How to Make a Clothespins Keyer for Morse Code

If your ship was sinking—how would you cry for help?

On April 15, 1912, as the Titanic slipped beneath the waves, its operators tapped out three letters that echoed across the Atlantic: S-O-S.

Morse code, developed in the 1830s by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail, uses dots and dashes—short and long signals—to represent letters and numbers. It condensed language into pure pattern, perfect for radio waves and telegraph wires.

Learning Morse code rewires the brain. You hear a sound, convert it to a symbol, then a word, then meaning—three levels of abstraction in seconds. That’s symbolic reasoning in action.

It sharpens memory, builds resilience, and connects you to the early age of global communication.

The message sent by the clotherspin keyer at the end of this clip—“CQ CQ CQ DE KF8BAB”—means: “Calling all stations. This is KF8BAB.”

A century later, the language of dots and dashes still calls out across the airwaves.

Student DIY "Make"Clothespin Telegraph Key

This clothespin telegraph key is a student-built model inspired by the original Morse-Vail straight key. It includes the essential components of a real telegraph key: a knob, lever, base, frame, spring, hammer, and anvil. Two special parts—an adjustment screw and a trunnion nail—allow students to fine-tune the tension and pivot, just like the professionals once did. Though made from simple materials, this model performs the same function: pressing the lever completes an electric circuit and produces a clicking sound. Each click can become a dot or dash in Morse code.

Building this device engages more than the hands, it activates memory, reasoning, and curiosity. Students don’t just learn about electricity and communication, they live it. This transforms abstract ideas into something concrete, testable, and unforgettable.

By making something that works, students experience the same thrill of discovery that once connected the world by wire.

The Morse-Vail Telegraph Key: A Classic Design

This image shows the Morse-Vail straight key, the most influential early telegraph design. It has ten essential parts: the knob, lever, frame, and base form the physical structure. The upper and lower contacts—hammer and anvil—complete the circuit when pressed. A spring and two screws adjust contact gap and lever tension. The trunnion screws let the lever pivot, while a return spring resets it. Later models added a shorting switch to reduce noise when idle.

Each press sends a pulse—dot or dash—in Morse code. Invented by Morse in 1837, this key replaced his earlier portarule design. Alfred Vail’s refinements made it practical, robust, and easy to use, launching the telegraph era.

What Hath God Wrought: The Message That Opened the World

Samuel Morse

Before Morse, telegraph systems needed multiple wires—one for each signal—making them costly and impractical. Morse solved this with three breakthroughs. First, he used the Earth as the return path for current, eliminating the need for a second wire. This cut costs and made long-distance telegraphy possible. Second, he invented Morse Code, a simple system of dots and dashes that encoded any message using short and long electrical pulses. Third, he built a reliable electromagnet receiver that clicked or marked each signal as it arrived, allowing operators to “hear” the message. In 1844, Morse sent "What hath God wrought" from Washington to Baltimore over a single copper wire. That moment launched a communication revolution. By combining simplicity, code, and the Earth itself, Morse created a system so scalable that it soon circled the globe—and changed history.

Edison Enters the Book of Real Inventions (1875)

In 1875, when Thomas Edison was just 28 years old, he was invited to write for the Cyclopædia of Applied Mechanics—a massive book filled with real inventions and how they work. Look closely at the image—his name is circled, proof of his place among serious inventors. He was much more than just another businessman. Edison wrote about the telegraph, a machine that sent messages using electricity and clicking sounds.

To be published in this book meant something big: other inventors now trusted Edison’s work. He was no longer just a boy with gadgets—he had become a respected builder of ideas. That reminded me of writing a dissertation. It was a license to practice professionally.

Edison reached this milestone by asking bold questions, testing new ideas, and learning from failure. When one invention failed, he asked, What went wrong?—and tried again. He learned from his mistakes.

This is how science grows—not just from facts, but from awe, wonder, and the thrill of discovering how the world works.

What did you wonder about today?

Edison and the Telegraph: The Spark that Started It All

Before Edison became the Wizard of Menlo Park, he was a teenage telegraph operator. His first scientific breakthroughs weren’t light bulbs or phonographs—they were electric signals pulsing through copper wire. At a wooden desk with a simple key, he sent clicks and pauses that crossed miles in seconds. These invisible pulses revolutionized business, warfare, and everyday life.

n earned 1,093 U.S. patents and over 2,300 worldwide, but his earliest 100 inventions all focused on telegraphy—the first system to conquer time and distance. From that humble beginning, he built the future. In this presentation, we’ll unlock the science of telegraphy by building and testing a working telegraph system— just like Edison did.

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Heroic Rescue at the Mount Clemens, Michigan, Depot — August 1862

This dramatic act of bravery—Thomas Edison saving Jimmie Mackenzie—marks a pivotal moment that shaped scientific history. At just fifteen, Edison didn’t merely rescue a child; he earned access to a telegraph office and its mysteries. This act of courage became the ignition point for Edison’s lifelong fascination with electrical communication.

Morse code was more than dots and dashes—a language of power, speed, and connection. Under James Mackenzie’s mentorship, Edison didn’t just learn to tap out messages; he learned to think like a signal. It’s awesome how one impulsive moment opened the gateway to an entirely new world of physics and engineering for Tom. What followed was wonderful: Edison’s mastery of the telegraph evolved into inventing the phonograph, refining the light bulb, and birthing the modern electric age.

Heroes Who Lift Students Up

A hero is someone admired for courage, achievement, or noble character. For students, heroes do more than inspire—they lift. They model what is possible and offer a vision of who the student could become.

The image shows this power: a hero carrying a student skyward, symbolizing mentorship, guidance, and vision. In real life, this happens in apprenticeship relationships, where students grow by observing and imitating experts.

Introverted students often first meet heroes through books, movies, or virtual mentors. These heroes become mirrors of possibility—even without personal contact, their values can take root.

But students need help choosing heroes wisely. Parents and teachers must guide them with discernmentso they follow those who stand for resilience, creativity, and truth.

Today, Edison's Experiment Would be a Felony

In the movie Young Tom Edison, he secretly made nitroglycerin to satisfy his scientific curiosity. At fourteen, I followed in his footsteps. I chilled fuming acids… carefully added glycerin drop by drop…and watched golden droplets settle to the bottom… transferred the droplets to the lab bench…and experimented with controlled ignitions and detonations. Then, one drop of the vasodilator touched my skin. My heart raced. My head pounded. I never did that again.

Edison walked away from explosives. He chose discovery over destruction. That choice made him great. Ethical scientists don't just chase power. They learn from their mistakes, and in that way they turn awe into wisdom...and wonder into progress.

Today, Edison's experiment would be a felony under 18 U.S.C. § 842(a)(1) and Ohio Rev. Code § 2923.17. Don’t do this experiment at home.

Edison Handling a Bottle of Nitroglycerine

In the movie, the trainmaster discovered a bottle of nitroglycerine in his laboratory

At age 13, Thomas Edison transformed a train’s baggage car into a mobile marketplace, publishing house, and experimental laboratory. He worked as a newsboy, selling newspapers, candy, and vegetables, but didn’t stop there—he installed a printing press and published his own newspaper, the Grand Trunk Herald. His publication not only entertained passengers but also showcased his ambition and ingenuity. Earning $50 a week (equivalent to $2,000 per week today) demonstrates that curiosity and initiative could turn opportunity into enterprise. But the awe of Edison’s story deepens. He converted the same baggage car into a chemistry lab, experimenting freely during train journeys. In the movie, the trainmaster discovered a bottle of nitroglycerine in his laboratory. Edison was forced to make an emergency disposal of the explosive over a bridge. The incident ended his train-based lab, but it did not extinguish his passion for discovery.

Young Tom Edison

Movie poster for ‘Young Tom Edision” MGM 1940.

Picture a 12-year-old who turns a train’s baggage car into a rolling laboratory—then grows up to light the world. Magazines, movies, and Boy Scout handbooks praised Thomas Edison’s fearless tinkering, and the nation’s children took notes. In MGM’s 1940 biopic, Young Tom Edison casts Mickey Rooney as the inquisitive teenager who peppers teachers with “why?” and tests backyard inventions until sparks fly. Released when America craved heroes of ingenuity, the film framed Edison as living proof that disciplined curiosity powers progress. Rooney’s portrayal reminds every viewer that behind each breakthrough stands a child who refuses to accept “because” for an answer.

Thomas Edison “The Wizard of Menlo Park.”

Witnessing Edison at 75 is witnessing a man who transformed curiosity into power. His life evokes surprise, admiration, and awe, the emotional sparks behind scientific breakthroughs. At age 75, Thomas Edison held 1,093 patents, more than any American in history. He created the phonograph, the light bulb, and the motion picture camera, turning silence into sound, darkness into light, and stillness into moving images. Edison founded the world’s first industrial research lab in Menlo Park, hiring 60 inventors to mass-produce ideas. He tested over 6,000 materials to find the right filament for a practical light bulb. His Pearl Street power station lit 400 lamps in Manhattan in 1882, birthing the electric age. He not only built inventions, but also industries. Edison was a hero of mine.