Endless Amusement: A Collection of Nearly 400 Entertaining Experiments in Various Branches of Science; Including Acoustics, Electricity, Magnetism, Arithmetic, Hydraulics, Mechanics, Chemistry, Hydrostatics, Optics; Wonders of the Air-Pump; All the Popular Tricks and Changes of the Cards, &c., &c. to Which is Added, a Complete System of Pyrotechny; Or, the Art of Making Fire-works.Unknown
Science
Endless Amusement: A Collection of Nearly 400 Entertaining Experiments in Various Branches of Science; Including Acoustics, Electricity, Magnetism, Arithmetic, Hydraulics, Mechanics, Chemistry, Hydrostatics, Optics; Wonders of the Air-Pump; All the Popular Tricks and Changes of the Cards, &c., &c. to Which is Added, a Complete System of Pyrotechny; Or, the Art of Making Fire-works.
You then strew some powder over the coals, which may be supposed to
aid the ashes in producing the flower; and put the chafing-dish in the
pedestal under the box. As the heat by degrees melts the composition
between the glasses, the flower will gradually appear, but when the
chafing-dish is taken away, and the powder of the ashes is supposed to
be removed, the flower soon disappears.
You may present several flowers, and let the person choose any one of
them. In this case, while he is burning the flower, you fetch the box
from another apartment, and at the same time put in a corresponding
flower, which will make the experiment still more surprising.
_Imitative Fire-works._
Take a paper that is blacked on both sides, or instead of black, the
paper may be coloured on each side with a deep blue, which will be
still better for such as are to be seen through transparent papers. It
must be of a proper size for the figure you intend to exhibit. In this
paper cut out with a penknife several spaces, and with a piercer make
a number of holes, rather long than round, and at no regular distance
from each other.
To represent revolving pyramids and globes, the paper must be cut
through with a penknife, and the space cut out between each spiral
should be three or four times as wide as the spirals themselves. You
must observe to cut them so that the pyramid or globe may appear to
turn on its axis. The columns that are represented in pieces of
architecture, or in jets of fire, must be cut in the same manner, if
they are to be represented as turning on their axis.
In like manner may be exhibited a great variety of ornaments, ciphers,
and medallions, which, when properly coloured, cannot fail of
producing the most pleasing effect. There should not be a very great
diversity of colours, as they would not produce the most agreeable
appearance.
When these pieces are drawn on a large scale, the architecture or
ornaments may be shaded; and, to represent different shades, pieces of
coloured paper must be pasted over each other, which will produce an
effect that would not be expected from transparent paintings. Five or
six pieces of paper pasted over each other will be sufficient to
represent the strongest shades.
To give these pieces the different motions they require, you must
first consider the nature of each piece; if, for example, you have cut
out the figure of the sun, or of a star, you must construct a wire
wheel of the same diameter with these pieces; over this wheel you
paste a very thin paper, on which is drawn, with black ink, the spiral
figure. The wheel thus prepared, is to be placed behind the sun or
star, in such a manner that its axis may be exactly opposite the
centre of either of these figures. This wheel may be turned by any
method you think proper.
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