UPSB v3
General Discussion / Weighted Spinning Tubes
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Date: Sat, Jun 7 2008 20:24:04
It seems to me that the pen spinning community has expanded past the point where people are just spinning pens during class/work (although I certainly do that)...I'm sort of surprised there aren't specially weighted rods that you can buy made specifically for "finger juggling" or something like that (I know the pens are getting to that point--hell some of the mods don't even write, so it isn't much of a stretch)...seems like it might add a bit more legitimacy to the sport in order for it to be more widely accepted. I would love to see this become more widespread.
I just feel that the "pen" aspect of pen spinning may be holding back what it helped create. Plus, I would shell out for something specifically designed from the ground up for spinning.
Thin metal/plastic tubes could be used if a greater variety of weight distributions since the tube can be plugged with weights. I got an idea...how about a metal rod with several different insert rods that ran the whole length of the tube that had different weight distributions. That way you could change the distribution of your favorite rod by changing out the weighted insert tube and screwing on the end caps to close it back up. You could have multiple insert rod for each tube. Grips and everything could be designed around one thickness of tube. They could be packaged as a set...you'd get a tube several differently weighted insert rods and grips. Sets could come in different lengths depending on personal preference and hand size. I'm a marketing major so I tend to think along these lines:) Would anyone be interested in something like that? -
Date: Sat, Jun 7 2008 21:09:18
many are AGAINST spinning rods, and you're for it? ok...
everything you said they think its the opposite... PS is less credible if you're spinning huge long pens which dont even write in their opinon. -
Date: Sat, Jun 7 2008 21:13:45
That would take away the fact that we are pen spinning and holding back? What do you mean? Are you saying that pens aren't good enough for pen spinning? And if it did come to this, it would just be baton twirling.
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Date: Sat, Jun 7 2008 21:31:25
Hurray, the future ofbatonpentwirlingspinning has arrived
:D -
Date: Sat, Jun 7 2008 21:38:49
lol He was a lot more liked by the crowd than when sfsr was doing this.
sfsr's way cooler though
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Date: Sat, Jun 7 2008 23:42:12
that kid had nice airials(sp?) on topic i just dont see it going that big. spinning a tube/pen/anything can only be respucted be on lookers so much but who knows maybe this is what we need lol
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Date: Sun, Jun 8 2008 05:55:58QUOTE (Zombo @ Jun 8 2008, 05:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>many are AGAINST spinning rods, and you're for it? ok...
everything you said they think its the opposite... PS is less credible if you're spinning huge long pens which dont even write in their opinon.
QFT, basically Zombo said everything I wanted to say.
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Date: Sun, Jun 8 2008 18:53:08
touchy, touchy...love the welcome commitee on this board:)
Zombo--I agree pen spinning may be viewed as less credible when spinning huge long pens that don't write.
That's probably because it's obvious to onlookers that people are spinning something that loosely resembles a pen. Personally I don't care either way...I think Bonkura opened up a slower style that is widely emulated...he's unbelievable talented regardless of whether or not his pen writes. I've also seen him spin other things besides pens and I thought that was great because his style was transending beyond just the limitations of pens. What's the big deal about spinning something that's not a pen? No need to explain why your pen looks funny or doesn't write if it's not a pen and isn't intended to be one. It's pretty obvious the person is showcasing their dexterity and not the fact that they are spinning a pen....we're all on the same team here folks.
Either way, I never said anything about making huge long tubes...I was thinking of something about the same size as pens but with more customizable weight distribution.
Duckrus and K4S---Batons huh? Twirling...I was thinking more like finger juggling. I like the outfit though! What if the baton had a funtional ballpoint tip...would that make you happy? Besides battons/drumsticks are too heavy and long to do a lot of transitions....I'd like to see someone do korean style with a baton or drumstick...it would be practically impossible to make the direction changes so fast with all that momentum.
XNerve--Thanks for your comments...you might be right, maybe it won't get that big, but I'm an optimist:)
Anyways, I'm pretty serious about this and am thinking about getting a mini lathe to try out some different materials. Any suggestions? Has anyone done this? Thanks!
Tony -
Date: Sun, Jun 8 2008 20:24:17
Well lets look at this situation, if you want finger juggling then check out Contact juggling or even Qi-Gong Balls. If you feel offended don't this argument is as old as pen spinning, people are very opinionated in this community, so just be prepared to take a hit. The only reason me and K4S came out with the baton crap is because this community has been here before. There are multiple threads on "What makes a pen?", "What defines a pen?", "Is it really pen spinning". It just the thing is, this whole community has been here before on the weighted sticks argument. So some people, like me, only spin with things that resemble pens with an ability to write (well ok I stretch that rule a little bit). But its the general idea that we are still pen spinning. And so finally some people like me just want to keep it at pen spinning (or pencil spinning).
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Date: Mon, Jun 9 2008 01:09:55
you're free to try, if it works for you then good for you.
AFAIK, I know one french shop selling custom made pen spinning pens and there's SpinZ and PenZ Gear too of course. -
Date: Tue, Jun 10 2008 16:24:53QUOTE (K4S @ Jun 7 2008, 05:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hurray, the future of
batonpentwirlingspinning has arrived
I think a topic needs to be created as to why Baton Twirling is considered more faggy than Pen Spinning, lol. I mean...i understand why but i find it peculiar that pen spinners are so paranoid about being called a "baton twirler" lol. Its funny.
Long livebatonpentwirlingspinning!
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Date: Thu, Jun 12 2008 01:14:15
I ditched pens soon after looking at all the pen mods I could find. I realized it was pretty silly to have to find and modify all these pens just to attain a well balanced stick.
I went to the local hardware store and got the guy to cut me a 7.25 inch drawn aluminum tube. I also bought a pack of dowel caps (little white tips to go on sticks).
I put electrical tape on the ends to make the caps fit, and also ended up putting a pipe cleaner inside to dampen the sound of a metal tube hitting the floor.
FYI you can order a tube to be almost any length and weight and width online.
It spins great, the metal makes very little difference in tactile control
It needs no flare or coloring to make it flashy as it has a metallic reflection to catch the eye.
Nobody asks me any stupid questions about my pen anymore because it is pretty obvious, it is a baton made for spinning with my fingers.
Now that I have spun a perfectly balanced tube for so long most pen mods just feel crappy in comparison.
Oh, and I have had no problem performing any tricks with it.
Here is a pic if you want to see
For those that say it is retarded or stupid to pen spin without a tube, try think outside of the box.
If you think it is too close to baton spinning to use a metal tube you should consider the only differences are the length of the instrument and the variations on tricks caused by that. -
Date: Thu, Jun 12 2008 01:40:50
I tried spinning with metal sticks before. I found them to be heavy, I have a solid steel rod about the length of a MX but it's heavy and skinny. Of course that is solid steel, your using a aluminum tube so that would be pretty light. With a tap and die set you could make back caps and tips that screw in to it like a pen, then get ink from a pen and put it in. Making small metal tips might be difficult especially with out proper tools. Its the cone shape that would be hard. I was going to do that in my welding class but did something else.
Making you own spinning utensils is a good idea, you can get the weight, and length you want and won't have to order parts from around the world. I would like to see how far you can take this.
Of course my view is it is most impressive if you pen spin with "normal" pens or pencils. Something everyone has access to and have used before. That's why I tend to stick to pencils when I spin in public. Once you start moding pens around it no longer matters to me if it is a stick or a pen anymore it's to made spinning more enjoyable.
BTW I would take my MX over my steel rod any day for many different reasons. -
Date: Thu, Jun 12 2008 01:45:23
IMO pens look way better than those rods... even if the mod is double-sided.
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Date: Thu, Jun 12 2008 08:13:26QUOTE (K4S @ Jun 7 2008, 11:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>w8q5QJOwoG4
Hurray, the future ofbatonpentwirlingspinning has arrived
:D
Blades of Glory, anyone? :D
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Date: Wed, Jun 18 2008 07:36:58
I feel this discussion will never end, but I'll throw in some of my thoughts anyway
As someone who has tried to spin practically anything I've encountered, I will say this (and I'll try to put it out with as little bias as possible).
Pen Spinning, Drumstick Spinning, Baton Twirling, Staff Manipulation, Devil Sticks, etc... all have similarities because they all use a rod shaped object to perform tricks/moves.
However...if you try to further research each of these, you'll notice they are also quite different.
Drumstick Spinning, which is the closest to PS, has to put a lot of focus on when to perform the tricks so that you can drum and perform tricks without interrupting your sound. Pen Spinners could care less about that as we don't usually aim to produce noise with our pens.
Baton Twirling (yes, I've given it a try...and I gotta say, some of the things they do is amazing) focus a lot more in body movements and posture. It's almost always associate with cheer leading (correct me if I'm wrong) and aesthetics play a big part.
Likewise, Staff manipulation is more related to martial arts, and so on (can't speak for Devil Sticks as I've never gotten to try it)
So...what make PS its own artform? Well, there are many things, but the fact that you use a pen (or in this day and age, mods that resemble pens) plays a big part.
By spinning a pen, PSing can be performed casually in school, at work, etc. It gives a complete different feel than if you were spinning a baton, a chopstick, an umbrella, etc. People can instantly relate to holding a pen in their hands. They can instantly draw the conclusion that they can't easily do the same. I don't believe the same can be said to the other manipulations I listed above, as not everyone has held one of those objects before.
Don't get me wrong...I'm all for exploring new areas and not getting held back by the limitations of pens. However, pen spinning is a lot more than the tricks. It's also visual art form, and as much as I'd like to just focus on the spinning, I cannot ignore my audience and how they perceive what I'm doing.
So, in order to not sacrifice spinnability at the cost of aesthetic appeal, what can one do? Spin the best object you can when learning a new trick or coming up with ideas, then train yourself until you can do perform that trick with a pen before showing the world your new trick.
darn...this seemed a lot simpler and quicker before I started typing