Painted GraviTrack

Solar botics
March 5, 2018

We always enjoy seeing our products being modified, revamped and DIY-ed, as well as the results of these transformations.

Our customer Vera Kark provided us with some thoughtful feedback on adding mechanical tweaks to improve our Solar GraviTrack build and documentation. She also painted the brown MDF of the machine. She used tempera paint on the wood components still in panelized form, and the GraviTrack's performance seemed to be unaffected. 

The GraviTrack looks great in vibrant jewel tone colours, however, we do not recommend applying paint to the hand mechanism itself. You can paint the base and the rails, avoiding the hand mechanism completely. The moisture and the thickness of the paint might affect the precise tolerances of the moving parts, and will interfere with its proper functioning. Another relatively safe option might be felt tip marker since the moisture from alcohol evaporates quickly.

 

Photos & video by Vera Kark

P.S. Also, a particularly bad idea is painting your GraviTrack after the assembly is completed. Even though we were using a very watered down acrylic paint, the mechanism seized up the moment the paint became sticky. Don't be like us. Take care of your GraviTrack.

A portrait of a sad stuck GraviTrack

MORE POSTS

October 2, 2009
Diodes, Trimpots

Happy October everyone! The leaves are falling and there's that crisp scent of winter lurking in the air. Ah, it sure is beautiful! And you know what else is beautiful? Diodes and trimpots, of course. Check out these gorgeous new components: 3.4V Zener Diode 5.1V Zener Diode 1k Single-Turn Trimpot w/ Knob 10k Single-Turn Trimpot […]

August 1, 2003
Closed for Long Weekend

Just a quick reminder that Solarbotics' Offices will be closed on Monday, August 4 for a Provincial Holiday. We will resume normal business hours on the the 5th, from 9AM til 6PM MST.

November 23, 2003
GM10 Modifications

Grant has taken some time to document how to turn a standard 81:1 GM10 pager gear motor and turn it into a 9:1 version. Why would you want to do that? You tell me - I'd love to know what project you build with a speed demon like that! Read More...

August 19, 2011
Tasty Treats and New Treats, Too

A couple of weeks back we held an open house for Calgary's Protospace group. Many BBQ'd items were consumed, many objects were lazored, and many people seemed to be walking around in a stupor of admiration for all the nifty bits and pieces of equipment we have on hand. We had a good time visiting […]

Solarbotics Ltd Logo
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!

Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.

Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.