If you truly want the mirror ball to be on top of the bar without a circus of hardware to get ity done - do the following:
1. By a good quality motor that can operated just as well in the nverted position as it can in a hang. (not all will, because of the bearings used.) Create whatever adapter you need to O-Clamp or U-bolt that motor atop a crosss bar.
2. Remove the ring and rod that runs through the center of the mirror ball (12" ball is ideal max.) Replace it with a piece of threaded rod at leat 2" longer than the ball diameter. Place a washer and nut on each side to clamp/secure the ball - leaving the excess length of rod on one end.
3. Use a rod connector (essentially an extended length 'nut') to make a union between the threaded rod and your mirror ball motor. This requires adapting the union and drilling out one side to slip over the motor shaft. An additional smaller through hole should be drilled in side for a cotter pin locking them together. The cotter pin runs simulataneously through the rod union and where the original key-ring is connected on the motor shaft.
4. Alternatively, you could have the rod union welded or permanently attached to the motor shaft and simply thread the ball into it each time.
On a side note, I find treating mirror balls in this way (stand mounts) flies in the face of the mirror balls hitsorical and central romanticism. I prefer using battery powered motors and/or various rigging hardware to get it on the ceiling of a venue whenever possible. It's one of the few lighting effects that doesn't require the light source to be local to it, or even power cords to make it work.
1. By a good quality motor that can operated just as well in the nverted position as it can in a hang. (not all will, because of the bearings used.) Create whatever adapter you need to O-Clamp or U-bolt that motor atop a crosss bar.
2. Remove the ring and rod that runs through the center of the mirror ball (12" ball is ideal max.) Replace it with a piece of threaded rod at leat 2" longer than the ball diameter. Place a washer and nut on each side to clamp/secure the ball - leaving the excess length of rod on one end.
3. Use a rod connector (essentially an extended length 'nut') to make a union between the threaded rod and your mirror ball motor. This requires adapting the union and drilling out one side to slip over the motor shaft. An additional smaller through hole should be drilled in side for a cotter pin locking them together. The cotter pin runs simulataneously through the rod union and where the original key-ring is connected on the motor shaft.
4. Alternatively, you could have the rod union welded or permanently attached to the motor shaft and simply thread the ball into it each time.
On a side note, I find treating mirror balls in this way (stand mounts) flies in the face of the mirror balls hitsorical and central romanticism. I prefer using battery powered motors and/or various rigging hardware to get it on the ceiling of a venue whenever possible. It's one of the few lighting effects that doesn't require the light source to be local to it, or even power cords to make it work.
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