Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/788

 772

��Popular Science Monthly

��A thin, stiff, steel wire, not exceeding No. 20 gage, 6 ft. in length, is threaded through holes in the forward ends of the main parallel strips, and bent back at their outer ends so they meet the extremities of the cross strip. The detailed section of the drawing shows how the wire and strip are secured together by the two right- angled bends, the end limb of the wire resting in a groove and the short bent part of the wire adapted to enter a hole, after which the two parts are wrapped with a thin cord.

The fish-tail has at its margins a wire, properly bent and attached to the parallel strips and cross strip, thereby forming the entire frame ready to receive the covering. This may be of silk, glazed cotton, or paper, preferably waterproofed. This should be applied on both sides, or silk on the lower side and water-proof paper on the upper side, thereby making a neat and durable job. Every part of the frame- work is covered except that portion be- tween the parallel bars forward of the cross strip.

Before the wire at the front part of the frame is placed into position, the gyro- scope wheel must be put on the wire. The wheel is made as follows: A ring of heavy wire (No. 12 gage will answer) is bent into form, and held at the abutting ends by a tin tube. This ring should be not less than 20 in. in diameter, the object being to make the wheel with considerable weight at the perimeter, to give a proper gyroscopic effect.

A common spool is used for the hub. This should have a wooden tube through the axial bore, provided with a hole large enough to permit the spool to rotate freely on the wire. A pair of cross holes is bored through each end of the spool to receive wires. On each of the four sides these wires are brought together in pairs, and twisted to form spokes, the outer ends of these twisted spokes being wrapped around the ring and their ends permitted to project out a distance of 3 in. and so disposed that they form V-shaped arms. Triangularly-formed pieces of fabric or paper are then attached to these arms, and folded around the twisted portions of the spokes, to form open V-shaped grooves.

When the wheel is in position, the open parts of the grooves or wings thus pro- vided, are so disposed that the wind will

��drive the wheel in the direction that the kite moves, the upper part of the wheel moving forward. This action of the wheel not only steadies the kite but has a greater or less tendency to draw down the forward end of the kite, which permits of the flying cord being placed behind the wheel.

The flying cord is attached to the cross strip behind the wheel, two points of attachment being necessary, about 10 in. apart. This cord is merely a loop, which hangs down 1 ft. or more. To this loop the main cord is fixed. As it is necessary to provide a means for adjusting the cord so that the proper angle may be given to the kite, a pair of wire arms, each 20 in. long, are secured at their rear ends to the tail of the kite, the forward ends terminat- ing at a point below the rear cross strip of the kite. Each wire arm has a hook, or return bend, so that the looped cord may be wrapped around and secured to the hook at such a point as to give a greater or less distance between the cross strip and the hook, to enable the flyer to give a greater or less angle to the kite. The nearer the hook is to the body of the kite the flatter will be its angle in flight, and by this provision the kite is adapted to be adjusted for a wind of any velocity.

��A Fine-Toothed Rake With Detach- able Tooth -Holder

FINDING the ordinary garden rake too coarse to use among the plants just appearing, I made a rake and used it

��Screw

���Wire nail5

��The construction of a garden rake head in which nails are used for the teeth

where I could not handle a larger rake. The illustration clearly shows the whole construction. Wire nails placed as far apart as suitable. The tooth-holding sec- tion should have the tooth-holes bored out to prevent splitting when the teeth are driven in. By having tooth-holders equipped with teeth of different sizes and set at various distances apart a combina- tion rake ia obtained.— James M. Kane.

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