Oct
22
Carousel Trivia
By - Oct 22, 2012
Posted in Children's Zoo,Featured

Have you ridden a carousel lately?  We hope so, but if you haven’t, be sure to come by the Zoo and ride on our carousel, a unique, hand-carved and painted work of art.  The Wildlife Carousel has both animals you can find at the Zoo and also pays homage to animals from the great state of Texas. Bet you didn’t know that one of the characters is the only armadillo known to exist as a carousel figure!  For you trivia nuts out there, here are some more facts and figures about our Wildlife Carousel:

  • The entire carousel weighs approximately 36,500 pounds.
  • The carousel’s so-called jumper system is what makes the animals go up and down.
  • The jumper gear ratio of 4.33:1 makes the figures go up and down 4 1/3 times for every revolution.
  • A crank connected to the jumper system raises the carousel figures 10 inches up and down per revolution.
  • The carousel platform (floor) is sanded wood with four coats of polyurethane.
  • The big over head beams on the carousel are called “sweeps.” The sweeps are clean, straight grain Douglas Fir beams that are painted and varnished.
  • Each carousel figure is a hand-carved wooden figure, made up of between 60 to 80 blocks of wood, primed with alkyd primer and painted with Japan Oils.
  • The figures are covered with up to eight coats of clear enamel that contains mildew resistant additives.
  • How do you care for these wonderful animals? The answer might surprise you. Scuff marks on the figures and the chariots are removed with a gel-type hand cleaner – the same kind of hand cleaner car mechanics use to clean grease off their hands!

 

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