Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 91.djvu/477

 Popular Science Monthly

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��ture of dry white-lead mixed with varnish, Japan being added as a hardener. The safest plan is to buy all the materials ready mixed — if possible.

Clean the paint brushes in gasoline and the varnish brushes in clean turpentine. Wash out with warm water and soap, and they will be in good shape no matter how long they are laid away.

��Fastening Nails So They May Be Quickly Withdrawn

WHEN nailing a box, such as a form for cement where it is necessary that the contents should not be marred or injured, put under each nail-head a small piece of lath or other bit of wood. When removing the nails split away the small piece of wood and enough of the nail head will be exposed for easy drawing. — Lindall Williams.

��An Emergency Wire Stretcher for Repairing a Fence

AFTER turning the cows into a field I b happened to find a broken place in the fence and I did not have the time to go for a stretcher at the other end of the farm. Finding a hickory stick in the wood pile I sawed off a piece about 3 ft. long for the handle. I could not take the time to prepare a fire for heating an iron so I flattened the end of a 34-i n - bolt and drove it in one end of the stick, then beat the head to make it rough like teeth. Several inches from the end I fastened a short length of chain and a hook taken from a singletree. The hook was bent

���The feolt end of the homemade lever is placed on the post for stretching a fence wire

so that the barbs on the wire could not slip through.

When barbed wire becomes slack it can be tightened by catching it between the claws of a hammer and making a series of kinks. These kinks should not be too short to weaken the wire. — J. L. Pinkston.

��A Bubbling Drinking Fountain with Icing Reservoir

THE bubbling fountain shown in the illustration was made by a workman in a large institution at a cost of $8.75 for the material, to replace an expensive

one that had become use- less. The body is made square of heavy gal- van i z e d iron. There are two boxes of the size shown, the space be- tween them being filled with pow- dered asbes- tos. An or- dinary bub- bling cup A with its valve is con- nected with the upper part of the water reservoir B. The pipes, C and D, are the ordinary 3^ in. galvanized kind. The supply comes through the pipe D where it enters a 2-in. galvanized pipe B used for the reservoir. A key tap is placed in the line D for regulating the flow. A waste pipe F is attached, as shown, to keep the cup C free from water. The cover G can be lifted and enough ice put in to last from 5 to 7 days, according to the quantity of water used. A small drip between the boxes is shown at H, while the waste to the sewer is shown at /. The tank is elevated on four blocks for air to pass below it. — James E. Noble.

���Ice-water tank with bub- bling fountain attached

��A Hat Hook or Holder Made of a Lead Pencil

IF you can't find ahook to hang your hat on and wish to furnish some amusement quickly take an ordinary pencil, find a smooth board surface, and place the pencil flatly against the surface, holding it length- wise. Briskly rub it up and down for a few times and it will immediately adhere without any danger of falling off. A hat can be hung on it providing the headgear is not too heavy. The "impromptu hook" will remain in this position until removed. — Clarence T. Hubbard.

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