Tango Twirler
Many years ago the writer found a toy for sale in a store on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio. It had been made in Mexico. It carried no name but eventually the same toy concept was found to have been advertised in the 1914 edition of a Butler Brothers catalog1. In that advertisement the toy was called a "tango twirler", as shown to the left. The description read: "21 in. heavy twisted copper wire rods with slides, loop handles, brass bell ends, flat colored metal rings, give vari-colored bubble effects when slide is pushed." The construction of the twirler requires some resourcefulness on the part of the toy maker to find the necessary materials but the effort to construct one is worth it. A picture of a design made by the writer is shown below.

It can be seen in the pictures below that the writer's twirler consists of twisted wires on which ride three colored rings. Because children can be rough with toys the writer chose a wire gauge of #16 (0.050-inch) to make the main body. Ideally it would be advantageous if the wire had a non-oxidizing surface so that friction is minimized. If that can't be obtained it might be necessary to periodically sandpaper the surface and perhaps apply a lubricant of some kind. The overall length of the twirler shown is 15-1/2 inches. The outside diameter of the rings (children's play bracelets) is 2-3/8 inches. The twist in the wires was achieved by clamping the two ends in a vise and the other ends in the jaws of an electric drill. The drill is then slowly operated until the proper turn spacing is achieved. One turn extended a distance of about 7/8-inch. One can determine the optimum twist by trial and error. If there is too much twisting there will be a great deal of resistance felt when the pusher is raised.

It can be seen in the pictures that the rings interlock. It is in this manner that a ring drives the one above it. A stiff hollow tube exists in the center ring to maintain spacing; a clear drinking straw was used in this case. Above the black 1" long hollow pushing tube is placed a small metal washer. On the other side of the washer and the lower ring is a metal "driver". It was fashioned out of a piece of brass sheeting. The driver, in this case, is about 3/8 x 7/16 inches. A rectangular hole was punched at the center of the driver for passage of the twisted wires. The hole size is about 3/32 x 1/4 inches. The rectangular shape is necessary in order for the driver to do its job. The yarn tied at the top of the twisted wires is mainly for safety and decoration.

With the twirler oriented in the vertical position the pusher is moved up and then down so that after the rings "drop" to the bottom the pusher can be moved again to increase the rotational velocity of the rings. Some craft makers use flat plastic ribbon-shaped rings; this gives an interesting "flattening" effect to the rings when they turn.

Reference
1) The Wonderful World of Toys, Games & Dolls, 1860-1930, edited by Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr., Follett Pub Co, Chicago, 1971, pg 166.