magnetic - Anything In Particular

Vintage “Space Wheel” Kinetic Perpetual Desktop Motion Toy made by Downpace Ltd.

Jon Nix — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 18:53:59 +0000

Very uncommon and very captivating, this is the "Space Wheel", made in Taiwan and sold by Downpace. It's a kinetic, perpetual motion toy which uses the power of a magnetic field to help propel a three-legged "wheel" back and forth across it. On a black plastic base with clear acrylic, the Space Wheel is a simple but elegant piece of desktop distraction. See it working here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkX7vkPIIMa/

This one is complete and boxed with only very minor signs of age and wear, and includes some intriguingly titled and worded "instructions". Assembling the Space Wheel requires no tools or glue - the runners simply slot into the base, a HP7/PP3 battery is inserted on the connectors on the inside of the base, and, with a gentle nudge from one end of the runners, the wheel will find momentum and keep going until removed.

When assembled, the Space Wheel measures approximately 33cm (11 in.) across, with a height of about 7.5cm (3 in.) and depth of 6.5cm (2½ in.).

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Schlagheck Schultes for OSRAM Magnetic Eyeball Wall Lamp AGILO W40 (1979)

Jon Nix — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 20:39:25 +0000

Schlagheck Schultes's AGILO W40 wall lamp for Osram won an iF design award in 1979 - and you can see why. Functionally it's an eyeball lamp which anchors magnetically to its wall mount and aesthetically it's a mix of simple shapes and minimalist lines wrapped up in an absolutely-no-frills package. It's absolute understatement, but very vocal about how well engineered and how closely designed it has been. The box illustrates some possible uses of the lamp - for focusing light on a particular area, for reading, etc. - but it almost goes without saying that this lamp itself now is likely to be the centre of attention rather than what it is illuminating.

This one is almost flawless in terms of condition (the box and small manual aside), and seemingly never used for its intended purpose. The wall mount measures approximately 11.5cm (4½ in.) square with a depth of 2.5 cm (1 in.). The "eyeball" is approximately 10cm (4 in.) in diameter with a bulb opening of 5cm (2 in.). The bulb holder is a small screw type (E14) with a maximum wattage of 40W recommended. Installation is easy and instructions provided. You may even be tempted to use this as a desk or table light... which is what we have had in mind for it ourselves!

Serious offers are welcomed for this highly unusual and uncommon item.

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Vintage Perpetual Luminous Calendar Wall Mount or Desk Standing

Jon Nix — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 13:46:53 +0000

Just ever-so-slightly kitsch magnetic luminous perpetual calendar, presumed to be made in the 1960s or 1970s in Hong Kong. The case of curved white plastic with textured black reverse houses a calendar which is set using the orange magnet which attaches to the front. The magnet is used to drag a luminous section of orange to the appropriate day name, day number and month. The calendar can either be wall mounted or used via a fold out stand on a desk or table in a standing position.

That's really all there is to it, but we like it. We think someone else will find its simplicity and look to be appealing and fun too.

The calendar measures approximately 24cm by 16cm by 2cm and is in good condition.

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