He applies his logical, problem solving mind to common pitfalls people run into, and comes up with creative solutions: where to keep your eyes, adding extra rings, using rare earth magnets rather than pins or putty, marking up your gears, and even cleaning up your mistakes!

A must-watch even for serious spirograph artists!

The post Spirograph Tips Video from Wayne Schmidt appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

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.

The post Designs with Two Racks: Instructions & Videos appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

My jaw dropped when I first saw that Kahootz was bringing out a die-cast metal version for Spirograph’s 50th anniversary. So I was delighted when they offered to send me a set to review.

[Disclaimer: I was not otherwise paid to write this article or create the video; I only received one Spirograph Die-cast Collector’s Set from Kahootz Toys. Links to Amazon are affiliate links; if you click them and buy something there, I may get a small kickback – my financial reward for building this website.]

I saved the unboxing for the camera, so the video shows my genuine reactions, real-time fumbles, oohs and aahs.

My conclusions:

It’s a really classy set with the feel of quality, and very nicely packaged. The wheels feel, and clink, like the coinage of a country where a pound used to weigh a pound. (Hello, UK?) They shine like gold bullion. The metal tin has a pressure-fit lid, like a cookie tin, and flocked liners hold everything in place even when you shake it.

There’s no problem with warping as in the new plastic sets; the metal pieces are flat and will stay that way as long as you keep them out of Mount Doom.

Speaking of Lord of the Rings, there’s just One Ring. Does it “rule them all”? Maybe not. I enjoy having all the different patterns you can make with more rings. (If you’re really hooked on gazillions of permutations and combinations, check out Wild Gears).

However, I realized as I made the video that most people will be perfectly happy with just one ring and a smaller selection of wheels. It’s still an awesome toy for adults and kids (over 8 or so). Many people might even have more fun with a smaller set like this, if they find that too much choice makes it harder to get started.

It would make an absolutely brilliant gift for someone who had Spirograph as a kid.

Spiro-putty is included as with the plastic sets. However, small pinholes, like in the old Spirograph sets, have also been made in all the wheels. Pins are not included, but you can buy map tacks if you really want to do it the old way. If so, see my article about using corkboard as a better working surface than the corrugated cardboard of the old sets.

You can still use whatever pens you want, the same as with the plastic sets.

[UPDATE Nov. 25, 2016: I should also mention here that the opaqueness of the gears makes it harder to see what you have done, compared to using clear plastic gears. You can hear my surprise in the video below when I experience this for the first time. As Dhaval Shah, a correspondent from Solapur, India, has pointed out, it’s harder to see if something is going wrong. This issue is more significant with the larger wheels. How big an issue this is for you would depend on your goals. The element of surprise might be part of the fun, especially for more casual users.]

My only disappointment with the Die-cast Spirograph Collector’s Set is that, like the new plastic sets, it is not engineered quite as well as the old sets. The way the holes line up with the teeth, and the spacing of the holes from the edge of the wheel, are less precise than the old Spirograph. The consequences can be seen in the red drawings near the bottom of this review. This is a rather minor point for most people, however, and does not detract from the fun and educational value to be had.

Serious spirographers are still better off finding a second-hand Super Spirograph (try eBay) or exploring Wild Gears.

But for the average person aged 8 to 88 and up (and younger kids with help), this Die-cast Spirograph Collector’s Set is a fantastic drawing set and a wonderful gift.

Here’s the video:

The post Video Review: Unboxing the Spirograph Die-cast Collector’s Set appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

How many points will you get? It depends on the same mathematical formula that determines the number of points of a hypotrochoid. You don’t have to do the math, though. Just use this Table of Spirograph Points in the reference section of this website.

Once you’ve drawn your epitrochoid, try drawing a design inside the ring to match it before you take the ring off the paper, as I did in the video.

Here’s another idea: use it as a picture frame or greeting card with a photo or message on the inside!

You can also draw an epitrochoid around another wheel, rather than a ring. Try it.

Drawing around a Spirograph rack, or around open shapes made with Super Spirograph parts, also creates epitrochoids, but that’s a subject for another video.

The post Video: Drawing on the outside of the ring appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

I’ve kept the footage in normal time, not speeding it up, so you can hear me talk and see exactly what I’m doing. I’ve been spirographing for so long that it’s hard to put myself in the shoes of someone new to Spirograph, so perhaps a video is worth 1000 words – or 1000 subscribers, the number my YouTube channel reached on the day I posted the video.

Then I made three designs. The first two patterns are similar to ones in the instruction booklet, but with different colors.  The third design is one I made up on the spot. The video shows my thinking process in choosing what to do next – and when to stop.

This video is especially for people who are new to Spirograph. If you find it helpful or have questions, I’d appreciate hearing about it in the comments here or on the YouTube page.

Buy the Spirograph Deluxe Design Set here  (affiliate link to Amazon)

The post New Basic How-To Spirograph Video! appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Then check out the Compact Gear Set. It’s under $50 and is a great introduction to the world of Wild Gears. Aaron Bleackley, the developer, has selected gear numbers that work well together and provided a great number of them in a 7″ x 7″ package.

This set does the really neat things that are unique to Wild Gears. Parallel lines (very cool). Wheel-within-a-wheel (my favourite). Many sizes of rings. Nice square and triangular wheels. It’s a complete set within itself that you can have a lot of fun with.

I’ve made a fairly lengthy “unboxing” video of my set in which I strip off the paper and start playing. Near the end, I show several pages of designs I made in the days after the unboxing. I plan to make lots more videos about Wild Gears.

Want one? Here’s a direct link to the Compact Gear Set order page. If you do order, please let Aaron know. There is no affiliate link system, but he kindly supports my Wild Gears habit. Disclaimer: I may receive a benefit from your purchase.

Wild Gears are laser-cut on demand and can be shipped almost anywhere.

And now the video. I plan to make more videos exploring the various features of the Compact Gear Set.

The post Video: Unboxing the Compact Gear Set from Wild Gears appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Hole 13 is off-center and makes an asymmetrical pattern, but when you flip the oval wheel over, it makes the mirror image.

For more on the oval wheel, see this post.

The post Video: Pattern with the Oval Wheel appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

There are 4 wheels that give you a 7-pointed design when used with ring 150/105, as I discussed in a previous post.

If you’re new to Spirograph, you may find it helpful to watch someone else draw with it in real time. There’s nothing speeded up in this video. I talk about pens and putty and playing with color as I go. Hope you like it.

The post Video on Drawing 7-Pointed Spirograph Designs appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Anyway, hope you get some ideas and tips from the video. Some parts are speeded up.

NOTE: This is the wheel you can use to make heart shapes for Valentines! See this post for details.

The post The Oval Wheel – Video appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

But how to explain it to other people? There are lots of little things that I just do without consciously thinking about it, and that I wouldn’t think to explain.

Which is why I like Sonya Pickens’ Spirograph Tutorial video. Sonya had to figure it out as an adult, and she explains some of the really basic things that I wouldn’t think to explain. If you’re struggling to get the hang of Spirograph, this video may really help you.

Plus she’s an artist working in a lot of different media, and you might get inspired by her work to do some different things with your Spirograph designs. She does a lot of other circle-based art too. Here’s a link to her Facebook Page.

The post Learning Spirograph – A Helpful Video appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.