baby rattle

Drew Watson

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2,070
Location
Salt Spring Island, BC Canada
I have not posted much as I have been real busy with work but my Nephew and his wife had a little girl a month or so back and I promised a home made rattle for little Eve. Well I finally got on it this weekend and am doing two for thanks giving. One captured ring rattle and one with beans. A challenge in both ways as i have only done a caputere ring goblet once before and have never tried the other one. here is the captured ring one I finished yesterday. I had to make a tool to do the rings out of an old chisel as i couldn't find a file small enough in my drawer of files. The rattle is maple and is 2 inches by 5 with a wax buffed finish.

For the second rattle I had to build a jig and use a router to hollow out for the beans and then do a glue up before turning it (I have to turn it today). I will post a full set of pics today once I get it done. Wish me luck that I don't slip up and end up with it blowing up. :thumb:
 

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Good luck!

I'm about to head down to the Dungeon and have a go at one myself.

A friend of my wife just had a baby, so my wife put in the order for a rattle :D
 
Ok just finished up the second rattle. here is the complete jig and capture tool that I made for this. ( I need to make more now:rolleyes: ) I must say that this was fun. I personalized the second rattle for her. I placed 9 dried black eyed peas into the rattle and it seems to be just the right amount. ( just in case anyone was wondering). Personally I like the sound of the capture ring rattle better than the bean one. It is also lighter.
 

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Both are really cool, and the explanation of the jig to make the captive ball one perfectly clear.

Those are going to be heirloom pieces for sure.:thumb:
 
Well the rattles were a hit and baby eve likes the captured ring one the best. Light and easy to hold. Must admit the bean one was fun to make but the weight is an issue due to the size and that is due to the choking issues of baby toys.
 
instead of starting another thread, I thought I'd just add my work to this one, hope you don't mind Drew!

First I had to make a captive ring tool, I had some old Craftsmen turning tools laying around that I was given with my first C-man tube lathe a long while back, they have been good donors for this kind of thing.

captive_ring_tool_1.jpg
That is where I started.

captive_ring_tool_2.jpg
Here is what I ended up with, still needs work, but it did an OK job

baby_rattles.jpg
The one on the bottom will not be given away, it is too long and the rings are too thin for my liking, the top one is going to my wife's friend who just had a baby, I hope they like it.

Hard Maple wood and mineral oil for a finish.

Fun, I'll make some more for sure.

Cheers!
 
Looking good Stu. No worries about adding to the thread as it just adds to the fun. I was concerned with the size of the rings too as I don't want them breaking yet don't want them looking too heavy. Surprisingly how loud the rings are over the beans. I most definately will be making more. :thumb:
 
Drew, I've made some enclosed rattles too. I've found that the thickness of the walls has a big influence on the sound, as does what is used for the rattling pieces. Ball bearings work really well sound wise, but I think using dried beans or peas "feels" a lot better in a baby's toy.

I really like how you hollowed out the 2 pieces with a router jig.
 
Well, here's our father & son effort. I made the box, and Ben made the rattle. It is sized to fit an infant's hand, finished with olive oil. The rounds add to the sound of the rings as they move. Box is simply pine, finished with shellac and wax. Both pretty small, as illustrated by the quarter for scale.

box-1.jpg


rattleinbox.jpg


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It looks great Ken just be careful with the rattle size as small children can choke on things that can fit a hole smaller than 1 3/4 inch. I know it was tempting to build a smaller rattle for the baby but there are certain guidelines that have been set out to prevent children and small toys that can fit in their mouths. :thumb:
 
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