How to Make an Electric Stove

The parts necessary for making an electric stove are: Two metal pie plates of the same size; 4 lb. of fire clay; two ordinary binding posts; about 1 lb. of mineral wool, or, if this cannot be obtained, thick sheet asbestos; one oblong piece of wood, 1 in. thick, 12 in. wide and 15 in. long; one small switch; one fuse block; about 80 ft. of No. 22 gauge resistance wire, German-silver wire is better, as it stands a higher temperature; two middle-sized stove bolts with nuts; one glass tube, about 1/4 in. in diameter and 9 in. long, which can be bought from a local druggist, and two large 3-in. screws.

If a neat appearance is desired, the wood can be thoroughly sandpapered on one side and the corners and edges rounded off on the upper side. Punch holes in one of the pie plates, as shown in Fig. 1. The two holes, E and F, are on the rim and should be exactly on a line with the hole D punched in the center. The holes B and C are about 3 in. apart and should be at equal distances from the center hole D. The rim of the second plate is drilled to make two holes, AA, Fig. 2, that will match the holes E and F in the first plate, Fig. 1. A round collar of galvanized iron, FF, Fig. 4, 3 in. high, is made with a diameter to receive the first plate snugly. Two small flaps are cut and turned out and holes punched in their centers, AA, to receive screws for holding it to the base. Two bolts are soldered in the holes E and F, Fig. 1, and used to hold the rims of both plates together, when they are placed in opposite positions, as shown in Fig. 4. This will make an open space between the plates. The collar is then screwed to one end of the base, as shown in Fig. 2.

Two holes are bored through the base to correspond with the holes D and A in the bottom plate. The glass tube is cut to make two pieces, each 4-1/2 in. long. This can be done easily by filing a nick in the tube at the proper point and breaking it. These tubes are forced into the holes bored in the base, and, if the measurements are correct, should extend about 1/4 in. above the collar. The mineral wool, JJ, Fig. 4, is then packed down inside the collar, until it is within 1 in. of the top. This will allow the plate, Fig. 1, to rest on the wool and the ends of the glass tubes, GG, Fig. 4, to project through the holes D and A of the plate, Fig. 1. The rim of the plate should be level with the top edge of the collar. If asbestos is used, the sheets should be cut into disks having the same diameter as the inside of the collar, and holes cut to coincide with the holes D and A of the plate. The small scraps should be dampened and made into pulp to fill the space H, Fig. 4. The plate, Fig. 1, is held to the base by two screws which are run through the holes BC and take the position shown by DD, Fig. 4.

The two binding-posts are attached on the base at D, Fig. 2, also the switch B and the fuse block C, holes being bored in the base to make the wire connections. The reverse side of the base, with slits cut for the wires, is shown in Fig. 3. The points marked BB are the glass tubes; AA, the holes leading to the switch; and C, the fuse block. The wires run through the glass tubes GG, Fig. 4, are allowed to project about 1 in. for connections. The best way to find the correct length of the resistance wire is to take a large clay or drain tile and wind the wire tightly around it, allowing a space between each turn. The tile is then set on its side with a block or brick under each end. It should not be set on end, as the turns of the wires, when heated, will slip and come in contact with each other, causing a short circuit. When the tile is in place, a short piece of fuse wire is fastened to each of its two ends. A 5-ampere fuse wire is about strong enough. A connection is made to these two wires from an electric-light socket. The wire will get hot but probably remain the same color. If this is the case, one of the feed wires is disconnected from the fuse wire and gradually moved farther down the coil until a point is found where the resistance wire glows a dull red. This point marks the proper length to cut it, as the wire should not be allowed to become any hotter. If the wire gets bright hot when the current is turned on, more wire should be added. The wire is then made into a long coil by winding it around a large wire nail. The coils should be open and about 1/8 in. apart.

Next, the fire clay is moistened and well mixed, using care not to get it too wet. It should have the proper consistency to mould well. The clay, II, Fig. 4, is then packed in the first plate to a height of about 1/4 in. above the rim. While the clay is damp, one end of the coil is connected with the wire in the central glass tube, and the coil laid in a spiral winding on the damp clay, KK, and pressed into it. When this is done, the other end is connected to the wire projecting from the outer glass tube. As these connections cannot be soldered, the ends of the wires should be twisted closely together, so that the circuit will not become broken. Make sure that the coils of wire do not touch each other or the top plate. The fuse wire (about 5 amperes) is put into the fuse block, and wires with a socket adapter connected to the two binding-posts. The top plate is put in place and screwed down. This completes the stove.

It should be set aside in a warm place for a few days to dry out the packing. If it is not thoroughly dry, steam will form when the current is applied. It should not be left heated in this condition. The top plate is used when cooking and removed when making toast.

Contributed by R. H. Cnonyn, St. Catherines, Can.

How to Make Weights for Athletes

Many times boys would like to make their own shots and weights for athletic stunts, but do not know how to go about it to cast the metal. In making a lead sphere as shown in the illustration, it is not necessary to know the method of molding. The round lead weight for shot-putting or hammer throwing can be cast in a hollow cardboard or pressed-paper ball, sold in department and toy stores for 10 cents. Cut a 1/2-in. hole in the ball as shown in Fig. 1 and place it with the hole up in damp sand and press or tamp the sand lightly around the ball as shown in the section, Fig. 2. Cover over about 1 in. deep. A wood plug inserted in the hole will prevent any sand falling inside. When the sand is tamped in and the plug removed, it leaves a gate for the metal. Pour melted lead into the gate until it is full, then, when cool, shake it out from the sand and remove the charred paper. A file can be used to remove any rough places. The dry paper ball prevents any sputtering of the hot lead.

Contributed by W. A. Jaquythe, Richmond, Cal.

Removing Pies from Pans

Sometimes the juices from a hot pie make it stick to the pan so tightly that a knife blade must be run under to cut it loose. If a knife with a flexible blade is not used, the pie will be damaged. If the pie pans are provided with the simple attachment shown in the accompanying sketch, the baked dough can be separated from the tin with one revolution of the cutter. The cutter is made from a piece of heavy tin, bent to the same outline as the inside of the pan and pivoted at its center.

Stretcher for Drying Photograph Prints

A quick and convenient way to dry prints is to place them on a cheesecloth stretcher. Such a stretcher can be made on a light wood frame, constructed of 3/4-in. square material in any size, but 12 by 24 in. is large enough. The end pieces B are fastened on top of the long side pieces A, and the cheesecloth C stretched and tacked over them, as shown.

The prints should be placed face up on the cloth, and the frame set near a window. If the stretcher is made in this way, the air can enter from both top and bottom, and the prints will dry rapidly. Several of these frames can be stacked and a large number of prints thus dried at the same time.

Contributed by Andrew G. Thorne, Louisville, Ky.

A Temporary Funnel

The amateur photographer often has some solution which he desires to put into a bottle which his glass funnel will not fit, says the Photographic Times. The funnel made by rolling up a piece of paper usually allows half of the solution to run down the outside of the bottle, thereby causing the amateur to be dubbed a "musser," A better way is to take an ordinary envelope and cut it off as shown by the dotted lines. Then clip a little off the point, open out, and you have a funnel that will not give any trouble. It is cheap and you can afford to throw it away when dirty, thereby saving time and washing.

An Electric Engine

The parts of this engine are supported on a base 3/4 in. thick, 4 in. wide and 7 in. long. The upright B, Fig. 1, which is 1/2 in. thick and 3 in. high, is secured across the base about one-third of the distance from one end and fastened with a wood screw put through from the under side. The magnet core C is made of a carriage bolt, 2-1/2 in. long, which is fastened in a hole in the top part of the upright B so that the end C will protrude slightly. Before placing the bolt in the hole of the upright, slip on two cardboard washers, each 1 in. in diameter, one at the head end and the other against the upright B. Wrap a thin piece of paper around the bolt between the washers and wind the space full of No. 22 gauge magnet wire, allowing each end to project for connections.

The driving arm D, Figs. 1 and 3, is made of a piece of soft sheet iron, 1/2 in. wide and 3 in. long. A small block is fastened to the lower end of the metal and pivoted between two uprights, 1/2 in. high, which are fastened to the base. The uprights on each side of the block are better shown in Fig. 3.

Two supports, each 1/2 in. thick and 3 in. high, are fastened with screws about half way between the end of the base and the upright B, Fig. 1. The end view of these supports is shown in Fig. 2, at GG. A 1/8-in. hole is bored through the top part of each support so they will be in a line for the axle. The axle is made of a piece of steel 1/8 in. in diameter and about 4 in. long. An offset is bent in the center, as shown, for the crank. A small flywheel is attached to one end of the shaft. The connecting rod E, Fig. 1, is made of wood and fastened to the upper end of the driving arm D with a small screw or nail. The contact F is made of a strip of copper, 1/4 in. wide. This is to open and close the circuit when the engine is running. The connections are made as shown in Fig. 1.

Connect two dry cells to the binding-posts and turn the flywheel. The current passing through the magnet pulls the driving arm toward the bolt head, which gives the shaft a half turn. The turning of the shaft pulls the arm away from the copper piece F, causing a break in the current. As the shaft revolves, the arm is again brought back against the copper strip F, thus the current is broken and applied at each revolution of the shaft.

Contributed by S. W. Herron, Le Mars, Iowa.

Child's Home-Made Swing Seat

A very useful swing or seat for children can be made from a box or packing case. Procure a box of the right size and saw it out in the shape shown in the illustration. The apron or board in front slides on the two front ropes. The board can be raised to place the child in the box and to remove him. The ropes are fastened to the box by tying knots in their ends and driving staples over them.

Clay Flower Pots Used for Bird Houses

A novel use of the common garden flower pot may be made by enlarging the small opening at the bottom with a pair of pliers, and carefully breaking the clay away until the opening is large enough to admit a small bird.

Place the pot, bottom side up, on a board, 3 in. wider than the diameter of the largest pot used, and fasten it to the board with wood cleats and brass screws. Fit the cleats as close as possible to the sides of the pot. One or more pots may be used, as shown in the sketch.

The board on which the pots are fastened is nailed or screwed to a post or pole 10 or 12 ft. in height. The board is braced with lath or similar strips of wood, making a framework suitable for a roost. In designing the roost, the lath can be arranged to make it quite attractive, or the braces may be of twigs and branches of a tree to make a rustic effect.

Contributed by William F. Stecher, Dorchester, Mass.

Location of a Gas Meter

The gas meter should not be located in a warm place or the gas will expand before the meter measures it and the gas bill will be proportionately increased. Gas expands by about 1/491 part of its volume for each deg. F. that it is heated. If the meter is warmed 10 deg. F., it will make the gas cost over 2 per cent more, without any corresponding benefit.

How to Make Rope Grills

Beautiful and useful household ornaments, grills and gratings for doors, windows, shelves, odd corners, etc., can be made by the following method at a slight cost and by anyone possessing a little ingenuity. The materials required are rope or, preferably, common window cord (called sash cord) about 5/16 in. in diameter; ordinary glue, paraffin and paint or varnish. A few strips of wood or molding are very handy to use around the edges.

The design must be considered first and when one is selected, if it is other than straight lines, adopt the method described.

Take a smooth flat board and layout the design or designs which, when combined, will produce the pattern desired. Drive finishing nails at the angle points or along curves as required. Coat the board along the lines of the patterns with melted paraffin, using an ordinary painter's brush to prevent the ropes from sticking to the boards after they are soaked in glue and run around the nails.

Soak the sash cord in common glue sizing for a short time, then bend or twist it along or around the lines desired, as shown in Fig. 1, and give it time to dry. The bottom part of the sketch, Fig. 1, shows a method of winding the rope on a round stick to make circular objects. Wind the desired number of turns and when dry, cut and glue them together.

In Fig. 2, six designs are shown. These suggest ideas in making up combinations or in plain figures and the number is limited only by the ingenuity of the designer.

Contributed by Geo. M. Harrer, Lockport, N. Y.

A Simple and Effective Filter

Procure an ordinary lamp chimney and fit two or three thicknesses of cheese cloth over the end of it. Press a tuft of absorbent cotton into the small part of the neck to a depth of about 3 in. Insert the chimney in a hole cut in a wood shelf used as a support. Pour the water in until the filter is filled, when it will be observed that any organic matter, chips of iron rust, etc., will be retained by the cotton. The fine organic matter may penetrate the cotton for about 1 in., but no farther. The resultant filtered water will be clear and pure.

Cutting Tools

The cutting point of a tool should never be below the centers.

Imitation Arms and Armor-Part VI

A mass of any kind of clay that is easily modeled and fairly stiff must be prepared and kept moist and well kneaded for making the models over which paper is formed to make the shape of the articles illustrated in these sketches. A modeling board must be made of one large board or several pieces joined closely together upon which to work the clay, says the English Mechanic, London. The size of the board depends upon the size of the work to be made.

An open chamfron of the fifteenth century is shown in Fig. 1. This piece of horse armor, which was used in front of a horse's head, makes a splendid center for a shield on which are fixed the swords, etc., and is a good piece for the amateur armorer to try his hand on in the way of modeling in clay or papier maché work. The opening for the animal to put his head into is semicircular, and the sides do not cover the jaws. As the main part of this armor is worn in front of the head the extreme depth is about 4 in. The entire head piece must be modeled in clay with the hands, after which it is covered with a thin and even coating of sweet or pure olive oil. A day before making the clay model some pieces of thin, brown wrapping paper are torn in irregular shapes to the size of the palm of the hand and put to soak in a basin of water in which a tablespoonful of size has been dissolved. If size cannot be obtained from your local painter, a weak solution of glue will do equally well. All being ready, and the clay model oiled, take up one piece of paper at a time and very carefully place it on the surface of the model, pressing it on well and into and around any crevices and patterns. Continue this operation until the clay model is completely covered on every part. This being done, give the paper a thin and even coating of glue, which must be quite hot and laid on as quickly as possible. Lay on a second layer of paper as carefully as before, then another coat of glue, and so on until there are five or six coats of glue and paper. When this is dry it will be strong enough for all ornamental purposes. The ragged edges of the paper are trimmed off with a sharp knife and the whole surface smoothed with fine sandpaper. Then carefully glue on sections of tinfoil to give the armor the appearance of steel. The armor is now removed from the model.

A mitten gauntlet of the fifteenth century is shown in Fig. 2. This can be made in one piece, with the exception of the thumb shield, which is separate. The thumb shield is attached to the thumb of an old glove which is fastened with round headed nails on the inside of the gauntlet. The part covering the wrist is a circular piece, but the back is not necessary, as it would not be seen when the gauntlet is hanging in its place.

In Fig. 3 is shown a gauntlet of the seventeenth century with separately articulated fingers. This gauntlet may be molded in one piece, except the thumb and fingers, which must be made separately and fastened with the thumb shield to the leather glove that is attached to the inside of the gauntlet, the same as in Fig. 2.

A breastplate and tassets of the sixteenth century are shown in Fig. 4. The tassets are separate and attached to the front plate with straps and buckles, as shown in the sketch. There is a belt around the waist which helps to hold the back plate on. Attached to the back of the plate would be two short straps at the shoulder. These are passed through the buckles shown at the top right and left-hand corners of the front plate. For decorative purposes the back plate need not be made, and therefore it is not described. The method of making armor is the same as of making helmets, but as larger pieces are formed it is well to use less clay owing to the bulk and weight.

An arrangement is shown in Fig. 5 to reduce the amount of clay used. This triangular-shaped support, which can be made in any size, is placed on the modeling board or bench and covered with clay. This will make the model light and easy to move around, and will require less clay. It is not necessary to have smooth boards; the rougher the better, as the surface will hold the clay. The clay forms modeled up ready to receive the patches of brown paper on the surface are shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

A German fluted armor used at the beginning of the sixteenth century is shown in Fig. 8. The breastplate and tassets of this armor are supposed to be in one piece, but for convenience in making it will be found best to make them separately and then glue them together after they are taken from the model. A narrow leather belt placed around the armor will cover the joint. Fluted armor takes its name from a series of corrugated grooves, 1/2 in. in depth, running down the plate. A piece of board, cut into the shape shown in Fig. 9, will be very useful for marking out the fluted lines.

Home-Made Hand Vise

A vise for holding small articles while filing can be made as shown in the illustration. The vise consists of three pieces of wood, two for the jaws and one a wedge. The hinge for connecting the two jaws is made of four small screw eyes, two in each jaw. When locating the place for the screw eyes, place the two in one jaw so they will fit between the two of the other jaw. Put a nail through the eyes when the jaws are matched together and they are ready for the wedge in clamping the article to be filed.

Contributed by John G. Buxton, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Detector for Slight Electrical Charges

A thin glass bottle is thoroughly cleaned and fitted with a rubber stopper. A hole is made through the center of the stopper large enough to admit a small brass rod. The length of this rod will be governed by the shape of the bottle, but 3-1/2 in. will be about right. The bottom of the rod is bent and two pieces of aluminum foil, each about 1/4 in. wide and 1/2 in. long, are glued to it. The two pieces of foil, fastened to the rod, are better shown in Fig. 2. Fasten a polished brass ball to, the top of the rod, and the instrument is ready for use. Place the article which you wish to test near the ball, and if it holds a slight electrical charge, the two pieces of foil will draw together. If it does not hold a charge, the foils will not move.

Contributed by Ralph L. La Rue, Goshen, N. Y.

Fishing through Ice with a Tip-Up

The tip-up, used for signaling the fisherman when a fish is caught, is made of a 1/4-in. pine board, about 15 in. long, 2-1/2 in. wide at one end and narrowing down to about 1 in at the other. At a point 6 in. from the smaller end, the board should be cut slightly wider and a 1/2-in. hole bored through it. Two or three wrappings of fine copper wire may be wound around the board on each side of the hole to give added strength. Both ends of the board should be notched deeply.

A long gash is cut in the ice and then a round hole is made with a chisel, as this will cut under the water without splashing. The chipped ice can be removed with a pail. A rod or round stick of wood is passed through the hole in the tip-up and placed across the round hole, as shown in the illustration.

The fishhook is baited in the usual way and hung on a line from the short end of the tip-up. When a fish is hooked, the other end will tip up and signal the fisherman. Any number of holes can be cut in the ice and a tip-up used in each, thus enabling one person to take care of as many lines.

Home-Made Candle Holder

The candlestick or holder shown in the illustration is made of an ordinary tin can, such as is used for canning salmon or potted ham. Three triangular cuts are made in the cover or bottom of the can and the points turned up about the candle. The can may be bronzed, silvered, enameled or otherwise decorated, thus making it ornamental as well as useful.

Contributed by Mrs. A. M. Bryan, Corsicana, Texas.

How to Make a Match Holder of Wood and Metal

A very simple piece of art craft work is easily made, as follows: Secure a piece of paper and upon it draw the outline and design, as indicated in the accompanying sketch. The size may be made to suit the taste of the worker. A good size is 5 in. wide by 6 in. long over all. The metal holder should be proportioned to this size, as shown.

Having completed the drawing, take a piece of thin wood, 3/8 or 1/4 in. thick, and trace upon it the design and outline, using a piece of carbon paper. A couple of thumb tacks should be used to fasten the paper and design in place. Put the tacks in the lines of the design so that the holes will not show in the finished piece. Any kind of wood will do. Basswood or butternut, or even pine, will do as well as the more expensive woods.

Next prepare the metal holder. This may be made of brass or copper and need not be of very heavy gauge-No. 22 is plenty heavy enough. The easiest way to get the shape of the metal is to make a paper pattern of the development. The illustration shows how this will look and the size of the parts for the back dimensioned above. Trace this shape on the metal with the carbon paper and cut it out by means of metal shears. Polish the metal, using powdered pumice and lye, then with a nail, punch the holes, through which small round-head brass screws are to be placed to hold the metal to the wood back. Carefully bend the metal to shape by placing it on the edge of a board and putting another board on top and over the lower edge so as to keep the bending true.

The wood back may be treated in quite a variety of ways. If soft wood, such as basswood or pine was used, it may be treated by burning with the pyrography outfit. If no outfit is at hand a very satisfactory way is to take a knife and cut a very small V-shaped groove around the design and border so as to keep the colors from "running." Next stain the leaves of the conventional plant with a little green wood dye and with another dye stain the petals of the flower red. Malachite and mahogany are the colors to use. Rub a coat of weathered oil stain over the whole back and wipe dry with a cloth. The green and red are barbarously brilliant when first put on, but by covering them at the same time the background is colored brown, they are "greyed" in a most pleasing manner. When it has dried over night, put a coat or two of wax and polish over the wood as the directions on the can suggest.

The metal holder may next be fastened in place.

If one has some insight in carving, the background might be lowered and the plant modeled, the whole being finished in linseed oil. If carving is contemplated, hard woods such as cherry or mahogany should be used.

Protecting the Fingers from Chemicals

The finger nails and fingers may be easily protected from stains of chemicals by coating them with a wax made up as follows: Melt white wax in the same manner as melting glue. This may be done by cutting the wax into small pieces, placing them in a vessel and setting the vessel in boiling water. To each ounce of melted wax thoroughly stir in 1 dr. of pure olive oil. The fingers should be dipped into the wax while it is in a liquid state. This will form a coating that will permit the free use of the fingers, yet protects the skin from the chemicals. It is useful for photographers.

Combined Turning Rings and Swings

This trapeze, with rings for the large boys and a swing for the smaller ones, can be made on the same standards. Instead of the usual two short ropes, tied and bolted through the top crosstimber bore two holes large enough for the ropes to pass through easily. Pass the rope along the crosspiece and down the post and tie it to cleats nailed at a height that can be easily reached.

At the ends of the crosspiece drive two nails, allowing them to project 1 or 2 in. This will keep the rope from slipping off when the rings and swing are raised and lowered. All sharp edges should be sandpapered to prevent the rope from being cut. A board with notches cut in the ends will make a good swing board which can be removed instantly.

Contributed by W. A. Jaquythe, Richmond, Cal.

Homemade Telegraph Key

A piece of wood, 1/2 in. thick, 2 in. wide and 5 in. long, is used for the base of this instrument. Two wire nails, each 1 in. long, are used for the cores of the magnets. Each nail is wound with three or four layers of fine insulated magnet wire, about No. 25 gauge, similar to that used in electric bells, leaving about 1/4 in. of the end bare so that they may be driven into the wood base. The connections for the coils are shown in the sketch, at A.

About 1 in. behind the coils is fastened a small block of wood, the top of which is just even with the top of the nails in the coils. A piece of tin, cut in the shape of the letter T, is fastened with two screws to the top of this block, and the end bent slightly so as to clear the top of the nails about 1/32 in.

The key lever is cut from a thin piece of wood, in the shape shown in the sketch, and pivoted in a slotted block which is used as a base for the key. A piece of bare copper wire is fastened along the under side of the key, as shown by the dotted lines. A rubber band, passing over the end of the key and attached to the base with a tack, acts as a spring to keep the key open. A small piece of tin is fastened to the base under the knob of the key. This is for making the contact between the copper on the key and the wires from the coils, when the key is pushed down.

Contributed by W. H. Lynas.

Protecting Sleeves

Bicycle trousers-guards make excellent sleeve bands when the cuffs are turned back and rolled above the elbows.

Imitation Arms and Armor—Part VII

The helmets, breastplates and gauntlets described in parts V and VI can be used in making up a complete model for a full suit of armor of any size, as shown in Fig. 1. All of the parts for the armor have been described, except that for the legs. Figure 2 shows how the armor is modeled on the side of the left leg. The clay is modeled as described in previous chapters, the paper covering put on, and the tinfoil applied in imitation of steel. The chain mail seen between and behind the tassets is made by sewing small steel rings on a piece of cloth as shown in Fig. 3. These rings may be purchased at a hardware store or harness shop.

The whole figure when completed is placed on a square box covered with red or green baize. The armor should be supported by a light frame of wood built up on the inside, says the English Mechanic, London. Two vertical pieces are firmly attached to the box so they will extend up inside the legs, and at the top of them is attached a crosspiece on which is placed a vertical stick high enough to carry the helmet. The two lower pieces must be built up and padded out with straw, then covered with red cloth or baize to represent the legs.

In making up the various pieces for a full model it will be found very convenient to use rope, a stout cord or strings in making up the patterns on the parts. Instead of using brass headed nails, brass paper fasteners will be found useful. These can be purchased at a stationery store. Secure the kind having a round brass head from which hang two brass tongues. These are pushed through a hole and spread out flat on the opposite side. Other materials can be used in the place of tinfoil to represent steel. Silver paper will do very well, but if either the tinfoil or silver paper are found difficult to manipulate, go over the armor with a coat of silver paint put on with a brush. When dry give the surface a coat of varnish.

A Home-Made Tripod Holder

An inexpensive tripod holder, one that will prevent the tripod from slipping on a smooth floor, and prevent the points from doing damage to the polished surface or puncturing an expensive rug or carpet, can be made in a few minutes' time, says Camera Craft.

Secure two strips of wood, or ordinary plaster laths will do, and plane them down to a thickness of 3/16 in., for the sake of lightness. Cut them to a length or 40 in. and round off the ends to improve their appearance. Take the piece shown in Fig. 1 and drill a 1/4-in. hole in the center, and eight small holes, 1 in. apart, at each end. In one end of the piece, Fig. 2, make the same series of eight small holes and, in the other end, drill six 1/4-in. holes, 3 in. apart. A 1/4-in. flat headed carriage bolt, about 1 in. long, completes the equipment.

The two pieces are bolted together, not too tight, and the points of the tripod legs inserted in their respective small holes. So set up, there is absolutely no danger of one of the legs slipping out of position. By moving the position of the bolt from, one to another of the larger holes in the strip, Fig. 2, almost any desired inclination of the camera can be secured.

The same sort of simple apparatus built slightly stronger, and with a small caster under each of the three series of small holes, makes an excellent tripod clamp for use when the camera has to be shifted about, as in portraiture and the like.

How to Weave a Shoestring Watch Fob

Having procured a pair of ordinary shoestrings, take both ends of one of them and force the ends through the middle of the other, leaving a loop 1-1/2 in. long, as shown in Fig. 2. In this sketch, A is the first string and B is the second, doubled and run through the web of A. Take hold of the loop and turn it as shown in Fig. 2, allowing the four ends to hang in four directions. Start with one end, the one marked A, in Fig. 1, for instance, and lay it over the one to the right. Then take B and lay it over A, and the one beneath C; lay Cover B and the one under D, and then lay D over C and stick the end under A. Then draw all four ends up snugly. Commence the next layer by laying the end A back over B and D; D over A and C; C over D and B, then B over C and the end stuck under A. Proceed in the same manner and keep on until about 1-1/2 in. of the ends remain unwoven. Four pins stuck through each corner and into the layers will hold the ends from coming apart. The ends of the strings are raveled out so as to make a tassel. This will make a square fob which will appear as shown in Fig. 4.

A round fob is made in a similar way, taking the same start as for the square fob, but instead of reversing the ends of each alternate layer, always lap one string, as at A in Fig. 3. over the one to its right, as B, slipping the last end of the four strings under and tightening all, as in making the square fob. Fasten the ends with pins and ravel out for a tassel. The round fob is shown in Fig. 5.

A fob in the shape of a horseshoe can be made by taking four shoestrings and tying a small string around the middle of them, then weaving the layers both ways from the point where the strings are tied. A loop, 1-1/2 in. long, is left out at the center before starting on one side. The loop is for attaching the fob to the watch. After the weaving is complete and the tassel ends made, a small stiff wire is forced through the center to form the shape of a horseshoe.

Other designs can be made in the same manner. Strings of different colors will make up a very pretty fob, especially if silk strings are used.

Contributed by John P. Rupp, Monroeville, Ohio.

How to Make a Table Mat of Leather

The table mat, the design of which is shown herewith, is to be made of leather. It may be made of Russian calf and the background modeled down as has been described in several previous articles dealing with leather work. To do this the leather is moistened on the back side just enough to make the leather take the impression of the tool, but not enough to make the moisture show through on the face. Any smooth piece of steel, such as a nut pick, that will not cut or scratch the leather and will make a V-shaped depression will do.

A second method is to secure a piece of sheepskin and, using the reverse side, outline the design by means of a pyrographer's outfit. This manner of treating leather is so common that it needs no description.

A third method is to secure a piece of sheep or goat skin, trace the design on the reverse side by means of carbon paper, and put the outline and design in with brush and stains such as are sold for this purpose.

The accompanying pattern shows but one-fourth of the mat. Draw the one-fourth on paper to the size desired and then fold on lines A and B, tracing this one-fourth on the other parts by the insertion of double-surfaced carbon paper.

On the calfskin the pattern is to be held on the leather and the tool worked over the pattern to get the outline transferred. After this the pattern is to be removed and the leather modeled.

Sad Iron Polisher

A small amount of wax is necessary on an iron for successful work. The wax is usually applied by hand to the heated surface of the iron. A much better and handier way is to bore five or six holes in one end of the ironing board to a depth of half its thickness, filling them with wax, beeswax or paraffin, and covering them over with two thicknesses of muslin.

The rubbing of the hot iron over this cloth absorbs just enough of the wax to make the iron work smoothly. When the supply of wax is exhausted, it can be easily renewed.

Contributed by A. A. Houghton, Northville, Mich.

Making Coins Stick to Wood by Vacuum

Take a quarter and place it flat against a vertical surface of wood such as the side of a bookcase, door facing or door panel, and strike it hard with a downward sliding motion, pressing it against the wood. Take the hand away and the coin will remain on the woodwork. The striking and pressure expel the air between the quarter and the wood, thus forming a vacuum sufficient to hold the coin.

Simple and Safe Method for Sending Coins by Mail

Sending coins by mail is not as a rule advisable, but sometimes it becomes necessary, and usually a regular coin mailer is not available. A very simple and secure way to wrap a coin or coins for mailing is as follows: Procure a piece of heavy paper, nearly as wide as the envelope is long, and about 12 in. long. Fold on the dotted lines shown by A and B in the sketch, and slip the coin in the pocket thus formed. Fold together on lines C, D, E and F, making the last two folds wide enough to fit snugly in the envelope. This method holds the coin in the center of the envelope where it cannot work around and cut through the edges.

Contributed by O. J. Thompson, Petersburg, Ill.

Mounting Photographs in Plaster Plaques

Purchase a few pounds of plaster of paris from your local druggist and select a dish of the desired shape in which to make your cast. The size of the dish will depend on the size of the print to be mounted. Select the print you wish to mount, those on matte paper will work best, and after wetting, place it face down in the dish, press into place and remove all drops of water with a soft cloth. Be sure and have the print in the center of the dish. Earthen dishes will be found more convenient, although tin ones can be used with good success, says Photographic Times.

Mix same of the plaster in clear water so it will be a little thick. Enough plaster should. be mixed to cover the bottom of the dish about 1/2 in. thick. Pour the plaster into the dish over the print and allow to stand until it becomes quite hard. The cast can then be removed and the print should be fast to it. If the print or plaster is inclined to stick, take a knife and gently pry around the edges and it can be removed without breaking.

Prints of any size may be used by having the mold or dish large enough to leave a good margin. This is a very important point as it is the margin that adds richness to all prints. Platinum or blueprint papers work well, but any kind that will not stick may be used. After the plaster has thoroughly dried, any tint may be worked on the margin by the use of water colors; if blueprints are used, it is best to leave a plain white margin.

Iron Rest for an Ironing Board

A flatiron rest can be made on an ironing-board by driving a number of large tacks into one end of the board. The tacks should be about 1 in. apart and driven in only part way, leaving about 1/4 in. remaining above the surface of the board. The hot iron will not burn the wood and it cannot slip off the tacks. This iron rest is always with the board and ready when wanted.

Contributed by Beatrice Oliver, New York, N. Y.

Instantaneous Crystallization

Dissolve 150 parts of hyposulphite of soda in 15 parts of water and pour the solution slowly into a test tube which has been warmed in boiling water, filling the same about one-half full. Dissolve in another glass 100 parts of acetate of soda in 15 parts of boiling water. Pour this solution slowly on top of the first in such a way that it forms an upper layer, without mixing the solutions. The two solutions are then covered over with a thin layer of boiling water and allowed to cool.

Lower into the test tube a wire, at the extremity of which is fixed a small crystal of hyposulphite of soda. The crystal traverses the solution of acetate without causing trouble, but crystallization will immediately set in as soon as it touches the lower hyposulphite of soda solution, as shown at the left in the sketch.

When the hyposulphite of soda solution becomes crystallized, lower in the upper solution a crystal of acetate of soda suspended by another wire, as shown in the right of the sketch, and this will crystallize the same as the other solution.

Decoloration of Flowers by Fumes of Sulphur

Dissolve some sulphur in a small dish which will inflame by contact with air thus forming sulphuric acid fumes. Cover the dish with a conical chimney made of tin and expose to the upper opening the flowers that are to be decolored. The action is very rapid and in a short time myrtle, violets, bell flowers, roses, etc., will be rendered perfectly white.

How to Preserve Egg Shells

Many naturalists experience difficulty in preserving valuable egg shells. One of the most effective ways of preserving them is as follows: After the egg is blown, melt common beeswax and force it into the shell with a discarded fountain pen filler. Set in a cool place until the wax hardens. The most delicate shells treated in this manner can be handled without fear of breaking, and the transparency of the wax will not alter the color, shading, or delicate tints of the egg.

Contributed by L. L. Shabino, Millstown, South Dakota.

Homemade Phonograph

Make a box large enough to hold four dry cells and use it as a base to mount the motor on and to support the revolving cylinder. Anyone of the various battery motors may be used to supply the power. The support for the cylinder is first made and located on the cover of the box in such a position that it will give ample room for the motor. The motor base and the support are fastened by screws turned up through the cover or top of the box. The location of these parts is shown in Fig. 1.

The core for holding the cylindrical wax records is 4-1/2 in. long and made of wood, turned a little tapering, the diameter at the small or outer end being 1-5/8 in., and at the larger end, 1-7/8 in. A wood wheel with a V-shaped groove on its edge is nailed to the larger end of the cylinder. The hole in the core is fitted with a brass tube, driven in tightly to serve as a bearing. A rod that will fit the brass tube, not too tightly, but which will not wobble loose, is threaded and turned into the upper end of the support. The core with its attached driving wheel is shown in Fig. 3. The dotted lines show the brass bearing and rod axle. The end of the axle should be provided with a thread over which a washer and nut are placed, to keep the core from coming off in turning.

The sound box, Fig. 2, is about 2-1/2 in. in diameter and 1 in. thick, made of heavy tin. The diaphragm, which should be of thin ferrotype tin, should be soldered to the box. The needle is made of a piece of sewing needle, about 1/8s in. long, and soldered to the center of the diaphragm. The first point should be ground blunt, as shown in the sketch. When soldering these parts together, take care to have the diaphragm lie perfectly flat and not made warping by any pressure applied while the solder is cooling.

The tin horn can be easily made, attached to the sound box with a piece of rubber hose and held so it will swing the length of the record by a rod attached to the top of the box, as shown. The motor can be controlled by a small three or four-point battery rheostat.

Contributed by Herbert Hahn, Chicago, Ill.

A Substitute for a Compass

An easy way to make a pencil compass when one is not at hand, is to take a knife with two blades at one end, open one to the full extent and the other only halfway. Stick the point end of the fully open blade into the side of a lead pencil and use the half-open blade as the center leg of the compass. Turn with the knife handle to make the circle.

Contributed by E. E. Gold. Jr., Victor, Colo.

A Novel Rat Trap

A boy, while playing in the yard close to a grain house, dug a hole and buried an old-fashioned fruit jug or jar that his mother had thrown away, says the Iowa Homestead. The top part of the jug was left uncovered as shown in the sketch, and a hole was broken in it just above the ground. The boy then placed some shelled corn in the bottom, put a board on top, and weighted it with a heavy stone. The jug had been forgotten for several days when a farmer found it, and, wondering what it was, he raised the board and found nine full-grown rats and four, mice in the bottom. The trap has been in use for some time and is opened every day or two and never fails to have from one to six rats or mice in it.

A Nut-Cracking Block

In the sketch herewith is shown an appliance for cracking nuts which will prevent many a bruised thumb. To anyone who has ever tried to crack butternuts it needs no further recommendation. The device is nothing more than a good block of hardwood with a few holes bored in it to fit the different sized nuts. There is no need of holding the nut with the fingers, and as hard a blow may be struck as desired. Make the depth of the hole two-thirds the height of the nut and the broken pieces will not scatter.

Contributed by Albert O'Brien, Buffalo, N. Y.

A Jelly-Making Stand

Every housewife who makes jelly is only too well acquainted with the inconvenience and danger of upsets when using the old method of balancing a jelly-bag on a couple of chairs stood on the kitchen table, with the additional inconvenience of having a couple of chairs on the kitchen table out of commission for such a length of time.

The accompanying sketch shows how a stand can be made from a few pieces of boards that will help jelly makers and prevent the old-time dangers and disadvantages. The stand can be stood in the corner of the kitchen, or under the kitchen table where it will be out of danger of being upset.

Contributed by Lyndwode, Pereira, Ottawa, Can.

How to Make an Egg-Beater

There is no reason why any cook or housewife should be without this eggbeater, as it can be made quickly in any size. All that is needed is an ordinary can with a tight-fitting cover—a baking-powder can will do. Cut a round piece of wood 3 in. longer than the length of the can. Cut a neat hole in the cover of the can to allow the stick to pass through, and at one end of the stick fasten, by means of a flatheaded tack, a piece of tin, cut round, through which several holes have been punched. Secure another piece of heavier tin of the same size, and make a hole in the center to pass the stick through. Put a small nail 2 in. above the end of the dasher, which allows the second tin to pass up and down in the opposite direction to the dasher. This beater will do the work in less time than the regular kitchen utensil.

Contributed by W. A. Jaquythe, Richmond, Cal.

Cart Without an Axle

The boy who has a couple of cart wheels is not always lucky enough to have an axle of the proper length to fit the wheels. In such a case the cart can be constructed as shown in the illustration. This cart has no axle, each wheel being attached with a short pin for an axle, on the side and at the lower edge of the box. The outer end of the pin is carried on a piece of wood extending the full length of the box and supported by crosspieces nailed to the ends, as shown.

Contributed by Thos. De Loof, Grand Rapids, Mich.

An Illuminated Target

Fig. 1 Fig. 2.
Target for Night Shooting

My youthful nephews some time ago were presented with an air rifle and it worked so well that it became necessary for me to construct a target that would allow the fun to be carried on at night.

I reversed a door gong, screwed it on the inside of a store box, and fitted two candles on the inside to illuminate the bullseye. The candles, of course, were below the level of the bullseye. The position of the candles and gong are shown in Fig. 1. At night the illuminated interior of the bell could be plainly seen as shown in Fig. 2.

Contributed by James M. Kane, Doylestown, Pa.

Sawing Sheet Metal

Sheet metal placed between two boards in the jaws of a vise and clamped tightly, can be sawed easily with a hacksaw.

Feed Box for Chickens

The sketch shows the construction of a feed box designed to prevent the scattering of feed and give the coward rooster as much chance to fatten as the game cock. The base may be made of a 1/2-in. board, 1 ft. wide and 3 ft. long, although any of the dimensions may be varied to suit special requirements. The ends are semi-circular pieces with a notch, 1/4 in. deep and 3 in. wide, cut in the center of the rounding edge. The ends are connected together with a piece of wood set in the notches. The strip of wood is 1/4 in. thick, 2 in. wide and as long as the box. Notches 1/8 in. wide and 1/8 in. deep are cut on the under side of this piece of wood, 1-1/2 in. apart. Heavy pieces of wire are bent in the form of a semi-circle, as shown. The wires are set in the 1/8-in. notches cut on the under side of the top piece of wood. The ends of the wires are set in holes in wood pieces joining the bases of the end pieces. The baseboard and top are separable.

Contributed by Maurice Baudier, New Orleans, La.

A Book Rest

A book that does not open flat is rather inconvenient to write in when one of its sides is in the position shown in Fig. 2. A wedge-shaped piece of metal, stone or wood, as shown in Fig. 1, will, when placed as in Fig. 3, raise the sloping half to the level of the other pages. Cover the block with rubber, wide rubber bands or felt, to prevent its scratching the desk top. The block can also be used as a paperweight.

Window Shelf for Flower Pots

On the ledge formed by the top part of the lower sash of the window I fitted a board 7 in. wide into each side of the casing, by cutting away the ends. I placed a small bracket at each end of the shelf, so that it would fit solidly against the lower window sash to support the weight of the plants.

One of the brackets I nailed to the shelf and the other I held in place with a hinge, the reason being that if both were solid, the shelf could not be put on the window, as one end must be dropped in place before the other. Such a shelf will hold all the plants a person can put on it. When not in use, it can be removed without marring the casing.

Contributed by G. A. Wood, West Union, Ia.

Magnet for the Work Basket

Tie a ribbon or strong string to the work basket and fasten a large magnet to the other end. Needles, scissors, etc., can be picked up without any trouble. This device is very convenient for invalids.

Contributed by Nellie Conlon, Worcester, Mass.

Knife Made from a Hack-Saw Blade

A very serviceable knife with excellent cutting qualities can be made easily from a discarded hack-saw blade. The dimensions given in the sketch make a knife of convenient size. The saw teeth are ground off on an emery wheel or grindstone to a smooth edge parallel with the back edge. For the handle, take two pieces of hard wood, dressing one surface of each piece, and cut a groove as wide and thick as the saw blade. Place the blade in the groove and glue the two dressed sides of the wood together. After the glue has dried, the blade can be pulled out of the groove and the wood shaped to any desired form. A small wood-screw is put through one side of the handle to prevent the blade from sliding. After completing the handle, the blade is put back into the groove and sharpened to a cutting edge.

Contributed by H. A. Hutchins, Cleveland, Ohio.

Killing Mice and Rats

A simple and inexpensive means for killing mice and rats is to leave yeast cakes lying around where they can eat them.

Contributed by Maud McKee, Erie, Pa.

Roller Coaster Illusion Traveling Up an Incline

A toy car with a paddle wheel and a shaft on both ends traveling upward on a chute in which water is flowing down, is shown in the accompanying sketch. The paddle wheels travel in a reverse direction causing the ends of the axles to roll on the edge of the chute, thus carrying the car up the incline. If a rack is used on each side of the chute and a small pinion on the ends of the axles, a positive upward movement of the car will be obtained.

Contributed by W. S. Jacobs, Malden, Mass.

Block for Planing Octagonal Wood Pieces

The little device shown in the illustration will be found very useful in any workshop. Two or three of them will be necessary for planing long pieces. Each one is made of a hardwood block, 1 in. square and 4 in. long. A notch is cut in one side, as shown in Fig. 1, so a piece of wood which has been planed square will fit in it. Put a screw in the end of each piece and fasten it down to the bench. If desired, a tenon may be made on the bottom of each block, as shown in Fig. 2, to fit a mortise cut in the bench. Place the blocks far enough apart so the board to be planed will rest firmly in the notches. Plane the board square first and then place it in the notches and plane the corners down to the proper dimensions.

Contributed by Willie Woolsen, Cape May Point, N.J.

A Letter Holder of Pierced Metal

The letter holder shown in the illustration will be found convenient for holding outgoing letters that await the postman's coming. It can be made of either copper or brass and need not be of very heavy material. Gauge 22 will be sufficiently heavy. One sheet of metal, 6 by 9-1/2 in., a board on which to work it, and an awl and hammer, will be needed.

Prepare a design for the front. If one such as is shown is to be used, make one-quarter of it first, and then get the other parts by folding on the center lines and tracing. This will insure having all parts alike. The letters can be put on afterward.

Fasten the metal to the board, using tacks and nailing outside of the required space, in the waste metal. Trace the design on the metal with carbon paper; or, if desired, paste the paper design right on the metal. With an awl pierce the metal between the marginal line and the design, as shown. The holes should be uniform along the outlines but should be pierced promiscuously otherwise. On the back, only the marginal line is to be pierced.

Remove the metal, together with the paper if the latter was pasted to the metal, and trim off the surplus metal where the tacks had been placed. File off any sharpness so that the hand may not be injured in handling it. Place the metal on the edge of a table or between two boards, and bend on the two lines indicated in the drawing, to right angles.

A good finish is obtained by just letting the copper age with its natural color. If any polishing is required, it should be done before the metal is fastened to the board and pierced.

Imitating Ground Glass

Make a mixture of white lead in oil, 1 part; varnish, 3/4 part; turpentine, 1/4 part, and add sugar of lead as a dryer. Make a very thin paint of this and use a broad, flat brush, says Master Painter. With care you may succeed in getting the paint on quite evenly all over, which is desirable. One coat will do. If it becomes necessary to remove this coating for renewal, it may be effected by an application of potash lye, or the old may be renewed by a coating of a mixture of 2 parts hydrochloric acid, 2 parts white vitriol, 1 part sulphate of copper (blue vitriol) and 1 part of gum arabic, applied by means of a brush.

Draw before Cutting

A detail drawing made of a piece of furniture before starting the work will often save time and mistakes.

Making "Spirits" Play a Violin

The Music Produced by the Phonograph is Transmitted to the Violin on the Second Floor by the Aid of a Long Stick

A very pretty trick, that can be worked in your own parlor, will produce as much sensation as a fake "medium." In all appearance, a violin, mandolin or guitar, placed on a table, will begin to produce music simply through stamping the foot and a few passes of the hand. The music will not sound natural, but weird and distant.

The trick is done by placing the end of a small stick on a music box in the basement of the house and allowing the other end to pass up through the floor and table top so it will project about 1/16 in. The stick may be placed by the side of, behind or through the center of a table leg. Be careful not to have any obstruction in the way of the stick. The instrument is placed sideways on the protruding end of the stick. The "fake" work of invoking the "spirit" is performed and ended by stamping the foot, which signals the operator in the basement to start the machine, and the violin seemingly produces music without anyone touching it.

So impressive are the results, that many people really think the spirits of the departed are playing the violin with unseen hands. The music is transmitted through the stick from the music box to the violin.

Sizing a Threaded Hole

It sometimes becomes necessary to transfer the size of a threaded hole from some out-of-the-way place to the shop in order to make a piece to fit it. With proper tools this is easy; without them, it might be difficult. One thing is always at hand and that is wood. Whittle a stick tapering until it starts in the hole. Then turn it into the hole and a fair thread will be made on the wood. The stick can be carried in the pocket without risk of changing the size, as would be the case with ordinary calipers.

Leaded-Glass Fire Screen

The main frame of the fire screen shown in Fig. 1 is made from two pieces of 1/2-in. square bar iron. The longest piece, which should be about 5-1/2 ft. long, is bent square so as to form two uprights, each 28 in. long and measuring 26 in. across the top. The bottom crosspiece can be either riveted or welded to the uprights. Two pairs of feet, each 6 in. long and spread about 8 in. apart, are shaped as shown in Fig. 2. These are welded to the lower end of the uprights.

The ornamental scrollwork on the frame is simple and effective, and is easy to construct, says Work, London. The scrolls are attached to the frame by means of 3/16-in. round-head machine screws. The leaf ornament at the termination of the scroll is shaped and embossed as shown in Fig. 3. The metal used for the scrolls is 3/16 in. thick by 1/2 in. wide. The leaf ornament is formed by turning over the end of a piece of metal and working it together at a welding heat, and then shaping out the leaf with' a chisel and files, after which they are embossed with a ball-peen hammer.

The center is made from colored glass of special make for leaded work. The design is formed in the lead, of which a cross section is shown in Fig. 4. Use care to give the lead a symmetrical outline. The design should be drawn full size on a large sheet of heavy paper and the spaces to be occupied by the lead cut out so as to leave the exact size and shape of each piece of paper the same as wanted for each piece of glass. These are used as patterns in marking the glass for cutting. The glass is cut the same as ordinary window glass. The glass, lead, border and special flux can be purchased from an art glass shop.

After the glass is cut, the work of putting the pieces together with the lead between them is begun. Secure a board as wide as the screen—several narrow boards put together will do and begin by placing one vertical side border, A, Fig. 5, and the base border, B, on it as shown. Place the corner piece of glass, C, in the grooves of the borders, cut a long piece of lead, D, and hold it in place with two or three brads or glazier's points. The piece of lead E is cut and a small tenon joint made as shown in Fig. 6. While the piece of lead D, Fig. 5, is held by the brads, the piece E can be fitted and soldered. The soldering is done with a hot soldering iron and wire solder, using rosin as a flux, or, better still, special flux purchased for this purpose. After the joints are soldered, the piece of glass F is put in place and the lead held with brads as before until the cross leads are fitted and soldered. The brads are then removed, the glass piece as shown by the dotted lines put in, and the leads around it held with brads until the crosspieces are put in and soldered. This method is pursued until the glass is complete, then the two remaining vertical and top pieces of border are put on and all corners soldered.

The leaded glass is held in the iron frame by means of eight U-shaped clips, as shown in Fig. 7. A hole is drilled in the frame for the retaining screw, the latter being tapped to the base of the clip. Special screws may be made with ornamental heads, as shown in Fig. 8, and used for securing the side scrolls and clips together.

A Revolving Teeter Board

The accompanying sketch shows the details of a revolving teeter board for the children's playground that can be constructed in a few hours. Secure a post, not less than 4 in. square and of the length given in the drawing, and round the corners of one end for a ring. This ring can be made of 1-in. strap iron and it should be shrunk on the post. Bore a 3/4-in. hole in the end of the post for the center pin to rest in. Make three washers 3-in. in diameter and 1/4 in. thick and drill 3/4-in. holes through their centers. Drill and countersink two smaller holes for 2-in. wood screws in each washer. Fasten one of these washers to the top of the post as shown. The post is now ready to be set in the ground. Coarse gravel should be packed tightly about it to make it solid. Concrete is much better if it can be secured.

To make the swivel you will need two 1/4 by 5 by 8-in. plates, rounded at the top as shown, and two wood blocks, A and B, each 3-1/2 by 5 by 10 in. Drill the lower ends of the plates for four 2-1/2-in. lag screws and the upper ends for a 5/8-in. bolt. Fasten the plates to the block B, then drill a 3/4-in. hole as shown and fasten the two remaining washers to the block, one on each side and central with the hole. Bore a 5/8-in. hole lengthwise through the block A for the 5/8-in. rocker bolt. This bolt should be 11-1/2 in. long.

The teeter board is made of a 2 by 12-in. plank about 12 ft. long. It should be slightly tapered from the center to the ends. Two styles of hand holds are shown, but the one on the left is the one most generally used. The handles are rounded at the ends and are fastened to the board with lag screws or bolts. The block A is fastened to the board with lag screws and should be a working fit between the two plates where it is held by means of the 5/8-in. bolt. The center pin is 3/4-in. in diameter and about 9 in. long.

Contributed by W. H. Dreier, Jr., Camden, N. J.

Home-Made Pot Covers

Empty thread spools and the tins used as extra inside covers in lard cans are usually thrown away, but these can be put to good use as kettle covers, if they are made up as follows: Saw the spool in half as shown, make a hole in the center of the tin and run a screw or nail through the spool and the tin; then flatten its end on the under side. This will make an excellent cover for a pot.

Contributed by Maurice Baudier, New Orleans, La.

An Outdoor Gymnasium Part I-The Horizontal Bar

Gymnastic apparatus costs money and needs to be housed, because it will not stand the weather. Gymnasiums are not always available for the average boy who likes exercise and who would like to learn the tricks on horizontal and parallel bars, horse and rings, which all young athletes are taught in regular gymnastic courses.

Any small crowd of boys—even two—having a few simple tools, a will to use them and the small amount of money required to buy the necessary wood, bolts and rope, can make a first class gymnasium. If trees are convenient, and some one can swing an axe, the money outlay will be almost nothing. The following plans are for material purchased from a mill squared and cut to length. To substitute small, straight trees for the squared timbers requires but little changes in the plans.

The most important piece of apparatus in the gymnasium is the horizontal bar. Most gymnasiums have two: one adjustable bar for various exercises and a high bar for gymnastic work. The outdoor gymnasium combines the two. The material required is as follows: 2 pieces of wood, 4 in. square by 9-1/2 ft. long; 4 pieces, 2 by 4 in. by 2 ft. long; 4 pieces, 1 by 7 in. by 6-1/2 ft. long; 4 filler pieces, 3/4 by 3 in. by 3 ft. 9 in. long and 1 piece, 2-1/2 in. square by 5 ft. 7 in. long. This latter piece is for the bar and should be of well seasoned, straight-grained hickory. It makes no difference what kind of wood is used for the other pieces, but it is best to use cedar for the heavy pieces that are set in the ground as it will take years for this wood to rot. Ordinary yellow pine will do very well. The four 7-in. boards should be of some hard wood if possible such as oak, hickory, maple, chestnut or ash. The other material necessary consists of 2 bolts, 1/2 in. in diameter and 7 in. long; 16 screws, 3 in. long; 4 heavy screw eyes with two 1/2-in. shanks; 50 ft. of heavy galvanized wire: 80 ft. of 1/4-in. manila rope and 4 pulley blocks. Four cleats are also required but these can be made of wood at home.

Draw a line on the four 7-in. boards along the side of each from end to end, 1-1/4-in. from one edge. Beginning at one end of each board make pencil dots on this line 5 in. apart for a distance of 3 ft. 4 in. Bore holes through the boards on these marks with a 9/15-in. bit. Fasten two of these boards on each post with the 3-in. screws, as shown in the top view of the post Fig. 1, forming a channel of the edges in which the holes were bored. Two of the filler pieces are fastened in each channel as shown, so as to make the space fit the squared end of the bar snugly. The ends of the boards with the holes should be flush with the top of the post. This will make each pair of holes in the 7-in. boards coincide, so the 1/2-in. bolt can be put through them and the squared end of the bar.

Select a level place where the apparatus is to be placed and dig two holes 6 ft. apart, each 3 ft. deep and remove all loose dirt. The ends of the posts not covered with the boards are set in these holes on bricks or small stones. The channels formed by the boards must be set facing each other with the inner surfaces of the posts parallel and 5 ft. 8 in. apart. The holes around the posts are filled with earth and well tamped.

The hickory piece which is to form the bar should be planed, scraped and sandpapered until it is perfectly smooth and round except for 3 in. at each end. Bore a 9/16-in. hole through each square end 1-1/4 in. from the end. The bar may be fastened at any desired height by slipping the 1/2-in. bolts through the holes bored in both the bar and channel.

Each post must be well braced to keep it rigid while a person is swinging on the bar. Four anchors are placed in the ground at the corners of an imaginary rectangle 9 by 16 ft., in the center of which the posts stand as shown in Fig. 2. Each anchor is made of one 2-ft. piece of wood, around the center of which four strands of the heavy galvanized wire are twisted, then buried to a depth of 2 ft., the extending ends of the wires coming up to the surface at an angle.

The heavy screw eyes are turned into the posts at the top and lengths of ropes tied to each. These ropes or guys pass through the pulley blocks, which are fastened to the projecting ends of the anchor wire, and return to the posts where they are tied to cleats. Do not tighten the guy ropes without the bar in place, as to do so will strain the posts in the ground. Do not change the elevation of the bar without slacking up on the ropes. It takes but little pull on the guy ropes to make them taut, and once tightened the bar will be rigid.

Oil the bar when it is finished and remove it during the winter. It is well to oil the wood occasionally during the summer and reverse the bar at times to prevent its becoming curved. The wood parts should be well painted to protect them from the weather.

Electrostatic Illumination

Anyone having the use of a static machine can perform the following experiment which gives a striking result. A common tumbler is mounted on a revolving platform and a narrow strip of tinfoil is fastened with shellac varnish to the surface of the glass as follows: Starting beneath the foot of the glass from a point immediately below the stem, it is taken to the edge of the foot; it follows the edge for about 1 in. and then passes in a curve across the base, and ascends the stem; then it passes around the bowl in a sinuous course to the rim, which it follows for about one-third of its circumference; after which it descends on the inside and terminates at the bottom. The tinfoil on the outside of the glass is divided by cutting with a knife every 1/8 in., the parts inside and beneath the glass being left undivided. Current is then led from a static machine to two terminals, one terminal being connected to one end of the tinfoil strip, and similarly the second terminal makes contact with the other end. As soon as the current is led into the apparatus, a spark is seen at each place where the knife has cut through the tinfoil. If the tumbler is rotated, the effect will be as shown in the illustration. A variety of small and peculiar effects can be obtained by making some of the gaps in the tinfoil larger than others, in which case larger sparks would be produced at these points. The experiment should be carried out in a darkened room, and under these circumstances when nothing is visible, not even the tumbler, the effect is very striking.

Balloon Ascension Illusion By C. W. Nieman

In these days of startling revelations in air-craft flight we are prepared to see any day some marvelous machine driven bird cutting figure-eights all over the sky above our heads. One boy recently took advantage of this state of expectancy to have an evening's harmless amusement, through an illusion which deceived even the most incredulous. He caused a whole hotel-full of people to gaze open mouthed at a sort of "Zeppelin XXIII," which skimmed along the distant horizon, just visible against the dark evening sky, disappearing only to reappear again, and working the whole crowd up to a frenzy of excitement. And all he used was a black thread, a big piece of cardboard and a pair of field glasses.

He stretched the thread between two buildings, about 100 ft. apart, in an endless belt, passing through a screw-eye at either end. On this thread he fastened a cardboard "cut-out" of a dirigible, not much to look at in daytime, but most deceptive at dusk. By pulling one or the other string he moved the "airship" in either direction. He took the precaution of stretching his thread just beyond a blackberry hedge and thus kept over-inquisitive persons at a safe distance. He also saw to it that there was a black background at either end so that the reversing of the direction of the craft would not be noticed.

In attracting the crowd he had a confederate stand looking at the moving ship through a field glass, which at once gave the suggestion of distance, and materially heightened the illusion. When the interest of the crowd, which at once gathered, was at its height, the "aeronaut" pulled his craft out of sight and let the disillusion come when the light of day laid bare his fraud.

A Cork Extractor

The device shown in the sketch is for removing a cork or stopper from a bottle whether full or empty where the cork has been pushed inside. A wire about No. 14 gauge is bent as shown at B, Fig. 1, to fit the index finger and the other end filed to a point C, and turned in a spiral D, so the point will be on top. Insert this tool in the bottle as shown in Fig. 2 and place the end D under the cork and pull up. The cork will come out easily.

Contributed by Maurice Baudier. New Orleans. La.

An Outdoor Gymnasium Part II-Parallel Bars

Parallel bars hold a high place in the affection of those who frequent gymnasiums as the best apparatus for development of the back and shoulder muscles, as well as a promoter of ease and grace of movement. The outdoor "gym" can have a set of these bars with very little more labor than was required for the horizontal bar.

The material required is as follows:

4 posts, preferably cedar, 4 in. square and 6 ft. long;
2 base pieces, 4 in. square and 5-1/2 ft. long;
2 cross braces, 2 by 4 in. by 2 ft. 2 in. long;
2 side braces, 2 by 4 in. by 7 ft. 8 in. long;
4 knee braces, 2 by 4 in. by 3 ft. 8 in. long;
2 bars of straight grained hickory, 2 by 3 in. by 10 ft. long;
4 wood screws, 6 in. long;
4 bolts, 8 in. long;
8 bolts, 7 in. long and 1 doz. large spikes.

To make the apparatus, lay off the bases as shown in the end view and bevel the ends at an angle of 60 deg. Chisel out two notches 4 in. wide and 1 in. deep, beginning at a point 9 in. from either side of the center. These are to receive the lower ends of the posts. Bevel two sides of one end of each post down to the width of the finished bar—a little less than 2 in. Cut notches in these ends to receive the oval bars. Bevel the ends of the knee braces, as shown in the diagram, and fasten the lower ends to the beveled ends of the bases with the spikes. Fasten the upper ends of the knee braces to the uprights with the 8-in. bolts put through the holes bored for that purpose, and countersinking the heads. Lay the whole end flat on the ground and make a mark 2-1/2 ft. from the bottom of the base up along the posts, and fasten the end braces with their top edges flush with the marks, using four of the 7-in bolts. Finally toe-nail the base into the ends of the posts merely to hold them in position while the whole structure is being handled.

Two endpieces must be made. These sets or ends of the apparatus are to be buried in trenches dug to the depth of 2-1/2 ft., with the distance between the two inner surfaces of the posts, which face each other, of 7 ft. After the trenches are dug, additional long, shallow trenches must be made connecting the posts to receive the side braces. The function of these side braces is to hold both ends together solidly. It is necessary to bury these braces so they will be out of the way of the performer. The side braces are bolted to the posts just below the cross braces, so the bolts in both will not meet. The bars are dressed down so that a cross section is oval as shown in the end view. They are to be screwed to the notched ends of the uprights with the 6-in. screws. The holes should be countersunk so they can be filled with putty after the screws are in place. The bars should be well oiled with linseed oil to protect them from the weather, and in the winter they should be removed and stored.

Every piece of wood in this apparatus can be round and cut from trees, except the bars. If using mill-cut lumber, leave it undressed, and if using round timber leave the bark upon it as a protection from the weather. It is well to paint the entire apparatus, save the bars, before burying the lower part of the end pieces. The wood so treated will last for years, but even unpainted they are very durable. Be sure to tamp down the earth well about the posts. A smooth piece of ground should be selected on which to erect the apparatus.

(To be Continued.)

Combined Ladle and Strainer

When using a strainer in connection with a ladle the operation requires both hands. A convenient article where a ladle and strainer are needed is to swing a cup-shaped strainer under the bowl of a ladle as shown in the illustration. The strainer can be held in place with small bands that fit loosely over the handle. and a small tip soldered to the ladle. These will allow the ladle to be turned, leaving the strainer always in position. A large sized ladle, equipped with a strainer, is just the thing for painters to dip and strain paint, while a small one is of great assistance to the housewife for dipping and straining soups, jellies, etc.

Contributed by W. A. Jaquythe, Richmond, Cal.

Cleaning Gloves

A solution consisting of 1 dr. of sodium carbonate and 1 qt. of milk makes an excellent cleaner for motorists' gloves.

Turpentine in Cutting Oil

When cutting steel or wrought iron in a lathe, milling machine, drill press or planer, it is sometimes necessary to leave a smooth surface. Oil, or various cutting compounds of oil, is used for this purpose and to keep the surface cool. If a little turpentine is added to the oil, it will greatly assist in leaving a smooth surface. A proportion of one-quarter turpentine is good.

Center of Gravity Experiment

This experiment consists of suspending a pail of water from a stick placed upon a table as shown in the accompanying sketch. In order to accomplish this experiment, which seems impossible, it is necessary to place a stick, A, of sufficient length, between the end of the stick on the table and the bottom of the pail. This makes the center of gravity somewhere near the middle of the stick on the table, thus holding the pail as shown.

Lathe Accuracy

A heavy lathe cut will not do accurate work.

An Outdoor Gymnasium Part III-The Horse

The German horse is that peculiar piece of apparatus which is partly a horizontal obstruction to leap over, partly a barrier for jumps, partly a smooth surface of long and narrow dimensions over and about which the body may slide and swing, and partly an artificial back for the purpose of a peculiar style of leap frog.

To make a horse for the outdoor "gym" requires no difficult work save the preparation of the top or body of the horse. The making of the regular gymnasium horse requires a very elaborate wood-working and leather upholstering plant, but the one used for outdoor work can be made of a log of wood. Procure from a saw mill, wood yard or from the woods, one-half of a tree trunk from a tree 9 to 15 in. in diameter—the larger the better. The length may be anywhere from 4 to 7 ft., but 5 ft. is a good length.

The round part of this log must be planed, scraped and sandpapered until it is perfectly smooth, and free from knots, projections and splinters. Hand holds must be provided next. These are placed 18 in. apart in a central position on the horse. Make two parallel saw cuts 2 in. apart, straight down in the round surface of the horse until each cut is 9 in. long. Chisel out the wood between the cuts and in the mortises thus made insert the hand holds. Each hand hold is made of a 9-in. piece of 2 by 4-in. stud cut rounding on one edge. These are well nailed in place.

The body of the horse is to be fastened on top of posts so that it may be adjusted for height. It is not as difficult to make as the horizontal and parallel bars. The material required is as follows:

Two posts, 4 in. square by 5 ft. long;
2 adjusting pieces, 2 by 4 in. by 3 ft. 3 in. long;
1 cross brace, 2 by 4 in. by 3 ft. long;
2 bases, 4 in. square by 5-1/2 ft. long;
4 knee braces, 2 by 4 in. by 3 ft. long;
two 1/2-in. bolts, 9 in. long, to fasten the knee braces at the top;
ten 1/2-in. bolts, 7 in. long, 4 to fasten the knee braces at the bottom, 2 to fasten the cross brace and 4 to be used in fastening the adjusting pieces to the posts.

To construct, layout the bases as shown in the drawing, making the mortises to receive the bottom ends of the posts exactly in the center, and cut a slanting mortise 6 in. from each end to receive the ends of the knee braces. Bevel the ends of the knee braces and fasten the upper ends of each pair to the post with one 9-in. bolt. Fasten the lower ends to the base with the 7-in. bolts.

The upper end of each post should have 5/8-in. holes bored through it parallel to the base at intervals of 3 in., beginning 1-1/2 in. from the top and extending down its length for 2 ft. 4-1/2 in. The adjusting pieces are to be bored in a similar manner after which they are to be mortised into the under side of the horse top 15 in. from each end, and secured with screws put through the top and into the end of the adjusting pieces.

The bases with their posts and knee braces are buried 2 ft. 4 in. in the ground, parallel to each other and the same distance apart as the adjusting pieces are mortised in the horse top. When the ground has been filled in and tamped hard, the cross brace should be bolted in position with its lower edge resting on the ground and connecting the two posts.

The height of the horse from the ground is adjusted by changing the bolts in the different holes connecting the two adjusting pieces with the two posts. Much pleasant and healthful gymnastic exercise can be had in competitive horse jumping and leaping, the handles providing a way to make many different leaps through, over and around, including not only those made to see who can go over the horse from a standing or running start at the greatest height, but who can go over at the greatest height when starting from the "toeing off mark" farthest away from the horse. This horse should be located on level ground having smooth space about it for several feet.

Spoon Rest for Kettles

A rest for keeping spoons from slipping into kettles can be made from a strip of metal bent as shown in the illustration. The spring of the metal will make it easy to apply to the kettle. The spoon placed in the rest will drain back into the kettle. The cover can be placed on without removing the spoon.

Contributed by W. A. Jaquythe, Richmond. Cal.

Reason for Bursting of Gun Barrels

Gun barrels do not burst without a cause and usually that cause is one of which the shooter is entirely ignorant, but nevertheless, no one is responsible but himself, says the Sporting Goods Dealer. Gun barrels can only burst by having some obstruction in the barrel or by overloading with powder. Any gun barrel can be burst by misuse or by carelessly loading smokeless powder, but no barrel will burst by using factory loaded ammunition, provided there is no obstruction or foreign substance inside the barrel. When a gun barrel bursts at the breech or chamber, it is caused by an overloaded shell, and when it bursts in the center or near the muzzle, it is caused by some obstruction, such as a dent, snow, water, etc.

Hand Sled Made of Pipe and Fittings

The accompanying sketch shows how an ordinary hand sled can be made of 3/4-in. pipe and fittings. Each runner is made of one piece of pipe bent to the proper shape. This can be accomplished by filling the pipe with melted rosin or lead, then bending to the shape desired, and afterward removing the rosin or lead by heating. Each joint is turned up tightly and well pinned or brazed. One of the top crosspieces should have right-hand and left-hand threads or be fitted with a union. Also, one of the top pieces connecting the rear part to the front part of each runner must be fitted in the same way. The top is fastened to the two crosspieces. Such a hand sled can be made in a few hours' time and, when complete, is much better than a wood sled.

Contributed by James E. Noble, Toronto, Ontario.

Emergency Magnifying Glass

When in need of a microscope in the study of botany, one may be made in the following manner: Bend a small wire or the stem of a leaf so as to form a small loop not larger than the ordinary drop of water. When this is done place a drop of clear water in the loop and the microscope is complete. This temporary device will prove valuable where a strong magnifying glass is not at hand.

Contributed by Arthur E. Joerin, Paris, France.

Bent-Iron Pipe Rack

Strips of soft iron, 1/4 or 3/16 in. in width and 1/32 in. thick, are used in making the pipe rack shown in Fig. 1. This material can be obtained from any local hardware dealer who carries bar iron in stock.

Draw a full-size sketch of the design on paper, then run a string over each part, which, when straightened out, will give the length. The scrolls are bent with a pair of round-nose pliers. These, with a pair of flat-nose pliers, are all the tools necessary. The part for holding the pipes is shown in Fig. 2. The end elevation, at E and F, shows how the rack is fastened to the main frame of the rack.

Contributed by J. W. Vener, Boston, Mass.

To Clean Silver

A good method to clean silver of any kind is to place the articles in an aluminum vessel and add a few pieces of zinc. Hot water is added and the silver boiled until clean. It is best to use soft water. The tarnish is removed by the electrolytic action of the zinc on the aluminum and the silver, and the latter will take on a bright luster. This method of cleaning will not injure oxidized or black silver, nor that which is partly oxidized.

Sharpening Skates with a File

Two methods are shown in the sketches for filing skates-one for hollow filing and the other for filing flat and straight across the blade. The method shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is for filing the blade flat. The device for holding the skates consists of a board on which four blocks, AA and BB, are nailed. These blocks are fastened on the board in the relative positions of the heel and sole on a shoe. The skates are clamped on them in the same manner as on a shoe. A flat file is drawn across both blades of the skates as shown. After the roundness is cut down on the edges of the blades the skates are removed and the file is drawn along the sides to remove the burr. Skates filed in this way have flat surfaces with sharp edges.

Some skaters like a hollow-ground skate and the method shown in Figs. 3 and 4 can be used for filing a slightly curved surface in the blade. A piece of tin or sheet metal is shaped over a round file as shown in Fig. 3. The manner of filing the curves is shown in Fig. 4. The piece of metal is held over the file and blade of the skate as the file is worked.

Lines and Letters Made with a Carpenter's Pencil

The sketch shows some unusual work made with a carpenter's pencil. If the flat lead is notched with a three-cornered file (Fig. 1), two parallel lines may be drawn at one stroke, or various rulings may be made, as shown in Fig. 2. Broad lines can be made, as shown in Fig. 3, or unequal widths as in Fig. 4. In Figs. 2, 5 and 6 are shown lines especially adapted for the bookkeeper or draftsman. If one lacks the ability to draw old English letters with a pen, the letters may be first drawn with a carpenter's pencil (Fig. 7) and the outlines marked with ink and finally filled in. Narrow lines are made with points cut as in Figs. 8 and 9. A little practice with the carpenter's pencil in making these letters will enable the student to finally produce them with the pen used for the purpose.

Insulating Aluminum Wire

Aluminum wire plunged hot into a cold solution of carbonate of soda becomes coated with a strong layer of oxide which forms an excellent insulator to electricity.

How to Build an Ice-Yacht Condensed from an article by H. Percy Ashley in Rudder.

The plans and specifications shown in the illustrations are for making a 400-ft. class ice-yacht, having a double cockpit to accommodate four persons. The weight of the persons in the forward cockpit keeps the boat from rearing when in a stiff breeze. The forward cockpit can be removed if necessary.

The materials used are: backbone, white pine; center, clear spruce; sides, white oak caps; runner plank, basswood, butternut or oak; cockpit, oak; runners, chocks, etc., quartered white oak. All the iron work should be first-grade Swedish iron, with the exception of the runners, which are soft cast iron.

It is not necessary to go into detail with the measurements as they are plainly shown in the sketches. The backbone is 37-1/2 ft. over all, 12 in. in the center, 5 in. stern, 3-1/2 in. at the nose; width 4-1/2 in. All wood should be selected from the best grades, well seasoned and free from checks. In Fig. 1 is shown the complete ice-yacht with general dimensions for the sail and main parts. Other dimensions are shown in Fig. 2. The backbone is capped on the upper and lower edges full length with strips of oak, 4-1/4 in. wide and 5/8 in. thick. The lengthwise side strips of spruce are 1-1/4 in. thick. The filling-in pieces placed between the side pieces are of seasoned white pine, leaving the open places as shown in Fig. 2. The parts are put together with hot glue and brass screws.

The runner plank should be placed with the heart of the wood up, so as to give the natural curve from the ice so that it will act as a spring. The plank is 16 in. wide in the center, 14 in. at the ends; 4-1/8 in. thick at the center and 2-3/4 in. at the ends.

Details of the runners are shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The cast iron shoes are filed and finished with emery paper, making the angle on the cutting edge 45 deg. on both sides. The runners are 7-1/4 in. wide over all and 2-1/8 in. thick. The soft iron casting is 2-1/4 in. deep. The shoes are fastened by 5/8-in. machine bolts. These are shown in Figs. 3 and 9. The rudder is 2-3/4 in. thick, 5 in. deep, including wood and iron, and 3 ft. long. The cast iron shoe is 1-7/8 in. deep and fastened on with four 1/2-in. machine bolts. A brass plate, 1/4 in. thick, 2 in. wide and 7 in. long, is inserted on each side of the runners as shown in Fig. 9. Three holes are drilled through for a 3/4-in. riding bolt that can be shifted as desired for rough or smooth ice. The runner chocks and guides are 1-7/8 in. thick and 4-1/2 in. deep. They are set in the runner plank 1/4 in. and fastened with glue and 1/2-in. lag screws. These are shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

The aft cockpit is stationary, while the fore or passenger cockpit can be removed at will. Both cockpits are the same size, 42 in. wide and 7 ft. long over all. Each one has a bent rail, 1-1/2 in. by 4 in., grooved 1/2 in. by 7/8 in. before bending. The flooring is of oak, 1-1/2 in. thick and 4 in. wide, tongue-and grooved. The forward cockpit is made in halves and hung on the backbone with wrought-iron straps and bolts. These are shown in Figs. 41, 43 and 44. Two pieces of oak, 1/2 in, by 4 in. are fastened with screws to the flooring, parallel with the backbone in the forward cockpit. The runner plank which passes under this cockpit gives it stability.

The spars should be hollow and have the following dimensions: Mast, 23 ft. 3 in.; heel, 3-3/4 in.; center, 5-1/4 in.; tip, 4 in.; boom 23-1/2 ft.; heel, 3-3/4 in.; center, 4 in.; tip, 2-7/8 in. at ends; gaff, 12-1/2 ft.; center, 3-1/2 in.; ends, 2-1/2 in.; jib-boom, 10-1/2 ft.; 1-3/4 in. at the ends, 2-1/8 in. at the center. The gaff is furnished with bent jaws of oak, Fig. 17, and the main boom with gooseneck, Fig. 12.

Galvanized cast-steel yacht rigging, 5/16 in. in diameter, is used for the shrouds; jibstay, 3/8 in. in diameter; runner plank guys, 5/16 in. in diameter; bobstay, 3/8 in. in diameter; martingale stay, 1/4 in. in diameter. The throat and peak halyards are 3/8 in. in diameter; jib halyards, 1/4 in. in diameter.

The main sheet rigging is 9/16-in. Russian bolt rope; jibs, 7/16-in. manila bolt rope, 4-strand; jib-sheet, 3/8-in. manila bolt rope. Four 1/2-in. bronze turnbuckles, Fig. 34, are used for the shrouds; one 5/8-in. turnbuckle for the jibstay and one for the bobstay; four 3/8-in. turnbuckles for the runner plank stays, and one for the martingale stay.

Two rope blocks for 3/8-in. wire rope, Fig. 10, are used for the peak and throat, and one block for the wire rope 1/4 in. in diameter for the jib halyard. Four 6-in. and one 7-in. cleats, Fig. 18, are used. The blocks shown in Fig. 11 are used for the main and jib sheets. The steering arrangement is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The tiller is 3-1/2 ft. long; rudder post, 1-1/4 in. in diameter; shoulder to lower end of jaws, 4 in.; depth of jaws, 2-7/8 in.; length of post including screw top, 12 in. The rubber washer acts as a spring on rough ice.

In Figs. 13, 14, 15 and 16 are shown metal bands for the nose of the backbone, and Figs. 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 show the saddles that fit over the backbone and hold the runner plank in place. There are two sets of these. A chock should be sunk in the runner plank at each side to connect with the backbone to keep it from slipping sidewise as the boat rises in the air. The martingale spreader is shown in Figs. 24 and 25. Straps through which the ring bolts for the shrouds pass on the ends to fasten the turnbuckles for the runner plank guys are shown in Figs. 26 and 27. The bobstay spreaders are shown in Figs. 28, 29 and 30. In Fig. 31 is shown the top plate for the rudder post and in Figs. 32 and 33, the lower plate for same. The mast step is shown in Figs. 35, 36 and 37. Two positions of the jib traveler are shown in Fig. 38. The anchor plate for the bobstay under the cockpit is shown in Figs. 39 and 40.

At the nose and heel the runner plank guys end in a loop. The bobstay has a loop at the nose and ends in a turnbuckle that fastens to the anchor plate under the cockpit, aft. The shrouds, jibstay and martingale have loops at the masthead and are spliced bare over solid thimbles. The loops are finished in pigskin and served with soft cotton twine over the splice and varnished. The parceling is done with insulating tape. Serve the tiller with soft cotton twine and ride a second serving over the first. For the halyards hoisting use a jig shown in Fig. 46. The thimble shown in Fig. 47 is made by splicing the rope to the thimble at running part of halyard and passing back and forth through cleat and thimble. This gives a quick and strong purchase and does away with cumbersome blocks of the old-fashioned jig. The jib-sheet leads aft to the steering cockpit. The main-sheet ends in a jig of a single block and a single block with becket. Be sure that your sail covers are large enough—the sail maker always makes them too tight. The cockpit covers must fit tightly around the cockpit rail. Many boats have sail and cockpit covers in one piece.

The woodwork may be finished as desired by the builder. The dimensions of the sails are given in the general drawing, Fig. 1.

Turning Lights On and Off from Any Number of Places

This can be done by the use of any number of reversing switches such as those shown at B and C. These are inserted between the two-way switches A and D. Turning such a switch up or down connects the four contact pieces either diagonally as at C, or lengthwise as at B. The diagram shows connection from A to D, when the lamps will be on, but by turning either of these four switches into its alternative position, shown by the dotted lines, the circuit will be broken and the lights extinguished. When this has been done, the circuit may be restored and the lamps lighted again by altering either of the four switches in exactly the same way, and so on.

It will be observed that a reversing switch used in this way practically undoes whatever is done by the other switches. In the accompanying diagram only two reversing switches are shown and the lights can be independently controlled from four distinct positions. Any number of reversing switches can be placed between the two-way switches A and D to increase the number of places from which the lights could be turned on and off.

Contributed by J. S. Dow, Mayfield, London.

How to Make an Electric Pendant Switch

It is often desired to use a pendant switch for controlling clusters of incandescent lamps. When such a switch is not at hand, a very good substitute can be made by screwing a common fuse plug into a key socket and connecting the socket in series with the lamps to be controlled. In this way you get a safe, reliable, fused switch.

Contributed by C. C. Heyder, Hansford, W. Va.

Measure

Never guess the length of a piece of work—measure it.

Home-Made Water Motor

The small water motor shown in the illustration is constructed in the same manner as a German toy steam turbine. The wheel, which is made of aluminum 1/16 in. thick and 7 in. in diameter, has 24 blades attached to it.

The lugs or extensions carrying the rim must be made from the metal of the wheel, therefore a circle 8 in. in diameter must be first described on the aluminum plate, then another circle 7 in. in diameter within the first and then a circle for the base of the blades, 3-1/2 in. in diameter. Twenty-four radial lines at equal distances apart are drawn between the two smaller circles and a 1/4-in. hole drilled at the intersecting points of the radial lines and the innermost circle.

Centrally between each pair of radial lines and between the two outer circles, 1/2 by 3/8-in. lugs are marked out and the metal cut away as shown in Fig. 1. A 1/8-in. hole is then drilled in the center of each lug. Each division is separated by cutting down each radial line to the 1/4-in. hole with a hacksaw. Each arm is then given a quarter turn, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the lug bent over at right angles to receive the rim. The rim is made of the same material as the disk and contains twenty-four 1/8 in. holes corresponding to those in the lugs to receive brass bolts 1/4-in. long.

The disks PP were taken from the ends of a discarded typewriter platen, but if these cannot be readily obtained, they can be turned from metal or a heavy flat disk used instead.

The casing was made from two aluminum cake pans whose diameter was 8 in. at the base, increasing to 9 in. at the rim. The centers of these were located and a 1/4 in. hole drilled for the shaft. The disks P are the same as used on the wheel. Six holes 1/8-in. in diameter were drilled through the flat part of the rims while the two halves were held together in a vise. Bolts were placed through these holes to join the casing when ready for assembling. One side of the casing was then bolted to two 4-in. ordinary metal shelf brackets which were screwed to a substantial wood base. This kept one-half of the casing independent of the main structure so that the wheel is easily accessible.

The nozzle was made of 1/2-in. brass pipe which was first filled with molten babbitt metal. When the metal was cool, a 1/4-in. hole was drilled halfway through the length of the tube, the hole being continued through to the other end by means of a 1/8-in. drill. The lower orifice was then slightly enlarged with a small taper reamer, and the upper portion of the bore was reamed out almost to the brass to make a smooth entrance for the water.

A fixture to hold this nozzle is shown in Fig. 3. It was cast of babbitt metal in a wood mold. The hole for the nozzle was drilled at an angle of 20 deg. to the plate part. An alternative and perhaps easier way would be to insert the nozzle in the mold at the proper angle and cast the metal around it. A hole was then cut in one of the sides of the casing at a point 2-7/8 in. along a horizontal line from the center. The nozzle fixture was then bolted on with the exit orifice of the nozzle pointing downward and through the hole in the casing.

Six 1/8-in. holes were drilled through the flat portions of the rims while the two halves of the casing were held securely together in a vise. Bolts were used in these holes to join the casing. The wheel was used on the dripboard of a kitchen sink and no provision was made to carry off the spent water except to cut two 1/2-in. holes in the bottom of the casing and allowing the waste to flow off directly into the sink.

Contributed by Harry F. Lowe, Washington, D. C.

Device for Baseball Throwing Practice

Anyone training to be a baseball player will find the device shown in the accompanying illustration a great help when practicing alone. It consists of two cement slabs, one flat and upright, the other curved and on the ground. The vertical slab is fastened securely against a fence, barn or shed. The barn or the shed is preferable, for if the slab is fastened to a fence, the ball will bound over a great many times and much time will be lost in finding it.

The player stands as far as he cares from the slabs and throws the ball against the lower slab. The ball immediately rebounds to the upright slab and returns with almost as great a force as it was delivered. If the thrower does not throw the ball exactly in the same spot each time, the ball will not rebound to the same place, consequently the eye and muscles are trained to act quickly, especially if the player stands within 15 or 20 ft. of the slabs and throws the ball with great force.

This apparatus also teaches a person to throw accurately, as a difference in aim of a few inches on the lower slab may cause the ball to flyaway over the player's head on the rebound.

Contributed by F. L. Oilar, La Fayette, Indiana.

How to Mail Photographs

Cut a piece of cardboard 1 in. longer and 1 in. wider than the mount of the photograph and lay the picture on it in the center. This allows a 1/2-in. border on all sides of the photograph. Punch two holes 1 in. apart at A, B, C and D, Fig. 1, in the cardboard border close to the edge of the picture. Put a string up through the hole B, Fig. 2, then across the corner of the photograph and down through the hole C and up through hole D, then to E, etc., until the starting point A is reached, and tie the ends.

The photograph will not get damaged, if it is covered with tissue paper and placed with the face to the cardboard. The extension border of cardboard prevents the edges of the mount from being damaged and the corners from wearing. Both cardboard and photograph are wrapped together in paper, and the package is ready for mailing.

Contributed by Earl R. Hastings, Corinth, Vt.

A Mystifying Watch Trick

Borrow a watch from one of the audience and allow the owner to place it in the box, as shown in Fig. 1. This box should be about 3 in. long, 4 in. wide and 2-1/2 in. deep, says the Scientific American. It should be provided with a hinged cover, M, with a lock, N. The tricky part of this box is the side S, which is pivoted at T by driving two short nails into it, one through the front side and the other through the back, so that when S is pushed in at the top, it swings around as shown in Fig. 1 and allows the watch to slide out into the performer's hand. The side S should fit tightly when closed, so that the box may be examined without betraying the secret. As the side S extends down to the bottom of the box, it facilitates the use of the fingers in pulling outward at the lower pan while the thumb is pressing inward at the top part. The side of the box opposite S should be built up in the same way, but not pivoted.

Use a flat-bottom tumbler, A, Fig. 2, containing an inner cone, B, for the reproduction of the watch. The cone is made of cardboard pasted together so it fits snugly inside of the tumbler. The cone is closed except at the bottom, then bran is pasted on the outside surfaces to make the tumbler appear as if filled with bran when it is in place. Place the tumbler with the cone inside on a table somewhat in the background. Put some loose bran on top of the cone and allow the cork, attached as shown in B, Fig. 2, to hang down on the outside of the tumbler, away from the audience. A large handkerchief should be laid beside the tumbler.

After the watch has been placed in the box, Fig. 1, the performer takes the box in his left hand, and while in the act of locking it with his right hand secures possession of the watch as previously explained. Tossing the key to the owner of the watch, the performer places the box on a chair or table near the audience and, with the watch securely palmed, walks back to get the tumbler. Standing directly in front of the tumbler with his back toward the audience, the performer quickly raises the cone with his right hand, lays the watch in the bottom of the tumbler and replaces the cone.

The loaded tumbler and the handkerchief are then brought forward, and the former is placed in full view of the audience with the cork hanging down behind it. The performer calls attention to the tumbler being full of bran and picks up some of it from the top to substantiate his statement. He then spreads the handkerchief over the tumbler, commands the watch to pass from the box into the tumbler and the bran to disappear.

The box is then handed to the owner of the watch so that he may unlock it with the key he holds. As soon as the box is found to be empty, the performer grasps the handkerchief spread over the tumbler, also the cork tied to the cone. Raising the handkerchief, he carries up the cone within it, leaving the watch in the bottom to be returned to its owner.

Locking Several Drawers with One Lock

A series or row of drawers can be secured with one lock by using the device shown in the sketch. This method takes away several dangling locks and the carrying of many keys. A rod is used through the various staples over the hasps. The rod is upset on one end and flattened to make sufficient metal for drilling a hole large enough to insert the bar of a padlock. If the bar is made of steel and hardened, it is almost impossible to cut it in two.

Contributed by F. W. Bentley, Huron, S. Dak.

Testing Small Electric Lamps

The accompanying sketch shows the construction of a handy device for testing miniature electric lights. The base is made to take in an electric flash lamp battery. Two strips of brass, C and D, are connected to the battery. The lamp is tested by putting the metal end on the lower brass strip and the side against the upper one. A great number of lamps can be tested in a short time by means of this device.

Contributed by Abner B. Shaw, North Dartmouth, Mass.

How to Make a Pin Ball

The pin ball shown in the illustration is made of calfskin modeling leather and saddler's felt. Two pieces of leather are used, and one piece of felt, all three being cut circular to a diameter of about 3 in. The felt may be about 1/2 in. thick, and leather of a deep brown color is recommended.

Moisten the leather on the back side with as much water as it will take without showing through the face. Lay it on a sheet of heavy glass or copper, or other hard, smooth, nonabsorbent material. Place the design, which has been previously prepared, over the face of the leather. Indent the outline of the design with a nutpick or any other pointed tool that will not cut the leather. Remove the pattern, and go over the outline again to deepen the tool marks.

The space between the border and the design is now stamped with a cup-pointed nail set, care being taken not to cut the leather, especially if the tool be new. Rubbing the edges of the nail set over a piece of emery paper will serve to dull them, if they are too sharp.

When the designs have been worked on the leather, paste or glue the leather to the two sides of the belt, and punch a hole in the center through which to place a cord for hanging up the ball.

Cleaning Woodwork

An easy method of removing the dirt and old varnish at the same time around a kitchen sink is told by a correspondent of National Magazine as follows:

Make a soft soap from common yellow laundry soap, and when it is almost cold stir in one tablespoonful of concentrated lye and one-half cupful of kerosene. When the mixture becomes a heavy paste, it is ready to be spread over the woodwork with a paint brush. Allow the soap to remain for a day and a half, then wash it off with plenty of hot water. The woodwork will be clean and ready for varnishing when it dries out.

Bill File Made of Corkscrews

An ordinary corkscrew makes a convenient file for small bills or memoranda. It may be thrown in any position without danger of the papers slipping off. A rack to hold a number of files can be made of a wood strip (Fig. 1) fitted with hooks or screw eyes cut in a hook shape, as shown in Fig. 2, Single bills may be separated from the others and will remain separated as in Fig. 3.

Contributed by James M. Kane, Doylestown, Pa.

Ornamental Metal Inkstand

The metal required for making this stand is 3/16 in. in width and may be steel, brass or copper. The shaping is done as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. There are, in all, eight pieces to be bent. The two supports are each formed of one piece of metal with the exception that the end scroll pieces on the under side are made separately. Eight rivets are required to fasten the two horizontal rings to the supports. The glass receptacle can be purchased at a stationery store.

Holding Eyeglasses Firm

Persons who wear noseglasses and who are troubled with excessive perspiration, should chalk the sides of the bridge of the nose before putting on the glasses. The latter will then never slip, even in the warmest weather. If the chalk shows, use a pink stick, which can be purchased from any art school or supply store.

Substitute for Gummed Paper

Gummed paper is a great convenience in the home especially for labels, but it is not always found among the household supplies. The gummed portions of unsealed envelopes in which circulars are received can be utilized for this purpose. Quite a large label may be made from these envelope flaps.

Repairing a Broken Phonograph Spring

As I live a great distance from a railroad station, I did not care to pay the price, and await the time necessary to deliver a new phonograph spring to replace one that broke in my machine, and I repaired the old one in a creditable manner as follows:

I forced the two ends of the break out where I could get at them, then heated each end separately with a pair of red hot tongs and turned a hook or lap on them the same as the joints in knock-down stovepipes. When the ends were hooked together, the spring worked as good as new. The heated portion did not affect the strength of the spring.

Contributed by Marion P. Wheeler, Greenleaf, Oregon.

Calls While You Are Out

If you wish to know whether or not the door or telephone bell rings during your absence, place a little rider of paper or cardboard on the clapper in such a way that it will be dislodged if the bell rings.

A Small Bench Lathe Made of Pipe Fittings

The most important machine in use in the modern machine or wood-working shop is the lathe. The uses to which this wonderful machine can be put would be too numerous to describe, but there is hardly a mechanical operation in which the turning lathe does not figure. For this reason every amateur mechanic and wood-worker who has a workshop, no matter how small, is anxious to possess a lathe of some sort. A good and substantial homemade lathe, which is suitable for woodturning and light metal work, may be constructed from pipe and pipe fittings as shown in the accompanying sketch.

The bed of this lathe is made of a piece of 1-in. pipe, about 30 in. long. It can be made longer or shorter, but if it is made much longer, a larger size of pipe should be used. The headstock is made of two tees, joined by a standard long nipple as shown in Fig. 1. All the joints should be screwed up tight and then fastened with 3/16-in. pins to keep them from turning. The ends of the bed are fixed to the baseboard by means of elbows, nipples and flanges arranged as shown. The two bearings in the headstock are of brass. The spindle hole should be drilled and reamed after they are screwed in place in the tee. The spindle should be of steel and long enough to reach through the bearing and pulley and have enough end left for the center point. The point should extend about 1-1/2 in. out from the collar. The collar can be turned or shrunk on the spindle as desired. The end of the spindle should be threaded to receive a chuck.

The tailstock is also made of two tees joined by a nipple. The lower tee should be bored out for a sliding fit on the bed pipe. The upper one should be tapped with a machine tap for the spindle which is threaded to fit it. The spindle has a handle fitted at one end and has the other end bored out for the tail stock center. Both the tail stock and the headstock centerpoints should be hardened. A clamp for holding the tail stock spindle is made of a piece of strap iron, bent and drilled as shown. It is held together by means of a small machine screw and a knurled nut. The tee should have a slot cut in it about one-half its length and it should also have one bead filed away so that the clamp will fit tightly over it.

The hand rest is made from a tapering elbow, a tee and a forging. The forging can be made by a blacksmith at a small expense. Both the lower tees of the handrest and the tailstock should be provided with screw clamps to hold them in place.

The pulley is made of hardwood pieces, 3/4 or 1 in. thick as desired. It is fastened to the spindle by means of a screw, as shown in Fig. 2, or a key can be used as well.

Care must be taken to get the tailstock center vertically over the bed, else taper turning will result. To do this, a straight line should be scratched on the top of the bed pipe, and when the tail stock is set exactly vertical, a corresponding line made on this. This will save a great deal of time and trouble and possibly some errors.

The two designs of chucks shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are very easy to make, and will answer for a great variety of work.

As the details are clearly shown and the general dimensions given on the accompanying sketches, it should not be a difficult matter for the young mechanic to construct this machine.

Contributed by W. M. Held, Laporte, Indiana.

Holder for Flexible Lamp-Cord

The holder is made of a round stick—a piece of a broom handle will do—as shown in Fig. 1. It is about 1 in. long with two notches cut out for the strands of the cord. These holders are easily made and will answer the purpose almost as well as the ones made in porcelain. Painting or enameling will improve not only their appearance, but also their insulating properties. Several of them can be used along a line, as shown in Fig. 2.

Contributed by M. Musgrove, Boissevain, Man.

Support for Double Clotheslines

Anyone using a double clothesline over pulleys will find the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 for supporting the lower line quite convenient. The support is made of a piece of 3/4-in. square or round wood which has a screw-eye turned into each end. The line is run through these screw-eyes as shown in Fig. 2.

Contributed by W. W. UpDeGraff, Fruitvale, Cal.

Hot Pan or Plate Lifter

Unless a person uses considerable caution, bad burns may be suffered when taking hot pies from an oven. If one reaches in and takes hold of the pie pan with a cloth, the arm is liable to touch the oven door and receive a burn. To obviate this, I made the device shown in the sketch for lifting hot pie pans and plates. The handle is of pine about 18 in. long, and the two loops are made of heavy wire. The ends of the first loop of wire are put through the handle from the back, as shown, and then bent so as to stand out at an angle. The second loop is hinged to swing free on the opposite side of the handle. In use, the hinged side of the loop is dropped under one edge of a plate or pan and the rigid loop is then hooked under the opposite side. The weight of the pan or dish draws the loops together and there is little or no danger of a spill. The same lifter will pick up any size of plate or pan from a saucer to the largest pie plates.

Contributed by E. J. Cline, Ft. Smith, Ark.

Weighting Indian Clubs

An ordinary Indian club can be fixed so that different weights may be had without changing clubs. Each club is bored to receive lead washers which are held in place by a spiral spring. A bolt is run through from the handle end and fastened with a round nut. The lead washers and spring slip over the bolt as shown in the illustration. Changing the number of washers changes the weight of the club.

Contributed by Walter W. White, Denver, Colo.

Venting a Funnel

When using a tight-fitting funnel in a small-neck bottle, trouble is usually experienced by the air causing a spill. This can be easily remedied by splitting a match in half and tying the parts on the sides of the stem with thread.

Contributed by Maurice Baudier, New Orleans, La.

Lubricating Woodscrews

A screw may be turned into hardwood easily, by boring a small hole and lubricating the screw threads with soft soap.

To Make "Centering" Unnecessary

For drilling a hole in a chucked piece, centering is just one operation too many, if this method is followed: First, face off the end of the piece, making a true spot at least as big as the diameter of the drill. Put a center punch mark where the tool lines indicate the center of revolution. This serves as a rough guide for placing the drill between the tail stock center and the work as usual. Clamp a tool in the tool-post and, on starting the lathe, bring it in contact with the drill and keep it firmly so until the drill is in fully up to the lips. This prevents the drill from wobbling, and when once in true up to its size, it cannot change any more than under any other starting conditions. After being entered, the drill does not need the tool, which should be backed out of contact.

Fountain Pen Cap Used as a Ruler

When it is necessary to draw a short line and there is no ruler at hand, take off the cap of your fountain pen and use it as a ruler. If the cap is fitted with a retaining clip, all the better, as this will prove a safeguard against slipping.

Vanishing Handkerchief Trick

The necessary articles used in performing this trick are the handkerchief, vanishing wand, a long piece of glass tubing, about 1/2 in. shorter than the wand, and a paper tube closed at one end and covered with a cap at the other, says the Sphinx. The handkerchief rod, shown at C, is concealed in the paper tube A before the performance. The glass tube B, after being shown empty; is put into the paper tube A, so that the handkerchief rod now is within it, unknown to the spectators. The handkerchief is then placed over the opening of the tube and pushed in by means of the wand. In doing this, the handkerchief and the rod are pushed into the wand, as shown in D. After the wand is removed, the cap is placed over the paper tube, and this given to someone to hold. The command for the handkerchief to vanish is given, and it is found to be gone when the glass tube is taken out of the paper cover. This is a novel way of making a handkerchief vanish. It can be used in a great number of tricks, and can be varied to suit the performer.

Removing Glass Letters from Windows

Glass letters are removed in the same way as metal letters, by applying caustic soda or potash around the edges of the letters. As the cement softens, manipulate the point of a pocket knife under the edges of the letter until the caustic works completely under and makes it easy to lift the letters. With care and patience, every letter may be thus taken off without breakage.

A Guitar That Is Easy to Make

A guitar having straight lines, giving it an old-fashioned appearance, can be made by the home mechanic, and if care is taken in selecting the material, and having it thoroughly seasoned, the finished instrument will have a fine tone. The sides, ends and bottom are made of hard wood, preferably hard maple, and the top should be made of a thoroughly seasoned piece of soft pine. The dimensioned pieces required are as follows:

1 Top. 3/16. by 14 by 17 in.
1 Bottom. 3/16 by 14 by 17 in.
2 Sides. 3/16 by 3-5/8 by 16-3/4 in.
1, End. 3/16 by 3-5/8 by 13-1/8 in.
1 End. 3/16 by 3-5/8 by 9-5/6 in.
1 Neck. 1 by 2-5/16 by 18-1/2 in.
1 Fingerboard 5/16 by 2-5/8 by 16 in.

Cut the fingerboard tapering and fasten pieces cut from hatpins with small wire staples for frets. All dimensions for cutting and setting are shown in the sketch. The neck is cut tapering from G to F and from J to F, with the back side rounding. A drawknife is the proper tool for shaping the neck. Cut a piece of hard wood, 1/4 in. square and 1-7/8 in. long, and glue it to the neck at F. Glue the fingerboard to the neck and hold it secure with clamps while the glue sets.

The brace at D is 1 in. thick, cut to any shape desired. The sides are glued together and then the front is glued on them. Place some heavy weights on top and give the glue time to dry. Fasten pieces of soft wood in the corners for braces. Glue the neck to the box, making it secure by the addition of a carriage bolt at A. A small block C is glued to the end to reinforce it for the bolt. Glue strips of soft wood, as shown by K, across the front and back to strengthen them. The back is then glued on and the outside smoothed with sandpaper.

Make the bottom bridge by using an old hatpin or wire of the same size for E secured with pin staples. Glue the bridge on the top at a place that will make the distance from the bridge F to the bottom bridge E just 24 in. This dimension and those for the frets should be made accurately. Six holes, 3/16 in. in diameter, are drilled in the bottom bridge for pins. The turning plugs B and strings can be purchased at any music store.

Contributed by J. H. Stoddard, Carbondale, Pa.

Greasing the Front Wheels of an Automobile

The front wheel bearings of an automobile can be greased without removing the wheels in the following manner: Remove the hub caps and fill them with heavy grease and then screw them in place. Continue this operation until the grease is forced between all the bearings and out through the small clearance on the opposite side of the wheels. This should be done at least once every month to keep bearings well lubricated and free from grit. Dirt cannot enter a well filled bearing as easily as muddy water can enter a dry bearing.

Contributed by Chas. E. Frary, Norwalk, O.

Removing Mold

Mold on wallpaper can be removed at once by applying a solution of 1 part salicylic acid in 4 parts of 95% alcohol.

How To Make A Paper Boat A Light Boat That Can Be Easily Carried

Now you might think it absurd to advise making a paper boat, but it is not, and you will find it in some respects and for some purposes better than the wooden boat. When it is completed you will have a canoe, probably equal to the Indian's bark canoe. Not only will it serve as an ideal fishing boat, but when you want to combine hunting and fishing you can put your boat on your shoulders and carry it from place to place wherever you want to go and at the same time carry your gun in your hand. The material used in its construction is inexpensive and can be purchased for a few dollars.

Make a frame (Fig. 1) on which to stretch the paper. A board 1 in. thick and about 1 ft. wide and 11-1/2 ft. long is used for a keel, or backbone, and is cut tapering for about a third of its length, toward each end, and beveled on the outer edges (A, Fig. 2). The cross-boards (B, B, Fig. 2) are next sawed from a pine board 1 in. thick. Shape these as shown by A, Fig. 4, 13 in. wide by 26 in. long, and cut away in the center to avoid useless weight. Fasten them cross-wise to the bottom board as shown in Fig. 1 and 2, with long stout screws, so as to divide the keel into three nearly equal parts. Then add the stem and stern pieces (C, C, Fig. 2). These are better, probably, when made of green elm. Screw the pieces to the bottom-board and bend them, as shown in Fig. 2, by means of a string or wire, fastened to a nail driven into the bottom. Any tough, light wood that is not easily broken when bending will do. Green wood is preferable, because it will retain the shape in which it has been bent better after drying. For the gunwales (a, a, Fig. 3), procure at a carriage factory, or other place, some tight strips of ash, 3/8 in. thick.

Nail them to the crossboards and fasten to the end pieces (C, C,) in notches, by several wrappings of annealed iron wire or copper wire, as shown in Fig. 3. Copper wire is better because it is less apt to rust. For fastening the gunwales to the crossboards use nails instead of screws, because the nails are not apt to loosen and come out. The ribs, which are easily made of long, slender switches of osier willow, or similar material, are next put in, but before doing this, two strips of wood (b, b, Fig. 3) should be bent and placed as in Fig. 3. They are used only temporarily as a guide in putting in the ribs, and are not fastened, the elasticity of the wood being sufficient to cause them to retain their position. The osiers may average a little more than 1/2 in. in thickness and should be cut, stripped of leaves and bark and put in place while green and fresh. They are attached to the bottom by means of shingle nails driven through holes previously made in them with an awl, and are then bent down until they touch the strips of ash (b, b, Fig. 3), and finally cut off even with the tops of the gunwales, and notched at the end to receive them (B, Fig. 4). Between the cross-boards the ribs are placed at intervals of 2 or 3 in., while in other parts they are as much as 5 or 6 in. apart. The ribs having all been fastened in place as described, the loose strips of ash (b, b, Fig. 3) are withdrawn and the framework will appear somewhat as in Fig. 1. In order to make all firm and to prevent the ribs from changing position, as they are apt to do, buy some split cane or rattan, such as is used for making chairbottoms, and, after soaking it in water for a short time to render it soft and pliable, wind it tightly around the gunwales and ribs where they join, and also interweave it among the ribs in other places, winding it about them and forming an irregular network over the whole frame. Osiers probably make the best ribs, but twigs of some other trees, such as hazel or birch, will answer nearly as well. For the ribs near the middle of the boat, twigs 5 or 6 ft. long are required. It is often quite difficult to get these of sufficient thickness throughout, and so, in such cases, two twigs may be used to make one rib, fastening the butts side by side on the bottom-board, and the smaller ends to the gunwales, as before described. In drying, the rattan becomes very tight and the twigs hard and stiff.

The frame-work is now complete and ready to be covered. For this purpose buy about 18 yd. of very strong wrapping-paper. It should be smooth on the surface, and very tough, but neither stiff nor very thick. Being made in long rolls, it can be obtained in almost any length desired. If the paper be 1 yd. wide, it will require about two breadths to reach around the frame in the widest part. Cut enough of the roll to cover the frame and then soak it for a few minutes in water. Then turn the frame upside down and fasten the edges of the two strips of paper to it, by lapping them carefully on the under side of the bottom-board and tacking them to it so that the paper hangs down loosely on all sides. The paper is then trimmed, lapped and doubled over as smoothly as possible at the ends of the frame, and held in place by means of small clamps. It should be drawn tight along the edges, trimmed and doubled down over the gunwale, where it is firmly held by slipping the strips of ash (b, b) just inside of the gunwales into notches which should have been cut at the ends of the cross-boards. The shrinkage caused by the drying will stretch the paper tightly over the framework. When thoroughly dry, varnish inside and out with asphaltum varnish thinned with turpentine, and as soon as that has soaked in, apply a second coat of the same varnish, but with less turpentine; and finally cover the laps or joints of the paper with pieces of muslin stuck on with thick varnish. Now remove the loose strips of ash and put on another layer of paper, fastening it along the edge of the boat by replacing the strips as before. When the paper is dry, cover the laps with muslin as was done with the first covering. Then varnish the whole outside of the boat several times until it presents a smooth shining surface. Then take some of the split rattan and, after wetting it, wind it firmly around both gunwales and inside strip, passing it through small holes punched in the paper just below the gunwale, until the inside and outside strips are bound together into one strong gunwale. Then put a piece of oil-cloth in the boat between the cross-boards, tacking it to the bottom-board. This is done to protect the bottom of the boat.

Now you may already have a canoe that is perfectly water-tight, and steady in the water, if it has been properly constructed of good material. If not, however, in a few days you may be disappointed to find that it is becoming leaky. Then the best remedy is to cover the whole boat with unbleached muslin, sewed at the ends and tacked along the gunwales. Then tighten it by shrinking and finally give it at least three coats of a mixture of varnish and paint. This will doubtless stop the leaking entirely and will add but little to either the weight or cost.

Rig the boat with wooden or iron row locks (B, B, Fig. 5), preferably iron, and light oars. You may put in several extra thwarts or cross-sticks, fore and aft, and make a movable seat (A, Fig. 5.) With this you will doubtless find your boat so satisfactory that you will make no more changes.

For carrying the boat it is convenient to make a sort of short yoke (C, Fig. 5), which brings all the weight upon the shoulders; and thus lightens the labor and makes it very handy to carry.

To Hang Heavy Things on a Nail

Boys will find many places around the house, where a hook to hang things on will be a great convenience. Instead of buying hooks use wire nails, and if driven as shown in the cut, they will support very heavy weights. Drive the lower nail first.

A Home-Made Elderberry Huller

As we had only one day to pick elderberries, we wanted to get as many of them as we could in that time. We could pick them faster than they could be hulled by hand so we made a huller to take along with us to hull the berries as fast as they were picked. We procured a box and made a frame, Fig. 1, to fit it easily, then made another frame the same size and put a piece of wire mesh between them as shown in Fig. 2, allowing a small portion of the mesh to stick out of the frames. The top frame would keep the berries from rolling or jumping off, and the bottom frame kept the wire mesh and frame from being shaken off the box. The projecting edges of the mesh would keep the frame on the top edge of the box. The top view of the frame is shown in Fig. 1 and the end in Fig. 5, and the box on which the frame rests in Fig. 3. The actual size of the wire mesh used is shown in Fig. 4. One person could hull with this huller as many berries as two persons would pick.

Contributed by Albert Niemann, Pittsburg, Pa.

How to Make a Bulb on a Glass Tube

As a great many persons during the winter months are taking advantage of the long evenings to experiment in one way or another, the following method of forming bulbs on glass tubes may be of interest. A common method is to heat the part to be formed and by blowing in one end of the tube gradually expand the glass. This way has its drawbacks, as many are not sufficiently familiar with the work to blow a uniform blast, and the result is, a hole is blown through the side of the tube by uneven heating or blowing.

A good way to handle this work, is to take the tube and 1 or 2 in. more in length than the finished article is to be and place one end over an alcohol flame, and by holding a spare piece of tubing against the end allow them both to come to a melting heat, then pull apart and instead of breaking off the long thread thus formed, simply hold it in the flame at an angle of 45 deg. and melt it down and close the end at the same time. Close the other end with the same operation; this makes the tube airtight.

Gradually heat the tube at the point where the bulb is to be formed, slowly turning the tube to get a uniform heat. The air inside of the tube becoming heated will expand, and the glass, being softer where the flame has been applied, will be pushed out in the shape of a bulb. A great deal of care should be taken not to go to extremes, as the bulb will burst with a loud report if the heat is applied too long. The best results are obtained by heating the glass slowly and then the bulb can be formed with regularity. This is an easy way to make a thermometer tube. After the bulb is formed, the other end of the tube can be opened by heating, drawing out and breaking the thread like glass.

Contributed by A. Oswald.

How to Make a Sconce

Completed Sconce
Shaping the Holders Riveting

A sconce is a candlestick holder, so made that it has a reflector of brass or copper and is to hang upon the wall. The tools necessary are a riveting hammer, file, metal shears, rivet punch, flat and round-nosed pliers, screwdriver and sheet brass or copper No. 23 gauge.

To make the sconce proceed as follows: First, cut off a piece of brass so that it shall have 1/2 in. extra metal all around; second, with a piece of carbon paper, trace upon the brass lines that shall represent the margin of the sconce proper, also trace the decorative design; third, with a nail set make a series of holes in the extra margin about 3/4 in. apart and large enough to take in a 3/4-in. thin screw; fourth, fasten the metal to a thick board by inserting screws in these holes; fifth, with a twenty-penny wire nail that has had the sharpness of its point filed off, stamp the background of the design promiscuously. By holding the nail about 1/4 in. above the work and striking it with the hammer, at the same time striving to keep its point at 1/4 in. above the metal, very rapid progress can be made. This stamping lowers the background and at the same time raises the design. Sixth, chase or stamp along the border of the design and background using a nail filed to a chisel edge. This is to make a clean sharp division between background and design. Seventh, when the stamping is complete remove the screws and metal from the board and cut off the extra margin with the metal shears. File the edges until they are smooth to the touch.

The drip cup is a piece of brass cut circular and shaped by placing the brass over a hollow in one end of a block. Give the metal a circular motion, at the same time beat it with a round-nosed mallet. Work from the center along concentric rings outward, then reverse.

The candle holders may have two, three, four, or six arms, and are bent to shape by means of the round-nosed pliers. The form of the brackets which support the drip cups may be seen in the illustration.

Having pierced the bracket, drip cup, and holder, these three parts are riveted together as indicated in the drawing. It will be found easier usually if the holder is not shaped until after the riveting is done. The bracket is then riveted to the back of the sconce. Small copper rivets are used.

It is better to polish all the pieces before fastening any of them together. Metal polish of any kind will do. After the parts have been assembled a lacquer may be applied to keep the metal from tarnishing.

How To Make a Hectograph

A hectograph is very simply and easily made and by means of it many copies of writing can be obtained from a single original.

Make a tray of either tin or pasteboard, a little larger than the sheet of paper you ordinarily use and about 1/2 in. deep. Soak 1 oz. of gelatine in cold water over night and in the morning pour off the water. Heat 6-1/2 oz. of glycerine to about 200 deg. F. on a water bath, and add the gelatine. This should give a clear glycerine solution of gelatine.

Place the tray so that it is perfectly level and pour in the gelatinous composition until it is nearly level with the edge of the tray. Cover it so the cover does not touch the surface of the composition and let it stand six hours, when it will be ready for use.

Make the copy to be reproduced on ordinary paper with aniline ink; using a steel pen, and making the lines rather heavy so they have a greenish color in the light. A good ink may be made of methyl violet 2 parts, alcohol 2 parts, sugar 1 part, glycerine 4 parts, and water 24 parts. Dissolve the violet in the alcohol mixed with the glycerine; dissolve the sugar in the water and mix both solutions.

When the original copy of the writing is ready moisten the surface of the hectograph slightly with a sponge, lay the copy face down upon it and smooth down, being careful to exclude all air bubbles and not shifting the paper. Leave it nearly a minute and raise one corner and strip it from the pad, where will remain a reversed copy of the inscription.

Immediately lay a piece of writing paper of the right size on the pad, smooth it down and then remove as before. It will bear a perfect copy of the original. Repeat the operation until the number of copies desired is obtained or until the ink on the pad is exhausted. Fifty or more copies can be obtained from a single original.

When through using the hectograph wash it off with a moist sponge, and it will be ready for future use. If the surface is impaired at any time it can be remelted in a water bath and poured into a tray as before, if it has not absorbed too much ink.

How to Make a Sailomobile By Frank Mulford, Shiloh, N. J.

I had read of the beach automobiles used on the Florida coast; they were like an ice boat with a sail, except they had wheels instead of runners. So I set to work to make something to take me over the country roads.

I found and used seven fence pickets for the frame work, and other things as they were needed. I spliced two rake handles together for the mast, winding the ends where they came together with wire. A single piece would be better if you can get one long enough. The gaff, which is the stick to which the upper end of the sail is fastened, is a broomstick. The boom, the stick at the bottom of the sail, was made of a rake handle with a broomstick spliced to make it long enough. Mother let me have a sheet, which I put down on the floor and cut into the shape of a mainsail. The wind was the cheapest power to be found, thus it was utilized; the three wheels were cast-off bicycle wheels.

I steer with the front wheel, which was the front wheel of an old bicycle with the fork left on. The axle between the rear wheels is an iron bar which cost me 15 cents, and the pulley which raises and lowers the sail cost 5 cents. Twenty cents was all I spent, all the rest I found.

A saw, hammer, and brace and bit were the tools used. Slats made the seat and a cushion from the house made it comfortable, and in a week everything was ready for sailing.

Once it was started with only my little cousin in it and I had to run fast to catch up.

A Home-Made Magic Lantern

The essential parts of a magic lantern are a condensing lens to make the beam of light converge upon the slide to illuminate it evenly, a projecting lens with which to throw an enlarged picture of the illuminated slide upon a screen and some appliances for preserving the proper relation of these parts to each other. The best of materials should be used and the parts put together with care to produce a clear picture on the screen.

The first to make is the lamp house or box to hold the light. Our illustration shows the construction for an electric light, yet the same box may be used for gas or an oil lamp, provided the material is of metal. A tin box having dimensions somewhere near those given in the diagrammatic sketch may be secured from your local grocer, but if such a box is not found, one can be made from a piece of tin cut as shown in Fig. 1. When this metal is bent at right angles on the dotted lines it will form a box as shown in Fig. 2 which is placed on a baseboard, 1/2 to 3/4 in. thick, 8 in. wide, and 14 in. long. This box should be provided with a reflector located just back of the lamp.

Procure a plano-convex or a bi-convex 6-in. lens with a focal length of from 15 to 20 in. and a projecting lens 2 in. in diameter with such a focal length that will give a picture of the required size, or a lens of 12-in. focus enlarging a 3-in. slide to about 6 ft. at a distance of 24 ft.

The woodwork of the lantern should be of 1/2-in., well seasoned pine, white wood or walnut and the parts fastened together with wood screws, wire brads, or glue, as desired. The board in which to mount the condensing lens is 16 in. wide and 15 in. high, battened on both ends to keep the wood from warping. The board is centered both ways, and, at a point 1 in. above the center, describe a 9-in. circle with a compass and saw the wood out with a scroll or keyhole saw. If a small saw is used, and the work carefully done, the circular piece removed will serve to make the smaller portion of the ring for holding the condensing lens. This ring is made up from two rings, A and B, Fig. 3. The inside and outside diameters of the ring B are 3/8 in. greater than the corresponding diameters of ring A, so when fastened together concentrically an inner rabbet is formed for the reception of the lens and an outer rabbet to fit against the board C in and against which it rotates being held in place by buttons, DD.

A table, E, about 2 ft. long is fastened to the board C with brackets F and supported at the outer end with a standard. The slide support, G, and the lens slide, H, are constructed to slip easily on the table, E, the strips II serving as guides. Small strips of tin, JJ, are bent as shown and fastened at the top and bottom of the rectangular opening cut in the support G for holding the lantern slides.

All the parts should be joined together snugly and the movable parts made to slide freely and when all is complete and well sandpapered, apply two coats of shellac varnish. Place the lamp house on the bottom board behind the condensing lens and the lantern is ready for use.

The proper light and focus may be obtained by slipping the movable parts on the board E, and when the right position is found for each, all lantern slides will produce a clear picture on the screen, if the position of the lantern and screen is not changed.

Contributed by Stuart Mason Kerr, St. Paul, Minn.

A Quickly Made Lamp

A very simple lamp can be made from materials which are available in practically every household in the following manner: A cheap glass tumbler is partly filled with water and then about 1/2 in. of safe, light burning oil, placed on the water. Cut a thin strip from an ordinary cork and make a hole in the center to carry a short piece of wick. The wick should be of such a length as to dip into the oil, but not long enough. To reach the water. The upper surface of the cork may be protected from the flame with a small piece of tin bent over the edges and a hole punched in the center for the wick. The weight of the tin will force the cork down into the oil. The level of the oil should be such as to make the flame below the top of the tumbler and the light then will not be blown out with draughts. The arrangement is quite safe as, should the glass happen to upset, the water at once extinguishes the flame.

Contributed by G. P. B.

How to Make a Paper Aeroplane

A very interesting and instructive toy aeroplane can be made as shown in the accompanying illustrations. A sheet of paper is first folded, Fig. 1, then the corners on one end are doubled over, Fig. 2, and the whole piece finished up and held together with a paper clip as in Fig. 3. The paper clip to be used should be like the one shown in Fig. 4. If one of these clips is not at hand, form a piece of wire in the same shape, as it will be needed for balancing purposes as well as for holding the paper together. Grasp the aeroplane between the thumb and forefinger at the place marked A in Fig. 3, keeping the paper as level as possible and throwing it as you would a dart. The aeroplane will make an easy and graceful flight in a room where no air will strike it.

Contributed by J.H. Crawford, Schenectady, N. Y.

Bronze Liquid

Banana oil or amyl acetate is a good bronze liquid.

A Wrestling Mat

The cost of a wrestling mat is so great that few small clubs can afford to own one. As we did not see our way clear to purchase such a mat, I made one of six used bed mattresses (Fig. 1) purchased from a second-hand dealer. I ordered a canvas bag, 12 ft. 3 in. by 12 ft. 9 in., from a tent company, to cover the mattresses. The bag consisted of two pieces with the seam along each edge. The mattresses were laid side by side and end to end and the bag placed on and laced up as shown in Fig. 2.

Contributed by Walter W. White, Denver, Colo.

A Pocket Voltammeter

Remove the works and stem from a discarded dollar watch, drill two 3/16 in. holes in the edge, 3/4 in. apart, and insert two binding-posts, Fig. 1, insulating them from the case with cardboard. Fold two strips of light cardboard, 1/2 in. wide, so as to form two oblong boxes, 1/2 in. long and 3/16 in. thick, open on the edges. On one of these forms wind evenly the wire taken from a bell magnet to the depth of 1/8 in. and on the other wind some 20 gauge wire to the same depth. Fasten the wire with gummed label, to keep it from unwinding.

Glue the coils to the back of the case and connect one wire from each binding-post as shown in Fig. 2, while the other two wires are connected to an induction coil lead which is inserted in the hole from which the stem was removed. Fasten a brass-headed tack to the case at the point F with sealing wax or solder and bend a wire in the shape shown in Fig. 3 to swing freely on the tack. Attach a piece of steel rod, 3/4 in. long, in the center coil, C, Fig. 2.

A rubber band, D, connects the steel rod C with the top of the watch case. The ends of the rubber are fastened with sealing wax. The rubber keeps the pointer at zero or in the middle of the scale. Do not use too strong a rubber. A dial may be made by cutting a piece of stiff white paper so it will fit under the crystal of the watch. An arc is cut in the paper, as shown in Fig. 1, through which the indicator works.

To calibrate the instrument, first mark the binding-post A, which is connected to the coil of heavy wire, for amperes and the other post, V, to the coil of small wire for volts. Connect the lead and the post marked A to one, two and three cells and each time mark the place of the pointer on the dial. Take corresponding readings on a standard ammeter and mark the figures on the dial. The volt side of the dial may be calibrated in the same manner, using a voltmeter instead of the ammeter. The place where the indicator comes to rest after disconnecting the current is marked zero.

Contributed by Edward M. Teasdale, Warren, Pa.

A Film Washing Trough

The washing of films without scratching them after they are developed and fixed is very difficult in hot weather. A convenient washing trough for washing full length films is shown in the accompanying sketch. The trough must be made for the size of the film to be washed. Cut a 1/4-in. board as long as the film and a trifle wider than the film's width. Attach strips to the edges of the board to keep the water from spilling over the sides.

Cut a hole in one side of a baking powder can about half way between the top and bottom, large enough to admit a fair-sized stream of water from a faucet. Then solder the cover to the can and punch a number of holes about 1/4 in. apart along the opposite side from where the large hole was cut. Place this can on one end of the trough, as shown, with the large hole up.

Some heavy wire bent in the shape of a U and fastened to the under side of the trough at the can end will furnish supports to keep that end of the trough the highest and place the opening in the can close beneath the water faucet. A common pin stuck through one end of the film and then in the trough close to the can will hold it in position for washing. Five minutes' washing with this device is sufficient to remove all traces of the hypo from the film.

Contributed by M. M. Hunting, Dayton, O.

Wood Burning

Burnt wood work done with an ordinary reading glass and the sun's rays.

The Diving Bottle

This is a very interesting and easily performed experiment illustrating the transmission of pressure by liquids. Take a wide-mouthed bottle and fill almost full of water; then into this bottle place, mouth downward, a small vial or bottle having just enough air in the bottle to keep it barely afloat. Put a sheet of rubber over the mouth of the large bottle, draw the edge down over the neck and wrap securely with a piece of string thus forming a tightly stretched diaphragm over the top. When a finger is pressed on the rubber the small bottle will slowly descend until the pressure is released when the small bottle wilt ascend. The moving of the small bottle is caused by the pressure transmitted through the water, thus causing the volume of air in the small tube to decrease and the bottle to descend and ascend when released as the air increases to the original volume.

This experiment can be performed with a narrow-necked bottle, provided the bottle is wide, but not very thick. Place the small bottle in as before, taking care not to have too much air in the bottom. If the cork is adjusted properly, the bottle may be held in the hand and the sides pressed with the fingers, thus causing the small bottle to descend and ascend at will. If the small bottle used is opaque, or an opaque tube such as the cap of a fountain pen, many puzzling effects may be obtained.

Contributed by John Shahan, Auburn, Ala.

How to Make an Inexpensive Wooden Fan

Select a nice straight-grained piece of white pine about 1/4 in. thick, 3/4 in. wide and 4 in. long. Lay out the design desired and cut as shown in Fig. 1, and then soak the wood in hot water to make it soft and easy to split. Cut the divisions very thin with a sharp knife down to the point A, as shown in the sketch, taking care not to split the wood through the part left for the handle. The fan is then finished by placing each piece over the other as in Fig. 2. This will make a very pretty ornament.

Contributed by Fred W. Whitehouse, Upper Troy, N.Y.

Combination Telegraph and Telephone Line

The accompanying diagrams show connections for a short line system (metallic circuit) of telegraph where a telephone may be used in combination on the line. The telephone receivers can be used both as receivers and transmitters, or ordinary telephone transmitters, induction coils and battery may be used in the circuit with a receiver. If a transmitter is used, its batteries may be connected in circuit with a common push button which is held down when using the telephone. On a 1000-ft. line, four dry cells will be sufficient for the telegraph instruments and two cells for the telephone.

Contributed by D. W. Miller.

How to Make a Miniature Windmill

The following description is how a miniature windmill was made, which gave considerable power for its size, even in a light breeze. Its smaller parts, such as blades and pulleys, were constructed of 1-in. sugar pine on account of its softness.

The eight blades were made from pieces 1 by 1-1/2 by 12 in. Two opposite edges were cut away until the blade was about 1/8 in. thick. Two inches were left uncut at the hub end. They were then nailed to the circular face plate A, Fig. 1, which was 6 in. in diameter and 1 in. thick. The center of the hub was lengthened by the wooden disk, B, Fig. 1, which was nailed to the face plate. The shaft C, Fig. 1, was 1/4-in. iron rod, 2 ft. long, and turned in the bearings detailed in Fig. 2. J was a nut from a wagon bolt and was placed in the bearing to insure easy running. The bearing blocks were 3 in. wide, 1 in. thick and 3 in. high without the upper half. Both bearings were made in this manner.

The shaft C was keyed to the hub of the wheel, by the method shown in Fig. 3. A staple, K, held the shaft from revolving in the hub. This method was also applied in keying the 5-in. pulley F, to the shaft, G, Fig. 1, which extended to the ground. The 2-1/2 in. pulley, I, Fig. 1, was keyed to shaft C, as shown in Fig. 4. The wire L was put through the hole in the axle and the two ends curved so as to pass through the two holes in the pulley, after which they were given a final bend to keep the pulley in place. The method by which the shaft C was kept from working forward is shown in Fig. 5. The washer M intervened between the bearing block and the wire N, which was passed through the axle and then bent to prevent its falling out. Two washers were placed on shaft C, between the forward bearing and the hub of the wheel to lessen the friction.

The bed plate D, Fig. 1, was 2 ft. long, 3 in. wide and 1 in. thick and was tapered from the rear bearing to the slot in which the fan E was nailed. This fan was made of 1/4-in. pine 18 by 12 in. and was cut the shape shown.

The two small iron pulleys with screw bases, H, Fig. 1, were obtained for a small sum from a hardware dealer. Their diameter was 1-1/4 in. The belt which transferred the power from shaft C to shaft G was top string, with a section of rubber in it to take up slack. To prevent it from slipping on the two wooden pulleys a rubber band was placed in the grooves of each.

The point for the swivel bearing was determined by balancing the bed plate, with all parts in place, across the thin edge of a board. There a 1/4-in. hole was bored in which shaft G turned. To lessen the friction here, washers were placed under pulley F. The swivel bearing was made from two lids of baking powder cans. A section was cut out of one to permit its being enlarged enough to admit the other. The smaller one, 0, Fig. 6, was nailed top down with the sharp edge to the underside of the bed plate, so that the 1/4-in. hole for the shaft G was in the center. The other lid, G, was tacked, top down also, in the center of the board P, with brass headed furniture tacks, R, Fig. 6, which acted as a smooth surface for the other tin to revolve upon. Holes for shaft G were cut through both lids. Shaft G was but 1/4 in. in diameter, but to keep it from rubbing against the board P, a 1/2-in. hole was bored for it, through the latter.

The tower was made of four 1 by 1 in. strips, 25 ft. long. They converged from points on the ground forming an 8-ft. square to the board P at the top of the tower. This board was 12 in. square and the corners were notched to admit the strips as shown, Fig. 1. Laths were nailed diagonally between the strips to strengthen the tower laterally. Each strip was screwed to a stake in the ground so that by disconnecting two of them the other two could be used as hinges and the tower could be tipped over and lowered to the ground, as, for instance, when the windmill needed oiling. Bearings for the shaft G were placed 5 ft. apart in the tower. The power was put to various uses.

How to Make a Telegraph Instrument and Buzzer

Home-Made Telegraph Instrument

The only expenditure necessary in constructing this telegraph instrument is the price of a dry cell, providing one has a few old materials on hand.

Procure a block of wood about 6 in. long and 3 in. wide and take the coils out of an old electric bell. If you have no bell, one may be had at the dealers for a small sum. Fasten these coils on the blocks at one end as in Fig. 1.

Cut a piece of tin 2 in. long and 1/2 in. wide and bend it so the end of the tin when fastened to the block will come just above the core of the coil. Cut another piece of tin 3 in. long and bend it as shown at A, Fig. 2. Tack these two pieces of tin in front of the coils as shown in the illustration. This completes the receiver or sounder.

To make the key, cut out another piece of tin (X, Fig. 1) 4 in. long and bend it as shown. Before tacking it to the board, cut off the head of a nail and drive it in the board at a point where the loose end of the tin will cover it. Then tack the key to the board and connect the wires of the battery as in Fig. 1. Now, move the coils back and forth until the click sounds just the way you wish and you are ready to begin on the Morse code.

When tired of this instrument, connect the wire from the coils to the key to point A and the one connected at the point under the key to B, leaving the other wire as it is. By adjusting the coils, the receiver will begin to vibrate rapidly, causing a buzzing sound.

Contributed by John R. McConnell.

How to Make a Water Bicycle

Water bicycles afford fine sport, and, like many another device boys make, can be made of material often cast off by their people as rubbish. The principle material necessary for the construction of a water bicycle is oil barrels. Flour barrels will not do-they are not strong enough, nor can they be made perfectly airtight. The grocer can furnish you with oil barrels at a very small cost, probably let you have them for making a few deliveries for him. Three barrels are required for the water bicycle, although it can be made with but two. Figure 1 shows the method of arranging the barrels; after the manner of bicycle wheels.

Procure an old bicycle frame and make for it a board platform about 3 ft. wide at the rear end and tapering to about 2 ft. at the front, using cleats to hold the board frame, as shown at the shaded portion K. The construction of the barrel part is shown in Fig. 2. Bore holes in the center of the heads of the two rear barrels and also in the heads of the first barrel and put a shaft of wood, through the rear barrels and one through the front barrel, adjusting the side pieces to the shafts, as indicated.

Next place the platform of the bicycle frame and connections thereon. Going back to Fig. 1 we see that the driving chain passes from the sprocket driver L of the bicycle frame to the place downward between the slits in the platform to the driven sprocket on the shaft between the two barrels. Thus a center drive is made. The rear barrels are, fitted with paddles as at M, consisting of four pieces of board nailed and cleated about the circumference of the barrels, as shown in Fig. 1.

The new craft is now ready for a first voyage. To propel it, seat yourself on the bicycle seat, feet on the pedals, just as you would were you on a bicycle out in the street. The steering is effected by simply bending the body to the right or left, which causes the craft to dip to the inclined side and the affair turns in the dipped direction. The speed is slow at first, but increases as the force is generated and as one becomes familiar with the working of the affair. There is no danger, as the airtight barrels cannot possibly sink.

Another mode of putting together the set of barrels, using one large one in the rear and a small one in the front is presented in Fig, 3. These two barrels are empty oil barrels like the others. The head holes are bored and the proper wooden shafts are inserted and the entrance to the bores closed tight by calking with hemp and putty or clay. The ends of the shafts turn in the wooden frame where the required bores are made to receive the same. If the journals thus made are well oiled, there will not be much friction. Such a frame can be fitted with a platform and a raft to suit one's individual fancy built upon it, which can be paddled about with ease and safety on any pond. A sail can be rigged up by using a mast and some sheeting; or even a little houseboat, which will give any amount of pleasure, can be built.

How To Make a Small Searchlight

Front View Side View

The materials required for a small searchlight are a 4-volt lamp of the loop variety, thin sheet brass for the cylinder, copper piping and brass tubing for base. When completed the searchlight may be fitted to a small boat and will afford a great amount of pleasure for a little work, or it may be put to other uses if desired. Make a cylinder of wood of the required size and bend a sheet of thin brass around it. Shape small blocks of boxwood, D, Fig. 1, to fit the sides and pass stout pieces of brass wire through the middle of the blocks for trunnions. Exactly through the middle of the sides of the cylinder drill holes just so large that when the blocks containing the trunnions are cemented to the cylinder there is no chance of contact between cylinder and trunnion, and so creating a false circuit.

The trunnion should project slightly into the cylinder, and after the lamp has been placed in position by means of the small wood blocks shown in Fig. 1, the wires from the lamp should be soldered to the trunnions. It is best to solder the wire to the trunnions before cementing the side blocks inside the cylinder.

Turn a small circle of wood, A, Fig. 2, inside the cylinder to fit exactly and fasten to it a piece of mirror, C, Fig. 2, exactly the same size to serve as a reflector. Painting the wood with white enamel or a piece of brightly polished metal will serve the purpose. On the back of the piece of wood fasten a small brass handle, B, Fig. 2, so that it may readily be removed for cleaning.

In front of cylinder place a piece of magnifying glass for a lens. If a piece to fit cannot be obtained, fit a glass like a linen tester to a small disc of wood or brass to fit the cylinder. If magnifying glass cannot be had, use plain glass and fit them as follows:

Make two rings of brass wire to fit tightly into the cylinder, trace a circle (inside diameter of cylinder) on a piece of cardboard; place cardboard on glass and cut out glass with a glass cutter; break off odd corners with notches on cutters and grind the edge of the glass on an ordinary red brick using plenty of water. Place one brass ring in cylinder, then the glass disc and then the other ring.

For the stand fill a piece of copper piping with melted rosin or lead. When hard bend the pipe around a piece of wood which has been sawed to the shape of bend desired. Then melt out the rosin or lead. Make an incision with a half-round file in the under side of the tube for the wires to come through. Make the base of wood as shown in Fig. 1. One half inch from the top bore a hole large enough to admit the copper pipe and a larger hole up the center to meet it for the wires to come down.

If it is desired to make the light very complete, make the base of two pieces of brass tube—one being a sliding fit in the other and with projecting pieces to prevent the cylinder from going too far. The light may then be elevated or lowered as wished. On two ordinary brass terminals twist or solder some flexible wire, but before doing so fix a little bone washer on the screws of the terminal so as to insulate it from the tube. When the wires have been secured to the terminals cover the joint with a piece of very thin india rubber tubing, such as is used for cycle valves. The two wires may now be threaded down the copper tube into the base, and pulled tight, the terminals firmly fixed into the tubes; if too small, some glue will secure them. To get the cylinder into its carriage, put one trunnion into the terminal as far as it will go and this will allow room for the other trunnion to go in its terminal.

Electric Alarm that Rings a Bell and Turns on a Light

The illustration shows an alarm clock connected up to ring an electric bell, and at the same time turn on an electric light to show the time. The parts indicated are as follows: A, key of alarm clock; B, contact post, 4 in. long; C, shelf, 5-1/4 by 10 in.; D, bracket; E, electric bulb (3-1/2 volts); S, brass strip, 4-1/2 in. long, 3/8 in. wide and 1/16 in. thick; T, switch; F, wire from batteries to switch; G, wire from bell to switch; H, wire from light to switch; I, dry batteries; J, bell; X, point where a splice is made from the light to wire leading to batteries from brass strip under clock. Push the switch lever to the right before retiring.

To operate this, set alarm key as shown in diagram, after two turns have been made on the key. When alarm goes off, it turns till it forms a connection by striking the contact post and starts the electric bell ringing. Throw lever off from the right to center, which stops bell ringing. To throw on light throw levers to the left. The bell is then cut out but the light remains on till lever is again thrown in the center,

In placing clock on shelf, after setting alarm, be sure that the legs of clock are on the brass strip and that the alarm key is in position so it will come in contact with the contact post in back of clock. The contact post may be of 1/4-in. copper tubing, or 1/4-in. brass rod.

The advantage of this is that one can control the bell and light, while lying in bed, by having the switch on the baseboard, near the bed, so it can be reached without getting out of bed.

Contributed by Geo. C. Brinkerhoff, Swissvale, Pa.

How to Hold a Screw on a Screwdriver

A screw that is taken from a place almost inaccessible with the fingers requires considerable patience to return it with an ordinary screwdriver unless some holding-on device is used. I have found that by putting a piece of cardboard or thick paper with the blade of the screwdriver in the screw head slot, the screw may be held and turned into places that it would be impossible with the screwdriver alone.

Contributed by C. Chatland, Ogden, Utah.

How to Make a Lead Cannon

Any boy who has a little mechanical ability can make a very reliable cannon for his Fourth-of-July celebration by following the instructions given here:

Take a stick—a piece of curtain roller will do—7 in. long. Make a shoulder, as at A, Fig. 1, 4 in. from one end, making it as true and smooth as possible, as this is to be the muzzle of the cannon. Make the spindle as in Fig. 1, 1/4 in. in diameter. Procure a good quality of stiff paper, about 6 in. wide, and wrap it around the shoulder of the stick, letting it extend 3/4 in. beyond the end of the spindle, as at B, Fig. 2. Push an ordinary shingle nail through the paper and into the extreme end of the spindle, as at A, Fig. 2. This is to form the fuse hole.

Having finished this, place stick and all in a pail of sand, being careful not to get the sand in it, and letting the opening at the top extend a little above the surface of the sand. Then fill the paper cylinder with melted lead and let cool. Pull out the nail and stick, scrape off the paper and the cannon is ready for mounting, as in Fig. 3.

Contributed by Chas. S. Chapman, Lanesboro, Minn.

Homemade Electric Bed Warmer

The heat developed by a carbon-filament lamp is sufficiently high to allow its use as a heating element of, for instance, a bed warmer. There are a number of other small heaters which can be easily made and for which lamps form very suitable heating elements, but the bed warmer is probably the best example. All that is required is a tin covering, which can be made of an old can, about 3-1/2 in. in diameter. The top is cut out and the edge filed smooth. The lamp-socket end of the flexible cord is inserted in the can and the shade holder gripped over the opening. A small lamp of about 5 cp. will do the heating.

A flannel bag, large enough to slip over the tin can and provided with a neck that can be drawn together by means of a cord, gives the heater a more finished appearance, as well as making it more pleasant to the touch.

Making a Fire with the Aid of Ice

Take a piece of very clear ice and melt it down into the hollow of your hands so as to form a large lens. The illustration shows how this is done. With the lens-shaped ice used in the same manner as a reading glass to direct the sun's rays on paper or shavings you can start a fire.

Contributed by Arthur E. Joerin.

How to Make a Crossbow and Arrow Sling

In making of this crossbow it is best to use maple for the stock, but if this wood cannot be procured, good straight-grained pine will do. The material must be 1-1/2 in. thick, 6 in. wide and a trifle over 3 ft. long. The bow is made from straight-grained oak, ash, or hickory, 5/8 in. thick, 1 in. wide and 3 ft. long. A piece of oak, 3/8 in. thick, 1-1/2 in. wide and 6 ft. long, will be sufficient to make the trigger, spring and arrows. A piece of tin, some nails and a good cord will complete the materials necessary to make the crossbow.

The piece of maple or pine selected for the stock must be planed and sandpapered on both sides, and then marked and cut as shown in Fig. 1. A groove is cut for the arrows in the top straight edge 3/8 in. wide and 3/8 in. deep. The tin is bent and fastened on the wood at the back end of the groove where the cord slips out of the notch; this is to keep the edges from splitting.

A mortise is cut for the bow at a point 9-1/2 in. from the end of the stock, and one for the trigger 12 in. from the opposite end, which should be slanting a little as shown by the dotted lines. A spring, Fig. 2, is made from a good piece of oak and fastened to the stock with two screws. The trigger, Fig. 3, which is 1/4 in. thick, is inserted in the mortise in the position when pulled back, and adjusted so as to raise the spring to the proper height, and then a pin is put through both stock and trigger, having the latter swing quite freely. When the trigger is pulled, it lifts the spring up, which in turn lifts the cord off the tin notch.

The stick for the bow, Fig. 4, is dressed down from a point 3/4 in. on each side of the center line to 1/2 in. wide at each end. Notches are cut in the ends for the cord. The bow is not fastened in the stock, it is wrapped with a piece of canvas 1-1/2 in. wide on the center line to make a tight fit in the mortise. A stout cord is now tied in the notches cut in the ends of the bow making the cord taut when the wood is straight.

The design of the arrows is shown in Fig. 5 and they are made with the blades much thinner than the round part.

To shoot the crossbow, pull the cord back and down in the notch as shown in Fig. 6, place the arrow in the groove, sight and pull the trigger as in shooting an ordinary gun.

The arrow sling is made from a branch of ash about 1/2 in. in diameter, the bark removed and a notch cut in one end, as shown in Fig. 7. A stout cord about 2-1/2 ft. long is tied in the notch and a large knot made in the other or loose end. The arrows are practically the same as those used on the crossbow, with the exception of a small notch which is cut in them as shown in Fig. 8.

To throw the arrow, insert the cord near the knot in the notch of the arrow, then grasping the stick with the right hand and holding the wing of the arrow with the left, as shown in Fig. 9, throw the arrow with a quick slinging motion. The arrow may be thrown several hundred feet after a little practice.

Contributed by O. E. Trownes, Wilmette, Ill.

A Home-Made Vise

Cut two pieces of wood in the shape shown in the sketch and bore a 3/8-in. hole through both of them for a common carriage bolt. Fasten one of the pieces to the edge of the bench with a large wood screw and attach the other piece to the first one with a piece of leather nailed across the bottom of both pieces. The nut on the carriage bolt may be tightened with a wrench, or, better still, a key filed out of a piece of soft steel to fit the nut. The edges of the jaws are faced with sheet metal which can be copper or steel suitable for the work it is intended to hold.

Temporary Dark Room Lantern

Occasionally through some accident to the regular ruby lamp, or through the necessity of developing while out of reach of a properly equipped dark room, some makeshift of illumination must be improvised. Such a temporary safe light may be made from an empty cigar box in a short time.

Remove the bottom of the box, and nail it in position as shown at A. Remove one end, and replace as shown at B. Drive a short wire nail through the center of the opposite end to serve as a seat for the candle, C. The lamp is finished by tacking two or more layers of yellow post-office paper over the aperture D, bringing the paper well around to the sides and bottom of the box to prevent light leakage from the cracks around the edges, says Photo Era. The hinged cover E, is used as a door, making lighting and trimming convenient. The door may be fastened with a nail or piece of wire. It is well to reinforce the hinge by gluing on a strip of cloth if the lamp is to be in use more than once or twice. This lamp is safe, for the projecting edges of A and B form light-shields for the ventilation orifice and the crack at the top of the hinged cover, respectively. Moreover, since the flame of the candle is above A, only reflected and transmitted light reaches the plate, while the danger of igniting the paper is reduced to a minimum.

Runny Paint

The paint will sag and run if too much oil is put in white lead.

Camps and How to Build Them

There are several ways of building a temporary camp from material that is always to be found in the woods, and whether these improvised shelters are intended to last until a permanent camp is built, or only as a camp on a short excursion, a great deal of fun can be had in their construction. The Indian camp is the easiest to make. An evergreen tree with branches growing well down toward the ground furnishes all the material. By chopping the trunk almost through, so that when the tree falls the upper part will still remain attached to the stump, a serviceable shelter can be quickly provided. The cut should be about 5 ft. from the ground. Then the boughs and branches on the under side of the fallen top are chopped away and piled on top. There is room for several persons under this sort of shelter, which offers fairly good protection against any but the most drenching rains.

The Indian wigwam sheds rain better, and where there are no suitable trees that can be cut, it is the easiest camp to make. Three long poles with the tops tied together and the lower ends spaced 8 or 10 ft. apart, make the frame of the wigwam. Branches and brush can easily be piled up, and woven in and out on these poles so as to shed a very heavy rain.

The brush camp is shaped like an ordinary "A" tent. The ridge pole should be about 8 ft. long and supported by crotched uprights about 6 ft. from the ground. Often the ridge pole can be laid from one small tree to another. Avoid tall trees on account of lightning. Eight or ten long poles are then laid slanting against the ridge pole on each side. Cedar or hemlock boughs make the best thatch for the brush camp. They should be piled up to a thickness of a foot or more over the slanting poles and woven in and out to keep them from slipping. Then a number of poles should be laid over them to prevent them from blowing away.

In woods where there is plenty of bark available in large slabs, the bark lean-to is a quickly constructed and serviceable camp. The ridge pole is set up like that of the brush camp. Three or four other poles are laid slanting to the ground on one side only. The ends of these poles should be pushed into the earth and fastened with crotched sticks. Long poles are then laid crossways of these slanting poles, and the whole can be covered with brush as in the case of the brush camp or with strips of bark laid overlapping each other like shingles. Where bark is used, nails are necessary to hold it in place. Bark may also be used for a wigwam and it can be held in place by a cord wrapped tightly around the whole structure, running spiral-wise from the ground to the peak. In the early summer, the bark can easily be removed from most trees by making two circular cuts around the trunk and joining them with another vertical cut. The bark is easily pried off with an ax, and if laid on the ground under heavy stones, will dry flat. Sheets of bark, 6 ft. long and 2 or 3 ft. wide, are a convenient size for camp construction.

The small boughs and twigs of hemlock, spruce, and cedar, piled 2 or 3 ft. deep and covered with blankets, make the best kind of a camp bed. For a permanent camp, a bunk can be made by laying small poles close together across two larger poles on a rude framework easily constructed. Evergreen twigs or dried leaves are piled on this, and a blanket or a piece of canvas stretched across and fastened down to the poles at the sides. A bed like this is soft and springy and will last through an ordinary camping season without renewal. A portable cot that does not take up much room in the camp outfit is made of a piece of heavy canvas 40 in. wide and 6 ft. long. Four-inch hems are sewed in each side of the canvas, and when the camp is pitched, a 2-in. pole is run through each hem and the ends of the pole supported on crotched sticks.

Fresh water close at hand and shade for the middle of the day are two points that should always be looked for in. selecting a site for a camp. If the camp is to be occupied for any length of time, useful implements for many purposes can be made out of such material as the woods afford. The simplest way to build a crane for hanging kettles over the campfire is to drive two posts into the ground, each of them a foot or more from one end of the fire space, and split the tops with an ax, so that a pole laid from one to the other across the fire will be securely held in the split. Tongs are very useful in camp. A piece of elm or hickory, 3 ft. long and 1-1/2 in. thick, makes a good pair of tongs. For a foot in the middle of the stick, cut half of the thickness away and hold this part over the fire until it can be bent easily to bring the two ends together, then fasten a crosspiece to hold the ends close together, shape the ends so that anything that drops into the fire can be seized by them, and a serviceable pair of tongs is the result. Any sort of a stick that is easily handled will serve as a poker. Hemlock twigs tied around one end of a stick make an excellent broom. Movable seats for a permanent camp are easily made by splitting a log, boring holes in the rounded side of the slab and driving pegs into them to serve as legs. A short slab or plank can easily be made into a three-legged stool in the same way.

Campers usually have boxes in which their provisions have been carried. Such a packing box is easily made into a cupboard, and it is not difficult to improvise shelves, hinges, or even a rough lock for the camp larder.

A good way to make a camp table is to set four posts into the ground and nail crosspieces to support slabs cut from chopped wood logs to form a top. Pieces can be nailed onto the legs of the table to hold other slabs to serve as seats, and affording accommodation for several persons.

Brooder for Small Chicks

Brooder for Young Chicks Kept Warm with a Jug of Boiling Water

A very simple brooder can be constructed by cutting a sugar barrel in half and using one part in the manner described. Line the inside of the half barrel with paper and then cover this with old flannel cloth. Make a cover for the top and line it in the same manner. At the bottom cut a hole in the edge, about 4 in. deep and 4 in. wide, and provide a cover or door. The inside is kept warm by filling a jug with boiling water and setting it within, changing the water both morning and night. When the temperature outside is 10 deg. the interior can, be kept at 90 or 100 deg., but the jug must be refilled with boiling water at least twice a day.

Faucet Used as an Emergency Plug

A Tight-Fitting Cork Driven into a Cracked Faucet Converted It into an Emergency Plug

A brass faucet split as shown at A during a cold spell, and as no suitable plug to screw into the elbow after removing the faucet was at hand, I drove a small cork, B, into the end of the faucet and screwed it back in place. The cork converted the faucet into an emergency plug which prevented leakage until the proper fitting to take its place could be secured.

Contributed by James M. Kane, Doylestown, Pa.

Automatic Electric Heat Regulator

Heat Regulator as it is Connected to a Rheostat for Controlling the Electric Current.

Wiring Diagram Showing How the Connections to a Source of Current Supply are Made

It is composed of a closed glass tube, A, Fig. 1, connected by means of a very small lead pipe, B, to another glass tube, C, open at the bottom and having five pieces of platinum wire (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), which project inside and outside of the tube, fused into one side. This tube is plunged into an ebonite vessel of somewhat larger diameter, which is fastened to the base by a copper screw, E. The tube C is filled to a certain height with mercury and then petroleum. The outer ends of the five platinum wires are soldered to ordinary copper wires and connections made to various points on a rheostat as shown. The diagram, Fig. 2, shows how the connections to the supply current are made.

The apparatus operates as follows: The tube is immersed in the matter to be heated, a liquid, for instance. As the temperature of this rises, the air expands and exerts pressure on the petroleum in the tube C so that the level of the mercury is lowered. The current is thus compelled, as the platinum wires with the fall of the mercury are brought out of circuit, to pass through an increasing resistance, until, if necessary, the flow is entirely stopped when the mercury falls below the wire 5.

With this very simple apparatus the temperature can be kept constant within a 10 deg. limit, and it can be made much more sensitive by increasing the number of platinum wires and placing them closer together, and by filling the tube A with some very volatile substance, such as ether, for instance. The petroleum above the mercury prevents sparking between the platinum wire and the mercury when the latter falls below anyone of them.

Repairing a Washer on a Flush Valve

When the rubber washer on the copper flush valve of a soil-basin tank becomes loose it can be set by pouring a small quantity of paraffin between the rubber and the copper while the valve is inverted, care being taken to have the rubber ring centered. This makes a repair that will not allow a drop of water to leak out of the tank.

Contributed by Frank Jermin, Alpena, Michigan.

Cleaning Discolored Silver

A very quick way to clean silver when it is not tarnished, but merely discolored, is to wash the articles in a weak solution of ammonia water. This removes the black stains caused by sulphur in the air. After cleaning them with the solution, they should be washed and polished in magnesia powder or with a cloth. This method works well on silver spoons tarnished by eggs and can be used every day while other methods require much time and, therefore, cannot be used so often.

How to Make a Small Electric Motor By W. A. Robertson

The Field-Coil Core is Built Up of Laminated Wrought Iron Riveted Together

The Bearing Studs are Turned from Machine Steel
Two of Each Length being Required.

The field frame of the motor, Fig. 1, is composed of wrought sheet iron, which may be of any thickness so that, when several pieces are placed together, they will make a frame 3/4 in. thick. It is necessary to layout a template of the frame as shown, making it 1/16 in. larger than the dimensions given, to allow for filing to shape after the parts are fastened together. After the template is marked out, drill the four rivet holes, clamp the template, or pattern, to the sheet iron and mark carefully with a scriber. The bore can be marked with a pair of dividers, set at 1/8 in. This will mark a line for the center of the holes to be drilled with a 1/4-in. drill for removing the unnecessary metal. The points formed by drilling the holes can be filed to the pattern size. Be sure to mark and cut out a sufficient number of plates to make a frame 3/4 in. thick, or even 1/16 in. thicker, to allow for finishing.

After the plates are cut out and the rivet holes drilled, assemble and rivet them solidly, then bore it out to a diameter of 2-3/4 in. on a lathe. If the thickness is sufficient, a slight finishing cut can be taken on the face. Before removing the field from the lathe, mark off a space, 3-3/8 in. in diameter, for the field core with a sharp-pointed tool, and for the outside of the frame, 4-1/2 in. in diameter, by turning the lathe with the hand. Then the field can be finished to these marks, which will make it uniform in size. When the frame is finished so far, two holes, 3-5/8 in. between centers, are drilled and tapped with a 3/8-in. tap. These holes are for the bearing studs. Two holes are also drilled and tapped for 1/4-in. screws, which fasten the holding-down lugs or feet to the frame. These lugs are made of a piece of 1/8-in. brass or iron, bent at right angles as shown.

The bearing studs are now made, as shown in Fig. 2, and turned into the threaded holes in the frame. The bearing supports are made of two pieces of 1/8-in. brass, as shown in the left-hand sketch, Fig. 3, which are fitted on the studs in the frame. A 5/8-in. hole is drilled in the center of each of these supports, into which a piece of 5/8-in. brass rod is inserted, soldered into place, and drilled to receive the armature shaft. These bearings should be fitted and soldered in place after the armature is constructed. The manner of doing this is to wrap a piece of paper on the outside of the finished armature ring and place it through the opening in the field, then slip the bearings on the ends of the shaft. If the holes in the bearing support should be out of line, file them out to make the proper adjustment. When the bearings are located, solder them to the supports, and build up the solder well. Remove the paper from the armature ring and see that the armature revolves freely in the bearings without touching the inside of the field at any point. The supports are then removed and the solder turned up in a lathe, or otherwise finished. The shaft of the armature, Fig. 4, is turned up from machine steel, leaving the finish of the bearings until the armature is completed and fastened to the shaft.

The Assembled Bearing Frame on the Field Core
and the Armature Shaft Made of Machine Steel.

The armature core is made up as follows: Two pieces of wrought sheet iron, 1/8 in. thick, are cut out a little larger than called for by the dimensions given in Fig. 5, to allow for finishing to size. These are used for the outside plates and enough pieces of No. 24 gauge sheet iron to fill up the part between until the whole is over 3/4 in. thick are cut like the pattern. After the pieces are cut out, clamp them together and drill six 1/8-in. holes through them for rivets. Rivet them together, and anneal the whole piece by placing it in a fire and heating the metal to a cherry red, then allowing it to cool in the ashes. When annealed, bore out the inside to 1-11/16 in. in diameter and fit in a brass spider, which is made as follows: Procure a piece of brass, 3/4 in. thick, and turn it up to the size shown and file out the metal between the arms. Slip the spider on the armature shaft and secure it solidly with the setscrew so that the shaft will not turn in the spider when truing up the armature core. File grooves or slots in the armature ring so that it will fit on the arms of the spider. Be sure to have the inside of the armature core run true. When this is accomplished, solder the arms of the spider to the metal of the armature core. The shaft with the core is then put in a lathe and the outside turned off to the proper size. The sides are also faced off and finished. Make the core 3/4 in. thick. Remove the core from the lathe and file out slots 1/4 in. deep and 7/16 in. wide.

The commutator is turned from a piece of brass pipe, 3/4 in. inside diameter, as shown in Fig. 6; The piece is placed on a mandrel and turned to 3/4 in. in length and both ends chamfered to an angle of 60 deg. Divide the surface into 12 equal parts, or segments. Find the centers of each segment at one end, then drill a 1/8-in. hole and tap it for a pin. The pins are made of brass, threaded, turned into place and the ends turned in a lathe to an outside diameter of 1-1/4 in. Make a slit with a small saw blade in the end of each pin for the ends of the wires coming from the commutator coils. Saw the ring into the 12 parts on the lines between the pins.

Armature-Ring Core, Its Hub and the Construction of the Commutator and Its Insulation

The two insulating ends for holding these segments are made of fiber turned to fit the bore of the brass tubing, as shown in Fig. 7. Procure 12 strips of mica, the same thickness as the width of the saw cut made between the segments, and use them as a filler and insulation between the commutator bars. Place them on the fiber hub and slip the hub on the shaft, then clamp the whole in place with the nut, as shown in Fig. 3. True up the commutator in a lathe to the size given in Fig. 6.

The brush holder is shaped from apiece of fiber, as shown in Fig. 8. The studs for holding the brushes are cut from 5/16-in. brass rod, as shown in Fig. 9. The brushes consist of brass or copper wire gauze, rolled up and flattened out to 1/8 in. thick and 1/4 in. wide, one end being soldered to keep the wires in place. The holder is slipped on the projecting outside end of the bearing, as shown m Fig. 3, and held with a setscrew.

The field core is insulated before winding with 1/64-in. sheet fiber, washers, 1-1/8 in. by 1-1/2 in., being formed for the ends, with a hole cut in them to fit over the insulation placed on the cores. A slit is cut through from the hole to the outside, and then they are soaked in warm water, until they become flexible enough to be put in place. After they have dried, they are glued to the core insulation.

The field is wound with No. 18 gauge double-cotton-covered magnet wire, about 100 ft. being required. Drill a small hole through each of the lower end insulating washers. In starting to wind, insert the end of the wire through the hole from the inside at A Fig. 1, and wind on four layers, which will take 50 ft. of. the wire, and bring the end of the wire out at B. After one coil, or side, is wound start at C in the same manner as at A, using the same number of turns and the same length of wire. The two ends are joined at B.

The armature ring is insulated by covering the inside and brass spider with l/16-in. sheet fiber. Two rings of 1/16-in sheet fiber are cut and glued to the sides of the ring. When the glue is set, cut out the part within the slot ends and make 12 channel pieces from 1/64-in. sheet fiber, which are glued in the slots and to the fiber washers. Be sure to have the ring and spider covered so the wire will not touch the iron or brass.

The Insulated Brush Holder and Its Studs for
Holding the Brushes on the Commutator

Each slot of the armature is wound with about 12 ft. of No. 21 gauge double-cotton-covered magnet wire. The winding is started at A, Fig. 5, by bending the end around one of the projections, then wind the coil in one of the slots as shown, making 40 turns or four layers of 10 turns each shellacking each layer as it is wound. After the coil is completed in one slot allow about 2 in. of the end to protrude, to fasten to the commutator segment. Wind the next slot with the same number of turns in the same manner and so on, until the 12 slots are filled. The protruding ends of the coils are connected to the pins in the commutator segments after the starting end of one coils is joined to the finishing end of the next adjacent. All connections should be securely soldered.

The whole motor is fastened with screws to a wood base, 8 in. long, 6 in. wide and 1 in. thick. Two terminals are fastened at one side on the base and a switch at the other side.

To connect the wires, after the motor is on the stand, the two ends of the wire, shown at B, Fig. 1, are soldered together. Run one end of the field wire, shown at A, through a small hole in the base and make a groove on the under side so that the wire end can be connected to one of the terminals The other end of the field wire C is connected to the brass screw in the brass brush stud. Connect a wire from the other brush stud, run it through a small hole in the base and cut a groove for it on the under side so that it can be connected through the switch and the other terminal. This winding is for a series motor. The source of current is connected to the terminals. The motor can be run on a 110-volt direct current, but a resistance must be placed in series with it.

Protecting Tinware

New tinware rubbed over with fresh lard and heated will never rust.

Another Optical Illusion

After taking a look at the accompanying illustration you will be positive that the cords shown run in a spiral toward the center, yet it shows a series of perfect circles of cords placed one inside the other. You can test this for yourself in a moment with a pair of compasses, or, still more simply, by laying a point of a pencil on any part of the cord and following it round. Instead of approaching or receding from the center in a continuous line, as in the case of a spiral, you will find the pencil returning to the point from which it started.

Substitute for Insulating Cleats

In wiring up door bells, alarms and telephones as well as experimental work the use of common felt gun wads make a very good cleat for the wires. They are used in the manner illustrated in the accompanying sketch. The insulated wire is placed between two wads and fastened with two nails or screws. If one wad on the back is not thick enough to keep the wire away from the support, put on two wads behind and one in front of the wire and fasten in the same manner as described.

Electrically Operated Indicator for a Wind Vane

The accompanying photograph shows a wind vane connected with electric wires to an instrument at considerable distance which indicates by means of a magnetic needle the direction of the wind. The bearings of the vane consist of the head of a worn out bicycle. A 1/2-in. iron pipe extends from the vane and is held in place by the clamp originally used to secure the handle bar of the bicycle. In place of the forks is attached an eight-cylinder gas engine timer which is slightly altered in such a manner that the brush is at all times in contact, and when pointing between two contacts connects them both. Nine wires run from the timer, one from each of the eight contacts, and one, which serves as the ground wire, is fastened to the metallic body. The timer is set at such a position that when the vane points directly north, the brush of the timer makes a connection in the middle of a contact. When the timer is held in this position the brush will make connections with each of the contacts as the vane revolves.

The indicating device which is placed in a convenient place in the house consists of eight 4-ohm magnets fastened upon a 1-in. board. These magnets are placed in a 10-in. circle, 45 deg. apart and with their faces pointing toward the center. Covering these is a thin, wood board upon which is fastened a neatly drawn dial resembling a mariner's compass card. This is placed over the magnets in such a manner that there will be a magnet under each of the eight principal points marked on the dial. Over this dial is a magnetic needle or pointer, 6 in. long, perfectly balanced on the end of a standard and above all is placed a cover having a glass top. The eight wires from the timer contacts connect with the outside wires of the eight magnets separately and the inside wires from the magnets connect with the metal brace which holds the magnets in place. A wire is then connected from the metal brace to a push button, two or three cells of dry battery and to the ground wire in connection with the timer The wires are connected in such a manner that when the vane is pointing in a certain direction the battery will be connected in series with the coil under that part of the dial representing the direction in which the vane is pointing, thus magnetizing the core of the magnet which attracts the opposite pole of the needle toward the face of the magnet and indicating the way the wind is blowing. The pointer end of the needle is painted black.

If the vane points in such a direction that the timer brush connects two contacts, two magnets will be magnetized and the needle will point midway between the two lines represented on the dial, thus giving 16 different directions. Around the pointer end of the needle is wound a fine copper wire, one end of which extends down to about 1/32 in. of the dial. This wire holds the needle in place when the pointer end is directly over the magnet attracting it; the magnet causing the needle to "dip" will bring the wire in contact with the paper dial. Without this attachment, the needle would swing a few seconds before coming to a standstill.

The vane itself is easily constructed as can be seen in the illustration. It should be about 6 ft. long to give the best results. The magnets used can be purchased from any electrical store in pairs which are called "instrument magnets." Any automobile garage can supply the timer and an old valueless bicycle frame is not hard to find. The cover is easily made from a picture frame with four small boards arranged to take the place of the picture as shown.

The outfit is valuable to a person who is situated where a vane could not be placed so as to be seen from a window and especially at night when it is hard to determine the direction of the wind. By simply pressing the push button on the side of the cover, the needle will instantly point to the part of the dial from which the wind is blowing.

Contributed by James L. Blackmer, Buffalo, N. Y.

A Home-Made Floor Polisher

An inexpensive floor polisher can be made as follows: Secure a wooden box with a base 8 by 12 in. and about 6 in. high, also a piece of new carpet, 14 by 18 in. Cut 3-in. squares out of the four corners of the carpet and place the box squarely on it. Turn three of the flaps of the carpet up and tack them securely to the sides of the box. Before tacking the fourth side, fold a couple of newspapers to the right size and shove them in between the carpet and the bottom of the box for a cushion. Fill the box with any handy ballast, making it heavy or light, according to who is going to use it, and securely nail on the top of the box. The handle can be made from an old broom handle the whole of which will be none too long. Drive a heavy screw eye into the big end of the handle and fasten to the polisher by a staple driven through the eye into the center of the cover, thus making a universal joint. The size of the box given here is the best although any size near that, if not too high, will answer the purpose just as well. The box is pushed or pulled over the floor and the padded side will produce a fine polish.

How to Make a Lady's Card-Case

A card-case such as is shown here makes a very appropriate present for any lady. To make it, secure a piece of "ooze" calf skin leather 4-1/2 by 10-1/2 in. The one shown in the accompanying picture was made of a rich tan ooze of light weight and was lined with a grey-green goat skin. The design was stenciled and the open parts backed with a green silk plush having a rather heavy nap. The lining of goat skin need not cover more than the central part-not the flies. A piece 4-1/2 by 5 in. will be sufficient. A piece of plush 1-1/4 by 6 in. will be enough for the two sides.

Begin work by shaping the larger piece of leather as shown in the drawing. Allow a little margin at the top and bottom, however, to permit trimming the edges slightly after the parts have been sewed together. A knife or a pair of scissors will do to cut the leather with, though a special knife, called a chip carving knife, is most satisfactory.

The next thing is to put in the marks for the outline of the designs and the borders. A tool having a point shaped as in the illustration is commonly used. It is called a modeling tool for leather and may be purchased, or, one can be made from an ordinary nut pick by taking off the sharpness with fine emery paper so that it will not cut the leather. To work these outlines, first moisten the leather on the back with as much water as it will take and still not show through on the face side. Place the leather on some level, nonabsorbent surface and with the tool—and a straightedge on the straight lines—indent the leather as shown. The easiest way is to place the paper pattern on the leather and mark on the paper. The indentations will be transferred without the necessity of putting any lines on the leather.

With the knife cut out the stencils as shown. Paste the silk plush to the inner side, being careful not to get any of the paste so far out that it will show. A good leather paste will be required.

Next place the lining, fold the flies along the lines indicated in the drawing. Hold the parts together and stitch them on a sewing-machine. An ordinary sewing-machine will do if a good stout needle is used. A silk thread that will match the leather should be used. Keep the ooze side of the lining out so that it will show, rather than the smooth side. With the knife and straightedge trim off the surplus material at the top and bottom and the book is ready for use.

Home-Made Fire Extinguisher

Dissolve 20 lb. of common salt and 10 lb. of sal ammoniac in 7 gal. of water, and put the solution in thin glass bottles, cork tightly and seal to prevent evaporation. The bottles should hold about 1 qt. If a fire breaks out, throw one of the bottles in or near the flames, or break off the neck and scatter the contents on the fire. It may be necessary to use several bottles to quench the flames.

Crutch Made of an Old Broom

An emergency crutch made of a worn-out broom is an excellent substitute for a wood crutch, especially when one or more crutches are needed for a short time, as in cases of a sprained ankle, temporary lameness, or a hip that has been wrenched. Shorten and hollow out the brush of the broom and then pad the hollow part with cotton batting, covering it with a piece of cloth sewed in place. Such a crutch does not heat the arm pit and there is an elasticity about it not to be had in the wooden crutch. The crutch can be made to fit either child or adult and owing to its cheapness, can be thrown away when no longer needed.

Contributed by Katharine D. Morse, Syracuse, N. Y.

Toy Darts and Parachutes

A dart (Fig. 1) is made of a cork having a tin cap, a needle and some feathers. The needle is run through the center of the cork A and a pin or piece of steel is put through the eye of the needle. Take a quantity of small feathers, B, and tie them together securely at the bottom. Bore a hole in the center of the cap C, and fasten the feathers inside of it. Fasten the cap on the cork and the dart is ready for use. When throwing the dart at a target stand from 6 to 10 ft. away from it.

The parachute is made by cutting a piece of paper 15 in. square and tying a piece of string to each corner. The strings should be about 15 in. long. Tie all four strings together in a knot at the end and fasten them in the top of a cork with a small tack. It is best to be as high as possible when flying the parachute as the air currents will sail it high and fast. Take hold of the parachute by the cork and run it through the air with the wind, letting it go at arm's length.

Contributed by J. Gordon Dempsey, Paterson, N.J.

A Tool for Lifting Can Covers

A handy tool for prying up varnish paint, syrup and similar can covers car be made from an old fork filed down to the shape shown in the illustration. The end is filed to an edge, but not sharp.

Contributed by Ben Grebin, Ashland, Wis.

Keeping Rats from a Chicken Coop

After trying for months to keep the rats from tunneling their way into my chicken coop by filling in the holes, laying poisoned meat and meal, setting traps, etc., I devised a simple and effective method to prevent them from doing harm.

My roosting coop is 5 by 15 ft. There is a 1-in. board all around the bottom on the inside. I used wire mesh having 1/2-in. openings and formed it into the shape of a large tray with edges 6 in. high, the corners being wired, and tacked it to the boards. This not only keeps the rats out, but prevents the chickens from digging holes, thus helping the rats to enter.

Contributed by John A. Hellwig, Albany, N. Y.

Homemade Telephone Receiver

The receiver illustrated herewith is to be used in connection with the transmitter described elsewhere in this volume. The body of the receiver, A, is made of a large wooden ribbon spool. One end is removed entirely, the other sawed in two on the line C and a flange, F, is cut on the wood, 1/8 in. wide and 1/16 in. deep. A flange the same size is made on the end D that was sawed off, and the outside part tapered toward the hole as shown. The magnet is made of a 30-penny nail, B, cut to the length of the spool, and a coil of wire, E, wound on the head end. The coil is 1 in. long, made up of four layers of No. 22 gauge copper magnet wire, allowing the ends to extend out about 6 in. The nail with the coil is then put into the hole of the spool as shown. The diaphragm C, which is the essential part of the instrument, should be made as carefully as possible from ferrotype tin, commonly called tintype tin. The diaphragm is placed between the flanges on the spool and the end D that was sawed off. The end piece and diaphragm are both fastened to the spool with two or three slender wood screws, as shown.

A small wooden or fiber end, G, is fitted with two binding posts which are connected to the ends of the wire left projecting from the magnet winding. The binding posts are attached to the line and a trial given. The proper distance must be found between the diaphragm and the head of the nail. This can be accomplished by moving the nail and magnet in the hole of the spool. When the distance to produce the right sound is found, the nail and magnet can be made fast by filling the open space with melted sealing wax. The end G is now fastened to the end of the spool, and the receiver is ready for use.

How to Clean Jewelry

To cleanse articles of silver, gold, bronze and brass use a saturated solution of cyanide of potassium. To clean small articles, dip each one into the solution and rinse immediately in hot water; then dry and polish with a linen cloth. Larger articles are cleaned by rubbing the surface with a small tuft of cotton saturated in the solution. As cyanide of potassium is a deadly poison, care must be taken not to have it touch any sore spot on the flesh.

Ornamental Iron Flower Stand

The illustration shows an ornamental iron stand constructed to hold a glass or china vase. This stand can be made by first drawing an outline of the vase on a heavy piece of paper. The vase is to have three supports. The shape of the scrolls forming each support should be drawn on the paper around the shape of the vase. A single line will be sufficient, but care must be taken to get the shapes of the scrolls true. Take a piece of string or, better still, a piece of small wire, and pass it around the scroll shape on the paper. This will give the exact length of the iron required to make the scroll. As sheet metal is used for making the scrolls, it can be cut in the right lengths with a pair of tinner's shears. Take a pair of round-nose pliers, begin with the smallest scrolls, and bend each strip in shape, using the flat-nose pliers when necessary to keep the iron straight, placing it on the sketch from time to time to see that the scrolls are kept to the shape required. The scrolls are riveted and bolted together. The supports are fastened together with rings of strip iron 3/8 in. wide, to which the supports are fastened with rivets. The metal can be covered with any desired color of enamel paint.

How to Make a Coin Purse

The dimensions for a leather coin purse are as follows: from A to B, as shown in the sketch, 6-3/8 in.; from C to D, 4-1/4 in.; from E to F, 3-1/2 in. and from G to H, 3-1/4 in. Russian calf modeling leather is the material used. A shade of brown is best as it does not soil easily, and does not require coloring.

Cut out the leather to the size of the pattern, then moisten the surface on the rough side with a sponge soaked in water. Be careful not to moisten the leather too much or the water will go through to the smooth side. Have the design drawn or traced on the pattern. Then lay the pattern on the smooth side of the leather and trace over the design with the small end of the leather tool or a hard, sharp pencil. Trace also the line around the purse. Dampen the leather as often as is necessary to keep it properly moistened.

After taking off the pattern, retrace the design directly on the leather to make it more distinct, using a duller point of the tool. Press or model down the leather all around the design, making it as smooth as possible with the round side of the tool. Work down the outside line of the design, thus raising it.

Fold the leather on the line EF. Cut another piece of leather the size of the side ECBD of the purse, and after putting the wrong sides of the leather together, stitch around the edge as designated by the letters above mentioned. Do not make this piece come quite up to the line EF, so that the coins may be more easily put in and taken out. About 1 in. from the lines EF on the piece, stitch in a strip of leather about 1/4 in. wide when stitching up the purse, through which to slip the fly AGH.

Window Anti-Frost Solution

A window glass may be kept from frosting by rubbing over the inner surface a solution of 55 parts of glycerine and 1,000 parts of 60 per cent alcohol. The odor may be improved by adding a little oil of amber. This solution will also prevent a glass from sweating in warm weather.

How to Make a Turbine Engine

In the following article is described a machine which anyone can make, and which will be very interesting, as well as useful. It can be made without the use of a lathe, or other tools usually out of reach of the amateur mechanic. It is neat and efficient, and a model for speed and power. Babbitt metal is the material used in its construction, being cast in wooden molds. The casing for the wheel is cast in halves—a fact which must be kept in mind.

First, procure a planed pine board 1 by 12 in. by 12 ft. long. Cut off six pieces 12 in. square, and, with a compass saw, cut out one piece as shown in Fig. 1, following the dotted lines, leaving the lug a, and the projections B and b to be cut out with a pocket knife. Make the lug 1/4 in. deep, and the projections B, b, 1/2 in. deep. The entire cut should be slightly beveled.

Now take another piece of wood, and cut out a wheel, as shown in Fig. 2. This also should be slightly beveled. When it is finished, place it on one of the square pieces of wood, with the largest side down, then place the square piece out of which Fig. 1 was cut, around the wheel, with the open side down. (We shall call that side of a mold out of which a casting is drawn, the "open" side.) Place it so that it is even at the edge with the under square piece and place the wheel so that the space between the wheel and the other piece of wood is an even 1/8 in. all the way around. Then nail the wheel down firmly, and tack the other piece slightly.

Procure a thin board 1/4 in. thick, and cut it out as shown in Fig. 3; then nail it, with pins or small nails, on the center of one of the square pieces of wood. Fit this to the two pieces just finished, with the thin wheel down—but first boring a 3/4-in. hole 1/4 in. deep, in the center of it; and boring a 3/8-in. hole entirely through at the same place. Now put mold No.1 (for that is what we shall call this mold) in a vise, and bore six 1/4-in. holes through it. Be careful to keep these holes well out in the solid part, as shown by the black dots in Fig. 1. Take the mold apart, and clean all the shavings out of it; then bolt it together, and lay it away to dry.

Now take another of the 12-in. square pieces of wood, and cut it out as shown in Fig. 4, slightly beveled. After it is finished, place it between two of the 12-in. square pieces of wood, one of which should have a 3/8-in. hole bored through its center. Then bolt together with six 1/4-in. bolts, as shown by the black dots in Fig. 4, and lay it away to dry. This is mold No.2.

Now take mold No.1; see that the bolts are all tight; lay it on a level place, and pour babbitt metal into it, until it is full. Let it stand for half an hour, then loosen the bolts and remove the casting.

Now cut out one of the 12-in.-square pieces of wood as shown in Fig. 5. This is the same as Fig. 1, only the one is left-handed, the other right-handed. Put this together in mold No.1, instead of the right-handed piece; and run in babbitt metal again. The casting thus made will face together with the casting previously made.

Pour metal into mold No.2. This will cast a paddle-wheel, which is intended to turn inside of the casting already made.

If there should happen to be any holes or spots, where the casting did not fill out, fill them by placing a small piece of wood with a hole in it, over the defective part, and pouring metal in to fill it up.

If you cannot obtain the use of a drill press, take an ordinary brace, fasten a 3/8-in. drill in it, and bore a hole through the end of a strip about 2 in. wide and 16 in. long; put the top of the brace through this hole, and fasten the other end of the strip to a bench, as shown in illustration. Find the center of the paddle-wheel, place it under the drill, true it up with a square; and drill it entirely through. Find the centers of the insides of the other two castings, and drill them in the same manner.

A piece of mild steel 5 in. long, and 3/8-in. in diameter must now be obtained. This is for a shaft. Commencing 1-1/2 in. from the one end, file the shaft off flat for a distance of 1 in. Then cut a slot in the paddle-wheel, and place the shaft inside of the paddlewheel, with the flat part of the shaft turned to face the slot in the wheel. Pour metal into the slot to key the wheel on to the shaft.

The paddle-wheel is now ready to be fitted inside of the casing. It may be necessary to file some of the ends off the paddles, in order to let the paddle-wheel go into the casing. After it is fitted in, so that it will turn easily, place the entire machine in a vise, and bore three 1/4-in. holes, one in the lug, one in the projections, B, b, and the other in the base, as shown by the black dots in Fig. 6. Also bore the port-hole in projection B, and the exhaust hole in projection b, and two 1/4-in. holes at d, d, Fig. 6. Cut out a piece of gasket and fit it between the two castings. Then bolt the castings together, screw down, and connect to the boiler.

The reader must either cast a pulley out of babbitt metal, or else go to a machinist and get a collar turned, with a boss and a set screw, and with three small screw holes around the edge. Cut out a small wood wheel and screw the collar fast to it, fasten it to the shaft of the turbine and turn on the steam. Then take a knife or a chisel, and, while it is running at full speed, turn the wheel to the shape desired.

Your turbine engine is now ready for work, and if instructions have been carefully followed, will do good service.

Painting A Car

When painting the automobile body and chassis be sure to stuff the oil holes with felt or waste before applying the paint. If this caution is not observed the holes will become clogged with paint which will prevent any oil reaching the bearing.

How To Build An Ice Boat

The ice boat is each year becoming more popular. Anyone with even small experience in using tools can construct such a craft, and the pleasure many times repays the effort.

Take two pieces of wood 2 by 6 in., one 6 ft. and the other 8 ft. long. At each end of the 6-ft. piece and at right angles to it, bolt a piece of hardwood 2 by 4 by 12 in. Round off the lower edge of each piece to fit an old skate. Have a blacksmith bore holes through the top of the skates and screw one of them to each of the pieces of hardwood. These skates must be exactly parallel or there will be trouble the first time the craft is used.

Over the middle of the 6-ft. piece and at right angles to it, bolt the 8-ft. plank, leaving 1 ft. projecting as in Fig. 1.

The rudder skate is fastened to a piece of hardwood 2 by 2 by 12 in. as the runners were fastened. This piece should be mortised 3 by 3 by 4 in. in the top before the skate is put on. Figure 2 shows the rudder post.

A piece of hardwood 1 by 6 by 6 in. should be screwed to the under side of the 8-ft. plank at the end with the grain running crosswise. Through this bore a hole 1-1/2-in. in diameter in order that the rudder post may fit nicely. The tiller, Fig. 3, should be of hardwood, and about 8 in. long.

To the under side of the 8-ft. plank bolt a piece of timber 2 by 4 by 22 in. in front of the rudder block, and to this cross piece and the 6-ft. plank nail 8-in. boards to make the platform.

The spar should be 9 ft. long and 2-1/2 in. in diameter at the base, tapering to 1-1/2 in. at the top. This fits in the square hole, Fig. 1. The horn should be 5-1/2 ft. long, 2 by 3 in. at the butt and 1 in. at the end.

Figure 4 gives the shape and dimensions of the mainsail which can be made of muslin. Run the seam on a machine, put a stout cord in the hem and make loops at the corners.

Figure 6 shows the way of rigging the gaff to the spar. Figure 7 shows the method of crotching the main boom and Fig. 8 a reef point knot, which may come in handy in heavy winds.

Make your runners as long as possible, and if a blacksmith will make an iron or steel runner for you, so much the better will be your boat.

Electric Rat Exterminator

Some time ago we were troubled by numerous large rats around the shop, particularly in a storehouse about 100 ft. distant, where they often did considerable damage. One of the boys thought he would try a plan of electrical extermination, and in order to carry out his plan he picked up an old zinc floor plate that had been used under a stove and mounted a wooden disk 6 in. in diameter in the center. On this disk he placed a small tin pan about 6 in. in diameter, being careful that none of the fastening nails made an electrical connection between the zinc plate and the tin pan.

This apparatus was placed on the floor of the warehouse where it was plainly visible from a window in the shop where we worked and a wire was run from the pan and another from the zinc plate through the intervening yard and into the shop. A good sized induction coil was through connected with these wires and about six dry batteries were used to run the induction coil whenever a push button was manipulated.

It is quite evident that when a rat put its two fore feet on the edge of the pan in order to eat the mush which it contained, that an electrical connection would be made through the body of the rat, and when we pushed the button up in the shop the rat would be thrown 2 or 3 ft. in the air and let out a terrific squeak. The arrangement proved quite too effective, for after a week the rats all departed and the boys all regretted that their fun was at an end.

Contributed by John D. Adams, Phoenix, Ariz.

How to Make a Simple Fire Alarm

A fire alarm which is both inexpensive and simple in construction is shown in the illustration. Its parts are as follows:

A, small piece of wood; B, block of wood nailed to A; S S, two pieces of sheet brass about 1/4 in. wide, bent into a hook at each end; P, P, binding-posts fastening the springs S S, to block B, so that they come in contact at C. W is a piece of wax crayon just long enough to break the contact at C when inserted as shown in the illustration.

When these parts have been put together in the manner described, connect the device in circuit with an electric bell, and place it behind a stove. When the stove becomes too hot the wax will melt at the ends, allowing the springs to contact at C, and the alarm bell will ring.

Contributed by J. R. Comstock, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

To Build a Merry-Go-Round

This is a very simple device, but one that will afford any amount of amusement. The center post rests in an auger hole bored in an old stump or in a post set in the ground. The stump makes the best support. The center pole should be 10 ft. high. An old wheel is mounted at the top of the pole, and the pole works in the wheel as an axle, says the American Boy. The wheel is anchored out by several guy wires. The seat arms may be any length desired. A passenger rides in each seat and the motorman takes his station at the middle.

Arbor Wheels

Emery wheel arbors should be fitted with flanges or washers having a slight concave to their face.

Novelty Clock for the Kitchen

An inexpensive and easy way to make an unique ornament of a clock for kitchen use is to take an old alarm clock or a new one if preferred, and make it into a clock to hang on the wall. Take the glass, dial and works out of the shell and cut some pieces out of the metal so that when the pieces left are turned back it will have the appearance as in Fig. 1. Then get a 10-cent frying pan, 6 in. in diameter, and drill a hole in the center so the shaft for the hands will easily pass through and extend out far enough to replace the two hands. Put the works back in the metal shell and solder it to the frying pan by the pieces turned out as in Fig. 2. Gild the pan all over, including the handle, and print black figures in the small circles. Calendar figures can be pasted on small circles and these pasted on the frying pan. The parts can be divided into minutes with small lines the same as shown in the drawing. Make new hands that are long enough to reach the figures from sheet brass or tin and paint them black.

Contributed by Carl P. Herd, Davenport, Iowa

How to Make a Small Silver Plating Outfit

Take an ordinary glass fruit jar or any other receptacle in glass, not metal, which will hold 1 qt. of liquid and fill it with rain or distilled water and then add 3/4 oz. of silver chloride and 1-1/2 oz. of c.p. potassium cyanide. Let this dissolve and incorporate well with the water before using. Take an ordinary wet battery and fasten two copper wires to the terminals and fasten the other ends of the wires to two pieces of heavy copper wire or 1/4-in. brass pipe. The wires must be well soldered to the brass pipe to make a good connection. When the solution is made up and entirely dissolved the outfit is ready for plating.

Procure a small piece of silver, a silver button, ring, chain or anything made entirely of silver and fasten a small copper wire to it and hang on the brass pipe with connections to the carbon of the battery. Clean the article to be plated well with pumice and a brush saturated in water. When cleaning any article there should be a copper wire attached to it. Do not touch the article after you once start to clean it, or the places touched by your fingers will cause the silver plate to peel off when finished. When well scoured, run clear, cold water over the article and if it appears greasy, place in hot water. When well cleaned place in the plating bath and carefully watch the results. If small bubbles come to the surface you will know that you have too much of the anode or the piece of silver hanging in the solution and you must draw out enough of the piece until you can see no more bubbles. Leave the piece to be plated in the solution for about one-half hour, then take the article out and with a tooth brush and some pumice, clean the yellowish scum off, rinse in clear water and dry in sawdust. When thoroughly dry, take a cotton flannel rag and some polishing powder and polish the article. The article must have a fine polish before plating if it is desired to have a finely polished surface after the plate is put on. In order to see if your battery is working, take a small copper wire and touch one end to the anode pipe and the other end to the pipe holding the article to be plated. When these two parts touch there will be a small spark. Always take the zincs out of the solution when not in use and the batteries will last longer. This description applies only to silver plating. Articles of lead, pewter, tin or any soft metal cannot be silver plated unless the article is first copper plated.

Removing a Tight-Fitting Ring from a Finger

When a ring cannot be removed easily from the finger, take a string or thread and draw one end through between the ring and the flesh. Coil the other end of the string around the finger covering the part from the ring to and over the finger joint. Uncoil the string by taking the end placed through the ring and at the same time keep the ring close up to the string. In this way the ring can be easily slipped over the knuckle and off from the finger.

Contributed by J. K. Miller, Marietta, Penn.

A Photographic Jig-Saw Puzzle

Take any photographic print and mount it on heavy cardboard, or, if you have a jig saw, a thin smooth wood board and mark out various shaped pieces as shown in the accompanying cut. If the picture is mounted on cardboard, the lines can be cut through with a sharp pointed knife. If you have a jig saw, you can make a bromide enlargement from the negative you have selected and mount the print on a smooth board that is not too thick. This wood-mounted picture can be sawed out making all shapes of blocks, which forms a perfect jig-saw puzzle.

Contributed by Erich Lehmann, New York City.

Rolling Uphill Illusion

This interesting as well as entertaining illusion, can be made by anyone having a wood-turning lathe. A solid, similar to two cones placed base to base, is accurately turned in a lathe, the sides sloping to an angle of 45 deg. The spindle can be turned out of the solid at the same time as the cone; or, after turning the cone, drive an iron or wood shaft through the center making a tight fit.

The boards for the track are made with a sloping edge on which the cone is to roll. This slope will depend on the diameter of the cone, which can be any size from 3 to 12 in. The slope should not be too flat, or the cone will not roll, and it should be such that the one end will be higher than the other by a little less than half the diameter of the cone. Thus it will be seen that the diameter of the cone determines the length of the slope of the tracks. A notch should be cut in the tracks, as indicated, for the shaft to drop into at the end of the course.

The lower end of the tracks are closed until the high edge of the cone rests upon the inside edges of the tracks and the high end spread sufficiently to take the full width of the cone and to allow the shaft to fall into the notches. When the cone and tracks are viewed from the broadside the deception will be more perfect, and will not be discovered until the construction of the model is seen from all sides. Should it be difficult to make the cone from wood, a good substitute can be made from two funnels.

Contributed by I. G. Bayley, Cape May Point, N.J.

Maple Leaf

The above photograph was made by first printing a mapleleaf on the paper, not too dark, then printing on top of the picture from the negative, and finished in the usual way.

Annealing Chisel Steel

Persons who have occasion to use tool or carbon steel now and then and do not have access to an assorted stock of this material find that the kind most readily obtained at the hardware store is the unannealed steel known as chisel steel. Machining or filing such steel is exceedingly slow and difficult, besides the destruction of tools; as a matter of fact this steel is intended for chisels, drills, and like tools which require only forging and filing. If this steel is annealed, it can be worked as easily as the more expensive annealed steel.

Annealing may be done by heating the steel to a cherry red, not any more, and burying it in a box of slaked lime, where it is allowed to remain until all the heat is gone. If well done, the metal will be comparatively soft and in a condition to machine easily and rapidly. In lieu of lime, bury in ashes, sand, loam, or any substance not inflammable, but fine enough to closely surround the steel and exclude the air so that the steel cools very slowly.

If possible, keep the steel red hot in the fire several hours, the longer the better. In certain processes, like that of file manufacturing, the steel blanks are kept hot for 48 hours or more. Where it is impossible to wait so long as the foregoing method takes, then a cold water anneal may be used with less time. This method consists of heating the work as slowly and thoroughly as the time will permit, then removing the steel from the fire and allowing it to cool in the air until black and then quenching in water.

In addition to softening the steel, annealing benefits the metal by relieving strains in the piece. Should a particularly accurate job be called for, the steel should be annealed again after the roughing cuts have been taken and before machining to the final size. This will insure a true job and diminishes the danger of spring in the final hardening.

Contributed by Donald A. Hampson, Middletown, N. Y.

How to Make a Post Card Holder

This holder is designed to lay flat on the counter or to stack one on top of the other, keeping each variety of cards separate, or a number of them can be fastened on any upright surface to display either horizontal or vertical cards.

The holders can be made from sheet tin, zinc, brass or aluminum. The dimensions for the right size are given in Fig. 1; the dotted line showing where the bends are made. The completed holder is shown in Fig. 2 as fastened to a wall.

Contributed by John F. Williamson, Daytona, Fla.

Unused Paint

Do not allow paint that is left over from a job to stand uncovered. The can should be tightly sealed and the paint will be found suitable for use for several days.

Perfume-Making Outfit

The real perfume from the flowers is not always contained in the liquid purchased for perfume. The most expensive perfume can be made at home for less than 10 cents an ounce. The outfit necessary is a large bottle or glass jar with a smaller bottle to fit snugly into the open mouth of the large one. Secure a small piece of very fine sponge and wash it clean to thoroughly remove all grit and sand. Saturate the sponge with pure olive oil, do not use strong oil, and place it inside of the smaller bottle.

Fill the large bottle or jar with flowers, such as roses, carnations, pansies, honeysuckles or any flower having a strong and sweet odor. Place the small bottle containing the sponge upside down in the large one, as shown in the illustration.

The bottle is now placed in the sun and kept there for a day and then the flowers are removed and fresh ones put in. Change the flowers each day as long as they bloom. Remove the sponge and squeeze out the oil. For each drop of oil add 2 oz. of grain alcohol. If stronger perfume is desired add only 1 oz. alcohol to each drop of oil.

Home-Made Duplicator for Box Cameras

The projecting tube of the lens on a hand camera can be easily fitted with a duplicator while the box camera with its lens set on the inside and nothing but a hole in the box does not have such advantages. A small piece of heavy cardboard can be made to produce the same results on a box camera as a first-class duplicator applied to a hand camera. The cardboard is cut triangular and attached to the front end of the camera as shown in Fig. 1 with a pin about 1 in. above the lens opening. A rubber band placed around the lower end of the cardboard and camera holds the former at any position it is placed. A slight pressure of the finger on the point A, Fig. 2, will push the cardboard over and expose one-half of the plate and the same pressure at B, Fig. 3, will reverse the operation and expose the other one-half. Pins can be stuck in the end of the camera on each side of the lens opening at the right place to stop the cardboard for the exposure. With this device one can duplicate the picture of a person on the same negative.

Contributed by Maurice Baudier, New Orleans, La.

Optical Illusions

The accompanying sketch shows two optical illusions, the first having a perfect circle on the outside edge appears to be flattened at the points A, and the arcs of the circle, B, appear to be more rounding. In the second figure the circle appears to have an oval form with the distance from C to C greater than from D to D. A compass applied to the circles in either figures will show that they are perfectly round.

Contributed by Norman S. Brown, Chippewa Falls, Wis.

Use of Kerosene in Polishing Metals

Anyone who has polished a flat iron or steel surface with emery cloth knows how soon the cloth gums and fills up. The cloth in this condition will do little or no cutting. A simple remedy for this trouble is to use kerosene on the surface. The oil floats away a large part of the gumming substance and leaves the emery cloth sharp and clean to do the best work, also, it seems to act as a lubricant to keep particles of metal from collecting on the cloth and scratching or digging in the surface of the metal. A very light lard oil is equally good for this purpose, but not always easily obtained. A surface polished where oil or kerosene is used does not rust so easily as one polished dry, for the reason that a little oil remains on the metal.

Kerosene is the best to use on oil stones, being better than heavier oil. This oil readily floats away all particles of the feather edge that are liable to become loosened and forced into the stone. These particles of metal when stuck to the stone are the cause of spoiling it, as well as nicking the tools that are being sharpened. Keep the surface of the stone well oiled at all times to make the cutting free.

Contributed by Donald A. Hampson, Middletown, N. Y.

How to Make Lamps Burn Brightly

For a good, steady light there is nothing better than a lamp, but like most everything it must have attention. After cleaning well and fitting it, place a small lump of camphor in the oil vessel. This will greatly improve the light and make the flame clearer and brighter. If there is no camphor at hand add a few drops of vinegar occasionally.

A Practical Camera for Fifty Cents By C. H. Claudy

I say for fifty cents, but really this is an outside estimate. If you possess a few tools and the rudiments of a shop, by which is meant a few odds and ends of screws, brass and nails, you can really make this camera for nothing.

The camera box is the first consideration, and for this a cigar box answers every purpose. It is better to use one of the long boxes which contain a hundred cigars and which have square ends. This box should be cut down, by means of a saw and a plate, until the ends are 4 in. square. Leave the lid hinged as it is when it comes. Clean all the paper from the outside and inside of the box—which may be readily done with a piece of glass for a scraper and a damp cloth—and paint the interior of the box a dead black, either with carriage makers' black or black ink.

Now bore in the center of one end a small hole, 1/4 in. or less in diameter. Finally insert on the inside of the box, on the sides, two small strips of wood, 1/8 by 1/4 in. and fasten them with glue, 1/8 in. from the other end of the box. Examine Fig. 1, and see the location of these strips, which are lettered EE. Their purpose is to hold the plate, which may be any size desired up to 4 in. square. Commercially, plates come 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 in., or, in the lantern slide plate, 3-1/4 by 4 in. If it is desired to use the 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 in. plates, which is advised, the box should measure that size in its internal dimensions.

We now come to the construction of the most essential part of the camera—the pin hole and the shutter, which take the place of the lens and shutter used in more expensive outfits. This construction is illustrated in Fig. 4. Take a piece of brass, about 1/16-in. thick and 1-1/2 in. square. Bore a hole in each corner, to take a small screw, which will fasten it to the front of the camera. With 1/4-in. drill bore nearly through the plate in the center, but be careful that the point of the drill does not come through. This will produce the recess shown in the first section in Fig. 4. Now take a No. 10 needle, insert the eye end in a piece of wood and very carefully and gently twirl it in the center of the brass where it is the thinnest, until it goes through. This pin hole, as it is called, is what produces the image on the sensitive plate, in a manner which I shall presently describe. The shutter consists of a little swinging piece of brass completely covering the recess and pin hole, and provided with a little knob at its lower end. See Fig. 3, in which F is the front of the camera, B the brass plate and C the shutter. This is also illustrated in the second cross section in Fig. 4. In the latter I have depicted it as swung from a pivot in the brass, and in Fig. 3 as hung from a screw in the wood of the front board; either construction will be effective.

Lastly, it is necessary to provide a finder for this camera in order to know what picture you are taking. Make a little frame of wire, the size of the plate you are using, and mount it upright (see Fig. 5) on top of the camera as close to the end where the pin hole is as you can. At the other end, in the center, erect a little pole of wire half the height of the plate. If now you look along the top of this little pole, through the wire frame and see that the top of the little pole appears in the center of the frame, everything that you see beyond will be taken on the plate, as will be made plain by looking at the dotted lines in Fig. 5, which represents the outer limits of your vision when confined within the little frame.

When you want to use this camera, take it into an absolutely dark room and insert a plate (which you can buy at any supply store for photographers) in the end where the slides of wood are, and between them and the back of the box. Close the lid and secure it with a couple of rubber bands. See that the little shutter covers the hole. Now take the camera to where you wish to take a photograph, and rest it securely on some solid surface. The exposure will be, in bright sunlight and supposing that your camera is 10 in. long, about six to eight seconds. This exposure is made by lifting the little brass shutter until the hole is uncovered, keeping it up the required time, and then letting it drop back into place. It is important that the camera be held rigid during the exposure, and that it does not move and is not jarred—otherwise the picture will be blurred. Remove the plate in the dark room and pack it carefully in a pasteboard box and several wrappings of paper to protect it absolutely from the light. It is now ready to be carried to some one who knows how to do developing and printing.

To explain the action of the pin hole I would direct attention to Fig. 2. Here F represents the front of the camera, D the pinhole, AA the plate and the letters RR, rays from a lighted candle. These rays of course, radiate in all directions, an infinite multitude of them. Similar rays radiate from every point of the object, from light reflected from these points. Certain of these rays strike the pin hole in the front of the camera, represented here by RRRR. These rays pass through the pin hole, and as light travels only in straight lines, reach the plate AA, forming an inverted image of the object, in this case a candle in a candlestick. Millions of rays are given off by every point in every object which is lighted by either direct or reflected light. To all practical purposes only one of these rays from each point in an object can pass through a minute opening like a pin hole. This being so, any screen which interrupts these selected rays of light will show upon it a picture of the object, only inverted. If that screen happens to be a photographically sensitive plate, which is protected from all other light by being in a dark box, upon it will be imprinted a photographic image which can be made visible by the application of certain chemicals, when it becomes a negative, from which may be printed positives. This camera is not a theoretical possibility, but an actual fact. I have made and used one successfully, as a demonstration of pin-hole photography.

Use for an Old Clock

Remove the hair spring of the clock, and fasten a spring to one end of the pawl and a small wire to the other end. Make a slit in the case of the clock opposite the pawl. Fasten the spring on the outside in any convenient way and pass the wire through the slit to an eccentric or other oscillating body.

To make the dial, paste a piece of paper over the old dial, pull the wire back and forth one hundred times, and make a mark where the minute hand stops. Using this for a unit divide up the whole dial. The hour hand has an inner circle of its own. Put the alarm hand at a little before twelve and wind the alarm. When the alarm is unwound the hour hand starts on a new trip. The clock I used was put on an amateur windmill and when the hour hand went around once 86,400 revolutions or jerks on the wire were made, while the minute hand recorded one-twelfth of this number, or 7,200.

Contributed by Richard H. Ranger, Indianapolis, Ind.

Renewing Dry Batteries

Dry batteries, if not too far gone, can be renewed by simply boring a small hole through the composition on top of each carbon and pouring some strong salt water or sal ammoniac solution into the holes. This kink is sent us by a reader who says that the process will make the battery nearly as good as new if it is not too far gone beforehand.

Saving a Brush

If a round brush spreads too much, slip a rubber band over the upper part of the bristles.

How to Make a Simple Burglar Alarm

Take a piece of any wood about 6 by 8 in. for the base. This may be finished in any way desired. For the contact points use brass or any sheet metal which will be satisfactory. Take a piece about 2-1/2 or 3 in. in length and bend the ends up about 1/2 in. in a vertical position as shown. Fasten this to the top of the board using screws or nails. Under this strip of metal fasten a copper wire which can be connected to a binding-post on the board if desired. Take another piece of metal about 4-1/2 in. in length and make a lever of it in the shape shown in the diagram. Fasten this so that one end of it will swing freely, but not loosely between the ends of the other piece marked C-C. Near the end fasten a spiral spring, S, which can be obtained almost anywhere. Fasten the end of this to the screw marked X. Also fasten to this screw a copper wire leading to the binding-post. In the lower end of the lever make a small hole to fasten a string through.

This string may be fastened across a door or window and any movement of it will pull it to the contact point on the right. If the string is cut or broken the spring will pull the lever to the contact point on the left and thus complete the circuit. If the string is burned it will also act as a fire alarm.

How to Fit Corks

Three Methods for Reducing Size of Corks

Occasionally odd-sized bottles are received in stores which require corks cut to fit them. No matter how sharp a knife may be, it will leave some sharp edges after cutting the cork, which will cause leakage. The illustration shows three very effective methods of reducing the size of corks. The one shown in Fig. 1 is made from two pieces of 1/2-in. wood fastened together at one end with a common hinge. Two or three grooves are cut cross-wise in sizes desired. The cork is put into the groove and both pieces are pressed together, which will make the cork smaller.

Rolling the cork between two flat surfaces (Fig. 2) is simple and almost as good as pressing in the grooves. A cork rolled on the floor (Fig. 3) is a quick and effective way. A slower and equally as good way is to soak the cork in hot water for a short time.

Contributed by L. Szerlip, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Right Handed Engine

Standing at the cylinder end and looking toward the flywheel of an engine, the wheel will be at the right if the engine is right-hand.

Home-Made Crutch

While a fractured bone was healing in the limb of my boy he needed a pair of crutches and not being able to secure the right length, I set about to make the crutches from two broom handles. I split the handles to within 1 ft. of the end (Fig. 1) with a rip saw, and then stuck them in a barrel of water for three days to make the wood pliable for bending. A grip for each stick was made as long as the hand is wide and a hole bored through the center the size of a No. 10 gauge wire. These grips were placed between the two halves of each stick at the right distance for the length of the boy's arm and a wire run through both split pieces and the handle then riveted as shown in Fig. 2. Another piece was cut as shown at A, Fig. 3, and nailed to the upper ends of each half of the broom handle.

Contributed by Geo. P. Grehore, Nashville, Tenn.

Home-Made Necktie Holder

The gas bracket is considered a good place to hang neckties, even if it does crowd them together. The illustration shows a better method, a curtain rod attached to one end of a bureau. Two long-shanked, square-hooked screws should be used, so they may be screwed beneath and close up to the projecting top. When removed they will leave no disfiguring holes.

Contributed by C. W. Neiman, New York City.

How to Make a Trousers Hanger

Secure from your tinsmith a piece of sheet metal 7 in. wide and 12 in. long. Cut the metal as shown in Fig. 1 and make a close bend at the point A, but not too close to cause it to break. The piece will then appear as shown in Fig. 2. Cut a piece from the waste material 1/2 in. wide and 2-1/4 in. long and bend it around the two pieces B, Fig. 2, so it will slide freely on their length. Bend the edges C in for 1/8 in. to hold the trousers firmly. Drill a hole through the top end of B and attach a wire formed into a hook for use in hanging on a nail. The bottom end of the trousers is inserted between the jaws C and the small ferrule pushed down to clamp them on the cloth.

Contributed by A. Levinson, Saginaw, Michigan.

Easy Designs in Ornamental Iron Work

Many an industrious lad has made money manufacturing the common forms of wood brackets, shelves, boxes, stands, etc., but the day of the scroll saw and the cigar-box wood bracket and picture frame has given way to the more advanced and more profitable work of metal construction. Metal brackets, stands for lamps, gates, parts of artistic fences for gardens, supporting arms for signs, etc., are among the articles of modern times that come under the head of things possible to construct of iron in the back room or attic shop. The accompanying sketches present some of the articles possible to manufacture.

First, it is essential that a light room be available, or a portion of the cellar where there is light, or a workshop may be built in the yard. Buy a moderate sized anvil, a vise and a few other tools, including bell hammer, and this is all required for cold bending. If you go into a forge for hot bending, other devices will be needed. Figure 1 shows how to make the square bend, getting the shoulder even. The strip metal is secured at the hardware store or the iron works. Often the strips can be secured at low cost from junk dealers. Metal strips about 1/2 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick are preferable. The letter A indicates a square section of iron, though an anvil would do, or the base of a section of railroad iron. The bend is worked on the corner as at B, cold. If a rounded bend is desired, the same process is applied on the circular piece of iron or the horn of an anvil. This is shown in Fig. 2, at C. This piece of iron can be purchased at any junk store, where various pieces are always strewn about. A piece about 20 in. long and 4 in. in diameter is about the right size. The bend in the metal begins at D and is made according to the requirements. Occasionally where sharp bends or abrupt corners are needed, the metal is heated previous to bending.

Although the worker may produce various forms of strip-metal work, the bracket is, as a rule, the most profitable to handle. The plain bracket is shown in Fig. 3, and is made by bending the strip at the proper angle on form A, after which the brace is adjusted by means of rivets. A rivet hole boring tool will be needed. A small metal turning or drilling lathe can be purchased for a few dollars and operated by hand for the boring, or a common hand drill can be used. Sometimes the bracket is improved in design by adding a few curves to the end pieces of the brace, making the effect as shown in Fig. 4. After these brackets are made they are coated with asphaltum or Japan; or the brackets may be painted or stained any desired shade.

In some of the work required, it is necessary to shape a complete loop or circle at the end of the piece. This may be wrought out as in Fig. 5. The use of a bar of iron or steel is as shown. The bar is usually about 2 in. in diameter and several feet in length, so that it will rest firmly on a base of wood or stone. Then the bending is effected as at F, about the bar E, by repeated blows with the hammer. After a little practice, it is possible to describe almost any kind of a circle with the tools. The bar can be bought at an iron dealers for about 40 cents. From the junk pile of junk shop one may get a like bar for a few cents.

A convenient form for shaping strip metal into pieces required for brackets, fences, gates, arches, and general trimmings is illustrated at Fig. 6. First there ought to be a base block, G, of hard wood, say about 2 ft. square. With a round point or gouging chisel work out the groove to the size of the bar, forming a seat, by sinking the bar, H, one-half its depth into the wood as shown. In order to retain the bar securely in position in the groove, there should be two caps fitted over it and set-screwed to the wooden base. These caps may be found in junk dealers' heaps, having been cast off from 2-in. shaft boxes. Or if caps are not available, the caps can be constructed from sheet metal by bending to the form of the bar, allowing side portions or lips for boring, so that the caps can be set screwed to the wood. Thus we get a tool which can be used on the bench for the purpose of effecting series of bends in strips of metal.

Since the introduction of the laws requiring that signs of certain size and projection be removed from public thoroughfares in cities, there has been quite a call for short sign brackets, so termed, of the order exhibited in Fig. 7. These sign-supporting brackets do not extend more than 3 ft. out from the building. A boy can take orders for these signs in almost any city or large town with a little canvassing. The sign supporting bracket shown is merely a suggestion. Other designs may be wrought out in endless variety. A hook or eye is needed to sustain the ring in the sign.

The young man who undertakes to construct any sort of bracket, supports, frames or the like, will find that he will get many orders for lamp-supporting contrivances, such as shown at Fig. 8. It is hardly necessary to go into details for making these stands, as every part is bent as described in connection with the bending forms, and the portions are simply riveted at the different junctures. Both iron and copper rivets are used as at I, in Fig. 9, a cross sectional view.

The best way is to bore straight through both pieces and insert the rivet. In some cases the rivet is headed up in the bore and again washers are used and the heading effected on the washer. Copper rivets are soft and easily handled, but are costly as compared with iron rivets.

Good prices are obtained for the guards for open fireplaces made in many varieties in these days. The return of the open fireplace in modern houses has created a demand for these guards and in Fig. 10 we show a design for one of them. The posts are made sufficiently stiff by uniting two sides with rivets. The ends at top are looped as shown, while the ends or butts at the base are opened out to make the feet. Rings are shaped on forms and are then riveted to the base cross-piece as illustrated. Crosses are made to describe to central design and the plan is worked out quite readily with the different shapes.

The making of metal fire grate fronts has proven to be a very interesting and profitable occupation for boys in recent times. Not long ago it was sufficient for the ingenious youth to turn out juvenile windmills, toy houses and various little knickknacks for amusement. The modern lad wants more than this. He desires to turn some of his product into cash. Therefore we present some of the patterns of fire grates which boys have made and can make again from scrap iron, with few tools and devices, and find a ready market for the same as soon as they are made. Figure 11 is a sketch of a form of fire grate bar or front that is constructed with a series of circles of strip metal. The best way is to go to the hardware store or iron dealer's and buy a quantity of 1/4-in., 1/2-in., and 3/4-in. iron, about 1/8 to 3/16 in. thick. In fact 1/16-in. metal would do in many cases where the parts are worked out small in size. The 1/8-in. metal is very strong. Then after getting the supply of strip metal in stock, procure the usual type of metal worker's hammer, a cheap anvil, a 9-lb. vise, a cold chisel, a file or two, and a round piece of shaft iron, about 3 in. diameter and 2 to 3 ft. long. This piece of iron is represented at B, Fig. 12.

The iron is held in position by means of the straps of metal C, C, which are bent over the shaft tightly and grip the board base with set or lag screws as shown. The wooden base should be about 2 in. thick and large enough to make a good support for the iron shaft. The process of bending the rings in this way is as shown. The piece of strip iron is grasped at D. Then with the hammer the iron is gradually worked cold about the mandrel as at E until the perfect form is acquired. After the form is finished, the strip at the terminus of the ring is cut off. In order to get a steady base the wooden part may be bolted to a bench. In Fig. 13 is shown the method of clipping off the completed ring. The cold chisel is held upright, and by delivering several blows with the hammer upon the same, the point is caused to chip through the metal and release the ring. The shaft or mandrel is marked G. The cold chisel is indicated at I and the position where the hand grasps the strip is at H. The final operation in shaping the ring is by driving the protruding cut, lip down, to the common level of the opposite point, thus giving us the finished ring with the lips closed on the mandrel as at J, Fig. 14. These rings can be turned out in this way very speedily. The next operation involves the process of uniting the rings in the plan to shape the design. The design work is often worked out ahead and followed. Some become so proficient that they can develop a design as they proceed.

Figure 11 is a design of grate front used for various purposes in connection with grate fires. The series of rings are united by a rivet between each at the joining point. With thin metal the holes can be punched with an iron punch and hammer on an anvil where there is a hole to receive the point of the punch after the punch penetrates the metal. For the heavier forms of metal a drill is necessary. A metal drill and brace can be purchased very cheaply for this work. After drilling the holes, the parts are erected and the rivets inserted and headed up as each addition is made. Thus the series of rings are united and then the side pieces are similarly riveted. The points at the top are then worked out and joined on. These points are filed down to the necessary taper after the union is effected. The finishing work involves smoothing rough places with a file and painting. Asphaltum makes a good black finish. Some of the best designs of grates are bronzed. Some are silvered. The different designs are finished as desired by customers.

Figure 15 is another design of grate in which the process of shaping the rings is like that in the first design. There are some half circles in this pattern and these are framed by shaping the same about the mandrel with the hammer. In order to get the shoulders close and the circle complete it is necessary to heat the metal. A coke fire can be made in a hole in the ground. Then procure a tin blowpipe and blow the flame against the metal at the point to be bent. This metal will become red hot very soon, and can be bent readily against the anvil and the circular form. Let the metal cool off on the ground after heating. Fig. 16 is another design which can be wrought out. The middle adjustment is wire screen work which may be bought at a hardware store and set into the position shown. Fig. 17 shows a chipping off device useful in connection with this work. Metal chippers can be bought at any tool store. The chipper is placed in the jaws of the vise as at K, and secured there. The strip of metal in process of cutting is marked M. The hammer head is caused to strike the metal just over the cutting edge of the chipper. The quick, hard blow causes the cutting edge to penetrate far enough to sever the piece. Bending cold with a wooden form is done as in Fig. 18. The wooden form is marked P and is about 8 in. wide and 7 in. high, forming a one-sided oval shape. There is a pin R set into the base board of the oval form and the strip of metal for bending is grasped at S and the other end is inserted back of the pin R. By applying pressure, the strip of metal is bent to the form.

Figure 19 shows the hour-glass wood bending form, made by selecting a piece of hard wood block, about 6 in. square and boring through with an inch bit. Then the hole is shaped hour-glass like. The view is a sectional one. The block is placed in a vise and the strip for bending is inserted as at T.

The strip of metal is grasped at W and can be bent to various forms by exerting pressure. Fig. 20 is another type of fireplace front, constructed by uniting the shaped metal pieces. In fact an almost endless variety of designs can be wrought out after the start is once made. A good way to figure the price on the grate is to add up the costs of the parts and charge about 12 cents per hour for the work.