A WATER CLOCK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21248, 30 July 1932, Page 4 (Supplement)

A WATER CLOCK

SOMETHING TO MAKE

It is quite easy to make a water clock which will keep remarkably good time. To begin with, get two watertight tin cans of the same size. These have to be soldered together, the bottom of one to the- open top of the other, as shown in the diagram. Make a tiny hole in the bottom Of the upper can through which the water will drip a drop at a time. If the clock is slow, tho hole will have to be' made a little larger, but if it is fast this will mean that tho hole is too big, and it should b 0 soldered up and a Jresh opening made. _ In tho cover of the (<p can two openings must be made, Through these the two 'ends of a piece of.cord are passed. One end. of the cord is fastened to a wooden float soaked in melted candle wax to prevent its getting waterlogged. To the opposite end of the cord a small weight such as a piece of lead, is attached. The string must, however, be first wound round the rod, or dowel as it is called, which is to carry the single hand of the clock. The hearings for the dowel are cut from two upright pieces of wood which are attached to the base on which the cans rest. > " Drive a pin through each end of the dowel to that it cannot slip, from its position. The dial for the clock should be cut from a squire of wood with a hole in the centre. Draw a circle on this and divide into twelve equal parts. Paint on it the figures for each hour and fasten it to one of the uprights so that one end of the dowel projects through the centre hole. Cut the hand from thin metal, and make a hole ab the rounded end that will fit snugly over the projecting point of the dowel. Through a hole at the bottern of the lower can a short length of brass tubing is soldered, so that the water can be drained away. When the clock is in use the tubing must be kept closed with a plug. The upper can may be refilled on removing the cover. If the hole in the upper can is of the right size it should take just twelve hours for it to empty into the lower, and the clock will need no further attention beyond the periodical filling of the upper can and the emptying of the lower.