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How to Make Electromagnetic Toys

Electromagnetism is great for making moving toys that you can activate at the press of a button. Once you have built your electromagnet, you can set in motion anything you like; make a dinosaur that opens its mouth to roar, a ballerina that jumps in the air or a hitter who swings at the baseball. Using leverage and good design, you can make a powerful movement from even a fairly weak electromagnet.

Things You'll Need

Size D magnet
4 feet enameled copper wire
4-inch iron nail
Knife
Sticky tape
Iron washer
Pencil
Hardboard
Jigsaw
Screws
Drill
Screwdriver
Drinking straw
Acrylic paints
Paintbrush

Instructions

- 1
  Wrap the enameled wire tightly around the nail, leaving six inches of spare wire at each end. Scrape the enamel off the last inch at each end of the wire with a knife. Stick one end of the wire to one of the electrodes of the battery and leave the other free.
- 2
  Draw a design for your toy on hardboard. Draw a separate piece for the moving part of your toy. For example, if you want to make a pirate who swings his saber, then make the arm separately. The moving part will turn around a fulcrum point; in this example, the fulcrum is the pirate's shoulder.
- 3
  Build the three-dimensional model by slotting sections perpendicular to each other. Draw various sections if you want to build like this and draw slots on each where the pieces can fit together.
- 4
  Cut the shapes with the jigsaw. Cut the slots and try fitting the parts together to make sure they fit. Drill through the hardboard at a point where you want the moving part to pivot. Make the hole fractionally wider than the screws you will use.
- 5
  Place the screw through the hole and screw the tip into the moving part. The moving part will turn around this fulcrum point. The part of the toy you want to move, such as the pirate's saber, will be on one side of the fulcrum. Leave at least an inch of the part on the other side of the fulcrum point.
- 6
  Tape a drinking straw to the inch-long section of the moving part. Use the straw to elongate the moving section. Tape the metal washer at the end of the straw. Look at where the part balances and tip the straw until it balances in the right place.
- 7
  Tape the nail to the main body of the board, an inch or so away from the washer. Touch the loose end of the wire to the battery electrode to complete the circuit and create an electromagnet. This will pull the washer toward the nail and make the moving part swing. Remove the wire to let the moving part swing back into place. Tap the wire on the battery to make a jerking movement.
- 8
  Paint the hardboard on the opposite side from where you have taped the nail. Paint it to resemble the design you have cut. Paint with one color at a time. Allow the paint to dry before switching to another color or it will run.

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