We made a TOOLBOX, hurrah…

A lineup of six toolboxes made by children of the Kingston Boys and Girls Club

We started summer camp by making a tool box from scratch. First the children needed a basic tool, the hammer to assemble the toolbox. After they assembled the hammer, just a piece of hardwood and a handle, they could nail together the sides on the box. Decorations are individual choices.

If you want to make a toolbox, look in the side bar of this blog under TOOLBOX and click to go to the site. There is also a Hammer for Toolbox in the list, check it out!

Have fun!

Your own bilge water pump, it works!

A bilge pump draws water from the lowest level of a ship’s hull, or from any lower level where water can pool, to a higher level. You can also pump water from a pail into a container.

Build your own pump and have a race with your friends to fill a yogurt container with water from a larger pail. Who pumps the fastest wins. BUT to pump fast you need a tactic: move the piston up and down gently but regularly and you might win the contest. Only one can win, but you all have much fun.

Warning: do this outside… it is a watery game!

If you really want to know how this pump works, go to the side bar and click “Understanding WATER PUMPS”.

The materials you need are all readily around the house or you have to scrounge them from some professional outlets. The wire for the “piston rod” is cut from a coat hanger. Use pliers cut off the longest length from the bottom of the hanger. Then bend one end over and make a small eye as a stopper.

Corks are getting scarce since most wine bottles, for example, come with screw lids. But you can get corks at the amateur wine making stores or we are sure you can find some corks still around the house or at your friends’ place.

You need one washer that has a small hole to fit the wire, but those are not easy to come by. We used a small and larger washer, the small one locks-up the piston at the bottom, the larger washer supports the rubber piston. the larger washer is about 19 mm in diameter.

Note the larger washer should have a diameter a little smaller than the inside diameter of the tube, or “cylinder”.

The tube is a piece of electrical plastic “three quarter” conduit, it has an inside diameter of about 21 millimeter. You can use any saw to cut the tube to a lenght of about 30 cm. The tube or cylinder should be shorter than the length of the wire you cut from the coathanger.

You need a marble for the “foot valve” and a piece of rubber hose about 2 centimeter long that fits into the tube or cylinder.We used “1/2 inch” water heater hose, that you can scrounge from a garage or at any automotive supply store.You can cut it with a box-cutter or sharp knife, get some help and be careful!

The pump outlet is a piece of clear plastic hose, about 8 mm in outside diameter, you can buy that by the foot or 30 cm length minimal at any hardware store. If you ask for a smaller piece or sample you might get it free!

The black rubber piston is made from rubber flat-roof lining, it is about 2 mm thick and any building supply company sells it 3 meters wide and a minimum of one foot. But ask for a sample and … You can also use flexible leather. You have to cut a circular piece that is perfectly round and fits tightly in the tube or cylinder. We stamp it out with a steel tube that we have filed into a sharp edge at one end. But you can use a compas to mark a circle on cardboard and cut that, check the size and then cut the rubber or leather with the cardboard circle as a template. The steel tube is just the same size as the plastic tube, we show it on the photo, the flange at teh top results from multiple hammer blows using it to stamp out the rubber or leather pistons. Both the plastic and steel tube you can get from the electrical supply company, or from your friendly neighborhood hardware store or electrician. Electricians have bits and pieces of plastic and steel tubing that they are more than willing to share with you when you explain you need them for a science and technology project!

The piston

The piston is the most important part of the pump, together with the foot valve.

Note that the bottom of the wire is bend to stop the piston parts from coming off the wire or “piston rod”. Put the small washer on first, then the larger washer which has almost the size of the inside of the tube or “cylinder”. Then put on the rubber washer that you have punched out or cut out from a piece of leather or we used a piece of rubber membrane that roofers use on a flat roof. Finally, put a small washer on top of the rubber or leather piston.

When all these parts are in place put a bead of glue from a hot glue gun on the top side to prevent the piston arrangement from sliding up the wire or piston rod. The glue gun is one of those plug in plastic glue applicators use in many crafts and they are available from most hardware stores, if they are not already in the house. Your friends may have one that you can borrow?

We marred the wire close to the piston assembly to make it less smooth so the glue will adhere well. Use a small triangular file or small metal saw or pliers to make small indentations on the wire surface over a distance of about 1 cm above the rubber washer. That will hold the glue well, make sure not to mark the wire too deep otherwise it might break off!

The foot valve assembly

The foot valve has two parts, a 2 cm piece of rubber hose and a marble. Put the marble in first then push the rubber hose into the cylinder. The marble should sit loosely on the rubber hose so it can lift off the hose to let the water in and close the valve when the piston goes down. The hose is a half inch or 12.5 mm water heater hose or similar rubber or silicone hose you may scrounge. Make sure it is nice and square cut at both ends. You don’t have to puss it in all the way, leave half a centimeter sticking out, so you can disassemble the pump when necessary!

Piston and cylinder assembly

The piston is inserted in the cylinder, add a little Vaseline to the piston or inside the cylinder for smoother operation. The cork goes in next, it is a “gland” that seals the top of the pump. If it leaks you might get wet! Cut the cork in half and then make a small hole in it so that you can shove it on the wire or piston rod. You can use a small twist drill to make this hole. You could try to pumch a hole with a carpenter’s nail, but it may not work as well. Make sure the hole in the cork is a little smaller than the wire of the coat hanger. Put a little Vaseline on the wire or “piston rod” so it slides and seals better to prevent leaking.

You might have to use force to push the cork into the cylinder.

The last step

Insert the plastic tube into the outlet hole of the pump. It should be a tight fit and you have to press the tube into the hole using some force. The diameter of the tube should be a little larger than the hole you drilled into the body or cylinder of the pump. We used a 7 millimeter twist drill to make the hole, and the tube is about 8 mm in diameter. You can use any size tube, as long as it fits in the slightly smaller hole! Note that the hole is a little tapered or rounded at the outside to make it easier to press the plastic tube in.

You finished the pump, congratulations!

Now you finished the pump, try it out in a pail of water, and pump some water into another container. It is more fun if you have a race with your friends…who can be the first to fill a yogurt container?

Don’t rush it, the pump can only move so much water and a regular slow motion is best!

The new and improved Moto Magic 2

The Moto Magic 2 is easier to make and runs better than anything before, however it runs in circles!

If you like to race it over a distance then make the moto magic from a tin can, just look it up under CATEGORIES in the side bar and there you will find the older version.

These materials are all easy to get. The plastic tub and lid are recycled from the grocery store, or you ask in the store for an empty one, they sell for about 25 cents, but if you explain why you need it you will get it free, most likely! Any one or two elastics will do, they need to be long enough to span the length of the tub and a little more. You need also a medicine cup, you can get it at any pharmacy, free if you ask nicely. The wooden tooth pick or match stick at the bottom is needed to stop the elastic from turning, the steel washers are used to lower the friction, or drag, so your Moto Magic 2 will run better. The larger stick is a used shish-kebab scewer, or any larger but light stick or rod about 25-30 cm long.

The bottom part assembled

You have to burn a hole in the bottom of the plastic tub with a small soldering iron, or a hot wire, ask for help from an adult. You can also drill holes in the plastic, but it might crack!

You need holes in the bottom of the tub, in the lid and in the medicine cup, all holes in the centre, please!

The Moto Magic II assembled

You string the elastic through the bottom of the tub as in the previous photo and then through the lid, the medicine cup, washers and then put the stick into the end loop of the elastic. Done! Decorate and you can play with your Moto Magic 2.

Your Moto Magic II is finished!

The Centrifugal Force toy...

Follow the steps below and you end up with an interesting toy that demonstrates how the centrifugal force on the marble pushes it higher in bowl the faster you spin it. Or you can make it go slower and see what happens.

Have fun making it. Don`t hesitate to ask an adult to give you a helping hand, almost anybody with some basic tools will be able to help you!

The materials you need.

You need a plastic bowl, which we bought at a low cost general store, a piece of plastic electrical conduit, a small piece of scrap wood, some screws and washer, and a marble and cork. You need also different colours of electrical tape and stickers to decorate your Centrifugal Force Toy!

The bowl needs a rim ...

The bowl needs a rim which we can make by putting electrical tape around the edge, but… you have to pull it hard and leave half of the width over the edge, this makes the tape curl over the edge and nicely stay there. Just go around with the tape at least one and a half times so it stays in place. This forms an edge that keeps the marble in the bowl when you spin it fast!

Also note the hole we drilled in the bottom of the bowl. If you don`t have a drill, use a small soldering iron and melt a hole through the plastic bottom, that is actually better because it makes the edge of the hole stronger, but both methods are fine. You need a little adult guidance with this, and, as always make sure you work safely with the tools, and use safety glasses!

Handle and wooden base ready to put together.

The handle is a piece of platic electric conduit that we cut out over a length of about 5 centimeter, removing half of the tube wall. The cutout fits with one end of the wood base and you can screw it to the wood as shown in the next photo. The plastic tube cuts easily with a fine saw, any small saw will do. You can always ask a friend or neighbour or electrician to help you with this.

The handle and wooden base are ready.

All you have to do now is to mount the bowl on the wooden base using a small screw and washer to better clamp the bowl down and not crack the plastic. Pressto, you are ready to experiment…

The racing marble toy, see how the centrifugal force lets the marble run uphill!

You are done! Now move the bowl in small circles and the marble will run around faster and faster or slower, it all depends on you. Try to race the marble as fast as you can without losing it. There is alway the secret compartment where you can get another marble, just in case…

The clapper for making rythmic percussion sounds.

With this clapper you can accompany a harmonica, accordion, or any music making instrument that could use some backup rythm.

The materials you need.

You need two pieces of slender wood, about 2.5 cm wide and .5 cm thick, you can cut them from a good piece of soft wood, or go to the paint store and ask for two stirrer sticks, they are ready made for this. Ask for one more as a backup, in case …

The hand-held fulcrum is a block of wood about 3 cm thick and having a width the same as the slender levers or paint stirrer sticks.

The clapper disks are cut from a piece of dowel wood, but they can also be square, about 15 millimeter thick or a littel more. Make them from hardwood the sound will be better!

Two number six woodscrews and four 2.5 cm, or about, long finishing nails, and of course some coloured tape for the decoration. All set!

The disk are screwed to the levers, note the little pilot hole in the middle of the disk, also drill a little hole iin the end of the lever otherwise the wood may split. Use some glue also.

The disks are cut from a thick piece of dowel wood, but they can also be square, just use a good piece of hardwood, such as elm, or oak. Try to scounge two pieces from a carpenter shop if you can not saw them from a piece of wood at home.

Part of the arm or lever and the fulcrum or the block the joints the two levers.

Note that the block has some taper, this is needed so that it is not too thick and yet makes that the two disks are about one centimeter apart when the two arms are glue and nailed together. Experiment a little before you put the pieces together so you can see where you are going.

One arm of the clapper is done.

The clapper is assembled

Note that the two disks are precisely aligned, that is important! It does not matter too much how the ends of the two levers are aligned. So when you assemble the two levers, hold the disks together with one hand and nail the leave down on the block, use a little glue in between the pieces.

The clapper is ready to use in a percussion group

The clapper can be used alone or in a percussion group or just to accompany a harmonica, acordion, or any other instrument that can use some rythm as back up.

Try gently hitting the clapper on your thigh, and when you get the rythm, hold your other hand above it so the clapper hits also your hand, that doubles the beat.

Have fun!

Your own wind speed meter is a specialised wind mill with a twist!

The wind speed meter runs with the wind, faster when the wind blows harder. By counting the number of turns you can tell how the wind speed changes. It does not matter where the wind blows from, because the rotor is horizontal and the cups will cause it to turn when the wind blows from any direction.

The materials you need

All you need is a square piece of plywood any reasonable size, and a post that you can make from a broomstick, a piece of dowel wood, or any square piece of wood, we took a 2×2 centimeter piece of pine, about 5 inches or 12 centimeter long. Drill a hole in both ends to receive the nail, one to nail the post to the base and the other to act as the shaft for the rotor.

The medicine cups you can get at any drugstore, just ask for a few, three is enough, but you may want some spares. We melted a hole in the bottom for the screw instead of drilling a hole. I used a piece of steel wire from a coathanger and heated the end up with a gas flame, but a candle will work also, when the end is hot stick it through the bottom, don’t make the hole too large! You need some supervision by an adult with this!

The coloured sticks are from a craftstore, you can also use medical tongue depressors, they are the same size but not coloured. You should be able to get these parts easily. Drill a small hole in each stick for the screw that holds the cup onto the stick.

The hub is cut from a sun umbrella post, you can use any round or even square piece of wood, in this case cut or sand off the four corners to make it look better. You need to cut a slit in the hub at three locations divided around the circumference of the hub. Just use a small hand saw to make the cuts. You may need some help dividing the circumference by three, but most highschool students can help you, by dividing a circle by its radiius you get six divisions, pick every other division and you have the three you need. They should be 120 degrees apart. Nice geometry lesson …

One of the rotor cup and arm

Note the craft stick has been reinforced by a piece of electric tape, make sure you pull the tape hard around the stick, when you drill the small hole for the screw it does not split because of the plastic tape holds the wood together. The plastic medicine cup has been screwed with a number six self tapping round headed screw that you can buy at any hardware store. The screw is only one quarter inch, or about six millimeters long.

The three cups screwed to the wood sticks put them in the slits on the hub and you have the rotor ready to go.

Note that we pulled some coloured tape around the rim of the medicine cups, that will make them stronger and it looks pretty!