What is a good wooden rainbow like?

What is a good wooden rainbow like? What is it supposed to look like? 

Nowadays, social media is full of wooden rainbow stackers' photos and that is why a lot of companies and toymakers started to produce them. 

Before you buy one, think of the purpose of your purchase; what kind of toy experience do you expect from it? 

There are plenty of wooden rainbows which are good only for display or they are just accessories for the scenery. But if you wish to create those amazing Instagram worthy creations which defy gravity, you should watch out for these things:

1. Proportion

It is very important that the pieces of the wooden rainbow should not close a perfect circle. The wood is not supposed to be cut at the center exactly, rather somewhere above. This makes the arches more flat and they sit and nest better together. 

On this photo you can see that the horizontal length is 38 cm, the vertical 18 cm, so if you double the vertical length, it is 2 cm shorter than the whole horizontal. 

2.Size of the arches

The arches’ width must match the height of the rainbow. For example, if a large 18 cm tall rainbow has less than 6 cm wide pieces, it will flip over easily, you won't be able to balance it. Arches that are narrower than 6 cm make it impossible to build an awesome tower with semicircles and peg dolls and cute wooden figurines won't fit in. 

For building, the arches must be cut nicely, thin pieces are the best for making magic with these toys. 

 

The first one is 18 cm tall 6 cm wide from the side, the second type flips over easily, the last one is a small rainbow that has the same ratio like the first one, and builds well. 

3.Grinding/sanding and cutting quality

The touch of the wood should not be too smooth because if it's silky, they won't stick together, it will be impossible to nest them. The cut should be even on every arche, to check this, just look from above, none of the pieces should stick out from the row. 

Wooden rainbow

Wooden rainbowRainbow

4. Painting quality 

The best rainbows are made with matt finish, the touch feels like velvet. Thick painted and lacquered rainbows are not good for stacking. 

5. Type of the wood

Rainbow stackers can fall down a lot, they should be a bit flexible so best if they are from lime wood. Pine wood is too soft, every single fall will damage it and it is too light for rainbow stackers. Toy makers choose pine wood only because it has a lower cost.

I hope my advice helps you make the best decision and if you have any questions or would like to add something to the list, do not hesitate to contact me at termeszetesjatekok@gmail.com

Lejla Oravecz-Horváth

Language correction was made by Anna Sarkadi Nagy