# Spin Art machines - how is the paper/card attached to the turntable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2007, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-art-machines-how-is-the-paper-card-attached-to-the-turntable/427413 "2007-11-22T09:35:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2007, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-art-machines-how-is-the-paper-card-attached-to-the-turntable/427413/1 "2007-11-22T09:35:38Z")
I’m going to build a spin art painting machine - the only bit that puzzles me about the construction is how to hold down the card onto the turntable while it is spinning, without obstructing part of it from being painted. How is it done in production-line spin art machines? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2007, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-art-machines-how-is-the-paper-card-attached-to-the-turntable/427413/2 "2007-11-22T10:32:30Z")
The little toy ones had a cradle the size of a 3x5 card or so. Each corner of the cradle held a corner of the card. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2007, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-art-machines-how-is-the-paper-card-attached-to-the-turntable/427413/3 "2007-11-22T10:39:03Z")
The ones I have seen for 3x5 cards have nothing. The user just tapes it on the back (with a little loop, like you do to a poster on the wall). This also allows the card to be placed off center for added fun. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-art-machines-how-is-the-paper-card-attached-to-the-turntable/427413/4 "2007-11-26T23:35:34Z")
Thanks for the ideas. In the end, I drilled a few shallow depressions in the face of the turntable, and into each of these I pressed a little nugget of white-tak (that stuff you use to put posters up on the wall - also that stuff you use to remove small circles of wall paint when you take posters down). That worked really quite well. Build details and initial results can be seen [here](http://atomicshrimp.com/9515/), if anyone is interested. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-art-machines-how-is-the-paper-card-attached-to-the-turntable/427413/5 "2007-11-26T23:48:09Z")
Nice work. You should add a speed control to it for different effects and finer control. With a DC motor, a simple rheostat ought to do the trick. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-art-machines-how-is-the-paper-card-attached-to-the-turntable/427413/6 "2007-11-26T23:55:24Z")
Not a bad idea - I think I might have a 100 ohm wirewound somewhere…