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 [357]

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 [357]

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 [358]

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 [359]

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 [359]

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 [359]

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



** Novelty Clock for the Kitchen [360]

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 [360]

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 [361]

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, Matietta, Penn.



** A Photographic Jig-Saw Puzzle [361]

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 [361]

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.



** Annealing Chisel Steel [362]

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 [363]

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 [363]

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 [363]

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 [363]

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 [364]

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 [364]

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 [364]

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 [365] 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 [367]

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 [367]

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 [367]

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 [368]

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 [368]

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 [368]

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 [369]

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 [369]

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 [369]

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 [370]

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 9-1b. 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.



** How to Make a Water Wheel [374]

Considerable power can be developed with an overshot water wheel erected as in Fig. 1. This wheel is made with blocks of wood cut out in sections as indicated by the lines, so as to form the circle properly. The wheel can be



about 24 in. in diameter to produce results and about 10 in. wide. Get some tin cans and attach them around the wheel as shown. Bore the wheel center out and put on the grooved wood wheel, P, and a rope for driving, R. This rope runs to a wooden frame in the manner illustrated. The water is carried in a sluice affair, N, to the fall, O, where the water dippers are struck by the volume and from 2 to 4 hp. will be produced with this size of wheel if there is sufficient flow of water. This power can be used for running two or three sewing machines, fans, fret-saws, and the like. Another form of water wheel is shown in Fig. 2. This is driven by an underflow of current. This type of wheel can be made on lines similar to the other, only that the paddles are of wood and extend outward as shown. The wheel is supported in a bearing on the piece S. A belt, T, communicates the power to the wheel V and from here the power is carried to any desired point.



** How To Build An Imitation Street Car Line [374]

An imitation street car line may sound like a big undertaking, but, in fact, it is one of the easiest things a boy can construct, does not take much time and the expense is not great. A boy who lives on a farm can find many fine places to run such a line, and one in town can have a line between the house and the barn, if they are some distance apart.

Often all the boards and blocks required can be had for helping a carpenter clear away the rubbish around a new building. Wheels and parts of old bicycles, which can be used in so many ways, can be found at a junk shop at very low prices, wheels in good repair are not expensive. For the car for the street car line try to find a set of wheels having axles, but if you cannot find such, make shafts of hard wood, about 3 in. by 2-1/2 in. and by means of a jackknife turn, or shave down the ends to receive the hub bearings of the wheels. Fasten the wheel hubs securely over the ends of the wood with pins or little bolts, or if the wheel bearing is of such a nature that it revolves on its own journal, the journal can be fastened to the end of the wood piece. Each of the wheels should be provided with a sprocket; any chain sprocket of a bicycle may be used. Fasten these sprockets on the outside of the wheels as shown in Fig. 1. They can be set on over the bearing end and secured with a set screw, or the original key can be employed. It is best in cases like this to use the original parts. Make the floor of the car of pieces of boards placed on the axles and nailed, screwed or bolted, as shown at A. To erect the frame, place uprights, C C C C, in position as shown, fastening the ends to the base-boards and making



the roof line as at B, then put in the cross-pieces, G G. Seats, E E, are simply boxes. The drive of the car is effected by using the driving sprockets, D D, fitted to the crosspieces, G G, with the original bearings. The parts are thereby secured to the car and the chain placed on.

Key the cranks for turning to the upper sprocket's shaft and all is ready. If there are sprocket gears and cranks on either side, four boys may propel the car at one time. Considerable speed can be made on smooth roads, but it is the best amusement to run a car line on wooden tracks with a brake consisting of a piece of wooden shaft, passing through a bore in the car floor, and fitted with a leather covered pad as at H. A spiral spring holds up the brake until pressure is applied by foot power, when the brake contacts with the wooden track and checks the car.

The track plan is illustrated in Fig. 2. Get some boards and place them end for end on other pieces set as ties. The main boards or tracks, JJ, can be about 6 in. wide, to the edges of which nail strips about 3/4 in. wide and about the



same height. The ties, I I, can be almost any box boards. Wire nails are the best to use in putting the tracks together. The sprocket connection with the chain is shown in Fig. 3. This consists of the sprocket gear on the propelling shaft, and the crank. The pedals may be removed and a chisel handle, or any tool handle, substituted, so as to afford means for turning the



crank by hand power. Great fun can be had with the road, and, furthermore, it can be made remunerative, as boys and girls can be given rides for a penny each.



** Clean Before Painting [375]

Apply a coat of raw starch water to a dirty wall before painting; this, when dry, may be brushed or wiped off.



** Varnish for Electric Terminals [375]

A good varnish for electric terminals is made of sealing wax dissolved in gasoline. To prevent brittleness add a little linseed oil.



** Measuring the Height of a Tree [376]



"Near the end of the season our boy announced the height of our tall maple tree to be 33 ft. "'Why, how do you know?' was the general question. "'Measured it.' "'How?' "'Foot rule and yardstick.' "'You didn't climb that tall tree?' his mother asked anxiously. "'No'm; I found the length of the shadow and measured that.' "'But the length of the shadow changes.' "'Yes'm; but twice a day the shadows are just as long as the things themselves. I've been trying it all summer. I drove a stick into the ground, and when its shadow was just as long as the stick I knew that the shadow of the tree would be just as long as the tree, and that's 33 ft.'"

The above paragraph appeared in one of the daily papers which come to our office. The item was headed, "A Clever Boy." Now we do not know who this advertised boy was, but we knew quite as clever a boy, one who could have got the approximate height of the tree without waiting for the sun to shine at a particular angle or to shine at all for that matter. The way boy No. 2 went about the same problem was this: He got a stick and planted it in the ground and then cut it off just at the level of his eyes. Then he went out and took a look at the tree and made a rough estimate of the tree's height in his mind, and judging the same distance along the ground from the tree trunk, he planted his stick in the ground. Then he lay down on his back with his feet against the standing stick and looked at the top of the tree over the stick.

If he found the top of stick and tree did not agree he tried a new position and kept at it until he could just see the tree top over the end of the upright stick. Then all he had to do was to measure along the ground to where his eye had been when lying down and that gave him the height of the tree.

'The point about this method is that the boy and stick made a right-angled triangle with boy for base, stick for perpendicular, both of the same length, and the "line of sight" the hypotenuse or long line of the triangle. When he got into the position which enabled him to just see the tree top over the top of the stick he again had a right-angled triangle with tree as perpendicular, his eye's distance away from the trunk, the base, and the line of sight the hypotenuse. He could measure the base line along the ground and knew it must equal the vertical height, and he could do this without reference to the sun. It was an ingenious application of the well known properties of a right-angled triangle. —Railway and Locomotive Engineer.



** White Putty to Black [376]

White putty on a black window frame can be made to harmonize by rubbing the fresh putty with a piece of cotton dipped in lampblack.



** Using Sandpaper [376]

Sandpaper may be kept from slipping under the hand by chalking the back.



** An Interesting Electrical Experiment [377]

Anyone possessing a battery having an electromotive force of from 4 to 20 volts can perform the following experiment, which is particularly interesting on account of the variation of results with apparently the same conditions.

Immerse two pieces of brass in a strong solution of common salt and water. Connect one piece to the positive wire and the other to the negative, taking care that the brass pieces do not touch each other.

After the current has passed one



or two minutes, the solution will become colored, and if the process is continued a colored pigment will be precipitated. The precipitate varies considerably in color and may be either yellow, blue, orange, green or brown, depending on the strength of the current, the strength of the solution, and the composition of the brass.



** Novelty Chain Made from a Match [377]

The accompanying engraving shows what is possible to do with a penknife.



A small chain composed of several links was cut from the wood that forms the match.



** Keeping Doors Closed [377]

Glass doors in bookcases may be kept from swinging open by boring a hole, about 1/4 in. deep, either at the top or bottom in the edge of the door, 2 in. from the closing edge, and inserting an ordinary cork, allowing a small portion to project and rub on the facing.



** Restoring Broken Negatives [377]

Whoever has the misfortune to break a valuable negative need not despair, for the damage can be repaired most effectively. In case the negative be broken into many pieces, take a clean glass, the same size as the broken negative, and put upon this the pieces, joining them accurately, says Camera Craft. Put another clean glass on top of this and bind the three together with passe-partout binding or gummed strips of ordinary paper, as one would a lantern slide, and cover the glass edges.

Next make a transparency of this—in the camera, of course—and if it is done right, the positive will only show the cracks as dark and light lines. The



dark lines are removed with the etching knife and the light ones with the retouching pencil. From this transparency another negative can be made, or as many negatives as necessary, by either contact or in the camera, and if the work on the glass positive was done carefully, no trace of the break should be seen on the finished negative. If the negative is broken in two or three larger pieces only, a contact positive may be made in the printing frame without binding, by using a clean glass in the latter, upon which the pieces are put together, face up, and a dry plate exposed in contact with them in the dark room. The accompanying engravings show a print before and after repairing a broken negative in this manner.



** Coin and Tumbler Trick [378]

The accompanying sketch shows how a good trick may be easily performed by anyone. Lay a piece of



heavy paper that is free from creases on a board or table. Secure three tumblers that are alike and stick a piece of the same heavy paper over the openings in two of them, neatly trimming it all around the edges so as to leave nothing of the paper for anyone to see. Make three covers of paper as shown in Fig. 1 to put over the tumblers. Place three coins on the sheet of paper, then the tumblers with covers on top of the coins, the unprepared tumbler being in the middle. Now lift the covers off the end tumblers, and you will see that the paper on the openings covers the coins. Replace the covers, lift the middle one, and a coin will be seen under the tumbler, as the opening of this tumbler is not covered. Drop the cover back again and lift the other tumblers and covers bodily, so that the spectators can see the coins, remarking at the same time that you can make them vanish from one to the other. The openings of the tumblers must never be exposed so that any one can see them, and a safe way to do this is to keep them level with the table.



** Another Way to Renew Dry Batteries [378]

There are many methods of renewing dry batteries, and I have used several of them, but I found the following the best: Remove the paper cover and with a 1/4-in. drill make about six holes around the side of the zinc, about 1/2 in. from the bottom. Then drill another row of holes about half way up the side and put the battery to soak in a solution of sal ammoniac for 48 hours. Then remove and plug the holes up with hard soap, and replace in the paper box, when it will give nearly as strong a current as when new.



** Simply Made Wire Puzzle [378]

The object of this simply made wire puzzle is to get the ring off, which is not easy unless you know how. To do so it is necessary to move the triangle with ring to one of the hinge joints and fold the puzzle. Then slip the ring off the triangle over the hinge joint and it will slip all around and off at the other hinge.



** Pronunciation [378]

Diabolo is pronounced Dee-ab-lo.



** Repairing Box Cameras [379]

In repairing the inner part of box cameras which have been broken loose, use a binding of strong black cloth well glued in place. This will materially strengthen the joints where the wooden pieces are so thin that it is impossible to use brads in holding them together.

Do not forget to thoroughly clean all the old glue or cement from the joints with a rasp or sandpaper before attempting a repair.



** A Fishhook Box [379]

A box that may be used to hold fishhooks, sinkers, matches or any small articles, can be made from two empty shotgun cartridges as shown in the sketch. The paper is cut from the brass part of one shell at the place marked A, Fig. 1, and the brass part, Fig-. 2, is used for a cap on the other



shell (Fig. 3). Coating the box with shellac will improve its appearance. —Contributed by Abner B. Shaw, N. Dartmouth, Mass.



** A Tin Drinking Cup for the Camp [379]

If in need of a drinking cup while camping, a temporary cup can be made of a tomato or baking-powder can. Punch two holes near the top of the can; bend a piece of wire and place the ends through the holes as shown at A in the sketch. Pull the ends to draw the loop close up on the inside of the tin and then twist the ends to form a handle as shown at B. When there is enough wire twisted to form a good handle, pass the ends around the can



at the bottom and twist them together on the opposite side. —Contributed by W. A. Lane, El Paso, Tex.



** A Bookmark [379]

A very handy bookmark can be made by attaching a narrow ribbon to an ordinary paper clip and using it as shown in the sketch. The clip is slipped over the binding in the back of the book as shown in the sketch. —Contributed by Chester E. Warner, Kalamazoo, Mich.



** Kitchen Knife Sharpener [379]

A good serviceable knife sharpener may be made from a piece of steel cut as shown with two screw holes drilled for fastening it to a piece of wood or to a table. The knife is drawn through and sharpened on either side. Both positions of the knife are shown. The



steel is hardened before fastening it in place. —Contributed by George Madsen, Chicago. Ill.



** Devices of Winter Sports-How to Make and Use Them [380]

In the north the red-cheeked boy digs a hole in the ice and while he amuses and invigorates himself at skating the fish underneath the icy sheet



fasten themselves to the hook he has let down through a hole. The boy used to sit over the hole in the ice and wait for the fish to bite, but that became too slow and detracted too much from his pleasure at skating. So his inventive genius set itself to work and the "tip-up" and "signal" shown in the illustration was the result. When the fish is not biting the flag lies flat on the ice, but as soon as a fish has swallowed the hook the flag pole stands straight up wafting its bright colored flag to the breezes and all the boys on the skating pond read the word "fish." The fish is drawn up, the hook rebaited and the youthful fisherman resumes his pleasures on the ice. Often a score or more of these "tip-ups" are planted about the edges of the ice pond, each boy bringing his fishing tackle with his skates and thus finding a double source of amusement. Maybe one boy will thus have a half dozen different lines in the water at once, it being easy to watch them all together.

The device by which the fish is made to give its own signal when caught is exceedingly simple and any boy can make it. Procure a light rod about 2 ft. in length and to one end fasten a small flag, made of any bright colored cloth.



Bind the rod at right angles to another stick which is placed across the hole, so that a short piece of the flagrod projects over the cross stick. To this short end fasten the fishing line. Be sure and use strong string in binding the two rods together, and also take care that the cross stick is long enough to permit several inches of each end to rest on the ice. After fastening the line to the short end of the rod, bait the hook with a live minnow or other suitable bait and let it down through the hole. When the fish is hooked the flag will instantly raise and wave about strenuously until the fish is taken from the water.



** "Jumping-Jack" Fisherman [380]



If the small boy has a "jumping-jack" left over from Christmas. he may make this do his fishing for him and serve as well as the "tip-up," or he can easily make the jumping-jack himself independent of Santa Claus. The string which is pulled to make the joints move is tied securely to the fishing line; the hook is baited and lowered into the water through a hole in the ice. The "jumping-jack" waves his legs and arms frantically to notify the boys when the fish is biting. The "jumping-jack" is also used for fishing in summer time by placing it on a float which is cast into the water.



** Merry-Go-Round Whirl on Ice [380]

A German device for the amusement of children is a whirl on an ice merry-go-round. It is made by placing a vertical shaft or stake, provided with a couple of old cart-wheels, in a hole in the ice. One wheel acts as a turning base and prevents the shaft from sinking into the pond, and the other forms a support for the long sweep attached for propulsion purposes, and should be fastened to the shaft about 3 ft. above the base wheel. The sleds are made fast in a string to the long end of the sweep, which when turned rapidly causes the sleds to slide over the ice in a circle at a high speed.

If the sweep is long enough to have each end from the shaft the same length, two strings of sleds may be attached, which will balance the device and make the turning much easier.



** The Running Sleigh [381]

Another winter sport, very popular in Sweden, and which has already reached America, is the "running sleigh," shown in the illustration. A light sleigh is equipped with long double runners and is propelled by foot power. The person using the sleigh stands with one foot upon a rest attached to one of the braces connecting the runners and propels the sleigh by pushing backward with the other foot. To steady the body an upright support is attached to the runners. The contrivance can be used upon hard frozen ground, thin ice and snow-covered surfaces, and under favorable conditions moves with remarkable speed. The "running sleigh" has a decided advantage over skis, because the two foot supports are braced so that they cannot come apart. Any boy can make the sleigh.



** The Winged Skater [381]

With the actual speed of the wind a skater may be hurled along the ice if he is aided by sails. He has been known to travel at the rate of 40 miles an hour,



And the sport while affording the limit of excitement, is not attended with danger. The sails are easily made, as the illustrations and description will show.

Secure two large thin hoops about 4 ft. in diameter. They may be obtained from an old hogshead or by bending thin strips. For each hoop select a piece of strong cane about 3/4 in. in diameter to constitute the fore and main masts or cross-yards. Extend these across the center of the hoop and fasten each end firmly to the hoop's sides. For the middle of each cross-spar make a cleat and lash it on firmly. The main spar should also be made of two pieces of strong cane, each about 9-1/2 ft. long. Bind them together at each end so that the large end of one is fastened to the small end of the other.

Next comes the attaching of the sails to the separate masts. The sails should be made of strong sheeting or thin canvas. Tack the cloth to the hoop on the inner side after it has been wrapped around the hoop two or three times.

Now the main spar should be attached by springing it apart and slipping the cleats of the cross-spar between the two pieces. Bind the inner sides of the hoops tightly together by means of a very strong double cord, as shown in the figure. Then your sail is ready for the ice pond. See that your skates are securely fastened, raise your



sail and you will skim along the ice as lightly as a bird on the wing. With a little practice you will learn to tack and guide yourself as desired.



If the hoops cannot be easily obtained the sails may be made equally effective by using the main spar and fore and main masts as herein described, making the sails square shaped instead of round and leaving off the hoops. In this case the sails should be securely bound with strong tape. Attach a corner to each end of the cross-spar, and a corner to the outer end of the main spar. The remaining corner of each then appears opposite to each other, and should be fastened together by strong cord in the same manner as the hoops. In this case the sails may be left off until after the frame is entirely put together and then fastened on to the spars by buttons.

A more simple sail may be made according to the plans illustrated in the lower drawing. It is made by binding together in the center the halves of two strong hogshead hoops, or two bent poles are better. If possible the sail should be about 8 ft. long and 4 ft. wide. Fasten on the sail at the four corners. The rig will convey two persons and is more easily constructed than any other.



** Ice Boating [382]

But the sport that is greatest of all, the one that used to be part of the life of every northern boy, and which is being revived in popularity after years of stagnation, is ice boating. With the aid of old skates, pieces of board and an old sheet or a small bit of canvas, any boy possessed of ordinary mechanical genius may make an ice boat. The frame of the boat should be made something in the form of a kite. The center-board should be 4 or 5 ft. long, 6 in. wide and 2 in. thick. The cross board may be of a piece of 1 by 6 in. plank 3 ft. long. Fasten these with braces of small stout strip, as shown in the drawing, and screw the cross-piece securely to the center-board. Bore a hole in the center of the intersection for the mast pole. The seat may be made of a piece of strong cloth or leather. Three skates are fastened on to either side of the cross-board and one to the rear end of the center-board, the latter of which is to operate as a rudder. In attaching the skates first make a couple of runner blocks, each 6 in. long and 3 in. wide. Bore holes in them for the straps of the skates to pass through and fasten them securely. Nail the runner blocks firmly to the crossboard about 1-1/2 in. from each end.



In making the rudder hew down a piece of scantling 1 ft. long until it assumes the shape of a club with a flat base. Nail a strip of wood firmly to this base, and to the strip fasten the skate. Run the top of the club through a hole bored in the stern of the centerboard. Then make the helm by boring a hole in one end of a strip of soft board about 1 ft. long, and through this hole pass the club or rubber-pole and fasten it so it may be shifted when desired. Make the sail out of an old sheet, if it be strong enough, piece of canvas, or any such substance and attach it to the mast and sprit as shown in the illustration, and guide it by a stout string attached to the lower outer corner. As an ice boat will travel faster than the wind, some care and considerable skill is necessary. Unless you are accustomed to managing a sail boat, do not select a place in which to learn where there are all holes or open water. To stop the boat throw the head around into the wind, same as you would with a sailboat. If the wind is strong the occupants of the boat should lie flat on their stomach.



** Coasters and Chair Sleighs [383]

Make your own sled, boys! There is no use in buying them, because your hand-made sled is probably better than any purchased one and then you can take so much more pride in it when you know it is of your own construction. There are so many different designs of sleds that can be made by hand that the matter can be left almost entirely to your own ingenuity. You can make one like the bought sleds and face the runners with pieces of an iron hoop which will answer every purpose. A good sled for coasting consists simply of two barrel staves and three pieces of board as shown in the picture, Fig. 1.



No bought sled will equal it for coasting and it is also just the thing for carrying loads of snow for building snow houses. The method of its construction is so simple that no other description is needed than the picture. You can make a chair-sleigh out of this by fitting a chair on the cross board instead of the long top board or it will be still stronger if the top board is allowed to remain, and then you will have a device that can readily again be transformed into a coasting sled. In making the chair-sleigh it is necessary, in order to hold the chair in place, to nail four L-shaped blocks on the cross boards, one for each leg of the chair. Skating along over the ice and pushing the chair in front of him the proud possessor of a chair-sleigh may take his mother, grown sister or lady friend with him on his outings, and permit her to ride in the chair.



** Folding Chair Sleigh [384]



A folding chair sleigh is even more enjoyable and convenient than the device just described. If the ice pond is far from home this may be placed under your arm and carried where you like.

The illustrations, Figs. 2 and 3, show all the parts as they should look before



being joined together. The seat may be made of a piece of canvas or carpet. The hinges are of leather. Figure 4 shows the folding chair sleigh after it has been put together. Skates are employed for the runners. The skates may be strapped on or taken off whenever desired. When the chair is lifted the supports slip from the notches on the side bars and fall on the runner bars. The chair is then folded up so that it can be carried by a small boy. With regular metal hinges and light timbers a very handsome chair can be constructed that will also afford an ornamental lawn chair for summer.



** The Toboggan Sled [384]

When the snow is very deep a toboggan sled is the thing for real sport. The runners of the ordinary sled break through the crust of the deep snow, blocking the progress, and spoiling the fun. The toboggan sled, with its broad, smooth bottom, glides along over the soft surface with perfect ease.

To make the toboggan sled, secure two boards each 10 ft. long and 1 ft. wide and so thin that they can be easily bent. Place the boards beside each other and join them together with cross sticks. Screw the boards to the cross stick from the bottom and be sure that the heads of the screws are buried deep enough in the wood to not protrude, so



that the bottom will present an absolutely smooth surface to the snow. Fasten two side bars to the top of the cross sticks and screw them firmly. In some instances the timbers are fastened together by strings, a groove being cut m the bottom of the boards so as to keep the strings from protruding and being ground to pieces. After the side bars are securely fastened, bend the ends of the boards over and tie them to the ends of the front cross bar to hold them in position. See Fig. 6. The strings for keeping the boards bent must be very strong. Pieces of stout wire, or a slender steel rod, are even better. The toboggan slide is the favored device of sport among the boys in Canada, where nearly every boy knows how to make them.



** The Norwegian Ski. [384]

You have often read of the ski, the snowshoe used by the Norwegians and other people living in the far north. With them the men and women glide down the snow-covered mountain sides, leap across ditches, run races and have all kinds of sport. They are just as amusing to the American boy who has ever learned to manipulate them, and it is wonderful how much skill can be attained in their use. Any boy with a little mechanical ingenuity can make a pair of skis (pronounced skees). They can be made from two barrel staves. Select staves of straight grained wood. Sharpen the ends of each and score each end by cutting grooves in the wood, as shown in the cut, Fig. 7. A pocket knife or small gouge will suffice for this work. Then smear the end of the staves with oil and hold them close to a hot fire until they can be bent so as to tip the toes upward, as shown in the picture, Fig. 7. Then with a cord bind the staves as they are bent and permit them to remain thus tied until they retain the curved form of their own accord. Now screw on top of each ski a little block, just broad and high enough to fit in front of the heels of your shoe. Fasten a strap in front of



each block through which to slip your toes, and the skis are made. The inside of the shoe heel should press firmly against the block and the toe be held tightly under the strap. This will keep the skis on your feet. Now procure a stick with which to steer and hunt a snow bank. At first you will afford more amusement to onlookers than to yourself, for the skis have a way of trying to run in opposite directions, crosswise and various ways, but with practice you will soon become expert in their manipulation.



** Home-Made Settee [385]

Many people have old wooden beds stored away which can easily be made into handy settees like the one shown in the accompanying photograph. A few nails and one-half dozen 3-in. screws are all the materials necessary besides the old bed. The tools needed are a saw, hammer and a screwdriver. The head-board, if too high, can be cut



off and some of the ornaments replaced. The footboard must be cut in two to make the ends or arms of the settee. The side rails and a few of the slats are used in making the seat. —Contributed by Wm. F. Hild, Lake Forest, Ill.



** Enameling a Bicycle Frame [385]

Make an enamel by mixing 2 oz. burnt umber with 1 qt. boiled oil, heating, and then adding 1 oz. asphaltum. Keep the mass hot until thoroughly mixed, says the Master Painter. Thin with turpentine while still hot.

Use a camel's hair brush for applying the enamel and allow it to set; then place the article in an oven, bake for six or eight hours at a temperature of 250 deg. F. When cool rub down with steel wool. Apply a finishing coat and allow it to bake eight hours at 250 deg. F. Rub down with a soft rag, varnish and bake again at 200 deg. F. Heat and cool the frame gradually each time. Black enamel is easiest to apply and bakes hardest, but requires a temperature of 300 deg. Colors can be baked at from 200 to 250 deg.



** How to Make a Sewing Bag [386]

A very practical and novel sewing bag for odds and ends necessary for mending, etc., can be made of a folding camp stool. If an old stool is not



at hand, a new one can be purchased for 25 cents. Remove the top or seat, which is usually made of a piece of carpet, then make a bag as shown in Fig. 1 and stitch a heavy cord around the top to make it strong. Make pockets on the inside as shown and nail the bag to the two crosspieces on which the ends of the carpet were tacked. Large, brass furniture nails should be used. Attach a small hook and eye on each end and fasten two leather handles to the crosspieces.

Such a bag requires little room when folded and can be stored in a closet when not in use. —Contributed by Joseph Ledwinka, Philadelphia, Pa.



** Home-Made Roller Skates [386]

The rubber-tired wheels of an old carpet sweeper can be used to advantage in making a pair of roller skates. In Fig. 1 is shown how an iron washer or two may be fastened to the wood with a piece of sheet metal to support



the short axles of the wheels. The wheels are oiled through the holes A and B, Fig. 2. These holes should be smaller than the axles. The two side pieces are fastened together with a board nailed on the top edges, as shown. This board also furnishes the flat top for the shoe sole. Two straps are attached for fastening the skate to the shoe. —Contributed by Thos. De Loof, Grand Rapids, Mich.



** Adjuster for Flexible Electric Wires [386]

The accompanying illustration shows an adjuster for changing the drop of an electric light. The main feature of this adjuster is that it can be removed from the cord at any time. The adjuster is made from a piece of wood, 3/8 in. thick, 2 in. wide and 3 in. long. A 1/4 in. hole is bored in the center near each end of the wood and a slot cut from



the holes to the outside edge, as shown in Fig. 1. It is attached to the flexible cord as shown in Fig. 2. —Contributed by J.J. Voelcker; Decatur, Ill.



** Making Photographs on Watch Dials [386]

Beat to a foam the white of an egg, with the addition of a little ammonia. Add 9 oz. and 3 dr. of water and beat again. After the egg has settled, filter and let the liquid run over the dial, which has been previously cleaned with ammonia. When the surplus has run off, coat with the mixture and allow to dry.

A sensitive collodion is now produced as follows: Dissolve 9 gr. of chloride of zinc in 5 dr. of alcohol; add 7-1/2 gr. of collodion cotton and 6-1/2 dr. of ether. Shake the whole forcibly.

Dissolve 23 gr. of nitrate of silver in hot water, add 1-1/2 dr. of alcohol and keep the whole solution by heating. The silver solution is now added in small quantities at a time to the collodion, which must be well settled. This, of course, is done in the dark room. After 24 hours the emulsion is filtered by passing it through cotton moistened with alcohol. This durable collodion emulsion is now flowed thinly upon the prepared watch dial, which, after the collodion has coagulated, is moved up and down in distilled

water until the fatty stripes disappear. The water is then changed once, and after a short immersion, the dial is left to dry on a piece of blotting paper. It is now ready for exposure. Expose under magnesium light and develop with a citrate oxalic developer, or in the following hydroquinone developer:

Hydroquinone .............1 dr. Bromide of potassium .... 6 dr. Sulphite of soda......1-1/2 oz. Carbonate of soda ....2-2/3 dr. Water....................14 oz.

After fixing and drying, coat with a transparent positive varnish.



** Home-Made Overhead Trolley Coaster [387]

The accompanying sketch shows a playground trolley line which furnished a great deal of amusement to many children at a minimum cost. The wire, which is 3/16 in. in diameter, was stretched between a tree and a barn across a vacant quarter block. The strength of the wire was first tested by a heavy man. When not in use the wire is unhooked from the tree and



hauled into the barn and coiled loosely in the hay loft. The wire was made taut for use by a rope which was fastened to the beams in the barn. The trolley was made, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, of strips of wood bolted with stove bolts on two grooved pulleys. The middle wide board was made of hardwood. The wheels were taken from light pulley blocks and stove bolts were purchased from a local hardware store to accurately fit the hubs. As it was necessary to keep the bearings greased, we used vaseline. This coaster made great sport for the youngsters and at no time were they in danger of a serious fall as the line was hung low and the slant of the wire was moderate. —Contributed by H. J. Holden, Palm Springs, Calif.



** How to Make an Electric Furnace Regulator [388]

We have a furnace in our house and a part of my work each evening last winter was to go down in the basement at 9 o'clock, fill the furnace with coal for the night and stay there until it was burning in good shape, then to close the draft door. As this performance requires from twenty to thirty



minutes I concluded to make a self-acting device which would close the draft and leave the furnace safe, without any further attention on my part, after putting in the coal and opening it up to burn. As some other boys may like to build the same regulator I will tell just how to make one and how it operates.

Referring to Fig. 1, you will see a straight cord is attached to the draft door of the furnace, D, and is run over the pulley P and finally is attached to a small piece of iron H. This piece of iron is hinged to 1. To the other side of H another cord G is fastened, which passes over the pulley N and terminates in any convenient place in the rooms above. This piece of iron H is held in place by the release A. Now C is a coil of wire from a door bell. R is an armature which works A on pivot J. M is a U-tube, filled with mercury, one end being connected to a half liter glass flask F by the tube T, and the other end terminates in an overflow tube O. B is a battery of three bichromate cells which are connected up with the C and the platinum points 1—2, which are fused into the U-tube.

On fixing the furnace the iron piece H takes position X, this being the normal position when draft door D is closed. On arriving upstairs I pull the cord G, which causes the piece H to become fixed in the vertical position by means of A. This opens the draft door at the same time. Now when the furnace heats up sufficiently it causes the air to expand in F, which causes the mercury in M to rise a little above the point 2. This immediately causes a current to flow through C which in turn draws R towards it, raises A and causes H to drop to position X. This shuts the furnace door. Now the furnace, of course, cools down, thus causing the air in F to contract and consequently opening the circuit through C. If at any time the furnace should overheat, the raising of A, on which is grounded a wire from a signal bell upstairs, will make a circuit through the bell by means of the point Z and wire leading therefrom. This bell also serves to tell me whether H has dropped or not. This same device of regulating the draft D can be used to regulate the damper, found on the coal doors of most furnaces, by simply fusing a platinum point on the other side of M and changing the cord which is attached to D. A two-contact switch could also be inserted to throw connections from 2 to 3. It would work in this manner: The damper door, of course, which keeps a low fire, would be up in a position similar to D; on the furnace cooling too much, connection, due to contracting of air in F, would be made through 3 and C, causing H to drop, thus closing door. This simple device worked very well all last winter and gave me no trouble whatever.

If you cannot readily procure a U-tube, you can make one, as I did, and the work is interesting.

The U-tube is constructed in the following manner. A glass tube is closed at one end. This is done by holding the tube in one corner of a gas flame, somewhat near the dark area (A, Fig. 2), and constantly turning the tube, when it will be found that the glass has melted together. Now, after it is cool, about 3 or 4 in. from the sealed end, the tube is held steadily so that the flame will heat one small portion ( B, Fig. 2 ). After this small portion is heated blow into the tube, not very hard, but just enough to cause tube to bulge out. Allow to cool. Then reheat the small bulged portion, blow quite hard, so that the glass will be blown out at this point, forming a small hole. Now insert about 1/2 in. of platinum wire and reheat, holding platinum