Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 91.djvu/631

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���FOR PRACTICAL WORKERS

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��Warming Army Tents With Improvised Stoves

BEFORE the United States Government issued tent stoves to the Guardsmen on the Border, there were many improvised stoves or heaters to be seen in the various tents. The stove shown in the upper left corner of the illustration is the type known as the Sibley tent stove, which is the one issued by the Government to keep the boys warm. There were some stoves made along these lines and in use before the Federal authorities considered it cold enough to issue them to the men. These stoves were roughly shaped from sheet iron and riveted to- gether. An- other popular stove, which is made from a 5- gal. kerosene can or a 25-lb. coffee can, is shown in the corner of the tent. Two small holes about }/2 in. in diameter, are cut near the bottom for air vents and a hole about 4 by 8 or 6 by 6 in. is cut in the front to allow the insertion of fuel, another hole being cut to carry off the smoke and allow for perfect draft. The fire is regulated by placing a piece of tin over the fuel or fire opening and another over the air vents in the bottom. When starting the fire the air vents are left open and the fire opening is kept covered. When the fire gets well started it may be checked by opening the slide over the fire opening or removing it altogether, or the vents at the bottom may be closed and the slide on the fire opening left closed or partially open.

���A very simple brick stove is shown in the upper right corner of the illustration. The bricks were laid up with mud for mortar, the whole thing requiring less than 50 bricks. The stove served as a cooker as well as a heater, for food could be readily heated on top of the tin or iron cover.

The worst problem of all was to get the required amount of stovepipe, but in several instances this difficulty was overcome by using empty vegetable cans. These are plentiful about a camp. The only trouble with this style of stovepipe lies in the fact that the cans act on the same principle as a muffler on on a gasoline engine and thereby fail to accomplish the desired results, as the smoke is held in check and a slow smoky fire results. — George M. Petersen.

��Three types of roughly improvised stoves for heating the tents of the guardsmen on the Mexican border

��Stropping a Razor on the Fleshy Part Of the Hand

THE finest strop for a razor is the fleshy part of your hand below the little finger. For eight years I have used no other for razor blades. If it is a safety razor blade grasp it between the thumb and first finger of the right hand and strike finger nail and blade at the same time on the fleshy part of the left hand. If you will do it slowly at first the mo- tion becomes automatic. I put a little vaseline on the cutting edge. This keeps the blades constantly in first class con- dition. — John W. Shank.

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