Turning a Vintage Toy Into a Wheel
Jan 7, 2017 17:16:46 GMT -5
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Post by MarioGS on Jan 7, 2017 17:16:46 GMT -5
Just a little project I did this week that I thought I'd share.
A little while ago, I was browsing eBay for Wheel stuff and came across a toy roulette wheel modeled like your average casino wheel - pegs, flipper and all. What really caught my eye was that the wheel had 72 pegs (36 wedges of numbers 1-36, each with a black and red slot) and seemed like it would be perfect to use as a mini Wheel of Fortune Wheel, possibly better than the Wheels Pressman makes for their deluxe board games, and prize wheels usually cost a fortune and very rarely can you find one that's exactly 24 wedges, let alone 72 pegs. Without hesitation, I bought it and once it arrived, I quickly got to work on printing the perfectly-sized layout to place over the roulette layout.
It was made by an old toy and gift company called "Royal London" and it's copyrighted 1972, over two years before Wheel of Fortune was even a thing! The fact that this Wheel so closely resembles the show's and is even called "Wheel O' Fortune" is so uncanny! Not only that, but the back of the wheel's stand is perfectly flat, so you can lie the wheel down to make it even more like the show. Here's the picture from the eBay listing.
In addition to serving as a wheel for roulette at home, Royal London also boasts that it can be used as a device for fortune telling or decision making. The reverse of the roulette game board includes several sample yes-or-no questions to ask the wheel, with a spin on a red number being "Yes" and a black number being "No". The wheel is meant to be spun by holding down the button at the top and letting go after a count of five, but the wheel can be spun freely by hand. This mechanism requires one C battery in a compartment in the back, but this doesn't seem to work on the unit I received. No big deal, though.
Here's what I turned the wheel into.
Since I knew I had to bore a hole in the middle for the axle, I added a simple design over the center circle that surrounds it. I think it looks much better.
I was very pleased with the wheel's condition and durability, especially for being almost 45 years old, and at how smoothly it spins. Pressman, eat your hearts out! I was especially impressed with the flipper, which is not a flap of rubber or plastic, but a tiny metal spring with a plastic tip, so it doesn't get warped or bent after several spins.
And an added bonus: the sides of the stand make great storage for add-on wedges!
A little while ago, I was browsing eBay for Wheel stuff and came across a toy roulette wheel modeled like your average casino wheel - pegs, flipper and all. What really caught my eye was that the wheel had 72 pegs (36 wedges of numbers 1-36, each with a black and red slot) and seemed like it would be perfect to use as a mini Wheel of Fortune Wheel, possibly better than the Wheels Pressman makes for their deluxe board games, and prize wheels usually cost a fortune and very rarely can you find one that's exactly 24 wedges, let alone 72 pegs. Without hesitation, I bought it and once it arrived, I quickly got to work on printing the perfectly-sized layout to place over the roulette layout.
It was made by an old toy and gift company called "Royal London" and it's copyrighted 1972, over two years before Wheel of Fortune was even a thing! The fact that this Wheel so closely resembles the show's and is even called "Wheel O' Fortune" is so uncanny! Not only that, but the back of the wheel's stand is perfectly flat, so you can lie the wheel down to make it even more like the show. Here's the picture from the eBay listing.
In addition to serving as a wheel for roulette at home, Royal London also boasts that it can be used as a device for fortune telling or decision making. The reverse of the roulette game board includes several sample yes-or-no questions to ask the wheel, with a spin on a red number being "Yes" and a black number being "No". The wheel is meant to be spun by holding down the button at the top and letting go after a count of five, but the wheel can be spun freely by hand. This mechanism requires one C battery in a compartment in the back, but this doesn't seem to work on the unit I received. No big deal, though.
Here's what I turned the wheel into.
Since I knew I had to bore a hole in the middle for the axle, I added a simple design over the center circle that surrounds it. I think it looks much better.I was very pleased with the wheel's condition and durability, especially for being almost 45 years old, and at how smoothly it spins. Pressman, eat your hearts out! I was especially impressed with the flipper, which is not a flap of rubber or plastic, but a tiny metal spring with a plastic tip, so it doesn't get warped or bent after several spins.
And an added bonus: the sides of the stand make great storage for add-on wedges!
