DIY Simple "Buzz Ring"

A buzz ring is a less common conceptual and simplistic toy, which has several rings that spin around a much larger ring. The smaller rings are usually brass, and the larger one steel. The toy functions by spinning the smaller brass rings around the larger one, usually with a diameter of about a foot (3cm). The object is to get the rings spinning as long as possible, as described in the last step.

Spent about $16 USD for supplies, picked them up at the local hardware store

Materials: (You do not need these exact measurements, but I find these are perfect for working with.)

1/4 in (6.5mm) diameter 36in (1m) length Metal rod ( I used aluminum, you can use steel, but its harder to work with, and steel is recommended if you decide to weld the ring) {36in legth allows the ring to be approx. 1 ft in diameter}

Two part epoxy (or JB-Weld)

1/2 in (13mm) brass rings, they should be wide, not in diameter, but in height( I used "compression brass sleeve fittings", a plumbing product)

Tools:

Roller metal bender (or use your favorite way to bend metal into large circles)

Clamp or Vise

Sandpaper

I did not, sadly document the bending process with photos. What I did, though, is pass the metal rod through the metal bender many times, slowly tightening the bend radius on the bender, until it represented a circle. The ring doesn't have to be a perfect circle, as the finished result will still function, as long as it is round throughout. After it is round, slip the brass rings on, and this step is done!

The next step is to close the large ring. You may weld it closed, but for those who don't have a welder or access to one, I made mine using JB-Weld. Any 2-part epoxy will work, and can even make it look smoother, but I used materials that I already had on hand. Lightly sand the large ring. Mix the two parts together, and apply to both ends of the open ring. Slather it completely, to ensure the bond holds. Carefully, hold the two ends together and clamp it in some sort of way. I used a bench vise with paper on either side of the clamp surfaces, to keep the adhesive from sticking to the vise itself. Make sure it will stay there for however long the curing time of the adhesive is. Let it now sit for the curing time.

This step is to help smooth it out, to make it look nicer. Using 180-grit sandpaper it smoothed out any rough edges made by bending or by the adhesive. To finish it off I used some 400-grit sandpaper to make it real smooth.

Enjoy your new creation!

To use: Hold the large ring straight out in front of you with your non-dominant hand. Pull brass rings together with the thumb of your other hand at the end of the big ring farthest from you, as shown above. Spin the brass rings with a strong flick, if that is the right word. While the brass rings are spinning, pull the part of the large ring closest to you down, so as to have the farther end moving upward, keeping the ring up, and try to go as long as possible until the rings fall down. If this explanation is not satisfying, tell me in a comment. The brass rings' performance could be improved if they had more mass, but the design still works fine.