"Tomfoolery" Rolling Ball Sculpture

From artist Tom Harold comes "Tomfoolery," a rolling ball sculpture created specially for the Indianapolis Public Library Central Branch. The sculpture measures 25" x 35" x 18" and is made entirely of hand-bent, TIG-welded stainless steel. This captivating piece was created with their summer reading program in mind, which was themed around music. They already had a display case available for the sculpture, so it was simply my job to build it to size and make some magic happen with metal, wood blocks, a bell and a xylophone! You can see from the video that both the library and their patrons are extremely pleased with the end result. It is a pure joy to me to see my artwork appreciated so much by all, but especially children. I really felt fortunate to be able to create this work of fun, kinetic art for them. If you're in the area, stop by the Central Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library and check it out! It runs all day, every day of the week during business hours.
On a related note, the title of the piece, "Tomfoolery," comes not only from a play on words with my own name, but also as a desire to connect the sculpture with its home at the library. A favorite book of mine as a child was "How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen," by Russell Hoban. Tom, the main character, was always getting in trouble for fooling around! The parallels between the habits of Hoban's Tom and my chosen passion in art are not lost on me in the least, and I am happy they've come together so well with this sculpture.
If you're considering a truly unique and fascinating work of art to enhance your home or office, see my web site for more examples and contact information. Facebook and Instagram are good ways to keep up with my work, as I post progress photos and short videos there almost daily. I look forward to hearing from you!
Web site: www.tomharold.com
Facebook: tomharoldart
Instagram: / tomharoldart

[@chriswinkler284]

The addition of the wood blocks, xylophone and bel-hop bell made it all the more engaging. Encourages people, especially families, a reason to visit that particular library when they get bored from the zoo, museum or public aquarium. Thanks for the upload =)

[@TomHaroldArt]

Thank you so much, Chris. That bell was actually a metal pipe cap. I saw them in the steel shop when I was picking up supplies, picked it up, struck it and said, "I'll take two of these, please." They have the most pleasant tone. The library tells me that they have groups of children who visit regularly and always want to see "the ball machine." It is very gratifying to see it being enjoyed by so many.

[@TheWindGinProject]

Wonderful Tom! There is so much movement in this design. Thanks for sharing.

[@TomHaroldArt]

Bill! Thanks so much! Still grateful for your help way back in...2008? Look how far things have come!

[@TheWindGinProject]

Yes! Your creativity is inspirational! Please keep sharing your work on KZbin. Thanks Also; your clean build / design techniques really show off your mechanical concepts.

[@3dvizable]

TheWindGinProject .

[@usmanabbasi9117]

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[@masni38]

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[@gordonbryant4835]

I really, REALLY like your work, Tom! I'm just getting started with RBS and your pieces are quite the inspiration. Well done!

[@TomHaroldArt]

Thanks so much for the kind words, Gordon! It was not all that long ago that I was also getting started and being inspired by other RBS artists' work. Glad I can be a part of your experience!

[@DaveGrant-recorded]

Nice Art, Tom! -Amazing!

[@TomHaroldArt]

Glad you enjoy it, Dave, and thanks so much for helping to spread the word about it by posting it on Facebook as well!

[@epilotdk]

Wonderful RBS, well done!

[@TomHaroldArt]

Michael, thanks so much! It took a lot of work to create this one, but I'm very happy with the results, as are the library visitors!

[@EmprendeTrasciende]

excellent

[@TomHaroldArt]

Muchas gracias!

[@ecophage]

great job i just did my first one for my channel and am working on a second. i just saw something you did in a way a did clumbsily, thanks!

[@TomHaroldArt]

Thanks for the comment. That's a great video you put together on your sculpture, really cool how you geared down the motor RPM using a piston. Its a really fun piece!

[@dddunlap86]

This is so fuckin cool!!!!

[@TomHaroldArt]

Thanks a bunch, Derek! Glad you dig it. That's basically what I said the first time I ever saw one of these as an adult. Then I said, "I'm going to build one!"

[@user-ee4pj2xk9u]

Excuse me, can I ask if you have the detailed size of this device? I want to try it out！

[@L337g4m3r]

Really nice body of work here. I have always liked these things. I used to make crude ones when I was a kid (paper, scotch tape and cardboard), and made a few as an adult too (although nothing as good as yours). I even 3D printed a small one (I posted video). Before the internet I thought I was the only one who liked things like this. I thought I was kind of nutty for making them, and it was just a quirk of mine man was I wrong! It seems like if you are bitten by the bug you can't get enough of them. There are paintings which are surely great but your sculptures are art in 4 dimensions! When I retire I plant to try doing more. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing!

[@TomHaroldArt]

Thanks so much for the thorough comment, Dave, and I appreciate the compliments! I have talked with a number of other RBS artists who also though they were alone or nearly so in their affinity for these sculptures. The internert has been a wonderful tool for us, as it turns out there are a lot more of us out there, but we are still something of a minority, and we are spread out across continents. There is a Facebook group for RBS artists where we discuss such things and share ideas. I did not discover the art form until a few years ago, but I sure have jumped in headfirst with enthusiasm! Thanks again for the comment and compliments. Enjoy your own efforts with RBS. The are very rewarding to create!

[@L337g4m3r]

Only a few years? Wow you are a RBS machine machine! You really crank them out, and they are good quality. I will be interested to see what you come up with next. I thought about adding a hyperbolic funnel to an RBS someday but not sure how to make one. I like those because the ball seems to go "forever". I have always liked mechanical art. I made some of those low power solar motors after seeing examples of those too. All of these are interesting.

[@TomHaroldArt]

I try to stay busy! Honestly, for as much as I enjoy making them, I wish I had far more under my belt already. I look forward to the day when this is my full-time occupation, and I'm working toward making that happen. Yes, those funnels are fantastic! I love them, but finding appropriate materials can be a challenge. I've seen guys press their own with the right tooling, but more commonly they find some kind of donor from another device and use that piece of it. They are excellent for extending run-time and adding visual fascination all at once. I have always liked mechanics from my youth on up. I built a steam engine from a milk can with my dad when I was young, and an electric motor using a wooden spool, scraps of wood and screws. At 16 I became obsessed with old cars. It really has never let up!

[@britainreynolds7365]

Very impressive. I've watched on Instagram how much time this took, and I'm not suprised, wire tracks are crazy difficult to work with! I'm just sticking with wood tracks for my marble machine haha

[@TomHaroldArt]

Britain, thanks a bunch for jumping over to KZbin and making a comment! Very good of you. Thanks as well for all the kind words. Wood is another beast altogether, and I'm sure you have more skill with it than I do. Have you seen Jelle's work? He uses a lot of different materials, including wood. If not, click on his profile below and enjoy yourself!

[@britainreynolds7365]

Yes, I've seen Jelle's work, super cool stuff! It was one of many videos that got me into finally (starting to anyways) build a marble machine. But both wood and metal result in true works of art. Thanks for responding!

[@crystalvrie2321]

good luck

[@TomHaroldArt]

Thank you!

[@AdamSWolff]

Why the music instead of the actual sculpture's sound?

[@thisgame2]

exactly , such a high iq creation with such a low iq decision, its sad

[@XoVoX]

lovely, but seems quite loud for a library.

[@TomHaroldArt]

Good point, but the video was shot in a quiet room, and the microphone makes it sound much louder than it is in reality. In addition, you'll note that it's in a glass case which cuts down on the sound a bit as well. Oddly enough, the only thing you can hear very loudly is the wood blocks, and they aren't disruptive. I was worried about noise as well, but the library specifically asked for me to make something that made sounds! They have not had one complaint about noise. It is also a very large library, and the size of the room it's in may do a lot to make the sound unnoticeable beyond more than a few feet.

[@alexandreramos2876]

Where to buy

[@TomHaroldArt]

Thanks for asking, Alexandre. My web site has commission information at www.tomharold.com.

[@TheWindGinProject]

Hi Tom, I hope you are working on a new project or at least slowly planning another wild kinetic work. Also: I thought you would like this video. KZbin title = Nobody Knows Elon Musk ! MUST WATCH

[@TomHaroldArt]

Absolutely, Bill! Due to my persistence and diligence in pursuing my passion, I was able to leave my day job and take my artwork full time as of February of 2018! I build EVERY DAY now! If you are on Instagram, you can see daily progress of my work at the same account name TomHaroldArt. instagram.com/tomharoldart/ I was just watching a biography on Elon Musk just this past week! I'll look that one up. Thank you for the tip!

[@TheWindGinProject]

WOW! - Your Instagram site is so impressive. I have to admit that I always wish people would read the descriptions in the few videos I've posted but I'm just as guilty of not reading the descriptions. I see you have the Instagram link in the description. Congrats on the skill level you have achieved! I really like the different elements you show off in the videos on the Instagram link. I think if you had the time to add an annotation via the KZbin editor in all your videos that offered a link to the Instagram page or mention that the link is in the description then maybe more lazy people like me would see it. I just signed up and you are the only person I follow. My simple YT channel is about all I do with social media but I'm all for it. I may have clicked on it once before but I definitely forgot and assumed that you had YT videos of all your creations. Thanks! BTW the E. Musk video I mentioned is a short one. I look forward to seeing more videos but you seem way to busy for that. Best success and congrats!

[@TomHaroldArt]

Many thanks for all the compliments, Bill! Yes, I have been hard at work the past few years developing my skills with RBS. Thanks again for that early instruction in soldering heavy copper wire! I may do as you suggest and put those notes in the video. You are right, many people don't read these days. I used to watch a lot of videos on harmonica, and with the notes in the bottom section indicating the key of the instrument being used, you'd have dozens of people asking the key. I have found that Instagram is a great way for me to spread the word about my art, so I lean into it plenty and take advantage of it. Can you imagine trying to reach 14K people in the 80s for free? You had to figure out a way to get press coverage or some other method, and it still would not often go as far as web-based methods do today. The Elon Musk video was a funny one. I take it for granted that people know who he is, but I forget that plenty of people aren't interested in that aspect of life.

[@masni38]

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[@ZironOfTime]

This should've been the music kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4PMqa2tj9FpkJo

[@TomHaroldArt]

Hah! That's awesome! I didn't know there was a Spongebob song with that name!

[@jfcm1627]

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