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Seeking source for small hollow cones.

17 replies [Last post]
Thu, 08/07/2008 - 08:55
InvisibleJon
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Hollow cones made out of Sculpey.

Hi All,

I'm working on a game that uses small hollow cones (about 1/2 inch high and 1 & 1/2 inches in diameter). Imagine an ice cream cone, but a lot flatter and smaller and you'll know what I'm taking about.

I've attached a rendering of a cone with the correct proportions in case I'm not clear. Note that the proportions of the cone in the diagram are correct, but the translucency of the cone is just for show. I don't particularly care what the cones are made out of. I'm using paper now and I'd like something that's more durable than that.

If anyone can point me at a resource for cones like these, or a way for normal mortals to make them, I'd appreciate it. If you know of a resource for cones that are a little smaller or bigger, I'm still interested to hear it.

Thank you,

Jonathan

Edit: August 14, 2008
What I eventually did...

I searched local stores briefly for cheap toy tops, then decided to make them out of Sculpey. I rolled a thin (~1/8th inch) sheet out, then cut out circles with the mouth and base of a paper cup. Next, I chopped a wedge (~20%) from each circle. Then I gently pressed the two inner edges together, forming a cone. The attached image now shows what I had after baking at 275 degrees for 15 minutes.

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Thu, 08/07/2008 - 09:16
#1
seo
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Is cardboard OK?

If it's just for the prototype, it's quite easy: you just need to cut one radius in a circle, form the cone and stick a piece of adhesive tape to keep it in place.

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Thu, 08/07/2008 - 09:29
#2
InvisibleJon
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Thanks for the suggestion,

Thanks for the suggestion, Seo.

Sorry I wasn't clear: When I said I'm using paper, I meant that I'm using cardstock. The solution you suggest is actually the one I'm using right now. Although it's an okay solution, I'm looking for something more durable.

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Thu, 08/07/2008 - 09:34
#3
bluesea
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Looks like a fancy drawer or

Looks like a fancy drawer or cabinet knob (or pull). Try looking for something like that. I found these pretty quickly. One is a low-sloped metal dome, not a pyramid. The second link is for some wooden knobs that look a bit more pyramidal. If you have a drill and a belt sander, you could easily make these look like what you want and cut off the bottom.

http://www.myhomehardware.com/servlet/the-1328/Dome-Cabinet-Drawer-Knobs...
http://www.americanwoodcrafterssupply.com/wooden-products/knobs.htm#Knobs

Edit: actually, scroll down on the second link to: 1-1/2" Knob w/ Threaded Insert
Looks like that might work well.

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Thu, 08/07/2008 - 09:44
#4
InvisibleJon
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Thanks for the suggestion,

Thanks for the suggestion, bluesea. I've considered the same thing, and I may resort to taking a Dremel tool to some cabinet knobs. I'm just hoping that someone has already stumbled across a wooden bits supplier that has wooden cones.

Incidentally, it's important that the parts are cones, and not pyramids.

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Thu, 08/07/2008 - 09:52
#5
tdishman
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What about cheap spinning

What about cheap spinning tops (like kids play with)? I'll bet that you could find a whole bag of them at a party supply store for very cheap. All you'd have to do is cut the stem out of them and they should work great.

I couldn't figure out how to insert an image, but here's a link to an image of a cheap party favor that might work:

http://www.birthdaydirect.com/images/bee-movie-tops.png

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Thu, 08/07/2008 - 17:28
#6
MusedFable
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There are cone washers (nuts

There are cone washers (nuts and bolts kind of washers). They have an opening at the top of the cone though.

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Thu, 08/07/2008 - 18:30
#7
InvisibleJon
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Aaaah! Perfect!

Aaaah! Perfect! Perfect!

Woot!

Thanks tdishman!

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Sun, 08/10/2008 - 11:13
#8
Nestalawe
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I needs cones too!

I am looking for wee hollow stackable cones as well, preferably wooden and coming in yellow, red, green and blue ;)

But they need to be quite small, i.e. 10-15mm base diameter. I need to stack up to 5 on top of eachother you see. At the moment I am using small wooden disks i.e. like these Mare Nostrum ones -

http://boardgamegeek.com/image/59681

But of course they are more likely to fall over when stacked then cones would be...

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Sun, 08/10/2008 - 18:21
#9
MatthewF
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Stacking Cones

For Nestawale: One of the "classic" boardgames from Milton Bradley (I'm pretty sure) had colorful stacking cones in one of its incarnations, I just can't remember which one. Something like Trouble or Aggravation or Sorry, though a bit of googling isn't revealing it. Maybe someone else can remember. Probably something that could easily be found on ebay or via a thrift store, if you knew what it was called. :)

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Sun, 08/10/2008 - 21:10
#10
gameprinter
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Try Plastics For Games

P4G has a Pyramid and a cone that might work. They are a little tall, but are about the only stock plastic cones that I know of right now.

http://www.p4g.co.uk/us/us_prod_playpiece.asphttp://www.p4g.co.uk/us/us_...

Note: Never design for custom plastic if you plan to self-publish less than 10,000 games. We're looking at MOQs (Minimum Order Quantities) of 7,000 games worth of parts for custom parts. That's up from about 3-5000 last year. There is often a mold cost of a 2500-5000 USD as well. I'm steering LOTS of people away from custom plastic this year.

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Mon, 08/11/2008 - 07:39
#11
Nestalawe
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Disks with nipples?

Cheers guys, useful stuff...

The other thing I could use, which would actually be better than cones, would be those little disks with 'nipples' so that they can stack effectively. Know what I mean? Anyone know if these are easy to get hold of?

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Mon, 08/11/2008 - 08:00
#12
gameprinter
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Chips?

Other than winks (tiddlywinks - flat, smooth surfaced plastic chits), most companies offer a poker chip style plastic piece. That's about the only stackable disk style that I've seen as a stock piece. I'm sure somebody has a "nippled disk" (that'd be a fun one to call around on!) in the back catalog, but you'd have to dig for it and the supplier would have to check with the mold owner to see if they'd let you use it. P4G has some pieces with crenelated edges that look nice, but neither they nor any of my other suppliers have a smooth disk with a raised center.

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Mon, 08/11/2008 - 12:54
#13
InvisibleJon
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"One of the "classic"

"One of the "classic" boardgames from Milton Bradley (I'm pretty sure) had colorful stacking cones in one of its incarnations, I just can't remember which one."

It was Headache. That was one of my favorite games when I was growing up.

Picture with cones clearly shown: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/41764

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Mon, 08/11/2008 - 14:16
#14
MatthewF
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Bingo!

Give that man a quarter!

Parts would work for a prototype for Nestawale, I'd think, but as Gameprinter points out, not so great for production.

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Mon, 08/11/2008 - 16:35
#15
sedjtroll
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These might work too... I got

These might work too... I got some from a school supply store, and you can probably find them online at like classroomdirect.com or via google. They're called Stackable Counters.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/156458

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Fri, 08/22/2008 - 22:45
#16
SiddGames
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Yep, Stackable Counters

sedjtroll wrote:
These might work too... I got some from a school supply store, and you can probably find them online at like classroomdirect.com or via google. They're called Stackable Counters.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/156458

I was just about to suggest the same thing. Here is a set of 500 for $9.50 from EAI:

http://www.eaieducation.com/530841.html

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Fri, 08/22/2008 - 23:57
#17
Zzzzz
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SiddGames wrote:sedjtroll

SiddGames wrote:
sedjtroll wrote:
These might work too... I got some from a school supply store, and you can probably find them online at like classroomdirect.com or via google. They're called Stackable Counters.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/156458

I was just about to suggest the same thing. Here is a set of 500 for $9.50 from EAI:

http://www.eaieducation.com/530841.html

I LOVE THOSE! Nice resource thanks!

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