How To Make a Thaumatrope (optical illusion toy) | Life in the Past Festival

Optical illusion toys were extremely popular during the Victorian period giving fun and excitement to children and adults alike. In this post we will take a look at how to make one of these toys, the thaumatrope.

The thaumatrope is a simple disc with images on each side which, when the disc is spun around, merge into one image. One of the most popular choices for these toys was a bird in a cage image and this is what we are going to use here.

What You Will Need:

• paper
• card
• scissors
• protractor
• pencil
• glue
• hole punch
• string

Step One:

Take your paper and mark out two circles with a protractor. Following this mark out a slightly bigger circle on your card and cut all out. This will leave you with two paper discs and one of card.

Step Two:

Draw a bird cage (or whatever you like) on one of the paper discs, trying to keep it nice and central. Once you have finished the cage take your other paper disc and draw a bird on it. Be sure to centre it and measure it so it can fit inside the cage.

Step Three:

Take your first disc, with the cage on, and glue it down in the centre of the card disc. Having done this flip the card disc over (the cage will then be upside down on the underside) and stick the bird disc to the centre of the card.

Step Four:

Use a hold punch to create two holes either side of the paper disc, roughly inline across the centre of the circle. This is where we will thread some string.

Step Five:

Cut two equal lengths of string. Fold over to create a loop at one end. Thread this loop through a hole in the disc. Take the other end of the string and thread it through the loop then pull it back on itself to tighten around the edge of the disc. Repeat this process on the other side.

Step Six:

Have a good old play! Hold onto the ends of both stings on either side of the disc, spin it around several times to twist up the strings. Once ready pull outwards and watch the disc. This bird image should appear inside the cage as the disc spins. A simple and wonderful optical illusion!

www.lifeinthepast.co.uk

Making a Horn Spoon, by Bertram

Recently I got some horn. I had wanted four small cow horns to utilise but I ended up with three nice small horns and one huge horn! I did not expect this. As I had such a large horn and not much use for it I decided I would try out making a horn spoon. I've never done it before and am always willing to try new crafts once! So this is what I did:

Step 1

I took the large horn and cut it in half so I was left with two pieces. The top piece (the larger piece) I then cut in half length ways ready for boiling.

Step 2

I placed one half in a cauldron of boiling water over a fire. The heat from the water makes the horn become more flexible and able to be shaped, or in my case flattened out. Once it was hot enough I removed it from the water for flattening.

 Step 3

I put the horn on a flat piece of wood then popped half a log on top of it and applied pressure. This flattened the flexible horn which meant I could then use it for spoon making.

Step 4

Now the horn was flat I could start cutting a spoon shape. I did this using a hack saw and a coping saw to give me the rough shape.

Step 5

Once cut I could use an abrasive material, like sandstone, to smooth the rough edges of the horn and polish it slightly. Once this was done I could then boil it again and shape the bowl of the spoon making a functional and usable utensil!

---

Bertram's Bio:

Born near Daltune (Dalton-in-Furness) in 1116 Bertram had a hard start to life working the farm lands with his parents and brother Ernolf. In his teenage years he developed a passion for woodwork and enhanced his skills on a pole lathe. Now, when he isn't working the land, he travels the county selling his wares where he can to earn a crust. Making all sorts of wooden objects from bowls to spoons and even toys Bertram has gained a reputation for quality goods in many parts of the county and just about manages to stay afloat. 

---