Toy-Making at Home Part 8

If you care to cover the conical top with felt or flannel, you can make the model very funny indeed. In the spring you can damp the felt or flannel, and spread on gra.s.s seeds: these will grow and give your grotesque figure a fine crop of bright green hair (Fig. 99). Of course, if you are going to damp the upper parts of the model, you must obtain and use some sort of waterproof glue.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 99.]

_A Pin-hole Camera_ is another extremely simple yet extraordinarily interesting contrivance (Fig. 100).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 100.]

For this you require two mantle cases, one just large enough to slide easily into the other. Take the smaller one, and cover one end with tissue paper. This must be done neatly and strongly, otherwise, as the case slides up and down in the outer one, the tissue will tear. You should draw out on the tissue a circle just as large as the end of the case, and then all round, draw and cut little pointed tags to lap over the edges and stick down (Fig. 101).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 101.]

One end of the outer case should be covered with thick brown paper in just the same way, and a tiny pin hole p.r.i.c.ked exactly in the centre of the brown-paper end.

Now if a lighted candle be placed near to the pin hole, and if the inner case be moved to and fro till the right spot is found, an exact picture of the candle flame will be seen on the tissue paper.

_A Doll's Easy Chair._--Apart from accurate and careful cutting there is not very much difficulty in this. Take a mantle case and remove the covers. Now draw a line from end to end and use this as a base line, measuring the distances to right and left to the different points: this will ensure accuracy. Fig. 102 shows one design suitable for the purpose; but you will possibly like to make up your own. The fitting of the seat is done as follows: On a piece of cardboard mark out a circle having the same radius as the case, and another circle with a radius 1/8 in. larger. Cut this out as shown in Fig. 103. Now cut a slot a little more than half-way across the case from the front, at a level suitable for the seat, and into this slide the seat. If the slot has not been cut far enough across, go on cutting till the seat fits correctly in the case. Then glue it in position.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 102.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 103.]

All that is now required is a coat of paint, and any ornamentation you may care to add.

In conclusion we would point out once more what we stated at the beginning--namely, that the examples given are intended merely to suggest ways and means of making countless other articles.