Simple rope and weights

From Spin Meteor

A simple rope and weight meteor is one of the easiest practice meteors to make.

Contents 1 Construction 1.1 Materials 1.2 Tools 1.3 Instructions

Construction

This is one of the simplest practice meteors you can make. You simply need two equal weights and a length of rope.

Materials

Rope

Depending on how long you are going to want your meteor to be you are going to need somewhere between 8 and 10 feet of rope. The rope should preferably be soft on the hands and resistant to ware.

Weights

You'll need two equal weights about 4 or 5 ounces each. One or a few [led fishing weights] are often used for this but anything smaller then a tennis ball will do.

Scrap Material

You may not need this but if you have trouble securing your weights into your monkey fist knots you can try using some material as space filler.

Tools

No tools are required for this construction but you might find it easier to tie a monkey fist knot with a pair of needle nose pliers.

Instructions

1. Tie a monkey fist knot into one end of the rope with one weight inside of the knot. If the weight doesn't hold securely in the center of the sphere fill the empty space with material. Don't be afraid to pack it in tight, as you tighten the monkey fist it'll compress the fabric and make a nice firm hold.
2. Now go run outside and play with your new rope dart.... oh wait no! We're making a freak'n meteor here!
3. At this point you need to decide how long you want your meteor to be.
   • If you want your meteor to be as long as possible then a good rule of thumb for what too long is the behind the back pass (in that you don't want your meteor to be too long to be able to do a behind the back pass). To measure for this hold your half built meteor in one hand and place that hand behind your back, just around the small of your back, with your thumb pointed down. Adjust the length of rope between your thumb and the heavy end of the meteor until the monkey fist knot is about 2 or 3 inches above the ground.
4. Mark this position on the rope some how that wont easily rub off and start tying your second monkey fist knot same as the first.
5. That's it you're ready to spin.
   • If you find that you've made your meteor a tad bit too long and you don't want to have to retie and entire knot try adding a knot or two to the very center of the rope. Some people like a knot there anyway.