So, I saw this thing online, people making these crazy long marble runs, and I thought, “I gotta try that!” I’m no engineer, but I love building stuff, so I figured, why not?
Gathering Supplies
First things first, I needed materials. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money, so I looked around the house.
Here is the thing I found:
- Cardboard boxes: Plenty of those from online orders!
- Toilet paper and paper towel rolls: Yep, been saving those.
- Duct tape: A must-have for any project.
- Scissors and a box cutter: For cutting and shaping.
- Marbles: Obviously! I had a small bag from when I was a kid.
The Initial Plan (or Lack Thereof)
Honestly, I didn’t have much of a plan. I just started taping tubes together, creating a simple slope. I figured I’d figure it out as I went along. My first attempt was pretty pathetic. The marble kept falling off the track, and the whole thing was super flimsy.
Trial and Error (Lots of Error)
This is where things got interesting, and frustrating. I spent hours experimenting. I learned that:
- Gentle slopes are key: Too steep, and the marble goes flying.
- Secure connections: Gotta use enough tape! Those tubes need to stay put.
- Curves need support: Cardboard folded into triangles worked pretty well for this.
I kept adding sections, testing, rebuilding, and adjusting. There were moments I wanted to give up, especially when a whole section collapsed. But I kept pushing, driven by the idea of creating this awesome, winding track.
Adding Some “Features”
Once I had a decent length going, I started getting creative. I added:
- A loop-de-loop: This took a few tries, but I finally got it to work!
- A drop: I cut a hole in one of the tubes, so the marble would fall to a lower level.
- A “spiral”: I cut a cardboard box into a spiral shape and taped it inside a wider tube.
The Final Result (and Lessons Learned)
After many hours the run can through to end! It wasn’t the longest marble run in the world, but it was mine. It snaked across the living room floor, went around furniture.
Here is a few things I realized:
- Planning is helpful: Even a rough sketch would have saved me some time.
- Patience is essential: This kind of project requires a lot of tweaking.
- It’s okay to fail: Every mistake taught me something new.
Would I do it again? Maybe! It was a fun challenge, and it definitely kept me entertained. Plus, watching that marble go through the whole course was super satisfying.
