where can I buy swivel for a mobile

[dylan]

I need to get my hands on one swivel that turns all the way around. Two very small rings that swivel around each other, allowing the connected parts of the mobile to move freely with respect to each other. If you know where to get these, online, a physical store or a private person who happens to have one, please contact me. Thanks. This should be a small part, around half an inch in length.

[Merlion]

Swivel rings and hooks are standard accessories of wire ropes. Look for hardware stores that sell wire ropes. Or at Google, go for the key words wire rope accessories.

But wire ropes come in a whole range of sizes. If you are looking for 1/2" swivel, I think your mobile sculptre is small and the related wire rope is thin. In that case perhaps some hobby shops may have such a small size.

[GlennT]

I once created a humourous store manneqin for a boating store. In order for the arms to swivel in various positions I bought from a hardware store the inserts that can go on the bottoms of chair or table legs that allow them to roll. These have a ball swiveling in a ring connected to a threaded rod and come in various sizes. Perhaps they will work for your purpose.

GlennT

[jOe~]

How heavy is the piece? For light weight ojects very large selections of fishing lure swivels are available that would hold up to say 3#, maybe more.

jOe~

[EJB]

Weight it needs to support and degree and ease of movement will determine what you need. A large amount of the rotational movement in a mobile comes from the twisting of the string or cable the piece is suspended from. If you wish to prevent the wind/unwind condition, a swivel is most helpful. Note that a very heavy piece without a bearing to allow for full 360 degree rotation is in danger of wearing out the cable due to friction at the connecting point. Most ALEXANDER CALDER mobiles (generally less than 10-15 pounds) just have cable looped through an eyescrew. Many heavy (sometimes hundreds of pounds), suspended from the ceiling pieces, will have some sort of thrust bearing assembly. Assuming that yours is a smaller, lighter assembly, you should be able to find what you need at the local hardware store, hobby shop, boating/fishing supply or perhaps even jewelry/craft supply. I would bet that the craft store run by PEARL PAINT would have something you could use. Good luck.

[Thatch]

Since you mentioned 2 rings and basically nothing else my idea is to go to an auto parts dealer and look at wheel bearings. Different sizes, all move easily and weight should not be a problem. Aso you should be able to weld any attachments you want onto the bearing rings, inside and out.

Thatch

[jim87998]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/co...ivel&noImage=0

I think this is what you are looking for........Cabela's - barrel swivels, ball bearing swivels... Walmart also has barrel swivels and some sizes of ball bearing swivels..........all are fishing supplies.....

jim

[jsimms]

go to http://spro.com/ and search "heavy Swivel" and you'll find a really beefy ball bearing swivel as used by commercial fishermen. I used to get them directly from the guy who developed them. I've got probably 50 size 6
ball bearing black swivels with hook (not as above). I'd guess 100lbs test or so. If anyone wants them, they're yours for the shipping.
john

[Bill Harsey]

jsimms,
The heavy swivel you link to looks like a miniature version of some of the logging rigging I handled in my misspent youth.
You guys have this one covered, look to the commercial marine fisheries rigging supplies for a huge range of strong stuff.

The big barrel swivels we used on the old "high lead" rigging pulled loads in excess of a 100,000 lbs. without failing.