Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/946

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��Popular Science Monthly

��Making an Electric Lantern from a Flashlight

SMALL tubu-

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��lar flashlight of the double tung- sten battery type, s5, of about iM-in. diameter, may be " converted into lan- tern form at a small cost. The regular type of dry battery is used, being cheaper and more durable.

The body of the lantern is made of " " "'" '"' galvanized iron. Its

base is 2k4. ins. by 33^ ins. square, and its height is 9 ins. Two 10-32 machine screws are let through two opposite sides near the top, and soldered in place. The handle is drilled at each end, slipped over the screws and fastened on the out- side with small brass nuts. Two notches are made in the cover to enable it to set down over the screws.

The lens, metal ferrule and cap are removed from the fiber body of the flashlight and soldered to the front of the battery box, as shown in the illustration. The switch may be used by mounting it as shown. One ter- minal of the battery is grounded to the box; the other runs to the switch and from there to the bulb. After giving the box a coat of black enamel, the lantern is finished. It is in many ways an improvement over the original flashlight. — A. Dane.

Driving Screws in Inaccessible Places

DRIVING a set-screw in a place too small to admit the fin- gers to hold the screw may be ac- complished as follows :

Roll a piece of paper into a cor- nucopia with the hole just a trifle smaller than the screw. By dropping the screw into this and holding it in the hole with as light pressure on the screwdriver you can drive the screw home.

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��A Home-made Ice-Mold

O help reduce

���the high cost of living, many people would freeze their own ice during the win- ter months if they had molds that were practical and inexpensive. Get at a furnace shop an old hot-air pipe, the larger the better. Cut into sections about two feet long and press into square tubes to afford a chance for the expansion of the freezing ice. For each tube or mold, make a pan for it to set in by bending up the four edges of a sheet of tin, making the pan about two inches deep. Fill the pan with water, place a tube in it and the first night's freeze will give a solid ice bottom. Add each day as much water as will freeze hard, till the mold is full. Put into the refrigera- tor, without removing from the mold. As many tubes can be used as desired or con^■enient.

How to Etch a Water- Set

THE easiest method of frosting glass is by means of hydrofluoric acid. A complete water-set can be beautifully etched with very satisfactory results.

Procure a water-set of any description ; the quality of the glass makes no difi^er- ence with the frosting process. Dip each piece in melted paraffin, being sure that every point is covered. After cooling, inscribe, with a knife-blade or etching-tool, the letters or design to be used, and see that the wax is entirely removed from the design.

Place all the pieces in a box, lined with heavy Manila paper. Also set a bottle of hydrofluoric acid in the box. Do not remove the acid from the original container, since it will eat through glass; simply remove the stopper and place a cover over the box. The fumes of the acid will act on the glass so long as exposed. From 36 to 48 hours give a good heavy frosting.

This method can be used on electric bulbs, glass doors or any glass that can be properly exposed to the hydrofluoric acid fumes. The acid will keep for months. — L. E. Fetter.

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