Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/979

 The Home Workbench

���How to Make an Accurate Sun-dial

THIS sun-dial can be made easily and it will give accurate results. While the variation of time in all parts of the United States will be slight, the most accurate reading will be made between the 35th and 45th parallels of northern latitude as this is the area it is designed to cover.

Any material will suffice to make the dial and style from, and any thickness may be used. But the most neat dial can be made from brass or copper, cut from a sheet or cast from patterns. The parts should be at least 3^ in. thick to be substantial. The degrees of time, as well as the dimen- sions for making, are shown on the ac- companying drawing. Care must be taken that all lines are drawn straight and the dimensions followed closely. After the hours are put on, the spaces can be subdivided into halves and quarters and five minutes if desired. The space left in between the A. M. and P. M. hour divisions is to receive the style and should be just as wide as the style is thick. The best way to mount the style is to tap two holes in the lower edge and bolt through the dial with small machine screws. The style may be ornamented with several hollows cut out, but the top edge or shadow casting edge must be perfectly true. The long vertical end of the style goes at the 12M mark on the dial.

The whole can be erected upon any

���Diagram of sun-dial, showing dimensions for construction and angles for determin- ing each hour mark

��suitable stand, wood, stone or cement which can be worked up into an orna- mental design. The 12 noon end of the style must point exactly north and the other end to the south. Or the dial may be set to local time by waiting until exact noon and then setting the dial accordingly. — B. F. Dashiell.

A Waterproof Compound

A GOOD water- proof com- pound can be made if the following di- rections are careful- ly observed. It is suitable for any job not larger than an ordinary cellar, or where the water pressure is not too great, and is espe- cially adapted for wells, cisterns, cement ice-boxes, etc.

First dissolve soap in water until a good soapy liquid is obtained. This can easily be done by chipping common yel- low soap into a wash boiler and allowing it to boil. About one bar of soap to e\'ery bucketful of water is enough, but a half bar more will do no harm. When ready to mix, add one bucketful of soap solution to every two bucketfuls of clear water. When applying the mixture, it is essential that it be well troweled. The smoother the finish, the more lasting the result and the better the water-proofing qualities.

How to Mix Stove Blacking

USE vinegar instead of water when mixing stove blacking. The work of polishing will be easier and the polish will last much longer. — C. A. Wolf.

��951

�� �