Homemade Thermometers and "Thermometer Thursday"

Over the past few years I've turned a scientific hobby of mine into a teaching tool for viewers. I have a passion for making thermometers from scratch, and it's a process where art meets science. The art is in blowing the glass along with the final mount, and the science is in the calibration, precision, resolution, and more.

It usually takes 5-8 hours to make a thermometer from start to finish and includes many steps, but it's a labor of love. Essentially, I blow the glass, fill it with alcohol, seal it, calibrate it, generate a scale, then mount it. However, there are many little steps in between as well. It has taken me years to perfect the process, and I'm still working on minor aspects of it, but that's all part of the fun.

Viewers took an interest in my handmade thermometers, so I created a segment on KSAT-12 (San Antonio, TX) called "Thermometer Thursday." Here I take viewers into the process of making thermometers, give them away, get viewers involved and more.

Not only do I plan to share how I make thermometers, but I also want to show other broadcast meteorologists how I turned my scientific hobby into a teaching tool and a weekly segment.