Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/796

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��Popular Science Monthly

��A Wire Scraper for Cleaning Stone Surfaces

��WHEN the stone window sills of a house need cleaning, to get into the surface deeper than a brush would do, this de- vice may be used. A block of wood 4 in. long, 2 in. wide and I in, thick, should be cut from a piece of timber and covered with screen wire. The block should be given the shape of a chisel edge so that corners may be reached easily. The screen wire is drawn over the scrubbing block tightly and fastened securely with tacks along the center. — George Bush.

���Screen on block to clean stone surfaces

��Making a Substitute Wood Handle for the Dustpan

TH E most f requen t cause for buying a new dustpan is the breaking of the handle. When this happens do not throw the pan away, but procure a piece of pine and whittle out a handle to fit the inside of the broken one. Then saw the end on a bevel to fit the pan. When driven into the han- dle and held with screws this makes a better and stiffer handle than the original.

��To Gut Automobile Tire Fabric on an Angle

A WET knife drawn quickly across the fabric is a better method of cutting

���A heavy straight-edge for placing on a table to guide the knife in cutting the fabric

than with shears. A straight-edge with blocks that have 45 deg. edges nailed to

��either end is necessary for cutting the angle. In cutting, one end is evened up against the edge of the table and a perfect 45 deg. cutting angle secured.

After the gum or fabric is peeled off, the holland strips are soaked until they are soft. They make excellent gasoline rags.

��A Puzzle Box with a Concealed Latch Pin

THE original of this box was made in China, but a duplicate can be easily made as it is only a plain box into which a drawer slides. By holding the box in the correct position and pressing the drawer in, it can be opened repeatedly in the presence of guests without giving the secret away. The illustration shows the box in detail. The box A has one end open for the drawer B to enter. This should be an easy sliding fit. The front should fit snugly into the box end. The spring C holds the locking pin D in position. This pin is of iron or steel so that its weight will cause it to drop into or out of position when the

drawer is pressed against the spring, thus releasing the pressure.

The locking pin-holder E is a small piece

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����The latch is worked by gravity when it i6 released by a slight pressure on the drawer

of wood with a groove cut in it. This holder is closed on one end to prevent the pin from dropping out, and is glued to the back of the drawer. The drawer stop F is glued to the bottom of the box and is just long enough to allow some play for releasing the locking pin. Before putting the box together the groove G is cut in its side to take the end of the locking pin. If made to the dimensions given, wood ^ in. thick is suitable and 3/16-in. stuff for the drawer. To open the box, press the drawer in and turn the box on its side so that the locking pin will drop out of the groove G. The drawer will then spring out from the pressure of the coil spring. The move- ments by which the box is opened can be made very quickly and without attracting attention. — John Tannahill.

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