Xem Studiomeasured geometryLibrary › Hardware › Found & household materials ·
Craft sticks, skewers, coat-hanger and paper-clip wire, BBs, marbles, ping-pong balls, zip ties
What diameter is coat hanger wire and a bamboo skewer? · Standard part · basis: Common consumer sizes (craft stick 4.5 in, skewer 12 in, No. 1 paper clip, .177 BB, 6 mm airsoft, 16 mm marble, ITTF 40 mm ball); wire gauges measured
Long Earth Society build part. Frames, crank wire and guides for the no-budget can engine. The engines · all LES parts
- sizes
- 9 in table
Notes
- Craft (popsicle) stick 114 × 10 × 2 mm; jumbo 150 × 18 × 2. Bamboo skewer Ø3 × 300 (Ø2.5 × 200 and Ø4 × 400 exist). Coat-hanger wire Ø2.0 mm (1.9–2.3, mild steel). Paper clip Ø1.0 mm (No. 1), jumbo Ø1.2. Welding rod / TIG filler Ø1.6 and 2.4 if you want straight stock.
- Balls: steel BB Ø4.5 mm (.177), airsoft Ø6.0 (5.95 ±0.01, surprisingly round: fine as 6 mm bearing balls in a printed race), glass marble Ø16 (15.9), shooter Ø25, ping-pong ball Ø40.0 × 0.4 wall (a 2.7 g hollow sphere: the lightest displacer you can buy).
- Zip ties: 2.5 × 1.0, 3.6 × 1.2, 4.8 × 1.3, 7.6 × 1.8 mm cross-sections; a printed slot of width + 0.3 mm holds them. Uses on the can engine: skewer as crankshaft (in Ø3.2 printed bushings), coat-hanger wire as crank pins and con-rods (bend a Z), craft sticks as frame, BBs as low-friction displacer-rod guides, zip ties as hose clamps.
Sizes
| item | size_mm | note |
|---|---|---|
| craft stick | 114 × 10 × 2 | jumbo 150 × 18 × 2 |
| bamboo skewer | Ø3 × 300 | Ø2.5 / Ø4 also |
| coat-hanger wire | Ø2.0 | 1.9–2.3 by maker |
| paper clip wire | Ø1.0 | jumbo Ø1.2 |
| steel BB | Ø4.5 | .177 cal |
| airsoft BB | Ø6.0 | ±0.01 |
| marble | Ø16 | shooter Ø25 |
| ping-pong ball | Ø40.0 × 0.4 wall | 2.7 g |
| zip tie | 4.8 × 1.3 | 2.5/3.6/7.6 wide |
Where the files are
Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.
| Wikipedia | Craft stick | web | CC BY-SA 4.0 (text) |
| Wikipedia | BB gun | web | CC BY-SA 4.0 (text) |
| Wikipedia | Table tennis | web | CC BY-SA 4.0 (text) |
| Long Earth Society | Engine builds (videos and write-ups) | web, video | LES site |
Free files
★ Free files 10 parts. Generated by Xem Studio from the standard; threads are plain cylinders at major diameter. CC BY 4.0. index.json
| popsicle-stick-114x10x2 | craft/popsicle stick 114 × 10 × 2 mm (4.5 in) | STEP · STL |
| jumbo-stick-150x18x2 | jumbo craft stick 150 × 18 × 2 mm | STEP · STL |
| bamboo-skewer-3x300 | bamboo skewer Ø3 × 300 (also Ø2.5 × 200, Ø4 × 400) | STEP · STL |
| coat-hanger-wire-2mm | steel coat-hanger wire Ø2.0 (1.9–2.3), 200 mm stub | STEP · STL |
| paper-clip-wire-1mm | paper-clip wire Ø1.0 (No. 1) / Ø1.2 (jumbo), 100 mm stub | STEP · STL |
| steel-bb-4-5mm | steel BB Ø4.5 (.177 cal) | STEP · STL |
| airsoft-bb-6mm | airsoft BB Ø6.0 (5.95) | STEP · STL |
| marble-16mm | glass marble Ø16 (15.9); shooter Ø25 | STEP · STL |
| ping-pong-ball-40mm | table-tennis ball Ø40.0, 0.4 mm wall, 2.7 g | STEP · STL |
| zip-tie-4-8mm | cable tie 4.8 × 1.3 mm cross-section (also 2.5 × 1.0, 3.6 × 1.2, 7.6 × 1.8) | STEP · STL |
Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=sticks-skewers-wire-bbs
Fits with
Questions
What diameter is coat hanger wire?
About 2.0 mm (1.9–2.3 depending on the hanger), mild steel, bends cold; a Ø2.2 printed hole is a running fit.
What size is a bamboo skewer?
Ø3 mm × 300 mm is the common one; thinner Ø2.5 × 200 cocktail skewers and Ø4 × 400 also exist. A Ø3.2 printed bushing runs on one.
Are airsoft BBs usable as bearing balls?
Yes for light loads: 5.95 mm ±0.01, hard plastic; a printed race with a 6.1 mm groove makes a quiet thrust bearing.