Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/629

 Popular Science Monthly

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��A Piece of Furniture with Many Uses ACK of space in business offices or dwellings makes it difficult to use many pieces of furniture, such, for in- '^tance, as a writing desk, drawing table, cupboard or blacklxiard. In some cases the professional requirements of engineers and draftsmen make a number of pieces of furniture necessary, but these take up much space, and may even require sev- eral rooms to contain them. A great economy of space is ef- f e c t e d in the combination i 1 - lustrated. It can be converted in- to a desk either horizontal or in- clined, for the transaction o f ordinary busi- ness ; a drawing t a i) 1 e whose height and slant can be regulated for a standing person ; a blackboard of good height ; and lastly, a closet. The whole is not more than ten inches thick when folded.

The main box part, which serves to liold drawing instruments and the like, is rrovided with a top portion containing

���The desk closed

���The desk extended and raised serves as a fine drawing board

drawers, adjustable at various heights. This holds the large drawing board hinged to it, the base of the board rest- ing on a pair of legs with adjustable top. The legs can be folded back into the main box when the drawing board is let down. By turning up the drawing board so that it mounts straight in the air and exposes the under side, we have a black- board, located at a convenient height.

��Washing Blueprints and Bromide Enlargements

TllE difficulty of washing blueprints and bromide enlargements (espec- ially of the larger sizes) often makes

���Cork floats easily attached to large sheets make the washing of bromide enlarge- ments an easy task

��one hesitate to attempt much work of this kind.

The difficulty of washing large en- largements and blueprints can readily be overcome in the following manner :

Procure some large corks, and in each cut a groove around the cork near the smaller end, to serve as a retainer for a rubber band. Then cut the cork lengthwise through the center, and cut a wedge-shaped piece from the top, or widest part of the cork, as shown in the illustration. Place a rubber band in the groove to form a sort of clamp. At- tach several of these cork floats to the edges of the prints to be washed, and place them in the washing receptacle, which must be deep enough to enable the prints to hang vertically. As hypo and l)lueprint chemicals always sink, the jirintJ are thoroughly washed in the shortest possible time. — C. I. Reid.

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