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[Iacopo]

Finger top one hour barrier broken !

My previous longest spin, (2016), was 58 m 19 s, with the top Nr. 23;  this was the best of 87 spins with that top, and it took me a lot of time, considering that each spin was almost one hour long; I was so near to one hour so I really tried hard to reach the one hour spin but without success.

Now I have almost finished the two new tops with the shrouds, I still have to polish them but they can spin already.

So I tried one, the Nr. 55, in the photos below;
at the very first attempt, it spun for 1 h 03 m 45 s.
This is my new personal record.  It is the first time that I can spin a finger top for more than one hour.
I am satisfied about the result.   



I also tried the top without the shroud, the spin time was 57 m 20 s.
So with the shroud the top spun 11 % longer.

With partial shroud, (photo below), the top spins slightly longer than without it, (confirming the presence of ground effect), but the difference is little, (about 2 %).



Well, now I am going to polish my tops and make a nice video about them.

[ta0]

CONGRATULATIONS!   

Incredible milestone achieved!    On first try!  
Besides the shroud, are the dimensions similar to number 23?
I cannot imagine trying 87 times with #23 and being so close.

[ortwin]

Congratulations!
Very well done. I am glad that I joined the forum just about in time to witness this barrier broken! 
Also it will make me  try harder now to reach my 30 minutes goal.

[Iacopo]

Thank you, Ta0 and Ortwin !

The flywheel diameter of the new top is the same of that of the Nr. 23, 60 mm.  The shroud really makes a difference.
But the other new top, the Nr. 54, is bigger, (68.5 mm), and maybe it could spin a bit longer, I will see.

[Texture]

Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! size]That's an incredible milestone!  I can't get any of my hand spun tops to spin longer than a 1 min. 30sec....
Probably just the fact my hand spun tops are cheap. 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Finger top one hour barrier broken !
Well, now I am going to polish my tops and make a nice video about them.

Congrats, my friend! Eager to see the video.

[ortwin]

Well, now I am going to polish my tops and make a nice video about them.

Sure you polish the shroud  to make it transparent. But the flywheel? I like the frosted look it has now. Your polished tops are also beautiful of course, but it would be something different.

[Iacopo]

But the flywheel? I like the frosted look it has now. Your polished tops are also beautiful of course, but it would be something different.

I agree, it is a good look, but I have a problem with it; even the littlest scratch on it can't be fixed easily.
This frosted look is the result of sanding the brass on the lathe, so that all the scratches left by the sandpaper are parallel and with a regular texture.  If, when I play with the top, the brass becomes slightly dented or scratched, I have to sand it to remove the defect, but it is impossible to imitate the surrounding texture of the brass and the sanded area would stick out, unless I put the top on the lathe again and sand the whole flywheel again, which is more complicated and generally not doable by a customer.

[Iacopo]

The other new top, the Nr. 54, was able to spin for 1 h 10 m 31 s. 
This is the definitive new record, I will not try to beat it again, at least not with these tops.

The Nr. 54 is a bigger top, (diameter 68.5 mm), a size I never tried before.
I suspected from a long time that the 60 mm size, (which I use almost always), is a bit too little size for the brass-recessed tip-multiple twirls category.
In the past I tried the 80 mm size, which seemed a bit too oversized for the strenght of the fingers.

This intermediate size seems perfect for this category of tops, and in fact this top is able to spin for little more than one hour even without the shroud. With the further advantage of the shroud the top spun for more than 70 minutes.
 

[ortwin]

...
I agree, it is a good look, but I have a problem with it; even the littlest scratch on it can't be fixed easily.
This frosted look is the result of sanding the brass on the lathe, so that all the scratches left by the sandpaper are parallel and with a regular texture.  If, when I play with the top, the brass becomes slightly dented or scratched, I have to sand it to remove the defect, but it is impossible to imitate the surrounding texture of the brass and the sanded area would stick out, unless I put the top on the lathe again and sand the whole flywheel again, which is more complicated and generally not doable by a customer.

That sounds all very reasonable what you say.  Now I also remember that with my wedding band it is similar: When we had them made the outside had this frosted, matt look that we liked. After a few month they looked quite shiny due to all the little scratches they had acquired. Our jeweller (an Italian by the way: Piaggio) is always matting them again when we ask him to but I just want to say that I see the problem now.

[ortwin]

The other new top, the Nr. 54, was able to spin for 1 h 10 m 31 s. 
...
... this top is able to spin for little more than one hour even without the shroud. ...

FANTASTIC!  Actually I am quite happy that even without the shroud the one hour barrier is broken now!
And the category of this top is, just to make 100 % sure: -recessed tip-multiple twirls- ??
RPM at start/topple ??
(Lately I keep thinking that at least you, Jeremy and myself should get something like this: https://www.reichelt.com/ch/de/drehzahlmesser-digital-usb-ut-372-p141795.html
A speed meter with an USB interface. We would have the full data of a spin without having to write down anything. Those things are not so expensive either. Any experiences with a specific model anybody?)

[Iacopo]

And the category of this top is, just to make 100 % sure: -recessed tip-multiple twirls- ??
RPM at start/topple ??

Yes, it is the same category, brass, recessed tip, multiple twirls.

The Nr. 54, (364 grams), was started at 2917 RPM, and toppled down at 50 RPM.

The Nr. 55, (291 grams), was started at 3199 RPM, and toppled down at 47 RPM.

By the way, 3199 RPM is the fastest speed I ever reached with a finger top.  The shroud, reducing the air drag, makes easier to start the top at an higher speed.

[ortwin]

Iacopo, your tops lose very little energy per time. Did you ever consider making versions where that energy loss is compensated by some external source like candles or the sun?
The "christmas pyramid" principle for the candles, a modified "solar chimney" principle for solar regeneration.It would be a completely different category of course, but you said once that you want to do something different with every top.

[ta0]

Wooooow! Over 70 minutes! You obliterated the 1 hour barrier! 
And you also broke the 1 hour barrier without a shroud!   

 I had assumed that you first spun them and then added the shroud, but I see that you spin them with the shroud on. I was not expecting that you could get a higher starting spin that way.

Now that you have proven that this is possible using brass, maybe you should reconsider tungsten. You can always steer your clients towards the 1 hour brass top. Is it possible to get to 1 hour with one twirl using a tungsten top and a shroud? Is it possible to get to 1 hour with multiple twirls but an external tip? I'm guessing both are not possible, but I wouldn't bet against your skill.

[Jeremy McCreary]

This is the definitive new record, I will not try to beat it again, at least not with these tops.

Eager to see the next phase in your designs.