Carousel Pegasus

A fairground jumper on a rolling plinth, gilded and jewelled the way the old carousel horses were. Push it along the table and every turn of the wheels beats its wings once.

Scroll, and it rolls.

The Carousel Pegasus from the front three-quarter: an ivory horse with orange mane, bridle and raised wings on a twisted orange pole, above a black plinth on six orange wheels.

You are the motor.

No battery, no key, no spring. Push the plinth along the table and all 6 O‑ring tyres roll together on 3 axles.

The middle axle drives.

Its two wheels are keyed to it, so each turn of the tyres turns the axle, and with it the eccentric disc sitting on its centre, hidden inside the plinth.

A disc, 3.5 mm off centre.

It turns inside a slotted window at the foot of the pushrod. The slot lets it slide sideways, so the rod only moves up and down: 7 mm, once per turn.

Up the twisted pole.

The pushrod runs inside the gilt pole and on through the body, to a cross pin just under the saddle.

Two levers, one pin.

Each wing hinges on its own pivot pin at the shoulder. The cross pin rides in a slot at both wing roots, so as it rises, both tips come down together.

One turn, one wingbeat.

The wings sweep 36°, from raised to level and back, once for every 6.0 in the Pegasus rolls.

From your hand to the wingtips

Nothing in it is hidden from the push. Follow one turn of the wheels through the parts that carry it.

  1. Tyres and wheels. 1.9 in across, on O‑rings for grip.
  2. Drive axle. The middle one of three; the front and rear axles only carry weight.
  3. Eccentric. A disc keyed to the drive axle, 3.5 mm off its centre.
  4. Pushrod. A slotted yoke at the foot turns that circle into a straight lift.
  5. Cross pin. Through the head of the rod, under the saddle.
  6. Pivot pins. One per shoulder: the fulcrum of each wing.
  7. Wings. Short arm inside the pivot, long arm out to the feathers.
Side view with the plinth, body and near wheels made see-through: the drive chain from the middle axle's eccentric, up the pushrod to the far wing, stands out in orange.
The shell faded out: the eccentric in its window, the rod up the pole, the far wing on its pin.
Close view of the head and shoulders: carved orange mane, bridle with red jewels, both wings raised, and the red saddle cloth with a scalloped hem.
Carved mane, jewelled bridle, a saddle cloth with a scalloped hem. The colour is in the filament, not painted on.
The Pegasus from the rear three-quarter with its wings level, the tail streaming back over the black plinth.
At the top of the rod's stroke the wings sit level.

Carousel Pegasus

Length × wingspan × height
6.5 × 7.1 × 7.2 in
Weight
8.5 oz
Printed parts
27
Tyres
6 O‑rings
Print time
22.9 hours
Wingbeat
one every 6.0 in of travel