Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-06-01
HOW SHoEMAKER'S WAX ACTS.
Some Curious Facts About This Prod.
uct OF the Bee.


One of the most apt illustrations
ever made by Lord Kelvin was his
ltkontng the mminiterouS either to
mass OF shoemaker's wax. What Lord
Kelvin said OF shoemaker's wax may
be tested by any boy in manner that
will astontsh his playmatcs. First let
It be said that the ether penetrates all
space, 1t Is rs rigid as steel and
yet so flexible that II does not retard
the passage OF planets through space
in the, least. 1t Is an Invisible sub
stance which travels In waves through
all things. Now to illustrate the
nature OF such a paradoxical material
Lord Kelvin searched everywhere,
and ut last concluded that shoe
makers wax represented II best. He
made tests, and this is what he found:
He melted some wax In common
glass tnmhlcr. After Il had hardened
he tried to thrust lead pencil
through II. 1t would not 80, Then
he placed a coin on the surface OF the
WAX, and left 1t for several days,
When he again visited Il tho coin
had sunk to the bottom OF the glass,
The wax had closed over It, and by
lifting up the glass and looking
through the bottom he could see the
coin lying there, Had the wax been
IA deep as II well the coin would have
gone on sinking until It reached the
bottom, This proved that tho wax
would conform only to very slow
movements, II he had tried to push
II too fast 1t would have resisted him.
An idea struck tho scientist. II tho
wax acted like this toward tho coin,
how would It treat an object which
iloatcd? He accordingly placed
cork In tumhlor and poured hot
shoemakcr's wax upon t. Tho wax
hardened with the cork ut tho bot
tom.
Yet when Lord Kelvin looked at the
bottom of the glass In day or two
he found the cork had disappeared. II
was somewhere In the mass OF wax,
and probably rising very slowly, but
surely, toward the top. Sure enough,
after n given period of limo the cork
pecped above the surface OF the hard
wax and finally II rose to point
where Il remained half-Imbedded In
the wax, just az II would have done In
glass of water, II rose no higher
thnn this. however, and cork
screw probably wuold not have pulled
II from the wax, Yet lts own buoy
ancy had raised It up from tho bot
tom, through what seemed an Inn
penetrabe mass OF wax.
This, In fact. Is the popularity OF
shoemakers wax, that II reslsts all
sudden or quick movements, but Ia
highly susceptible to very slow and
prolonged pressure. II you pressed
u natlron hard down on lump OF
wax on n table, It Is probable you
would make no impression on It, but
II you left that iron resting on the
wax for day or two you would find
the lump ilattened out under the
iron. SO curious Is this property of
the wax that tuning farks have been
cast from pieces Of It.. These forks
were capable of vibration. giving n
| musical note and being SGT going by
vibration from another tuning fork,
yet when one OF them was laid across
the open mouth OF "A jar II slowly coll
apsed and fell into the Jar In n shape
less, sticky mass. Any boy may
perform these experiments. and the
lesson In physics to be got there
from Is no less valuable than the
amusement which the performance ar
fords. Atlantic Constitution.