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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1922)
INVISIBLE COLOR BOOK Cr (Cork.) - Wails- Gui Fiddle or Banjo Strinm Rubber Ball V (fy How Well Do You Know Your Bible? 20 yyf Can You Read the Pictures? (msA The Weather Ball or Hydrometer by Edward Thatcher The Weather Ball pictured above it a very useful and Interesting toy to make. Change In the weather cause the ball to turn, so that If It Is going to rain, the ball will turn around toward the word Wei, and If It has been raining and it Is going to clear, the ball will awing toward the word Dry. , The reason (or this action Is very simple. There Is always more or less moisture In the air,, whether we can see It In the form of rain or not The ball Is suspended from the wooden framework by a piece of fiddle or banjo' sinner. These strings are made from the Intestines of eertain animals (not the wire strings sometimes used for hese Instruments, of course; do not try to use these). When the air beoomes moist, the fiddle string absorbs moisture, which causes It to swell and to twist slightly, thus turning the ball. When the moisture dries out of the air. If. of course. dres out of the fiddle string also, causing It to shrink and also twist, thus turning the ball the other way i By making and watching the Weather Ball you may become quit a weather prophet and mystify all your friends. - To make the Weather Ball you will need a short piece pf a fiddle or banjo string about 5 Inches long, one rubber ball SV or 3 inches In diameter, a small cork, some fiat pieces of wood for the framework, eight small nails and one large one. Make the wooden framework first The piece of wood which is used fpr the base C should be about 1 Inch thick and Inches square. The two side supports B, B should be m, ?f thln wod about 1 Inch wide and S Inches long. Cigar-box wood will do very nicely for these. The top piece A should be about 1 inch square and 4 Inches long. Ah',11""h.uy larB"er han the mall end of the cork O. which Is to be pushed In It. should be bored through the center of the piece A. as shown The frame should then b nailed together Make a hole In the rubber ball for on end of the fiddle string. A simple way to do this Is to shove a large needle In an old penholder, heat the needle red hot and then push it through the rubber to burn a hole A hole may be burned through the cork In the same way Tie a small knot In one end of the fiddle string Pour some alcohol In a small cup and soak the fiddle string In the alcohol for a few minutes to remove the rosin, eta. Then push the knot at the end of the string through th hole In the rubber ball. to that the ball will be held at the end of the string. Push the other end of the fiddle string up through the hole In piec A and then through the hole In the cork. Slip the cork In place, pull up on the fiddle string until the ball swings clear of the base and then tie a knot In this end of the string to hold the ball in place Drive a nail In the base C. so that It forms a pointer, as shown at D Paint the wooden framework and the ball as you like, but do not paint the fiddle string Set the Weather Ball on the porch where it Is shielded from the sun. wind or rain, but where the air may circu late freely about It Make a chalk mark on the ball oppo site the pointer and then after an hour or so see which way the ball has turned, and notice the state of the. weather and mark the ball accordingly, after which the words "wet" and . "dry" may be painted on. as shown In th picture.