Thanksgiving prints
Make your own stamp for Thanksgiving!
Warning! Only under adult supervision
Equipment
- press from the “Printing press” set from the MEL Science subscription;
- cloth bag;
- metal turkey mold;
- felt-tip pen.
Step-by-step instructions
First, make a stamp: fix some foamiran to the stationary section of the press from the MEL Science “Printing press” set. Place a metal turkey mold on the movable part. Imprint the turkey shape in the foamiran by raising the movable part to the fixed one. Then, remove the form from the foamiran and squeeze the turkey out – your stamp is ready! Now let's transfer the image to a bag! Apply ink from a felt-tip pen to the stamp and fix it to the stationary part of the press. Set a bag on the movable part. Now just push down on the press to imprint the image on the bag!
Process description
You use force to push down on the press lever. The section of the lever you push is 3 times as long as the section of the lever on the other side of the hinge – the lever increases your strength 3 times! This force sets the movable part of the press in motion and, when it comes into contact with the stationary part, is transmitted in the form of pressure. The magnitude of the pressure at the same force depends on the contact area: the smaller the area, the greater the pressure. In the case of a turkey shape with a small total area, the pressure is very high, so the shape is easy to press into the foamiran. When printing, the pressure is evenly distributed over the contact area between the stamp and the bag, and the ink is easily transferred from one to the other.
This and other useful experiments await you in the MEL Science subscription!!