Modern chronometers are incredibly useful, but lack the charm of flowing sand that symbolizes the passing of time. A self-made hourglass can be an original and pleasant gift.
The hourglass today seems to be a relic of the past, an unnecessary attribute. In fact, while it is necessary to accurately measure a certain period of time, the hourglass remains a relevant device.
Why do you need an hourglass
It is believed that the hourglass was created before the birth of Christ and became an excellent alternative to the more common water and sundials at that time. The first mention of the hourglass is found in the works of Archimedes.
Despite advances in technology, the hourglass is still popular today. There are several areas in which the use of a rather primitive device has become traditional. The hourglass is present in the courtroom and is used at telephone exchanges. Great design can be a decisive argument in favor of an hourglass when choosing a gift.
How to make an hourglass
To make an hourglass with your own hands, you need to stock up on a glass cylinder with smooth inner walls. You can use a regular glass bottle as a container by removing the neck and bottom of the container.
For this, the place in which the bottle begins to taper, and the lower part of the bottle is wrapped with an adhesive plaster 1 cm wide. At a distance of 1-2 mm from the first strips at the neck and bottom, a second strip of adhesive plaster is made.
It remains to thoroughly warm the glass between the layers of adhesive plaster over the candle flame and lower the bottle into cold water. The glass will break, the neck and bottom of the bottle will fall off. The glass cylinder is ready!
A cylinder is cut out of a small wooden block, whose diameter exactly matches the diameter of the resulting glass container. The length of the wooden cylinder should not be more than 5 cm. Cones are hollowed out on both sides, narrowing as they approach the center of the cylinder.
The cones are connected together by drilling a hole. The edges of the wooden cylinder should be made as thin as possible so that they do not impede the movement of the sand. The finished product is placed in a glass container, accurately measuring the middle of the future device, and PVA is glued.
One of the sides of the product is tightly closed with a lid. Sand is poured into the second part of the cylinder. The exact amount of sand required is determined in practice. After completing the measurements, the second part of the glass container is also tightly closed. A do-it-yourself hourglass is completely ready to use.
