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How A Telephone May Be Made At Small Expense

How A Telephone May Be Made At Small Expense image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
April
Year
1886
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The telephone whicli I nm about to describí' lias been a soorce ol gieat pleusuie to me, und as I tliink it too jrood to keep I will give my readers the plans for its construction : The materials you will require are two piiie boards ten by tliirteeu nches aiul half in inch thiek. two fresh heef-bladders, one box of four-ounoe tacks, two larjte rutta pereba ovcrcoHt buttons, some strips ol thin leather one-quarter of au inch wide, and lastly, some flexible wirc. The best wire lor the purpose is lliat uscd in book-bindlng machines, but it that caunot be obuined any solt flexible wire will do. Prepare tlie bladders first by blowinj; llicm up tightly and leaving tliem 6U tor a day or two uutil they are tlioroughly stretched, but do not let tliem becomcdry and hard. While the bladden are stretchIpg you can obtain tlie olher roaterials. To begin take oue of the boards and, hiiving brouglit it to tlie required dimensioüs, draw a cirele in its center eigbt inches in diameter, wliicli saw out, tuking care to keep on the line, lor lf tlie opening is not round and even the instrument will not work satisfactorily. Next, take one of the bladders, and after catUog the neck oft", cut awt] about one-thlrd of it trom end to end, theu soak it in warm water, but not too hot, muil it becoines white and soft; alter which stretch it loosely but evenly over the opening, letting; the inside of the bladder be on top, and tack teniporarily UI aroiind one ucii fiom the edge of the opening. Now test it by pushing the centre with jour linker, lf it strelclies smoothly and without wrinkles it will do, but if it does not you must change its position un til it does so. Next take a strip ot the leather and tack completely arouud the edge of the opeuhig, putting the tacks closely together and taking eare to keep the bladder stretched evenly while doing so. Wtieu you have tacked propeily take your knite and cut away that part of the bladder on the outside of the strip. Tuis done, break ofl' time feet of the wire, and, after attaohing it to one of the buttons, pass the tree end through the centre of the bladder until the button resls on its surtuce. Thcn lasten a weight of eight pounds to the end of the wire and set in the sun two hours or more until thoroughly dry. Proceed with the other materials in a like manner, and when you have potfa drums well dri.'d place oue at each eud of the line and connect the button wiies with the main wire by loops and stretch it as tightly as possible. The course of the main wire shouid be as straight as possible and with few sharp anglea. Wherever a support is ueeded inake a loop. To cali up, strike the button with a iead pencil, and the one called will respond in a like manner. This is no toy, but a good, servlcable telephone, nd will woi k fiom five yards to live miles

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier