The Boy Mechanic Part 66

** b.u.t.tonhole Trick [234]

This trick is performed with a small stick having a loop attached that is too small for the stick to pa.s.s through. Spread out the string and place it each side of the b.u.t.tonhole, then draw the cloth around the hole through the string until it is far enough to pa.s.s the stick through the hole. Pull back the cloth and you have the string looped in

[Ill.u.s.tration: b.u.t.tonhole Trick]

the hole with a hitch the same as if the stick had been pa.s.sed through the string.

The stick may be removed by pulling up the loop as if you were pa.s.sing the stick through it, putting the stick in the hole and leaving the string on the outside, then spread the string, pulling up the cloth and pa.s.sing the stick through the hole as before.

--Contributed by Charles Graham, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

** How to Remove Paper from Stamps [234]

Old stamps as they are purchased usually have a part of the envelope from which they are taken sticking to them and in removing this paper many valuable stamps are torn or ruined. Place all the stamps that are stuck to pieces of envelopes in hot water and in a short time they can be separated without injury. Dry the stamps between two white blotters. Stamps removed in this way will have a much better appearance when placed in an alb.u.m.

--Contributed by L. Szerlip, Brooklyn, N. Y.

** Imitation Arms and Armor PART I [235]

Genuine antique swords and armor, as used by the knights and soldiers in the days of old, are very expensive and at the present time practically impossible to obtain. The accompanying ill.u.s.tration shows four designs of swords that anyone can make, and if carefully made, they will look very much like the genuine article.

The drawings are so plain that the amateur armorer should have very little difficulty, if any, in building up his work from the ill.u.s.trations, whether he requires a single sword only, or a complete suit of armor, full size.

The pieces. or designs in this article are from authentic sources, says the English Mechanic, so that where names are given the amateur can so label them, and will thereby greatly add to their interest and value.

An executioners' sword of the fifteenth century is shown in Fig.

1. The blade should be about 27 in. long with a handle of sufficient length to be grasped by both hands. The width of the blade near the handle is about 2-1/2 in., tapering down to 1-1/2 in. near the point end. Several ridges are cut around the handle to permit a firm grip. The cross guard is flat and about 1 in. in width.

Mark out the shape and size of the blade on a piece of wood 1/8 in. thick, using a straightedge and a pencil, and allowing a few inches more in length on which to fasten the handle. Cut out the wood with a scroll saw or a keyhole saw, trim the edges down thin and smooth both surfaces with fine sandpaper. The end for the handle is cut about 1 in. wide and 2 in. long. The cross guard is cut out and a hole made in the center through which to pa.s.s the handle end of the blade. The handle is next made, and if the amateur does not possess a lathe on which to turn the shape of the handle, the ridges around the wood may be imitated by gluing and tacking on pieces of small rope. The handle is then mortised to receive the 1 by 2-in. end of the blade. The cross guard is now glued and placed

[Ill.u.s.tration: Swords; Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4]

on the blade, then the hole in the handle is well glued with glue that is not too thick and quite hot. The blade with the cross guard is inserted in the handle and allowed to set. When the glue is thoroughly dry, remove the surplus with a sharp knife and paint the handle with brown, dark red, or green oil paint. The blade is covered with tinfoil to give it the appearance of steel. Secure some pieces of tinfoil and cut one strip 1/2 in. wider than the blade and the other 1/4 in. narrower. Quickly paint the blade well with thin glue on one side., then lay evenly and press on the narrow strip of tinfoil. Glue the other side of the blade, put on the wider strip of tinfoil and glue the overlapping edge and press it around and on the surface of the narrow strip. The cross guard must be covered with tinfoil in the same manner as the blade. When the whole is quite dry, wipe the blade with light strokes up and down several times, using a soft and dry piece of cloth. The sword is then ready to hang in its chosen place as a decoration, not for use only in cases of tableaux, for which this article will be especially useful to those who are arranging living pictures wherein swords and armor are part of the paraphernalia.

A Chinese scimitar is shown in Fig. 2. The handle of this sword is oval and covered with plaited cord. In making this scimitar, follow the directions as for Fig. 1, except that the handle has to be covered with a round black cord. If it is found difficult to plait the cord on the handle as in the ill.u.s.tration, wind it around in a continuous line closely together, and finish by fastening with a little glue and a small tack driven through the cord into the handle. The pommel is a circular piece of wood, 1/8 in. thick and 5 in. in diameter. The length of the handle, allowing for a good hold with both hands, should be about 9 in., the length of the blade 28 in., the width near the pommel 1-1/2 in. and 3 in. in the widest part at the lower end. The sharp or cutting edge is only on the short side, the other is flat or half-round.

A Turkish sabre of ancient manufacture from Constantinople is shown in Fig. 3. The handle is painted a dull creamy white in imitation of ivory. The enamel paint sold in small tins will answer well for this purpose. The cross guard and blade are covered as described in Fig. 1. The sharp edge is on the longer curved side, the other is flat or half-round.

A two-handed sword used in the 14th and 15th centuries is shown in Fig. 4. This sword is about 68 in. long, has a cross guard and blade of steel with a round wood handle painted black. The ball or pommel on top of the handle is steel. Both edges of the blade are sharp. This sword is made in wood the same as described for Fig.

1.

** A Dovetail Joint Puzzle [236]

A simple but very ingenious example in joinery is ill.u.s.trated. In the finished piece, Fig. 1, the dovetail appears on each side of the square stick of

[Ill.u.s.tration: How the Joint Is Cut]

wood, the ill.u.s.tration, of course, shows only two sides, the other two are identical. The joint is separable and each part is solid and of one piece. In making, take two pieces of wood, preferably of contrasting colors, such as cherry and walnut or mahogany and boxwood, about 1-1/2 in. square and of any length desired. Cut the dovetail on one end of each stick as shown in Fig. 2, drive together and then plane off the triangular corners marked A. The end of each piece after the dovetails are cut appear as shown in Fig. 3, the lines marking the path of the dovetail through the stick.

** Radiator Water [236]

Pure rain water is the best to use in a cooling system of an automobile engine, as it is free from the mineral substances which are deposited in the radiator, piping and jackets by hard water.

** Springboard for Swimmers [237]

A good springboard adds much to the fun of swimming. The boards are generally made so that the plank will bend, being dressed down thin at one end and fastened. The thinness of the plank, or an insecure fastening, causes many a plank to snap in two or come loose from its fastenings in a short time.

The accompanying sketch shows the method of constructing a springboard that does not depend upon the bending of the wood for its spring. It is made of a plank, 2 in. thick and from 14 to 16 ft. long, one end of which is secured with a hinge arrangement having a U-shaped rod whose ends are held with nuts. On each edge of the board, at the lower end, are fastened two pieces of strap iron, each about 1 ft. long and with the lower ends drilled to fit the horizontal of the U-shaped rod.

Secure a pair of light buggy springs from a discarded rig and attach them to the ends of a square bar of iron having a length equal to the width of the plank. Fasten this to the plank with bolts, as shown in the sketch. Should the springs be too high they can be moved forward.

--Contributed by John Blake, Franklin, Ma.s.s.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Buggy Springs Used beneath the Board]

** Taking b.u.t.ton from a Child's Nostril [237]

A three-year-old child snuffed a b.u.t.ton up its nostril and the mother, in an attempt to remove it, had caused the b.u.t.ton to be pushed farther up the channel. Doctors probed for the b.u.t.ton without success. The distracted mother happened to think of snuff, and, as there was some at hand, took a pinch of snuff between the thumb and forefinger and held it close to the child's nose. The violent sneezing caused the b.u.t.ton to be blown out. Such an accident may come under the observation of any parent, and if so, this method can be used to relieve the child when medical a.s.sistance is not at hand.

--Contributed by Katharine D. Morse, Syracuse, N. Y.

** Bra.s.s Frame in Repousse [237]

Punches can be purchased, as can the pitch bed or block. Both can be made easily, however. Several punches of different sizes and shapes will be needed. A piece of mild steel, about 3/8 in.

square, can be easily worked into tools shaped as desired. A cold chisel will be needed to cut the metal to length; a file to reduce the ends to shape, and a piece of emery paper to smooth and polish the end of the tool so that it will not scar the metal.

A small metal box must be secured to hold the pitch. The ill.u.s.tration shows an iron receptacle. The pitch is prepared by heating the following materials in these proportions: pitch, 5 lb.; plaster of Paris, 5 lb.; tallow, 1/2

[Ill.u.s.tration: Design for the Frame]

lb. To put it in another way, use pitch and plaster in equal parts with 1/10 part tallow. See that the pitch and plaster are dry so that the moisture will not cause the pitch to boil over. Keep stirring the ma.s.s so that it never boils. Melt the pitch first and add the plaster by degrees.

For a piece of repousse such as the frame shown, secure a piece of bra.s.s of about No. 18 gauge. With carbon paper trace the design on the bra.s.s. Place the metal on the pitch bed and work over the outline of the design. Use the chisel-edged tool and try to make the lines continuous. When this has been done, heat the pitch slightly

[Ill.u.s.tration: Working Out The Design]

and place the metal, design down, on the pitch, and with the raising punches work up the shape as desired after the pitch has hardened. When the desired form has been obtained, turn the metal over and "touch up" any places improperly raised. The metal will probably be warped somewhat. To remedy this, place a board on the metal and pound until the metal a.s.sumes a flat shape again. Next drill a hole in the center waste and saw out for the opening, using a small metal saw. Trim up the edges and file them smooth.