What is a skeropythrope?

Answer 1

The skeropythrope is a device used by Glinda and the Wizard of Oz in the book Glinda of Oz, the 14th book in the Oz series. Since Glinda is the only source of information about this device, we know very little.

The Wizard mentions that he always carried a skeropythrope with him, so presumably it's a small device, probably no larger than a tea kettle. The Wizard's skeropythrope is brightly polished, so it's probably made of metal or glass.

Glinda uses the skeropythrope to mix a liquid and a powder, which causes the skeropythrope to sputter and emit sparks, which appear to be the intended end product of the entire process.

Because the sputtering is mentioned, but not foaming or bubbling of the contents, it's likely that the skeropythrope is opaque--probably made of metal rather than glass. Since the skeropythrope is used in chemical experiments, it's probably made of an inert metal such as nickel or zirconium. Nickel is known to be common in Oz as the Tin Woodman uses a good deal of it.

In short, a skeropythrope probably resembles a nickel tea kettle, and is designed to create sparks and to direct them to a certain area for magical purposes.