Have you ever wished that you could turn water into wine — or at least fruit juice? Now you can, with this magic mystery box. All you have to do is pour in water; inside the box a bunch of magic happens, and out comes a fine glass of wine.
[youtube:http://youtu.be/wG6BD7BON-0]View the project on Instructables: www.instructables.com/id/Water-to-Wine-Illusion-Box/
When water is poured into the funnel, it drains through the first tube and into the empty bottle. The incoming water pushed some of the air out of this bottle, through the second tube and into the second bottle. The increased pressure in the second bottle pushes the wine out through the third tube and into the glass. This process can continue until the wine bottle is empty.
Use a sharp knife to cut off the top of the 2-liter bottle. Try to make the cut edge as even as possible; this will be the intake funnel for the mystery box. Then cut off the ring at the mouth of the bottle.
The easiest way to fit the tubes into the bottles is through a hole in the cap. You need 2 caps that have 2 holes and 1 cap that has 1 hole. You can just drill the holes using a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the air tubing.
First, cut air tubing to the appropriate lengths. I used 2 pieces that where 6 inches long and one piece that was 18 inches long. Your dimensions will depend on the bottles and the box that you are using.
Once your pieces are cut, you can insert them into the caps. Take 1 of the 6 inch pieces of tubing and insert 1 end into the cap that has a single hole in it. Then take the other end and insert it into 1 of the holes on a second cap. The tubing only needs to go through the cap about 1/2 of an inch. Then take the second piece of 6 inch tubing and insert it into the free hole on the second cap and 1 of the holes on the third cap. Again it only needs to go through the cap about 1/2 of an inch. Lastly, take the 18-inch-long piece of tubing and insert it through the free hole on the third cap. This tubing should go through the cap far enough that the bottom of the tube will be able to reach the bottom of the bottle.
The tubing should be able to make a mostly-air-tight seal with the caps. If the tubes are too loose, you can apply a sealant around them. Let any sealant fully cure before using the system.
My box was pretty torn up on the outside, so I decided to turn it inside out. To do this, all you have to do is separate the one glue joint that holds the box together. In most cases you can just tear the flap off of the inside of the box. Then bend all the sides around the other direction so that the sides that were on the outside are now on the inside of the box. Glue the flap back onto the side of the box on the opposite side, then clamp the pieces together with binder clamps until the glue is fully cured.
First, we need to attach the funnel to the top of the box. Trace the outline of the narrow end of the funnel in the center of the top of the box. Then carefully cut out this circle with a knife.
Next, we need to make a hole in the side of the box for the output tube. The easiest way to do this is to drill a hole with the same drill bit that you used to make the holes in the caps. You want the hole to be at least an inch above the fluid level of the wine bottle; if the end of the output hose is lower than the level of the fluid in the wine bottle, you can create a siphon that can cause the entire contents of the wine bottle to drain out. This can be an interesting trick in and of itself (appearing to multiply water) but it is not what we are going for in this project.
Now you are ready to load all the parts into the box. Start by inserting the narrow end of the funnel through the hole in the top of the box. Then take the cap with a single hole and screw it onto the funnel inside the box.
Next, screw the second cap onto the first bottle, which should be empty. Screw the third cap onto the second bottle, which should be full of wine (or juice or soda or whatever).
Lastly, take the hose that is coming out of the second bottle and feed it through the hole in the side of the box.
Once all the parts are inside the box, you can tape the box closed.
Your water-to-wine magic box is complete. But you can add a little more fun by writing a mysterious label on the side. I chose to write “Transmogrifier” in reference to Calvin and Hobbes.
Fill your glass with water, then pour it into the funnel on top of the box. Quickly move your cup to below the output tube. Your glass will begin to fill up with wine. You can continue this process until the wine bottle is empty.
This makes a great party trick. Or you can fill it with Kool-Aid and impress a bunch of kids. Whatever you do, have fun.
