64 will give a 3 point pattern in ring 144/96. Some sets don’t have gear 64, however.
Drilling another hole in a gear wouldn’t change the number of points. (And you’d probably crack the gear.) The number of points is determined by the number of teeth in the gear and in the ring using a mathematical formula explained here.