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45 chapters
PREFACE.
PREFACE.
The making for oneself of toys and other objects of a more or less useful character has certain advantages over buying them. In the case of the more elaborate and costly articles, it may enable one to possess things which otherwise would be unobtainable. Secondly, a home-made article may give a satisfaction more lasting than is conferred by a bought one, though it may be less beautiful to look upon. Thirdly, the mere making should be a pleasure, and must be an education in itself. To encourage r
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I. A SAWING TRESTLE
I. A SAWING TRESTLE
A strong and stable sawing trestle is one of the most important accessories of the carpenter’s shop, whether amateur or professional. The saw is constantly being used, and for it to do its work accurately the material must be properly supported, so that it cannot sway or shift. Anybody who has been in the habit of using a wobbly chair or box to saw on will be surprised to find how much more easily wood can be cut when resting on a trestle like that illustrated by Figs. 1 to 3. The top, a , of th
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II. A JOINER’S BENCH.
II. A JOINER’S BENCH.
After finishing his sawing trestle the reader may be willing to undertake a larger job, the manufacture of a joiner’s bench—if he does not already possess a good article—heavy and rigid enough to stand firm under plane and hammer. For the general design and detailed measurements he is referred to Figs. 4 and 5, in which the dimensions of each part are figured clearly. The length of 5 feet, width of 2 feet (exclusive of the back E), and height of 2 feet 7-1/2 inches will be found a good average.
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III. A HANDY BOOKSTAND.
III. A HANDY BOOKSTAND.
A bookstand of the kind shown in Fig. 7 has two great advantages: first, it holds the books in such a position that their titles are read more easily than when the books stand vertically; second, it can be taken to pieces for packing in a few moments, as it consists of but four pieces held together by eight removable wedges. We recommend it for use on the study table. Oak or walnut should preferably be chosen as material, or, if the maker wishes to economize, American whitewood or yellow pine. S
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
Preparing the Rungs.—Lay a piece of rung batten across the lowest notches, the end overhanging the side by a quarter of an inch or so to allow for the taper of the ladder, and draw your pencil along the angles which it makes with the sides. Mark the positions of the nail holes. Cut off the rung at the cross lines; drill the four nail holes on the skew, as shown in Fig. 10; and round off all the corners. The other rungs are treated in the same manner, and the sides are then separated, for the ins
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V. A DEVELOPING SINK.
V. A DEVELOPING SINK.
Many amateur photographers are obliged to do their developing in odd corners and under conditions which render the hobby somewhat irksome if a large number of plates have to be treated. The main difficulty is to secure an adequate water supply and to dispose of the waste water. At a small expenditure of money and energy it is easy, however, to rig up a contrivance which, if it does not afford the conveniences of a properly equipped dark room, is in advance of the jug-and-basin arrangement with w
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
[Illustration: Fig. 14.—On left, elevation of end of run; on right, door for run.] The doors are made of 2 by 2 inch stuff, halved at the corners. Cut out the top and bottom of the two sides; lay them on the floor so as to form a perfect rectangle, and nail them together. The strut is then prepared, care being taken to get a good fit, as any shortness of strut will sooner or later mean sagging of the door. Cut the angles as squarely as possible, to ensure the strut being of the same length both
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
The scale drawings are so complete as to dimensions that, assuming the materials to be of the sizes specified, they may be followed implicitly. It is, of course, easy to modify the design to suit any slight differences in dimensions; and to avoid mistakes all the stuff should be gauged carefully beforehand. [Illustration: FIG. 18.-Side of cycle shed.] The Sides.—When laying out the frames for these it is necessary to bear in mind that the front upright is somewhat less than 5 feet 6 inches long,
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PUTTING THE PARTS TOGETHER.
PUTTING THE PARTS TOGETHER.
The two sides, front, and back are now assembled, on a level surface, for drilling the holes for the bolts which hold them together. The positions of the bolts will be gathered from the drawings. Get the parts quite square before drilling, and run the holes through as parallel to the sides as possible. If the bolts are a bit too long, pack washers between nut and wood until the nut exerts proper pressure. Caution.—The hole must not be large enough to allow the square part just under the head to
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CUTTING DOWN EXPENSE.
CUTTING DOWN EXPENSE.
If the cost appears prohibitive, it may be reduced somewhat (1) by using thinner boards; (2) by reducing the height of the shed by 1 foot. A very cheap shed, but of course not comparable in quality with the one described, can be made by using odd rough boards for the outside, and covering them with roofing felt well tarred....
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VIII. A TARGET APPARATUS FOR RIFLE SHOOTING.
VIII. A TARGET APPARATUS FOR RIFLE SHOOTING.
The base is a 1-inch board, 18 inches long and 7 inches wide. The target-holder is a piece of wood 1-1/2 inches square, and a couple of inches longer than the side of the largest target to be used. To one face nail a piece of strip lead as weight; and to the parallel face attach, by means of brads driven in near one edge, a piece of thin wood of the same size as the face. The free long edge of this should be chamfered off slightly on the inside to enable the target to be slipped easily between i
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IX. CABINET-MAKING.
IX. CABINET-MAKING.
A Match-box Cabinet. This is useful for the storage of small articles, such as stamps, pens, seeds, needles, and a number of other minor things which easily go astray if put in a drawer with larger objects. The best boxes for the purpose are those used for the larger Bryant and May matches. Select only those boxes of which the tray moves easily in the case. The cases should be stood on end on some flat surface while being glued together. A box or drawer with truly square corners is useful for as
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X. TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS.
X. TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS.
The easily made but practical apparatus described in this chapter supplies an incentive for learning the Morse telegraphic code, which is used for sending sound signals, and for visible signals transmitted by means of flags, lamps, and heliograph mirrors. Signalling is so interesting, and on occasion can be so useful, that no apology is needed for introducing signalling apparatus into this book. The apparatus in question is a double-instrument outfit, which enables an operator at either end of t
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
The plunger is a tube of thin iron, 1/16 inch less in diameter than the hole in the reel, and 1/4 inch longer than the reel. If a ready-made tube is not available, construct one by twisting a piece of tin round a metal rod, and soldering the joint. As it is difficult to make a jointed tube cylindrical, and a close fit is needed to give good results, it is worth going to a little trouble to get a plunger of the right kind. The ends of the plunger are plugged with wood and bored centrally for the
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OTHER DETAILS.
OTHER DETAILS.
The fly wheel may be a disc of wood. Oil all the rubbing parts slightly. Connect T1 to one terminal of the battery, T2 to the coil, and the other terminal of the battery to the coil. Set the engine going. If it refuses to run, make sure that B1 is pressing against D. The speed of the engine may possibly be improved by careful adjustment of B2 and an alteration in the setting of the crank, and will certainly be accelerated by increasing the number of battery cells. The cost of the engine describe
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XII. AN ELECTRIC ALARM CLOCK.
XII. AN ELECTRIC ALARM CLOCK.
Anybody who possesses an alarm clock with an external gong, an electric bell, and a battery, may easily make them combine to get the drowsiest of mortals out of bed on the chilliest of winter mornings. The arrangement has as its secondary advantages and capabilities— (l) That the clock can be placed where its ticking will not disturb the person whom it has to arouse in due course (some of the cheaper clocks are very self-advertising); (2) That one clock can be made to operate any number of bells
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SOME SUGGESTIONS.
SOME SUGGESTIONS.
Instead of dry cells or accumulators a small foot or hand operated dynamo generating direct, not alternating current, might be used. Its life is indefinitely long, whereas dry cells become exhausted with use, and accumulators need recharging from time to time. On occasion such a dynamo might prove very convenient. Anyone who possesses a fair-sized stationary engine and boiler might increase the realism of the outdoor track by setting up a generating station, which will give a good deal of extra
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
The cylinder wing W should have the top edge turned over for an eighth of an inch or so to give a good bearing against the cylinder, and be held in position by a wire while the soldering is done. It is important that the line of the wing should be at right angles to a line passing through the centres of the valve tube and cylinder. Shaft Bearings.—Take a piece of strip brass half an inch or so wide and 3-1/2 inches long. Bore four holes for screws, and scratch cross lines an inch from each extre
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OTHER DETAILS.
OTHER DETAILS.
Adjusting the Guides.—Put the connecting rod in place on its pins, and revolve the crank until the guides have taken up that position which allows the crosshead to move freely. Then mark off the holes for the guide holding-down screws, and drill and tap them. Packings.—The glands and piston should be packed with asbestos string. Don’t be afraid of packing too tightly, as the tendency is for packing to get slacker in use. The rear end of the cylinder should be bevelled off slightly inside, to all
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FINAL HINTS.
FINAL HINTS.
All parts which have to be fitted together should have matching marks made on them with the punch. To take the parts of the valve chest as an example. As we have seen, these should be soldered together, finished off outside, and drilled. Before separating them make, say, two punch marks on what will be the upper edge of the valve plate near the end, and two similar marks on the chest as near the first as they can conveniently be. In like manner mark the chest cover and an adjacent part of the ch
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
[Illustration: FIG. 71.—Plate marked out for turbine wheel blades. B is blade as it appears before being curved.] The Wheel.—If you do not possess a lathe, the preparation of the spindle and mounting the wheel disc on it should be entrusted to a mechanic. Its diameter at the bearings should be 5/32 inch or thereabouts. (Get the tubing for the bearings and for the spindle turned to fit.) The larger portion is about twice as thick as the smaller, to allow room for the screw threads. The right-hand
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XVII. STEAM TOPS.
XVII. STEAM TOPS.
A very interesting and novel application of the steam turbine principle is to substitute for a wheel running in fixed bearings a “free” wheel pivoted on a vertical spindle, the point of which takes the weight, so that the turbine becomes a top which can be kept spinning as long as the steam supply lasts. These toys, for such they must be considered, are very easy to make, and are “warranted to give satisfaction” if the following instructions are carried out. A Small Top.—Fig. 74 shows a small sp
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
[Illustration: FIG. 88.-Two arrangements for tube holes in multi tubular boiler.] The centres for the water-tubes, G and H, should be laid out, in accordance with Fig. 88, on the tops of B and C and the lower part of A, along lines scribed in the manner explained on p. 207. Tubes H must be bent to a template to get them all of the same shape and length, and all the tubes be prepared before any are put in place. If the tubes are set 7/8 inch apart, centre to centre, instead of 1-1/4 inches, the h
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XIX. QUICK BOILING KETTLES.
XIX. QUICK BOILING KETTLES.
[Transcriber’s note: Do not use lead solder on articles associated with human or animal consumption.] The principles of increasing the area of heating surface in model boilers may be applied very practically to the common kettle. The quick-boiling kettle is useful for camping out, for heating the morning tea water of the very early riser, and for the study “brew,” which sometimes has to be made in a hurry; and, on occasion, it will be so welcome in the kitchen as to constitute a very useful pres
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XX. A HOT-AIR ENGINE.
XX. A HOT-AIR ENGINE.
The pretty little toy about to be described is interesting as a practical application to power-producing purposes of the force exerted by expanding air. It is easy to make, and, for mere demonstration purposes, has an advantage over a steam-engine of the same size in that it can be set working in less than a minute, and will continue to act as long as a small spirit flame is kept burning beneath it; it cannot explode; and its construction is a simpler matter than the building of a steam-engine.
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XXI. A WATER MOTOR.
XXI. A WATER MOTOR.
FIG. 105 is a perspective view of a simple water motor which costs little to make, and can be constructed by anybody able to use carpenter’s tools and a soldering iron. It will serve to drive a very small dynamo, or do other work for which power on a small scale is required. A water supply giving a pressure of 40 lbs. upwards per square inch must be available. We begin operations by fashioning the case, which consists of three main parts, the centre and two sides, held together by brass screws.
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
The cylinder will not be described in detail, as hints on making a slide-valve cylinder have been given on earlier pages. The piston rod should be three times as long as the stroke of the cylinder, if it is to serve as pump plunger; and near the pump end an annular groove must be sunk to take a packing. The pump, if designed to work horizontally, will have the valves arranged like the pump illustrated in Fig. 65; if vertically, like the pump shown in Fig. 109. Both suction and delivery pipes sho
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A SUGGESTION.
A SUGGESTION.
For exhibition purposes a small, easily running, double-action pump might be worked by the spindle of a gramophone. A crank of the proper throw and a connecting rod must be provided. Both delivery pipes feed, through an air-chamber, a fountain in the centre of a bowl, the water returning through an overflow to the source of supply, so that the same water may be used over and over again. Plain Rectangular Box Kites.—The plain box kite is easy to make and a good flier. Readers should try their han
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
The length of the stretchers is found approximately by a simple arithmetical sum, being the square root of the sum of the squares of the lengths of two adjacent sides of the box. For example, if each box is 20 by 15 inches, the diagonal is the square root of (20 squared plus 15 squared) = square root of 625 = 25 inches. The space occupied by the vertical rods will about offset the stretch of the material, but to be on the safe side and to allow for the notches, add another half-inch for small ki
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XXIV. PAPER GLIDERS.
XXIV. PAPER GLIDERS.
In this chapter are brought to your notice some patterns of paper gliders which, if made and handled carefully, prove very satisfactory. Gliders are sensitive and “moody” things, so that first experiments may be attended by failure; but a little persistence will bring its reward, and at the end of a few hours you will, unless very unlucky, be the possessor of a good specimen or two. The three distinguishing features of a good glider are stability, straightness of flight, and a small gliding angl
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XXV. A SELF-LAUNCHING MODEL AEROPLANE.
XXV. A SELF-LAUNCHING MODEL AEROPLANE.
By V. E. Johnson, M.A. This article deals not with a scale model—a small copy of some full-sized machine—but with one designed for actual flight; with one not specially intended to create records either of length or duration, but which, although small details must perforce be omitted, does along its main lines approximate to the “real thing.” Partly for this reason, and partly because it proves a far more interesting machine, we choose a model able to rise from the ground under its own power and
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XXVI. APPARATUS FOR SIMPLE SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS.
XXVI. APPARATUS FOR SIMPLE SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS.
Colour Discs for the Gramophone.—The gramophone, by virtue of its table revolving at a controllable speed, comes in useful for a series of optical experiments made with coloured discs bearing designs of different kinds. The material needed for these discs is cardboard, covered with white paper on one side, or the Bristol board used by artists. The discs on which the designs are drawn should be made as large as the gramophone table will take conveniently, so as to be viewed by a number of people
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XXVII. A RAIN-GAUGE.
XXVII. A RAIN-GAUGE.
The systematic measurement of rainfall is one of those pursuits which prove more interesting in the doing than in the prospect. It enables us to compare one season or one year with another; tells us what the weather has been while we slept; affords a little mild excitement when thunderstorms are about; and compensates to a limited extent for the disadvantages of a wet day. The general practice is to examine the gauge daily (say at 10 a.m.); to measure the water, if any, collected during the prev
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XXVIII. WIND VANES WITH DIALS.
XXVIII. WIND VANES WITH DIALS.
It is difficult to tell from a distance in which direction the arrow of a wind vane points when the arrow lies obliquely to the spectator, or points directly towards or away from him. In the case of a vane set up in some position where it will be plainly visible from the house, this difficulty is overcome by making the wind vane operate an arrow moving round a vertical dial set square to the point of observation. Figs. 155 to 157 are sketches and diagrams of an apparatus which does the work very
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
A handle, if used, is joined to the lever by means of a brass plate 3/4 inch wide and a couple of inches long. A hole is bored in the centre somewhat smaller than the knob to which the rubber was fastened, and joined up to one long edge by a couple of saw cuts. Two holes for good-sized screws must also be drilled and countersunk, and a socket for the knob must be scooped out of the lever. After making screw holes in the proper positions, pass the shank of the knob through the slot in the plate,
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CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION.
The mercury tube should be made first. Take a piece of glass tubing 20 inches long, and bend it at a point 9 inches from one end after heating in a spirit flame. The legs should be kept as parallel as possible. Lay the tube, while the heated part is still pliant, on a flat surface, the bend projecting over the edge, So that the two legs shall be in line. When the glass has cooled, bend over two inches of the longer leg to an angle of about 45 degrees. A standard for the tube is now made out of o
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XXXI. HOME-MADE HARMONOGRAPHS.
XXXI. HOME-MADE HARMONOGRAPHS.
Have you ever heard of the harmonograph? If not, or if at the most you have very hazy ideas as to what it is, let me explain. It is an instrument for recording on paper, or on some other suitable surface, the figures described by two or more pendulums acting in concert. The simplest form of harmonograph is shown in Fig. 168. Two pendulums are so suspended on points that their respective directions of movement are at right angles to one another—that is, pendulum A can swing only north and south,
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XXXII. A SELF-SUPPLYING MATCHBOX.
XXXII. A SELF-SUPPLYING MATCHBOX.
This useful little article can be constructed in a couple of hours by a handy person. In general idea it consists of a diamond-shaped box to hold vestas, working up and down diagonally on a vertical member (A in Fig. 179 (1)), which passes through slits at the top and bottom, and runs in grooves cut in the sides of the box. The top of A is grooved to allow a match to rest on it. When the box is drawn up to the full extent allowed by a transverse pin in the slot shown in Fig. 179 (2), the groove
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XXXIII. A WOODEN WORKBOX.
XXXIII. A WOODEN WORKBOX.
The box illustrated by Fig. 181 was copied from an article of Norwegian manufacture. Its construction is an extremely simple matter, provided that one can get a piece of easily bent wood (birch, for instance), not exceeding 3/16 inch in thickness, for the sides. [Illustration: FIG. 180.—Showing how to draw an ellipse.] [Illustration: FIG. 181.—Norwegian workbox.] The bottom of the box is made of 5/16 or 3/8 inch wood, cut to an oval or elliptical shape. To mark out an ellipse about 8 inches long
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XXXIV. WRESTLING PUPPETS.
XXXIV. WRESTLING PUPPETS.
[Illustration: FIG. 182.—Peg marked for cutting and drilling.] The expenditure of a halfpenny, and a quarter of an hour’s use of a pocket knife, bradawl, and pliers, will produce a toy which is warranted to amuse grown-ups as well as children. Wrestlers made out of clothes pegs may be bought for a copper or two in the street, and are hardly a novelty; yet a few notes on home production will not be a waste of space, as making is cheaper, and much more interesting, than buying. The clothes pegs us
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XXXV. DOUBLE BELLOWS.
XXXV. DOUBLE BELLOWS.
The small-sized bellows which have become popular in sitting-rooms are usually more ornamental than efficient, and make one think regretfully of the old-fashioned article of ample capacity which is seldom seen nowadays. Fig. 185 illustrates a method of coupling up two small bellows in such a manner as to provide an almost continuous blast, besides doubling the amount of air sent through the fire in a given time, at the coat of but little extra exertion. A piece of wood half an inch thick is scre
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XXXVI. A HOME-MADE PANTOGRAPH.
XXXVI. A HOME-MADE PANTOGRAPH.
The pantograph is a simple apparatus for copying drawings, maps, designs, etc., on a reduced or enlarged scale, or to the same size as the original. [Illustration: FIG. 186.—Details of simple pantograph.] A sketch of a pantograph is given in Fig. 186. Four rods are jointed together to form a parallelogram, the sides of which can be lengthened or shortened to suit the scale of reproduction. One is attached by a fixed pivot at a to the board on which the drawing is done. At b and e are removable p
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XXXVII. A SILHOUETTE DRAWING MACHINE.
XXXVII. A SILHOUETTE DRAWING MACHINE.
With this very simple apparatus you will be able to give good entertainment to such of your friends as may wish to have black paper records of their faces in profile. The machine is merely a long rod, with a sliding pencil attached to one end and a metal pointer stuck into the other, supported near the pencil end on a pivot which permits free movement in all directions. For heads and busts only, the rod and pointer combined need not be more than 4 feet 6 inches long. The rod is a 1/2-inch blind
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XXXVII. A SIGNALLING LAMP.
XXXVII. A SIGNALLING LAMP.
Visual signalling is effected at night in the Morse code by means of a lamp fitted with an easily-moved shutter, which passes or cuts off the light at the will of the operator. Readers who know the Morse code might well go to the trouble of constructing in duplicate the simple apparatus to be described, as the possession of an outfit will enable them to extend their signalling capabilities. The stand for the lamp is admirably supplied by the ordinary camera tripod. For the illuminant we may sele
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XXXIX. A MINIATURE GASWORKS.
XXXIX. A MINIATURE GASWORKS.
The most primitive method of making coal gas on a small scale is to fill a tin—which must have folded, not soldered, joints—with small coal, punch a hole in the bottom, and place it lid downwards in the fire. Gas soon begins to issue, but, owing to the quantity of moisture and impurities present, it will not ignite until some minutes have elapsed. The flame, when it does make its appearance, is very smoky and gives little light, because, in addition to the coal gas of commerce, there are present
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