Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Apr 16/04) - Growing slowly yet surely for nearly four decades, it sits in a plastic grocery bag in front of Dan Sydney's television set.

Dan Sydney has been crafting this giant aluminum foil ball since the late 1960s. - Jason Unrau/NNSL photo

When the mood strikes the 79-year-old, and if he has a fresh supply of aluminum foil from cigarette boxes, Sydney will add more layers to his 20 - lb. aluminum foil ball.

While not a smoker himself -- Sydney says he quit "long ago" -- the idea for his ball was inspired by a similar one, about the size of a baseball, that he spotted being created further north.

"I saw one in Tuk, not so big," he said while approximating its size by cupping his hands together. "And I wanted to make my own."

So with the help of his smoking pals, Sydney began gathering tin foil and building his aluminum globe.

Retrieving his aluminum foil stash from another bag, Sydney demonstrated how he gets the new tin foil to adhere to his ball.

"First you have to take the wax paper off," he said peeling it off a new sheet. Then using a butter knife, Sydney spreads on his ball's newest layer.

"It could be bigger if I didn't smoke hand-rolled cigarettes," said his wife Ruby, laughing.

Ruby used to be a major contributor to husband Dan's ball until she started rolling her own smokes.

Though husband Dan admits there are a few sheets of aluminum foil candy wrappers in his ball, for the most part it has been constructed from cigarette package aluminum foil.

With Ruby off tailor-made smokes, now he must rely on the good will of his friends who smoke packaged cigarettes.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Sydney's ball is not that it exists -- he says another friend in Inuvik has been making one that's "a little lopsided" -- it is the fact that to the naked eye, his ball appears to be a perfect sphere.

Adding aluminum foil evenly and consistently is the secret to maintaining an even shape, he says.

And what does he plan to do with his ball?

"Well, I'll keep adding to it and maybe one day I'll give it to somebody."