(Lava Chat)

Making Oil Wheels for Projection

Laser cut two big disks of acylic, glued them together with silicone, and used a syringe to fill it with oil/water. Didn't realize I needed to be removing air from it the first time, so the pressure built up and caused multiple leaks. let it drain, pulled it apart, removed the silicone, and tried a second time.

More silicone, injected fluid, removed air. The final result is a crude, dirty, impure proof of concept, but it works. It moves too quickly for vertical rotation (unless I can get a narrower gap next time). I could always try again with mineral oil and water instead of paraffin oil. But so far it's held up alright.

I'll laser out some adhesive sheet magnet to stick on the center to I can attach it to a motor. Lens selection is looking promising as well. The main suggestions I can offer anyone attempting this is to use acrylic not glass (preferably laser cut), keep the gap around 1mm, use silicone and completely seal it up, and use a needle syringe injector through the silicone to add fluid/remove air. If the needle is small enough, the hole will self heal and leave a good leakproof seal. That, and getting it right the first time helps prevent dust, smudges, dirt, hair, and other crap from getting in it and affecting the quality.

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Permalink Reply by Bowlerhat on April 12, 2023 at 1:59pm

hrad thing about oil wheel is how they change over use..

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Permalink Reply by Mattgyver92 on April 13, 2023 at 7:08am

I did manage to make one that hasn't yet leaked.It's a double layer with yellow/violet and red/orange. For the most part, it seems to more or less do what I hoped it would. Used mineral oil instead of liquid paraffin oil since it's a bit smoother in the capillary space while the LP flows a little too fast.

I've also lasered out the first attempt at the projector. It's super bright with a 100W LED indoor flood bulb. Temporarily hooked up the motor to 120VAC and it works nice and quiet. Photos to come soon.

Main issues are I need to adjust the threaded collar for the projection lens I'm using to allow me more range of focus. I also need more space to mount the wheel inside since it currently won't fit.

I've got a redesign for the projector that should use way less cut parts and fewer hardware to make. Photos to come.

I'm fairly excited to make one of these.