Move on, nothing to see here, disperse ...

This video shows an hourglass that uses small plastic balls instead of sand which are floating in a viscous liquid of higher density.

It looks like an inverse sand clock in slow motion. It may seem extremely boring just like watching a candle burn.

Have you heard about "The Chemical History of a Candle"? Maybe someone will be inspired to write "The Fluid mechanical history of an inverse sand timer" 8-)

[locouk]

It just needs some relaxing music and be filmed at 20, 000 fps.
Get in touch with the SloMo guys for a collaboration.

[EdFortune]

"You have until the sands run up"

[stefantrethan]

It was quite interesting to observe the downdraft caused by the fluid flowing into the lower chamber.
The discontinuity in the glass surface at the orifice seems quite important to proper function, one has to wonder how many attempts were needed to perfect this design. Thanks for sharing the candle lecture, I don't think that one is on the RI channel.

[MazeFrame]

That was acutally really relaxing to watch!

[RolfRBakke]

I thought it was blood cells for a moment :)

[azyfloof]

I wonder what it would sound like if you taped a very sensitive microphone to the top of the timer? Might sound like rain :D

[PrinceElcor]

i dont believe it... he strikes again with one off these knowing we'll watch it to the end

[voxsystem]

Nice! This would have been so hypnotic with 60fps

[marshalllhiepler]

Raise your hand, if ...
the air bubble at the top of the hour glass pissed you off a little.

[sandytw]

you can count the number of the balls floating

[Readysetbuild]

I didn't do what you said and I'm so happy I didn't :) great video

[SpeedLockedNZ]

it needs something, tick tock, tick tock or metronome

[mikesmicroshop]

Would have been great if it were clean and did not have all of the crap and detritus floating around in the fluid! It was very distracting and made what could have been really cool much less so.