The Boy Mechanic Vol. 1 - 700 Things for Boys to Do
How to construct wireless outfits, boats, camp equipment, aerial. gliders, kites, self-propelled vehicles engines, motors, electrical apparatus, cameras and hundreds of other things which delight every boy. With 800 illustrations.
| Title | The Boy Mechanic Vol. 1 700 Things for Boys to Do |
| Author | Popular Mechanics Co. |
| Publisher | Popular Mechanics Co. |
| Year | 1913 |
| Copyright | 1913, By H. H. Windsor |
| Amazon | The Boy Mechanic Volume I, 700 Things for Boys To Do |
How To Make Puzzles- Simply Made Wire Puzzle 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 ...
- How to Photograph Things
- Nutshell Photograph Novelty Split an English walnut in the center, remove the contents, and scrape out the rough parts. Make an oval opening by filing or ...
- How to Photograph Things. Continued
- Photographs In Relief Easily Made Relief photographs, although apparently difficult to produce, can be made by any amateur photographer. The negative is made ...
- How To Make Silhouettes
- Photography in all branches is truly a most absorbing occupation. Each of us who has a camera is constantly experimenting, and everyone of us is delighted when ...
- Building A Small Photographic Dark Room
- In building a photographic dark room, it is necessary to make it perfectly light-tight, the best material to use being matched boards. These boards are tongued ...
- Equipment for Photographers
- How To Make A Developing Box A box for developing 3-1/4 by 4-1/4 -in. plates is shown in detail in the accompanying sketch. It is made of strips of wood 1/4-in.
- Equipment for Photographers. Part 2
- Photographers' Printing Frame Stand When using developing papers it is always bothersome to build up books or small boxes to make a place to set the printing ...
- Equipment for Photographers. Part 3
- Protecting The Fingers From Chemicals The finger nails and fingers may be easily protected from stains of chemicals by coating with a wax made up as follows: ...
- How to Dry Films and Photographs
- A Frame For Drying Films No doubt many amateur photographers are troubled about drying films and to keep from curling. The problem may be solved in the ...
- How To Keep Film Negatives
- There are many devices for taking care of film negatives to keep from curling and in a place easily accessible. Herewith is illustrated a method by which ...
- A Model Steam Engine
- The accompanying sketch illustrates a two-cylinder single-acting, poppet valve steam engine of home construction. The entire engine, excepting the flywheel, ...
- Magic Spirit Hand
- The magic hand made of wax is given to the audience for examination, also a board which is suspended by four pieces of common picture-frame wire. The hand is ...
- Making Skis And Toboggans
- During the winter months everyone is thinking of skating, coasting or ski running and jumping. Those too timid to run down a hill standing upright on skis must ...
- Homemade Life Preserver
- Procure an inner tube of a bicycle tire, the closed-end kind, and fold it in four alternate sections, as shown in Fig. 1. Cut or tear a piece of cloth into ...
- How To Make Boomerangs
- When the ice is too thin for skating and the snow is not right for skis, about the only thing to do is to stay in the house. A club will help to fill in ...
- How To Make An Eskimo Snow House
- Playing in the snow can be raised to a fine art if boys and girls will build their creations with some attempt at architectural skill and not content ...
- Secret Door Lock
- The sketch shows the construction of a lock I have on a door which is quite a mystery to those who do not know how it operates. It also keeps out. The parts of ...
- A Convenient Hot-Dish Holder
- When taking hot dishes from the stove, it is very convenient to have holders handy for use. For this purpose I screwed two screw eyes into the ceiling, one in ...
- Magic-Box Escape
- The things required to make this trick are a heavy packing box with cover, one pair of special hinges, one or two hasps for as many padlocks and a small ...
- How To Make Comer Pieces For A Blotter Pad
- To protect the corners of blotting pads such as will be found on almost every writing desk, proceed as follows: First, make a design of a size proportionate to ...
- Self-Lighting Arc Searchlight
- A practical and easily constructed self-lighting arc searchlight can be made in the following manner: Procure a large can, about 6 in. in diameter, and cut ...
- Homemade Snowshoes
- Secure four light barrel staves and sandpaper the outside smooth. Take two old shoes that are extra large and cut off the tops and heels so as to leave only ...
- Fish Signal For Fishing Through Ice
- Watching a fish line set in a hole cut in the ice on a cold day is very disagreeable, and the usual method is to have some kind of a device to signal the ...
- Homemade Floor Polisher
- A floor polisher is something that one does not use but two or three times a year. Manufactured polishers come in two sizes, one weighing 15 lb., which is the ...
- Tying Paper Bag To Make A Carrying Handle
- In tying the ordinary paper bag, the string can be placed in the paper in such a way that it will form a handle to carry the package, and also prevent any ...
- Equilibrator For Model Aeroplanes
- On one of my model aeroplanes I placed an equilibrator to keep it balanced. The device was attached to a crosspiece fastened just below the propeller between ...
- Repairing Christmas-Tree Decorations
- Small glass ornaments for Christmas tree decorations are very easily broken on the line shown in the sketch. These can be easily repaired by inserting in the ...
- Homemade Scroll Saw
- A scroll saw, if once used, becomes indispensable in any home carpenter chest, yet it is safe to say that not one in ten contains it. A scroll saw is much more ...
- How To Make A Watch Fob
- The fixtures for the watch fob shown --half size-- may be made of either brass, copper, or silver. Silver is the most desirable but, of course, the most ...
- An Austrian Top
- All parts of the top are of wood and they are simple to make. The handle is a piece of pine, 5-1/4 in. long, 1-1/4 in. wide and 3/4 in. thick. A handle, 3/4 in.
- Pockets For Spools Of Thread
- A The being needle. to be detachable pocket for holding thread when sewing is shown herewith. dimensions may be varied to admit any number or size of spools.
- A Baking Pan
- When making cookies, tarts or similar pastry, the housewife often wishes for something by which to lift the baked articles from the pan. The baking tray or pan ...
- A Darkroom Lantern
- Procure an ordinary 2-qt. glass fruit jar, break out the porcelain lining in the cover and cut a hole through the metal, just large enough to fit over the ...
- 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 ...
- Home-Made Lantern
- Tin Can Lantern The accompanying picture shows a lantern which can be made almost anywhere for immediate use. All that is needed is an empty tomato or coffee ...
- A Clothes Rack
- A clothes-drying rack that has many good features can be made as shown in the illustration. When the rack is closed it will fit into a very small space and one ...
- Homemade Shower Bath
- A Shower Bath That Costs Less Than One Dollar to Make While in the country during vacation time, I missed my daily bath and devised a shower bath that gave ...
- Aid In Mixing Salad Dressing
- Some cooks find it a very difficult matter to prepare salad dressing, principally mayonnaise dressing, as the constant stirring and pouring of oil and liquids ...
- Saving Overexposed Developing Prints
- In using developing papers, either for contact printing or enlargements, you are, by all rules of the game, entitled to a certain number of overexposed prints, ...
- A Desk Blotting Pad
- Procure four sheets of blotting paper, preferably the colored kind, as it will appear clean much longer than the white. The size of the pad depends on the size ...
- How To Make A Brass Bookmark
- Secure a piece of brass of No. 20 gauge, having a width of 2-1/4 in. and a length of 5 in. Make a design similar to that shown, the head of which is 2 in. wide, ...
- Kitchen Chopping Board
- Cooks can slice, chop or mince vegetables and various other food rapidly by placing the little device, as shown, on a chopping board. Ii is an ordinary staple, ...
- A Carpenter's Gauge
- The home workshop can be supplied with a carpenter's gauge without any expense' by the use of a large spool and a round stick of wood. The stick should be ...
- A Homemade Steam Turbine
- Procure some brass, about 3/16 in. thick and 4 in. square; 53 steel pens, not over 1/4 in. in width at the shank; two enameled, or tin, saucers or pans, having ...
- Homemade Telegraph Key
- A simple and easily constructed telegraph key may be made in the following manner: Procure a piece of sheet brass, about 1/32 in. thick, and cut out a strip 3- ...
- Keeping Food Cool In Camps
- Camps and suburban homes located where ice is hard to get can be provided with a cooling arrangement herein described that will make a good substitute for the ...
- Homemade Work Basket
- Secure a cheese box about 12 in. high and 15 in. or more in diameter. It will pay you to be careful in selecting this box. Be sure to have the cover. Score the ...
- A Window Display
- A novel and attractive aeroplane window display can be easily made in the following manner: Each aeroplane is cut from folded paper, as shown in the sketch, ...
- How To Make A Flint Arrowhead
- If you live where flints abound, possess the requisite patience and the knack of making things, you can, with the crudest of tools and a little practice, chip ...
- An Opening Handle For A Stamp Pad
- A stamp pad is a desk necessity and the cleanliness of one depends on keeping it closed when it is not in use. The opening and closing of a pad requires both ...
- Concrete Kennel
- The kennel shown in the illustration is large enough for the usual size of dog. It is cleanly, healthful and more ornamental than the average kennel. Finished ...
- Repairing Cracked Gramophone Records
- Some time ago I received two gramophone records that were cracked in shipment but the parts were held together with the paper label. As these were single-faced ...
- Filtering With A Small Funnel
- In filtering a large amount of solution one usually desires some means other than a large funnel and something to make the watching of the process unnecessary.
- A Postcard Rack
- The illustration shows a rack for postcards. Those having houses with mission-style furniture can make such a rack of the same material as the desk, table or ...
- The Versatile Querl
- Querl is the German name for a kitchen utensil which may be used as an egg-beater, potato-masher or a lemon-squeezer. For beating up an egg in a glass, mixing ...
- Smoothing Paper After Erasing
- When an ink line is erased the roughened surface of the paper should be smoothed or polished so as to prevent the succeeding lines of ink from spreading. A ...
- Base For Round-End Bottles
- The many forms of round-bottomed glass bottles used in chemical laboratories require some special kind of support on which they can be safely placed from time ...
- Rustic Window Boxes
- Instead of using an ordinary green-painted window box, why not make an artistic one in which the color does not clash with the plants contained in it but ...
- Antidote For Squirrel Pest
- To the owner of a garden in a town where squirrels are protected by law, life in the summer time is a vexation. First the squirrels dig up the sweet corn and ...
- Homemade Electric Stove
- The construction of an electric stove is very simple, and it can be made by any home mechanic having a vise and hand drill. The body is made of sheet or ...
- Automatic-Closing Kennel Door
- When the neighborhood cats are retired for the night and there is nothing more to chase, my fox terrier seems to realize that his usefulness for the day is ...
- Polishing Cloths For Silver
- Mix 2 lb. of whiting and 1/2 oz. of oleic acid with 1 gal. of gasoline. Stir and mix thoroughly. Soak pieces of gray outing flannel of the desired size--15 by ...
- A Book-Holder
- Books having a flexible back are difficult to hold in an upright position when copying from . A makeshift combination of paperweights and other books is often ...
- A Line Harmonograph
- As an apparatus capable of exciting interest, probably nothing so easily constructed surpasses the harmonograph. Your attention will be completely absorbed in ...
- Key Card For Writing Unreadable Post Cards
- A key card for use in correspondence on postals that makes the matter unreadable unless the recipient has a duplicate key card is made as follows: Rule two ...
- How To Make An Electric Toaster
- The electric toaster shown in the sketch is not hard to make. The framework comprising the base and the two uprights may be made either of hardwood or asbestos ...
- Cabinet For The Amateur's Workshop
- One of the most convenient adjuncts to an amateur's workbench is a cabinet of some sort in which to keep nails, rivets, screws, etc., instead of leaving ...
- Soldering For The Amateur
- Successful soldering will present no serious difficulties to anyone who will follow a few simple directions. Certain metals are easier to join with solder than ...
- A Mission Bracket Shelf
- The shelf consists of six pieces of wood A, B, C, D, E and F. The material can be of any wood. I have one made of mahogany finished in natural color, and one ...
- How To Make A Finger Ring
- While the wearing of copper rings for rheumatism may be a foolish notion, yet there is a certain galvanic action set up by the contact of the acid in the ...
- How To Bind Magazines
- A great many readers of Popular Mechanics Magazine save their copies and have bound in book form and some keep them without binding. The bound volumes make an ...
- How To Make A Cannon
- A cannon like the one in the cut may be made from a piece of 1-in. hydraulic pipe, A, with a steel sleeve, B, and a long thread plug, C. Be sure to get ...
- Controller For A Small Motor
- An easy way of making a controlling and reversing device for small motors is as follows: Cut a piece of wood (A) about 6 in. by 4-1/2 in., and 1/4 in. thick, ...
- How To Build A Toboggan Sled
- The first object of the builder of a sled should be to have a winner both in speed and appearance. The accompanying instructions for building a sled are ...
- How To Make Small Gearwheels Without A Lathe
- To make small models sundry small gears and racks are required, either cut for the place or by using the parts from an old clock. With no other tools than a ...
- How To Make Four Pictures On One Plate
- Secure two extra slides for the plate holders and cut one corner out on one of , as shown in Fig. 1. Make a hole in the other, as shown in Fig. 2. With a lead ...
- Interesting Electrical Experiment
- The materials necessary for performing this experiment are: Telephone receiver, transmitter, some wire and some carbons, either the pencils for arc lamps, or ...
- A Cheap Fire Alarm
- An electrical device for the barn that will give an alarm in case of fire is shown in the accompanying diagram. A is a wooden block, which is fastened under ...
- How To Make A Small Electric Furnace
- Take a block of wood and shape into a core. One like a loaf of bread, and about that size, serves admirably. Wrap a layer of asbestos around it and cover this ...
- How To Make An Ammeter
- Every amateur mechanic who performs electrical experiments will find use for an ammeter, and for the benefit of those who wish to construct such an instrument ...
- How To Make An Ammeter #2
- The outside case of this instrument is made of wood taken from old cigar boxes with the exception of the back. If carefully and neatly made, the finished ...
- Easy Experiments With Electric-Light Circuit
- An electric-light circuit will be found much less expensive than batteries for performing electrical experiments. The sketch shows how a small arc light and ...
- How To Make An Interrupter
- The Wenult interrupter is an instrument much used on large coils and is far more efficient than the usual form of vibrators. It can also be used with success ...
- A Miniature "Pepper's Ghost" Illusion
- Probably many readers have seen a Pepper's Ghost illusion at some amusement place. As there shown, the audience is generally seated in a dark room at the end ...
- Simple Wireless System
- The illustrations will make plain a simple and inexpensive apparatus for wireless telegraphy by which I have had no difficulty in sending messages across 1-1/2 ...
- Small Electrical Hydrogen Generator
- A small hydrogen generator may be made from a fruit jar, A (see sketch), with two tubes, B and C, soldered in the top. The plates E can be made of tin or ...
- Gasoline Burner For Model Work
- When making a small model traction engine or a locomotive the question arises, What shall the fuel be? If you have decided to use gasoline, then a suitable ...
- A Homemade Telephone Receiver
- A telephone receiver that will do good work may be built very cheaply as follows: For the case use an ordinary 1/2-lb. baking-powder box with a piece of heavy ...
- How To Bind Magazines #2
- An easy way to bind Popular Mechanics in volumes of six months each is to arrange the magazines in order and tie securely both ways with a strong cord. It is ...
- A Homemade Acetylene-Gas Generator
- A simple acetylene-gas generator used by myself for several years when out on camping trips was made of a galvanized iron tank, without a head, 18 in. in ...
- Homemade Annunciator
- When one electric bell is operated from two push-buttons it is impossible to tell which of the two push-buttons is being operated unless an annunciator or ...
- How To Make A Box Kite
- As some of the readers of Amateur Mechanics may desire to build a box kite, a simple method of constructing one of the modern type is given in detail as ...
- How To Make And Fly A Chinese Kite
- The Chinese boy is not satisfied with simply holding the end of a kite string and running up and down the block or field trying to raise a heavy paper kite ...
- Kites Of Many Kinds And How To Make Them
- One of the prettiest of all is the butterfly kite. To make this get two thin kite sticks of equal length. Bend each in an are, tying one end of a strong string ...
- Simple Open-Circuit Telegraph Line
- By using the circuit shown in the sketch for short-distance telegraph lines, the extra switches and wiring found in many circuits are done away with. Closing ...
- How To Make A Thermo Battery
- A thermo battery, for producing electricity direct from heat, can be made of a wooden frame, A, with a number of nails, B, driven in the vertical piece and ...
- How To Discharge A Toy Cannon By Electricity
- A device for discharging a toy cannon by electricity can be easily made by using three or four dry batteries, a switch and a small induction coil capable of ...
- Simple Electric Lock
- The illustration shows an automatic lock operated by electricity, requiring a strong magnet, but no weights or strings, which greatly simplifies the device ...
- Direct-Connected Reverse For Small Motors
- A simple reverse for small motors can be attached directly to the motor as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows the construction of the reverse block: A is a strip of ...
- A Handy Ice Chisel
- Fishing through the ice is great sport, but cutting the first holes preparatory to setting the lines is not always an easy task. The ice chisel here described ...
- More Uses For Pipe Fittings
- It would seem that the number of useful articles that can be made from pipes and fittings is unlimited. The sketch shows two more that may be added to the list.
- Homemade Pottery Kiln
- A small kiln for baking clay figures may be built at a cost of $1. The following shows the general plan of such a kiln which has stood the test of 200 firings, ...
- How To Make A Small Medical Induction Coil
- The coil to be described is 3-1/2 in., full length of iron core, and 3/4 in. in diameter. Procure a bundle of small iron wire, say 1/4 in. in diameter, and cut ...
- Mechanical Trick With Cards
- The following mechanical card trick is easy to prepare and simple to perform: First, procure a new deck, and divide it into two piles, one containing the red ...
- How To Make A Rain Gauge
- An accurate rain gauge may be easily constructed from galvanized iron, as shown in the sketch herewith. The funnel, A, overlaps and rests on the body, B, and ...
- How To Make An Aquarium
- In making an aquarium, the first thing to decide on is the size. It is well not to attempt building a very large one, as the difficulties increase with the ...
- Homemade Pneumatic Lock
- Mount an old bicycle hand-pump, A, on the door by means of a metal plate, B, having a swinging connection at C. Fasten the lever, D, to the door knob, and make ...
- A Homemade Water Motor
- In these days of modern improvements, most houses are equipped with a washing machine, and the question that arises in the mind of the householder is how to ...
- How To Make A Galvanoscope
- A galvanoscope for detecting small currents of electricity can be made from a coil of wire, A; a glass tube, B, full of water; a core, C; and a base, D, with ...
- Card Trick With A Tapered Deck
- Another simple trick to perform but one not easily detected, is executed by using a tapered deck of cards as shown in Fig. 1. A cheap deck of cards is evened ...
- A Constant-Pressure Hydrogen Generator
- By fitting three bottles, A, B, C, with rubber stoppers and connecting with glass tubes as shown in the sketch, hydrogen or other gases produced in a similar ...
- How To Make A Hygrometer
- A homemade hygrometer, for determining the degree of moisture in the atmosphere, is shown in the accompanying sketch and consists of a board, A, with a nail at ...
- The Protection Of A Spring Lock
- After shutting the front door and hearing the spring lock snap into its socket, most people go off with a childlike faith in the safety of their goods and ...
- A Controller And Reverse For A Battery Motor
- Secure a cigar or starch box and use to make the base, B. Two wood-base switches, S S, are cut off a little past the center and fastened to the base with a ...
- How To Make A Toy Steam Engine
- A toy engine can be easily made from old implements which can be found in nearly every house. Toy Steam Engine Assembled The cylinder A, Fig. 1, is an old ...
- Many Optical Illusions
- By giving the page a revolving or rinsing motion the three circular figures printed on the next page appear to rotate. The best effect will be produced by ...
- Barrel-Stave Hammock
- A hammock made of barrel staves is more comfortable than one would think, considering the nature of the material employed in making it. Good smooth staves ...
- A Singing Telephone
- Those who have not already tried the experiment may be interested to know that a telephone may be made to sing by holding the receiver about 1/16 in. from the ...
- A Microscope Without A Lens
- Nearly everyone has heard of the pin-hole camera, but the fact that the same principle can be used to make a microscope, having a magnifying power of 8 ...
- How To Make A Telegraph Key And Sounder
- The sounder, Fig. 1, is made from an old electric-bell magnet, D, fastened to a wooden base. The lever, A, can be made of brass and the armature, C, is made of ...
- How To Make A Music Cabinet
- A neat music cabinet can be made as shown in the accompanying sketch. Each side, AA, Fig. 1, is cut from a board about 36 in. in length and 16 in. wide. Both ...
- Easily Made Wireless Coherer
- A good wireless coherer may be made with very little expense, the only materials necessary being a glass tube, two corks: a magnetized needle and a quantity of ...
- Electric Door-Opener
- A very convenient and efficient device for unlocking any door fitted with a spring lock is shown in the accompanying sketches. A fairly stiff spring, A, is ...
- Alarm Clock Chicken Feeder
- An automatic poultry feeder, which will discharge the necessary amount of corn or other feed at any desired time, may be made by using an alarm clock as shown ...
- Homemade Disk-Record Cabinet
- Select some boards that have a nice grain and about 1 in. thick and 12-in. wide. Cut the end pieces each 36-in. long and trim down the edges so as to make 11-3/ ...
- Automatic Time Switch
- This device may be used to either open or close the circuit at any desired time. An alarm clock is firmly fastened to a wooden bracket and provided with a ...
- How To Make A Rotary Pump
- A simple rotary pump is constructed on the principle of creating a vacuum in a rubber tube and so causing water to rise to fill the vacuum. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 ...
- How To Make A Fire Screen
- A screen which will not interfere with the radiation of the heat from the fire, and will keep skirts and children safe can be made at little expense out of ...
- Homemade Grenet Battery
- Procure an ordinary carbon-zinc, sal-ammoniac battery and remove the zinc rod. If the battery has been used before, it is better to soak the carbon cylinder ...
- How To Make An Efficient Wireless Telegraph
- A simple but very efficient wireless telegraph may be constructed at slight cost from the following description: The sending apparatus consists of nothing but ...
- How To Make A Lathe
- A small speed-lathe, suitable for turning wood or small metal articles, may be easily made at very little expense. A lathe of this kind is shown in the cut ( ...
- Callers' Approach Alarm
- This alarm rings so that callers approaching the door may be seen before they ring the bell and one can exercise his pleasure about admitting . If one has a ...
- Easy Method Of Electroplating
- Before proceeding to electroplate with copper, silver or other metal, clean the articles thoroughly, as the least spot of grease or dirt will prevent the ...
- An Ingenious Electric Lock For A Sliding Door
- The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 not only unlocks, but opens the door, also, by simply pressing the key in the keyhole. In rigging it to a sliding door, the ...
- Parlor Magic For Winter Evenings
- You are seated in a parlor at night, with the lights turned low. In front of you, between the parlor and the room back of it, is an upright square of brightly ...
- Reversing-Switch For Electrical Experiments
- A homemade reversing-switch, suitable for use by students of electrical and engineering courses in performing experiments, is shown in the diagram. Fig. 2 ...
- How To Receive Wireless Telegraph Messages With A Telephone
- Any telephone having carbon in the transmitter (all ordinary telephones have carbon transmitters) can be used to receive wireless messages by simply making a ...
- A Simple Accelerometer
- A simple accelerometer for indicating the increase in speed of a train was described by Mr. A. P. Trotter in a paper read before the Junior Institution of ...
- Handy Electric Alarm
- An electric alarm which one may turn off from the bed without arising combined with a light which may be turned on and off from a lying position, so one can ...
- To Keep Dogs And Cats Away From The Garbage-Can
- Last summer I was annoyed a great deal by dogs upsetting our garbage can on the lawn, but finally executed a plan that rid the yard of in one afternoon. I ...
- Foundry Work At Home. The Equipment
- Many amateur mechanics who require small metal castings in their work would like to make their own castings. This can easily be done at home without going to ...
- II - How to Make a Mold
- Having finished making the flask and other equipment, as described, everything will be ready for the operation of molding. It would be well for those who have ...
- III- Melting and Pouring
- Having prepared one or more molds, the next operation is that of melting and pouring. An ordinary cast-iron glue-pot makes a good crucible and can be easily ...
- New Method Of Lifting A Table
- To perform this feat effectively the little device illustrated will be required. To make it take a sheet-iron band, A, 3/4 in. wide and attach a strap to ...
- How To Make A Paddle Boat
- A rowboat has several disadvantages. The operation of the oars is both tiresome and uninteresting, and the oarsman is obliged to travel, backward. By replacing ...
- Peculiar Properties Of Ice
- Of all the boys who make snowballs probably few know what occurs during the process. Under ordinary conditions water turns to ice when the temperature falls to ...
- Return-Call Bell With One Wire
- To use only one wire for a return call bell connect up as shown in the diagram, using a closed circuit or gravity battery, B. The current is flowing through ...
- Circuit Breaker For Induction Coils
- Amateurs building induction coils are generally bothered by the vibrator contacts blackening, thus giving a high resistance contact, whenever there is any ...
- A Short-Distance Wireless Telegraph
- The accompanying diagrams show a wireless-telegraph system that I have used successfully for signaling a distance of 3,000 ft. The transmitter consists of an ...
- A Window Conservatory
- During the winter months, where house plants are kept in the home, it is always a question how to arrange so they can get the necessary light without occupying ...
- Miniature Electric Lighting
- Producing electric light by means of small bulbs that give from one-half to six candle power, and a suitable source of power, is something that will interest ...
- Reversing A Small Motor
- All that is necessary for reversing the motor is a pole-changing switch. Connect the two middle posts of the switch with each other and the two outside posts ...
- An Automatic Lock
- The illustration shows an automatic lock operated by electricity, one cell being sufficient. When the circuit is broken a weight, A, attached to the end of the ...
- Experiment With Two-Foot Rule And Hammer
- An example of unstable equilibrium is shown in the accompanying sketch. All that is needed is a 2-foot rule, a hammer, a piece of string, and a table or bench.
- Simple Current Reverser
- On a block of hardwood draw a square (Fig. 1) and drill a hole in each corner of the square. Fill these holes with mercury and connect to four binding posts ( ...
- How To Make A Telescope
- With a telescope like the one here described, made with his own hands, a farmer boy not many years ago discovered a comet which had escaped the watchful eyes ...
- Enlarging With A Hand Camera
- Everyone who owns a hand camera has some pictures he would like enlarged. It is not necessary to have a large camera to do this, as the process is exceedingly ...
- Simple Switch For Reversing A Current
- Take two strips of copper or brass and fasten together by means of gutta-percha (Fig. 1); also provide them with a handle. Saw out a rectangular block about ...
- How To Make A Jump-Spark Coil
- The induction coil is probably the most popular piece of apparatus in the electrical laboratory, and particularly is it popular because of its use in ...
- Combined Door Bell And Electric Alarm
- This device consists of a battery and bell connection to an alarm clock which also acts as a door bell, the whole being mounted on a board 18 in. long and 12 ...
- To Build A Small Brass Furnace
- Bend a piece of stout sheet iron 23 in. by 12 in. round so that the inside diameter is 7 in., and then rivet the seam. Fit in a round piece of sheet iron for ...
- Why Gravity Batteries Fail To Work
- Many amateur electricians and some professionals have had considerable trouble with gravity batteries. They Settine Up A Gravity Battery Setting Up a Gravity ...
- A Skidoo-Skidee Trick
- In a recent issue or Popular Mechanics an article on The Turning Card Puzzle was described and illustrated. Outside of the scientific side involved, herein I ...
- How To Enlarge From Life In The Camera
- Usually the amateur photographer gets to a point in his work where the miscellaneous taking of everything in sight is somewhat unsatisfying: There are many ...
- How To Make A Pilot Balloon
- Unusual interest is being displayed in ballooning, and as it is fast becoming the favorite sport many persons would like to know how to construct a miniature ...
- How To Make A Simple Wireless Telegraph
- An efficient wireless-telegraph receiving apparatus for distances up to 1,000 ft. may be constructed in the following manner: Attach a watchcase telephone ...
- How To Make A Small Storage Battery
- The cell of a storage battery consists of two plates, a positive and a negative, made of lead and placed in a dilute solution of sulphuric acid. Large ...
- Fitting A Plug In Different Shaped Holes
- A certain king offered to give the prince his liberty if he could whittle a plug that would fit four different shaped holes, namely: a square hole, a round one, ...
- How To Make A Lightning Arrester
- Secure a piece of wood about 3-1/2 in. square that will furnish a nice finish and round the corners and make a small rounding edge as shown in the sketch. From ...
- A Home-Made Punt
- A flat bottom boat is easy to make and is one of the safest boats, as it is not readily overturned. It has the advantage of being rowed from either end, and ...
- How To Make A Small Single-Phase Induction Motor
- The following notes on a small single-phase induction motor, without auxiliary phase, which the writer has made, may be of interest to some of our readers, ...
- How To Make Lantern Slides
- The popularity of lantern slides, and especially of colored ones, as a means of illustrating songs, has caused so large a demand for this class of work that ...
- How To Make A Porch Swing Chair
- The material needed for making this porch swing chair are two pieces of round wood 2-1/2 in. in diameter and 20 in. long, and two pieces 1-1/4 in. in diameter ...
- Home-Made Water Wheel Does Family Washing
- The accompanying sketch illustrates a very ingenious device which does the family washing, as well as to operate other household machines. A disk 1 in. in ...
- Home-Made Micrometer
- It often becomes necessary to find the thickness of material so thin, or inconvenient to measure, that a rule or other measuring device will not serve the ...
- How To Hang Your Hat On A Lead Pencil
- Take a smooth hexagon lead pencil, one without either rubber or metal end, and place it against a door or window casing; then with a firm, heavy pressure slide ...
- How To Give An Electric Shock While Shaking Hands
- There is nothing quite so startling as to receive an electric shock unexpectedly and such a shock may be given to a friend while shaking hands upon meeting.
- Home-Made Shocking Machine
- An ordinary electric bell may be connected up in such a way as to produce the same results as an expensive shocking machine. The connections are made from the ...
- An Electric Illusion Box
- The accompanying engravings show a most interesting form of electrically operated illusion consisting of a box divided diagonally and each division alternately ...
- Putty Recipes
- To Preserve Putty Putty, when left exposed to the air, will soon become dry and useless. I have kept putty in good condition for more than a year by placing it ...
- Photo Print Washing Tank
- The accompanying sketch shows a simple form of a print washing tank that tips from side to side by the weight of the water. For prints 4 by 5 and 5 by 7-in. a ...
- A Telephone Experiment
- If the small apparatus, as shown in the accompanying sketch, is attached to the under side of an ordinary dining table, it will, if connected to a telephone ...
- How To Make An Induction Coil
- A small shocking coil, suitable for medical purposes, may be constructed Of materials found in nearly every amateur mechanic's collection of odds and ends. The ...
- Home-Made Toaster
- Each outside frame of the toaster is made from one piece of wire 30 in. long. These are bent in a perfect square making each side 7-in. long. This will allow 1 ...
- How To Make A Thermoelectric Battery
- A novel way of producing an electric current by means of hot and cold water, heat from a match or alcohol lamp, is obtained from a device constructed as shown ...
- How To Make A Mission Library Table
- The mission library table, the drawings for which are here given, has been found well proportioned and of pleasing appearance. It can be made of any of the ...
- Turn-Down Shelf For A Small Space
- The average amateur photographer does not have very much space in which to do his work. The kitchen is the room used ordinarily for finishing the photographs.
- A Bicycle Catamaran
- The accompanying photographs show a bicycle boat made to carry two persons. This Catamaran Carries Two People This boat is constructed by using two galvanized ...
- How To Make A Lead Pencil Rheostat
- Take an ordinary lead pencil and cut seven notches at equal intervals on the pencil down to and around the lead, leaving it bare. A seven-point switch is ...
- How To Make A Simple Water Rheostat
- The materials necessary are: One 5-point wood-base switch, 4 jars, some sheet copper or brass for plates, about 5 ft. of rubber-covered wire, and some No. 18 ...
- How To Make A Tangent Galvanometer
- Secure a piece of wood 1/2 in. thick and cut out a ring with an outside diameter of 10-1/2 in. and an inside diameter of 9 in. and glue to each side two other ...
- How To Make A A Non-Polarizing Battery
- Bichromate batteries are very expensive to maintain and dry cells do not furnish enough amperage for some kinds of experimental work. A cell of a battery that ...
- Revolving A Wheel With Boat Sails
- A novel windmill or revolving wheel can be made by placing a light wheel so it will turn freely on the end of a post, and placing four small sailing boats at ...
- A Floating Electromagnet
- A piece of iron placed in a coil of wire carrying a current of electricity becomes an electromagnet. If such a coil and iron core be made small enough they can ...
- Homemade Air Thermometer
- The illustration shows the complete thermometer. The water in the glass tube is caused to rise and fall by the expansion and contraction of the air in the tin ...
- Home-Made Battery Voltmeter
- Secure a piece of brass tube 3 in. long that has about 1/4-in. hole. Put ends, A, 1-1/4 in. square and cut from heavy cardboard on this tube. Make a hole in ...
- How To Make A Folding Canvas Cot
- All the material required to make the cot as shown in Fig. 1 consists of wood 1-1/2 in. square of which two pieces are 6 ft. long; two pieces 2 ft. 3 in. long; ...
- How To Make A Small Geissler Tube
- At first this would seem to be a difficult piece of work, yet a good and beautiful Geissler tube can be made at home in the following manner: Procure a glass ...
- Copies Made From Wax Molds By Electro-Deposition
- Fine copies of wax impressions can be made in the following manner: Procure an ordinary tumbler and fill it with a strong solution of sulphate of copper, which ...
- How To Make A Self-Setting Rabbit Trap
- Secure a good-sized box, say, 1 ft. high, 1-1/2 ft. wide, and 3 ft. long; and to the bottom, about 10 in. from one end, fasten a 2-in. square piece, A, Fig. 1, ...
- Home-Made Kits For The Camera
- If you have a 5- by 7-in. camera and wish to use some 4- by 5-in. plates, make a few simple kits to hold the smaller plates and fit the larger holders, says ...
- How To Make A Miniature Stage
- A good smooth box, say 8 in. wide, 10 in. high and 12 in. long, will serve the purpose for the main part of this small theater. Out two rectangular holes, Fig.
- How To Make A Dry Battery Cell
- Dry battery cells are composed of the same materials for the poles, but instead of the liquid commonly used a paste is formed by mixing sal ammoniac and other ...
- How To Paraffin Wire
- The following description of how to make an apparatus with which to paraffin wire as needed makes clear a method of construction that is simple and easy to put ...
- Scientific Explanation Of A Toy
- In a recent Issue of Popular Mechanics an article on The Turning Card Puzzle was described and illustrated. Outside of the scientific side involved herein I ...
- Skidoo-Skidee Trick Continued
- The foregoing article describing the Skidoo-Skidee Trick appeared in a recent issue of Popular Mechanics. I have been told that a similar arrangement is used ...
- A Study Of Splashes
- When a rough, or greasy, or dusty sphere falls into a liquid, the liquid is forced away from the sphere. If the sphere is quite smooth the liquid rises up ...
- How To Make A Miniature Electric Locomotive
- A miniature electric railway is a thing that attracts the attention of almost any person. The cost of a toy electric locomotive is beyond the reach of many ...
- Demagnetizing A Watch
- A test can be made to know if your watch is magnetized by placing a small compass on the side of the watch nearest the escapement wheel if the compass pointer ...
- How To Make A Pocket Skate Sharpener
- Secure a square file and break off a piece, Fig 1, the length of a paper clip, Fig. 2. Draw the temper in the ends of this piece of file, but do not heat the ...
- Gear-Cutting Attachment For Small Lathes
- When in need of small gears for experimental or model machines the amateur usually purchases , never thinking that he could make them on his own lathe. A small ...
- Simple Arts And Crafts Leather Work
- Very interesting and useful pieces of leather work can be done with nothing more for equipment than a cup pointed nail set such as carpenter use, and a nut ...
- How To Make A Simple Still
- A still to distill water can be made from a test tube, some heavy rubber hose, and an ordinary bottle. Secure a stopper for the test tube, and bore a hole ...
- How To Make A Glider
- A gliding machine is a motorless aeroplane, or flying-machine, propelled by gravity and designed to carry a passenger through the air from a high point to a ...
- Boys Representing The Centaur
- This is a diversion in which two boys personate a Centaur, a creature of Greek mythology, half man and half horse. One of the players stands erect and the ...
- How To Make A Flash Lamp
- Indoor photographs are made much better with the use of a flashlight than by depending on light from windows. The lighting can be made from any direction to ...
- Old-Time Magic
- Vanishing Handkerchief Trick The necessary articles used in performing this trick are the handkerchief, vanishing wand, a long piece of glass tubing, a bout 1/ ...
- Old-Time Magic. Part 2
- The Invisible Light The magician places two common wax candles on a table, one of burning brightly, the other without a light. Members of the audience are ...
- Old-Time Magic. Part 3
- The Magic Knot This is a very amusing trick which consists of tying one knot with two ends of a handkerchief, and pulling the ends only to untie again. Take ...
- Old Time Magic with Coins
- Dropping Coins In A Glass Full Of Water Take a glass and fill it to the brim with water, taking care that the surface of the water is raised a little above the ...
- 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 ...
- How To Make Sealing Wax Hat Pins
- Select a stick of sealing wax of the desired color for the foundation of the hat pin. Hold the end of the stick over a flame until the wax is soft enough to ...
- A Chinese Outdoor Game
- The accompanying illustration shows the grand whirl, or the Chinese students' favorite game. This game is played by five persons, four of turning around the ...
- How To Make A Static Machine
- Static electricity is produced by revolving glass plates upon which a number of sectors are cemented; these sectors, passing through neutralizing brushes, ...
- Cutting A Thread Inside Of A Glass Bottle
- This is a trick which can only be performed when the sun shines, but it The Glass Directs The Sun's Rays The Glass Directs the Sun's Rays is a good one.
- Removing A Key From A Double String
- Tie the ends of a 5-ft. string together, making a double line on which a key is placed and the string held as shown by the dotted lines in the sketch. Turn the ...
- How To Make Copper Trays
- Copper trays such as are shown in the accompanying illustration are very useful as well as ornamental about the house. They can be used to keep pins and ...
- Finger Mathematics
- All machinists use mathematics. Ask a machinist what would be the product of 9 times 8 and his ready reply would be 72, but change the figures a little and say ...
- Steam Engine Made From Gas Pipe And Fittings
- Almost all the material used in the construction' of the parts for the small steam engine illustrated herewith was made from gas pipe and fittings. The ...
- How To Make A Copper Bowl
- To make a copper bowl, such as is shown in the illustration, secure a piece of No. 21 gauge sheet copper of a size sufficient to make a circular disk 6-1/2 in.
- The Principles Of The Stereograph
- Each of our eyes sees a different picture of any object; the one sees a trifle more to the right-hand side, the other to the left, especially when the object ...
- Mercury Make-And-Break Connections For Induction Coils
- Induction coils operating on low voltage have a make-and-break connection called the buzzer to increase the secondary discharge. Two types of make-and-break ...
- How To Make A Barometer
- Atmospheric pressure is measured by the barometer. The weight of the air in round numbers is 15 lb. to the square inch and will support a column of water 1 in.
- How To Make A Candle Shade
- Layout the pattern for the on a thin piece of paper, 9 by 12 in., making the arcs of the circle with a pencil compass. As shown in the sketch, the pattern for ...
- Home-Made Small Churn
- Many people living in a small town or in the suburbs of a city own one cow that supplies the family table with milk and cream. Sometimes the cream will ...
- Home-Made Round Swing
- Gas pipe and fittings were used wherever possible in the making of the swing as shown in the photograph. The d i a g ram drawing shows the construction. A 6-in.
- Home-Made Match Safe
- Details of the Match Safe Cut a piece of tin in the shape and with the dimensions shown in Fig. 1. Bend the saw-toothed edges at right angles to the piece on ...
- An Electric Post Card Projector
- A post card projector is an instrument for projecting on a screen in a darkened room picture post cards or any other pictures of a similar size. The lantern ...
- A Handy Calendar
- Thirty days hath September, April, June and November, etc., and many other rhymes and devices are used to aid the memory to decide how many days are in each ...
- The Fuming Of Oak
- Darkened oak always has a better appearance when fumed with ammonia. This process is rather a difficult one, as it requires an airtight case, but the ...
- How To Make An Electrolytic Rectifier
- Many devices which will change alternating current to a direct current have been put on the market, but probably there is not one of which suits the amateur's ...
- How To Make A Sailing Canoe
- A canvas canoe is easily made and light to handle, but in making one, it must be remembered that the cloth will tear, if any snags are encountered. Therefore ...
- Boomerangs And How To Make Them
- A is a weapon invented and used by the native Australians, who seemed to have the least intelligence of any race of mankind. The boomerang is a curved stick of ...
- How To Make An Equatorial
- This star finder can easily be made by anyone who can use a few tools as the parts are all wood and the only lathe work necessary is the turned shoulder on the ...
- How To Make A Bunsen Cell
- This kind of a cell produces a high e.m.f. owing to the low internal resistance. Procure a glass jar such as used for a gravity battery, or, if one of these ...
- One Way To Cook Fish
- One of the best and easiest ways of cooking fish while out camping is told by a correspondent of Forest and Stream. A fire is built the size for the amount of ...
- Homemade Gasoline Engine
- The material used in the construction of the gasoline engine, as shown in the accompanying picture, was pieces found in a scrap pile that usually occupies a ...
- How To Make A Merry-Go-Round Swing
- A 6 by 6-in. piece of wood 12 ft. long is used for the center pole. Bore a 3/4-in. hole in each end to a depth of 6 in. Place a 3/4-in. bolt in each hole, the ...
- Home-Made Changing Bag For Plate Holders
- A good bag for changing plates and loading plate holders and one that the operator can see well to work in can be made by anyone on a sewing machine. Ten yards ...
- Home-Made Asbestos Table Pads
- Asbestos table pads to prevent the marring of polished table tops from heated dishes can be easily made at home much cheaper than they can be bought. Procure a ...
- How To Make A Ladies' Handbag
- To make this bag, get a piece of Russian calf modeling leather. A of brown is the best as it does not soil easily and does not require coloring, which spoils ...
- A Small Electric Motor
- The drawing herewith shows a simple electric motor which can be easily constructed by any boy who is at all handy with tools. I made this motor many times when ...
- How To Make Paper Balloons
- Balloons made spherical, or designed after the regular aeronaut's hot-air balloon, are the best kind to make. Those having an odd or unusual shape will not ...
- A Simple Steamboat Model
- The small boat shown in the accompanying sketch may have a length of 12 to 18 in. and is constructed in the following manner: A small steam boiler, A, is ...
- A Game Played On The Ice
- Two lines are drawn parallel on the ice from 50 to 100 ft. apart and blocks of wood are placed every 6 ft. apart on these lines. The player opening the game ...
- Telescope Stand And Holder
- With the ordinary small telescope it is very difficult to keep the line of sight fixed upon any particular object. To meet the situation I constructed the Fig.
- How To Make An Electrical Horn
- Secure an empty syrup or fruit can, any kind having a smooth flat bottom will do. If the bottom is not perfectly flat, it will interfere with the regular tone ...
- Driving A Washing Machine With Motorcycle Power
- The halftone illustration shows how 1 rigged up my washing machine to be driven by the power from my motorcycle. I made a wheel 26 in. in diameter of some 1-in.
- Home-Made Aquarium
- A good aquarium can be made from a large-sized street lamp globe and a yellow pine block. Usually a lamp globe costs less than an aquarium globe of the same ...
- Frame For Displaying Both Sides Of Coins
- It is quite important for coin collectors to have some convenient way to show both sides of coins without touching or handling . If the collection consists of ...
- Sheet-Metal Whisk-Broom Holder
- A whisk-broom holder such as is shown in the accompanying picture may be easily made by the amateur. The tools needed are few: a pair of tin shears, a metal ...
- How To Make A Camp Stool
- The stool, as shown in Fig. 1, is made of beech or any suitable wood with a canvas or carpet top. Provide four lengths for the legs, each 1 in. square and 18-1/ ...
- A Small Home-Made Electric Motor
- The accompanying photographs show the construction of a very unique electric motor, the parts consisting of the frame from an old bicycle pedal wrapped with ...
- Rocker Blocks On Coaster Sleds
- The accompanying sketch shows a coasting sled with rocker blocks attached on both front and rear runners. The runners and the other parts of the sled are made ...
- Imitation Fancy Wings On Hinges
- The accompanying sketch shows how I overcame the hardware troubles when I was not able to find ready-made hinges in antique design for a mission sideboard and ...
- How To Make A Child's Rolling Toy
- Secure a tin can, or a pasteboard box, about 2 in. in diameter and 2 in. or more in height. Punch two holes A, Fig. 1, in the cover and the bottom, 1/4 in.
- How To Make A Portfolio
- Secure a piece of Russian modeling calf leather of a size equal to 12 by 16 in. Make a paper pattern of the size indicated in the accompanying drawing, putting ...
- Gear For Model Work
- When a gear is needed to drive a small pinion and there is none of the right size at hand, one can be made in the following manner: Turn up a wood disk to the ...
- A Home-Made Vise
- A Home-Made Vise #1 While making a box I had some dovetailing to do, and as there was no vise on the bench I rigged up a substitute. I secured a board 3/4 in.
- A Workbench For The Amateur
- The accompanying detail drawing shows a design of a portable workbench suitable for the amateur woodworker. This bench can be made easily by anyone who has a ...
- How To Make A Leather Spectacle Case
- The spectacle case shown in the accompanying illustration may be made of either calf or cow skin. The calf skin, being softer, will be easier to work, but will ...
- A Shot Scoop
- In the ammunition department of our hardware store the shot was kept in regular square bins and dished out A Small Square Scoop Made of Tin for Dipping Up Shot ...
- Removing Grease Stains From The Leaves Of A Book
- Happening to get a grease spot on a page of a valuable book, I found a way to remove it without injury to the paper, which has been tried out several times ...
- Hollow-Grinding Ice Skates
- The accompanying sketch illustrates a practical method of clamping ice skates to hold for grinding the small arc of a circle so much desired. The U-shaped ...
- How To Make A Bicycle Coasting Sled
- The accompanying drawing and sketch illustrate a new type of coasting sled built on the bicycle principle. This coaster is simple and easy to make, says ...
- Spelling Names With Photo Letters
- There are, no doubt, many amateur photographers who make only occasional trips afield or through the more traveled thoroughfares with their cameras during the ...
- A Home-Made Rabbit Trap
- A good serviceable rabbit trap can be made by sinking a common dry goods box in the ground to within 6 in. of its top. A hole 6 or 7 in. square is cut in each ...
- Imitation Arms And Armor
- Genuine antique swords and armor, as used by the knights and soldiers in the days of old, are very expensive and at the present time practically impossible to ...
- Imitation Arms And Armor. Part 2
- The crossbar is flat and about 1 in. in width. Cut this out of a piece of wood and make a center hole to fit over the extra length on the blade, glue and put ...
- Imitation Arms And Armor. Part 3
- An English mace used about the middle of the fifteenth century is shown in Fig. 1. The entire length of this weapon is about 24 in.; the handle is round with a ...
- Imitation Arms And Armor. Part 4
- The ancient arms of defense as shown in the accompanying illustrations make good ornaments for the den if they are cut from wood and finished in imitation of ...
- Imitation Arms And Armor. Part 5
- The tassels or fringe used in decorating the handles can be made from a few inches of worsted fringe, about 4 in. long and wound around the handle or staff ...
- Imitation Arms And Armor. Part 6
- 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 ...
- A Dovetail Joint Puzzle
- A simple but very ingenious example in joinery is illustrated. In the finished piece, Fig. 1, the dovetail appears on each side of the square stick of wood, ...
- Springboard For Swimmers
- A good springboard adds much to the fun of swimming. The boards are generally made so that the plank will bend, being dressed down thin at one end and fastened.
- Brass Frame In Repoussé
- Punches can be purchased, as can the pitch bed or block. Both can be made easily, however. Several punches of different sizes and shapes will be needed. A ...
- Finding The Horsepower Of Small Motors
- A small motor often excites curiosity as to its true horsepower, or fraction of a horsepower. Guesses in this direction vary remarkably for the same motor or ...
- Illusion For Window Attraction
- Gold fish and canary birds, living together in what seems like one receptacle, make an unusual show window attraction. Secure two glass vessels having straight ...
- How To Make A Candlestick Holder
- A candlestick of very simple construction and design can be made as follows: Secure a piece of brass or Candle Holder Complete Candle Holder Complete copper of ...
- A Home-Made Duplicator
- The usual gelatine pad, which is the principal part of the average hectograph or duplicator, is, as a rule, unsatisfactory, as it is apt to sour and mold in ...
- Aerating Water In A Small Tank
- A simple way of producing air pressure sufficient to aerate water is by the use of a siphon as shown in Fig. 1. The siphon is made of glass tubes, the longer ...
- How To Make A Thermometer Back In Etched Copper
- Etching copper is not a very difficult process. Secure a sheet of No. 16 gauge copper of the width and length wanted for the back of the thermometer. In the ...
- To Make An Electric Piano
- Make or buy a table, about 3 ft. long and 1 ft. or more wide, and about 2-1/2 ft. high. Nail a board, A, Fig. 1, about 8 in. wide and of the same length as the ...
- Playing Baseball With A Pocket Knife
- An interesting game of baseball can be played by two persons with a common pocket knife on a rainy day or in the winter time when the regular game cannot be ...
- A Home-Made Daniell Cell
- An effective Daniell galvanic cell may be constructed from material costing very little money. A common tin tomato can with a copper wire soldered to the top ...
- A Home-Made Equatorial
- The ordinary equatorial is designed and built for the latitude of the observatory where it is to be used. This is necessary since the hour axis must point to ...
- A Miniature War Dance
- A piece of paper, 3 or 4 in. long, is folded several times, as shown in the sketch, and the first fold marked out to represent one-half of an Indian. Cut out ...
- Sliding Box Cover Fastener
- While traveling through the country as a watchmaker I found it quite convenient to keep my small drills, taps, small brooches, etc., In boxes having a sliding ...
- Water-Color Box
- There are many different trays in the market for the purpose of holding water colors, but they are either too expensive for the average person or too small to ...
- Folding Quilting-Frames
- The frame in which the material is kept stretched when making a quilt is usually too large to be put out of the way conveniently when other duties must be ...
- A Drip Shield For The Arms
- When working with the hands in a pan of water, oil or other fluid, it is very disagreeable to have the liquid run down the arms, when they are raised from the ...
- How To Cane Chairs
- There are but few households that do not have at least one or two chairs without a seat or back. The same households may have some one who would enjoy recaning ...
- How To Lay Out A Sundial
- The sundial is an instrument for measuring time by using the shadow of the sun. They were quite common in ancient times before clocks and watches were invented.
- How To Make Japanese Portieres
- These very useful and ornamental draperies can be easily made at home by anyone possessing a little ingenuity. They can be made of various materials, the most ...
- How To Make An Ornamental Brass Flag
- The outlines of the flag--which may be of any size to suit the metal at hand--and the name are first drawn on a sheet of thin paper and then transferred to the ...
- Home-Made Electric Clock
- The clock illustrated herewith is driven by means of electromagnets acting directly on the pendulum bob. Unlike most clocks, the pendulum swings forward and ...
- Toy Gun For Throwing Cardboard Squares
- The parts of the gun are attached to a thin piece of wood 1 in. wide and 5 in. long. It is best to use a piece of wood cut from the side or cover of a cigar ...
- An Aid In Sketching
- Sketching requires some little training, but with the apparatus here illustrated an inexperienced person can obtain excellent results. The apparatus is made of ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- Ironing Tips
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- Homemade Phonograph. Continued
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- Rat and Mouse Traps
- Novel Mousetrap A piece of an old bicycle tire and a glass fruit jar are the only materials required for making this trap. Push one end of the tire into the ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- An Illuminated Target
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 will be necessary for planing long pieces. Each one is ...
- 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 ...
- Making "Spirits" Play A Violin
- 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, ...
- 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, ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- Balloon Ascension Illusion
- 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 ...
- How To Fit Corks
- Occasionally odd-sized bottles are received in stores which require corks cut to fit . No matter how sharp a knife may be, it will leave some sharp edges after ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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, ...
- 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 Band C. These are inserted between the two-way switches A and D. Turning ...
- 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.
- 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 ...
- 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/ ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- A Home-Made Elderberry Huller
- As we had only one day to pick elderberries, we wanted to get as many of as we could in that time. We could pick them faster than they could be hulled by hand ...
- 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 ...
- How To Make A Sconce
- 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, ...
- 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 ...
- How To Make A Sailomobile
- 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 ...
- Home-Made Arc Lamp
- The frame of the lamp is made from bar metal 3/4 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick, bent and welded to make a continuous loop in the shape as shown at G in the sketch.
- How to Clean Things
- How To Clean A Clock It is very simple to clean a clock, which may sound rather absurd. For an amateur it is not always necessary to take the clock to pieces.
- How to Clean Things. Continued
- Cleaning Leather On Furniture Beat up the whites of three eggs carefully and use a piece of flannel to rub it well into the leather which will become clean and ...
- 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 ...
- 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 Made Of Bed Mattresses Made of Bed Mattresses ...
- 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 ...
- A Film Washing Trough
- The washing of films without scratching after they are developed and fixed is very difficult in hot weather. A convenient washing trough for washing full ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- How To Make A Telegraph Instrument And Buzzer
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- How To Make A Small Searchlight
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- How To Work with Screws
- Holding A Loose Screw A piece of sheet lead put on each side of a screw will fill up and hold the threads in a too large hole. A Handy Drill Gauge The ...
- 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: Lead ...
- 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 ...
- How to Work with Paint
- Runny Paint The paint will sag and run if too much oil is put in white lead. Painting A Car When painting the automobile body and chassis be sure to stuff the ...
- 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 ...
- Brooder For Small Chicks
- 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 ...
- Automatic Electric Heat Regulator
- 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 ...
- How To Make A Small Electric Motor
- 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 ...
- How To Make A Small Electric Motor. Continued
- 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, ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 can be fastened ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- A Practical Camera For Fifty Cents
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- Working With Batteries
- Connecting Up Batteries To Give Any Voltage Referring to the illustration: A is a five-point switch (may be homemade) ; B is a one-point switch, and C and C1 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- How To Make Hangers and Holders
- Home-Made Necktie Holder The gas bracket is considered a good place to hang neckties, even if it does crowd together. The illustration shows a better method, a ...
- 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 ...
- Easy Designs In Ornamental Iron Work. Continued
- 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 ...
- How To Make A Water Wheel
- 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 ...
- How To Build An Imitation Street Car Line
- 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 ...
- Measuring The Height Of A Tree
- Method of Applying the Triangle Measure 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 ...
- An Interesting Electrical Experiment
- Anyone possessing a battery having an electromotive force of from 4 to 20 volts can perform the following experiment, which is particularly interesting on ...
- A Fishhook Box
- 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 ...
- A Tin Drinking Cup For The Camp
- 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 ...
- Devices Of Winter Sports-How To Make And Use Them
- 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 Tip Up Pole ...
- "Jumping-Jack" Fisherman
- Jumping-Jack Fisherman 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, ...
- The Running Sleigh
- 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 ...
- The Winged Skater
- 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, ...
- Ice Boating
- 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 ...
- Coasters And Chair Sleighs
- Make your own sled, boys! There is no use in buying , because your hand-made sled is probably better than any purchased one and then you can take so much more ...
- The Toboggan Sled
- 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 ...
- The Norwegian Ski
- You have often read of the ski, the snowshoe used by the Norwegians and other people living in the far north. With the men and women glide down the snow- ...
- Home-Made Settee
- 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- ...
- How To Make A Sewing Bag
- 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 ...
- Home-Made Overhead Trolley Coaster
- 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 ...
- How To Make An Electric Furnace Regulator
- 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 ...
- How To Make A Minnow Trap
- Glass minnow traps that will give as good service as those purchased at the tackle store can be made without difficulty. If a trap should be banged carelessly ...
- How To Make Rubber Stamps
- India rubber, especially prepared for stamp-making, should be procured from a dealer or manufacturer, if good results are to be obtained. As an experiment, it ...
- To Light A Gaslight Without Matches
- It is probably well known that if you rub your feet briskly over a carpet on a dry, cold day and then touch any metallic object with your finger it will emit a ...
- Novel Electric Motor
- The materials necessary to make this motor are an old electric bell of the buzzer type and a cogwheel from an old clock. Remove the hammer-head and gong from ...
- How To Print Photographs On Silk
- Silk, satin or any other fine material can be used to make photographic prints, but the most attractive results for the amateur are obtained on silk, the best ...
- 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 ...
- Trailer For A Bicycle
- Fig. 1 -Trailer Attached to a Bicycle Instead of using a seat on the handlebars or frame of a bicycle for my little girl, I made a trailer, as shown in Fig. 1, ...
- Home-Made Telephone Transmitter
- The parts for transmitting the sound are encased in a covering, H, made from the gong of an old electric bell. A round button, D, is turned or filed from the ...
- Quickly Made Lawn Tent
- A very simple way of erecting a lawn tent for the children is to take a large umbrella such as used on delivery wagons and drive the handle into the ground ...
- How To Make A Windmill Of One Or Two Horsepower For Practical Purposes
- A windmill for developing from 1/2 to 2 hp. may be constructed at home, the expense being very small and the results highly satisfactory. The hub for the ...
- Another Electric Motor
- This form of electric motor is used largely in England in the form of an indicator. It is very easily made and if you have an old electro-magnet will cost ...
- How To Make A Propelling Vehicle
- Any boy, with a little knack and a few odd tools, can rig up various contrivances which will be a source of pleasure to himself and oftentimes can be sold, to ...
- How To Make A Wood Turning Lathe Out Of An Old Sewing Machine
- With a hack-saw, cut off the arm containing the needle on line AB, Fig. 1, leaving the shaft only. On the end of the shaft will be found a round plate, in ...
- To Make A Magazine Binder
- Get 1/2 yd. of cloth, one shoestring, a pasteboard box for covers, and some heavy paper. Cut the pasteboard into two covers, 1/4 in. larger all around than the ...
- A Library Set In Pyro-Carving
- The multitude of indifferently executed small articles which followed the introduction of pyrography is beginning to disappear. People are considering the art ...
- A Home-Made Yankee Bobsled
- A good coasting sled, which I call a Yankee bob, can be made from two hardwood barrel staves, two pieces of Runners Made of Barrel Staves 2 by 6-in. pine, a ...
- How To Make A Small Microscope
- Theoretically a simple microscope can be made as powerful as a compound microscope, but in practice the minute size required by the simple lens to give the ...
- How To Make A Hammock
- Anyone can make a hammock as good as can be bought and that at a cost so small that every member of the family can possess one providing there are places ...
- How To Make A Water Telescope
- Before you decide on a place to cast your hook it is best to look into the water to see whether any fish are there. Yes, certainly, you can look into the water ...
- How To Rid Your Yard Of Cats
- The following is a description of a device I built at my home in Brooklyn, which not only gave us relief from the nightly feline concerts, but also furnished ...
- Grooved Pulley Made From Sheet Tin
- A grooved pulley which will run true and carry a round belt may be made without the use of other tools than a compass and pair of shears, with a drill or punch ...
- An Electrical Walking Stick
- A cane that will produce an electric shock when shaking hands is one supplied with the electrical apparatus shown in the sketch. An ordinary cane, 1 in. in ...
- Convenient Shelf Arrangement
- A convenient device for crowded shelves and cupboards is shown in the accompanying sketch. Halfway between shelves A and B is installed a second shelf C which ...
- A Shoe Scraper
- On steps of public buildings, shops and dwellings is usually found some sort of a mud scraper for the shoes. These remove the mud from the sole of the shoe and ...
- How To Make An Etched Copper Picture Frame
- Secure a heavy piece of copper about 8 or 10 gauge, cut to 7 by 7-3/4 in. Make a design on a piece of paper. The accompanying sketch offers a suggestion.
- How To Make An Easel
- A strong and substantial easel may be made at home with very little expense and no great difficulty. Smooth down with a plane, four pieces of pine, 1 in. thick, ...
- How To Make A Wind Propeller
- A wind propeller may be constructed with four old bicycle wheels arranged with shafts pretty much like the shafts of a hand-propelled cart. The platform is ...
- How To Construct An Annunciator
- Oftentimes a single electric bell may be connected in a circuit so that it can be operated from more than one push button. These push buttons are usually ...
- How To Make A Steam Calliope
- Secure ten gas jet valves, the part of the gas fixture shown in Fig. 1, and prepare to place in a piece of 1-in. pipe, 12 in. long. This is done by drilling ...
- Sharpening Scissors
- When sharpening scissors on a grindstone it is very difficult to procure a straight edge. For those not having the facilities of a grinding arrangement a very ...
- A Curtain Roller
- Procure a window- roller, an umbrella rib and two strips of oilcloth, each 1 in. wide and 4 in. long. Cut the roller off so that it will be 6 in. longer than ...
- Shade-Holder Bracket For A Gas Jet
- An old umbrella rib makes a very effective shade-holder bracket for a gas jet. The ends of the rib are bent to fit around the pendant upright and the support ...
- Glass Blowing And Forming
- Fortunate indeed is the boy who receives a stock of glass tubing, a Bunsen burner, a blowpipe, and some charcoal for a gift, for he has a great deal of fun in ...
- Telegraph Codes
- Telegraph Codes: Morse Code is Used In The United States And Canada, Continental Code is Used in Europe and elsewhere. Phillips Code is used in the United ...
- How To Make A Cruising Catamaran
- A launch is much safer than a sailing boat, yet there is not the real sport to be derived from it as in sailing. Herein is given a description of a sailing ...
- Piercing Glass Plates With A Spark Coil
- Anyone possessing a 1-in. induction coil and a 1-qt. Leyden jar can easily perform the interesting experiment of piercing glass plates. Connect the Leyden jar ...
- A Home-Made Still
- Remove the metal end of an old electric light globe. This can be done by soaking a piece of twine in alcohol and tying it around the globe at the place the ...
- Balancing Forks On A Pin Head
- Two, three and four common table forks can be made to balance on a pin head as follows: Procure an empty bottle and insert a cork in the neck. Stick a pin in ...
- The Buttoned Cord
- Cut a piece of heavy paper in the shape shown in Fig. 1 and make two cuts down the center and a slit as long as the two cuts are wide at a point about 1 in.
- How To Make A Small Motor
- The accompanying sketch shows how to make a small motor to run on a battery of three or four dry cells and with sufficient power to run mechanical toys. The ...
- How To Make A Toy Flier
- While a great many people are looking forward to the time when we shall successfully travel through the air, we all may study the problem of aerial navigation ...
- How To Make An Ironing-Board Stand
- Secure some 1 by 3-in. boards, about 3 ft. long, and plane smooth. Cut the two pieces A and B 30 in. long and make a notch in each of them, about one-third of ...
- How To Make An Electric Fire Alarm
- On each end of a block of wood, 1 in. square and 1 in. long, fasten a strip of brass 1/4 by 3 in., bent in the shape as shown in the sketch at A, Fig; 1. These ...
- Home-Made Boy's Car
- Boys' Home-Made Auto The accompanying cut shows how a boy may construct his own auto car. The car consists of parts used from a boy's wagon and some old ...
- How To Make A Wireless Telephone
- A noted French scientist, Bourbouze, was able to keep up communication with the outside during the siege of Paris by making practical application of the earth ...
- How To Make A Life Buoy
- Any boy may be able to make, for himself or friends, a life buoy for emergency use in a rowboat or for learning to swim. Purchase 1-3/4 yd. of 30-in. canvas ...
- A Home-Made Microscope
- A great many times we would like to examine a seed, an insect or the fiber of a piece of wood but have no magnifier handy. A very good microscope may be made ...
- Experiments With A Mirror
- Ask your friend if he can decipher the sign as illustrated in the sketch, Fig. 1, which you pretend to have read over the shop of an Armenian shoemaker. He ...
- Drowning A Dog's Bark With Water
- The owner of two dogs was very much annoyed by the dogs barking at night. It began to be such a nuisance that the throwing of old shoes and empty bottles did ...
- How To Make A Wondergraph
- An exceedingly interesting machine is the so-called wondergraph. It is easy and cheap to make and will furnish both entertainment and instruction for young and ...
- How To Make A 110-Volt Transformer
- Secure two magnets from a telephone bell, or a set of magnets wound for 2,000 ohms. Mount on a bar of brass or steel as shown in Fig. 1. Get an empty cocoa can ...
- Experiment With A Vacuum
- Experimental Apparatus Take any kitchen utensil used for frying purposes-an ordinary skillet, or spider, works best-having a smooth inner bottom surface, and ...
- Hand Car Made Of Pipe And Fittings
- Although apparently complicated, the construction of the miniature hand car shown in the accompanying illustration is very simple. With a few exceptions all ...
- How To Make A Rustic Seat
- The rustic settee illustrated in Fig. 1 may be made 6 ft. long, which will accommodate four average-sized persons. It is not advisable to exceed this length, ...
- Homemade Workbench
- The first appliance necessary for the boy's workshop is a workbench. The average boy that desires to construct his own apparatus as much as possible can make ...
- Home-Made Hand Drill
- In the old kitchen tool box I found a rusty egg beater of the type shown in Fig. 1. A shoemaker friend donated a pegging awl, Fig. 2, discarded by him due to a ...
- How To Make A Stationary Windmill
- A windmill that can be made stationary and will run regardless of the direction of the wind is here illustrated. Mills of this kind can be built of larger size ...
- Electric Anesthesia
- It is a well known fact that magnetism is used to demagnetize a watch, and that frost is drawn out of a frozen member of the body by the application of snow.
- A Home-Made Novelty Clock
- This clock that is shown in the accompanying engraving is made in scroll work, the cathedral and towers being of white maple, the base is of walnut with ...
- Fourth-Of-July Catapult
- Among the numerous exciting amusements in which boys may participate during the Fourth-of-July celebration is to make a cannon that will shoot life-sized ...
- How To Make A Miniature Volcano
- A toy volcano that will send forth flames and ashes with lava streaming down its sides in real volcanic action can be made by any boy without any more danger ...
- Wire Loop Connections For Battery Binding-Posts
- The trouble with battery binding post connections can be avoided by winding the bare end of the connecting wire around the binding-post screw and then back ...
- Landscape Drawing Made Easy
- With this device anyone, no matter how little his artistic ability may be, can draw accurately and quickly any little bit of scenery or other subject and get ...
- How To Make A Canoe
- A practical and serviceable canoe, one that is inexpensive, can be built by any boy, who can wield hammer and saw, by closely following the instructions and ...
- Child's Footrest On An Ordinary Chair
- Small chairs are enjoyed very much by children for the reason that they can rest their feet on the floor. In many households there are no small chairs for the ...
- Ordinary Pen Used As A Fountain Pen
- It is a very simple matter to make a good fountain pen out of an ordinary pen and holder. The device is in the form of an attachment readily connected to or ...
- How To Construct A Small Thermostat
- It is a well known fact, that there is a change in the dimensions of a piece of metal, due to a change in its temperature. This change in dimensions is not the ...
- How To Construct A Small Thermostat. Continued
- You are now ready to drill the hole A, which should be done as follows: Remove the piece you last mounted and then clamp the main mounting strip in the drill ...
- The Levitation - A Modern Stage Trick
- This illusion has mystified thousands of the theater-going public, in fact, it has been the piece de resistance of many illusion acts. The ordinary method of ...
- How To Recipes
- Loosening Rusted Nuts Nuts that are rusted fast can often be loosened by giving a hard turn in the tightening direction. Carrying Mattresses Sew straps to the ...
- How To Recipes. Part 2
- Removing Tarnish A pencil eraser will remove the tarnish from nickel plate, and the ink eraser will remove the rust from drawing instruments. Sleeve Holders ...
- How To Recipes. Part 3
- Washboard Holder When using a washboard it will continually slip down in the tub. This is considerable annoyance, especially if a large tub is used. The ...
- How To Recipes. Part 4
- How To Build A Grape Arbor A grape arbor made of white pine, put together as shown in the sketch, will last for several years. The 2 by 4-in. posts, A, are 7 ...
- How To Recipes. Part 5
- How To Cross A Stream On A Log When crossing a water course on a fence rail or small log, do not face up or down the stream and walk sideways, for a wetting is ...
- How To Recipes. Part 6
- How To Mix Plaster Of Paris For the mixing of plaster of Paris for any purpose, add the plaster gradually to the water, instead of the contrary, says the ...
- How To Recipes. Part 7
- How To Find The Blind Spot In The Eye Make a small black circular dot 1/2 in. in diameter on a piece of cardboard and about 3 in. from the center of this dot ...
- How To Recipes. Part 8
- How To Waterproof Canvas The method used by the British navy yards for waterproofing and painting canvas so it will not become stiff and cracked is as follows: ...
- How To Recipes. Part 9
- Home-Made Dog Cart The accompanying photograph shows a boy with his dogmobile. The photograph was taken when they were on a new pavement which had 2 in. of ...
- How To Recipes. Part 10
- Gold Railroad Signals Covering railroad signals with gold leaf has taken the place of painting on some roads. Gold leaf will stand the wear of the weather for ...
- How To Recipes. Part 11
- Finishing Aluminum Rubbing the surface of an aluminum plate with a steel brush will produce a satin finish. Removing Wire Insulation The claw of a hammer can ...
- How To Recipes. Part 12
- Cardboard Spiral Turned By Heat A novel attraction for a window display can be made from a piece of stiff cardboard cut in a spiral as shown in Fig. 1. The ...
- How To Recipes. Part 13
- Saving An Engine Turning the water on before starting the gas engine may prevent breaking a cylinder on a cold day. Relieving The Weight Of A Talking Machine ...
- How To Recipes. Part 14
- 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 ...
- How To Recipes. Part 15
- Protect Camel Hair Brushes Camel hair brushes for painters' use should never be allowed to come in contact with water. How To Make Miniature Electric Lamp ...
- How To Recipes. Part 16
- 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 ...
- How To Recipes. Part 17
- 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 ...
- How To Recipes. Part 18
- Wood Burning Burnt wood work done with an ordinary reading glass and the sun's rays. Bronze Liquid Banana oil or amyl acetate is a good bronze liquid. Use For ...
- How To Recipes. Part 19
- 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 ...
- How To Recipes. Part 20
- Freezing Pipes The water in hot water supply pipes will freeze quicker than water that has not been heated. This is because the air, which is a poor conductor ...
- How To Recipes. Part 21
- Irrigating With Tomato Cans The following is an easy and effective way to start plants in dry weather: Sink an ordinary tomato can, with a 1/8-in. hole 1/2 in.
My Books
