The Boy Mechanic Part 88

When the designs have been worked on the leather, paste or glue the leather to the two sides of the belt, and punch a hole in the center through which to place a cord for hanging up the ball.

** Cleaning Woodwork [315]

An easy method of removing the dirt and old varnish at the same time around a kitchen sink is told by a correspondent of National Magazine as follows:

Make a soft soap from common yellow laundry soap, and when it is almost cold stir in one tablespoonful of concentrated lye and one-half cupful of kerosene. When the mixture becomes a heavy paste, it is ready to be spread over the woodwork with a paint brush. Allow the soap to remain for a day and a half, then wash it off with plenty of hot water. The woodwork will be clean and ready for varnishing when it dries out.

** Bill File Made of Corkscrews [315]

An ordinary corkscrew makes a convenient file for small bills or memoranda. It may be thrown in any position without danger of the papers slipping off. A rack to hold a number of files can be made of a wood strip (Fig. 1) fitted with hooks or screw eyes cut in a hook shape, as shown in Fig. 2,

[Ill.u.s.tration: Bill File]

Single bills may be separated from the others and will remain separated as in Fig. 3.

--Contributed by James M. Kane, Doylestown, Pa.

** Ornamental Metal Inkstand [315]

The metal required for making this stand is 3/16 in. in width and may be

[Ill.u.s.tration: Inkstand and Details of Frame]

steel, bra.s.s or copper. The shaping is done as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. There are, in all, eight pieces to be bent. The two supports are each formed of one piece of metal with the exception that the end scroll pieces on the under side are made separately.

Eight rivets are required to fasten the two horizontal rings to the supports. The gla.s.s receptacle can be purchased at a stationery store.

** Holding Eyegla.s.ses Firm [315]

Persons who wear nosegla.s.ses and who are troubled with excessive perspiration, should chalk the sides of the bridge of the nose before putting on the gla.s.ses. The latter will then never slip, even in the warmest weather. If the chalk shows, use a pink stick, which can be purchased from any art school or supply store.

Subst.i.tute for Gummed Paper [315]

Gummed paper is a great convenience in the home especially for labels, but it is not always found among the household supplies.

The gummed portions of unsealed envelopes in which circulars are received can be utilized for this purpose. Quite a large label may be made from these envelope flaps.

** Repairing a Broken Phonograph Spring [316]

As I live a great distance from a railroad station, I did not care to pay the price, and await the time necessary to deliver a new phonograph spring to replace one that broke in my machine, and I repaired the old one in a creditable manner as follows:

I forced the two ends of the break out where I could get at them, then heated each end separately with a pair of red hot tongs and turned a hook or lap on them the same as the joints in knock-down stovepipes. When the ends were hooked together, the spring worked as good as new. The heated portion did not affect the strength of the spring.

--Contributed by Marion P. Wheeler, Greenleaf, Oregon.

** Calls While You Are Out [316]

If you wish to know whether or not the door or telephone bell rings during your absence, place a little rider of paper or cardboard on the clapper in such a way that it will be dislodged if the bell rings.

** A Small Bench Lathe Made of Pipe Fittings [316]

The most important machine in use in the modern machine or wood-working shop is the lathe. The uses to which this wonderful machine can be put would be too numerous to describe, but there is hardly a mechanical operation in which the turning lathe does not figure. For this reason every amateur mechanic and wood-worker who has a workshop, no matter how small, is anxious to possess a lathe of some

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 1-Details of Lathe]

sort. A good and substantial homemade lathe, which is suitable for woodturning and light metal work, may be constructed from pipe and pipe fittings as shown in the accompanying sketch.

The bed of this lathe is made of a piece of 1-in. pipe, about 30 in. long. It can be made longer or shorter, but if it is made much longer, a larger size of pipe should be used. The head-stock is made of two tees, joined by a standard long nipple as shown in Fig. 1. All the joints should be screwed up tight and then fastened with 3/16-in. pins to keep them from turning. The ends of the bed are fixed to the baseboard by means of elbows, nipples and f.l.a.n.g.es arranged as shown. The two bearings in the headstock are of bra.s.s. The spindle hole should be drilled and reamed after they are screwed in place in the tee. The spindle should be of steel and long enough to reach through the bearing and pulley and have enough end left for the center point. The point should extend about 1-1/2 in. out from the collar. The collar can be turned or shrunk on the spindle as desired. The end of the spindle should be threaded to receive a chuck.

The tailstock is also made of two tees joined by a nipple. The lower tee should be bored out for a sliding fit on the bed pipe.

The upper one should be tapped with a machine tap for the spindle which is threaded to fit it. The

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2]

spindle has a handle fitted at one end and has the other end bored out for the tail stock center. Both the tail stock and the headstock centerpoints should be hardened. A clamp for holding the tail stock spindle is made of a piece of strap iron, bent and drilled as shown. It is held together by means of a small machine screw and a knurled nut. The tee should have a slot cut in it about one-half its length and it should also have one bead filed away so that the clamp will fit tightly over it.

The hand rest is made from a tapering elbow, a tee and a forging.

The forging can be made by a blacksmith at a small expense. Both the lower

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 3]

tees of the handrest and the tailstock should be provided with screw clamps to hold them in place.

The pulley is made of hardwood pieces, 3/4 or 1 in. thick as desired. It is fastened to the spindle by means of a screw, as shown in Fig. 2, or a key can be used as well.

Care must be taken to get the tailstock center vertically over the bed, else taper turning will result. To do this, a straight line should be scratched

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 4-Chuck ]

on the top of the bed pipe, and when the tail stock is set exactly vertical, a corresponding line made on this. This will save a great deal of time and trouble and possibly some errors.

The two designs of chucks shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are very easy to make, and will answer for a great variety of work.

As the details are clearly shown and the general dimensions given on the accompanying sketches, it should not be a difficult matter for the young mechanic to construct this machine.

--Contributed by W. M. Held, Laporte, Indiana.