Part IV

[263]

The ancient arms of defense as shown in the accompanying illustrations make good ornaments for the den if they are cut from wood and finished in imitation of the real weapon. The designs shown represent original arms of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. As they are the genuine reproductions, each article can be labelled with the name, adding to each piece interest and value, says the English Mechanic, London.

Each weapon is cut from wood. The blades of the axes and the cutting edges of the swords are dressed down and finished with sandpaper and the steel parts represented by covering the wood with tinfoil. When putting on the tinfoil, brush a thin coat of glue on the part to be covered and quickly lay on the foil. If a cutting edge is to be covered the tinfoil on one side of the blade must overlap the edge which is pasted on the opposite side. The other side is then covered with the tinfoil of a size that will not quite cover to the cutting edge. After laying the foil and allowing time for the glue to dry, wipe the surface with light strokes up and down several times using a soft piece of cloth.

[Illustration: Partisan, Fork and Halberd]

A French partisan of the sixteenth century is shown in Fig. 1. The weapon is 6-1/2 ft. long with a round handle having the same circumference for the entire length which is covered with crimson cloth or velvet and studded all over with round-headed

[Illustration: Spontoon. Glaive and Voulge]

brass nails. The spear head is of steel about 15 in. long from the point where it is attached to the handle. The widest part of the blade from spear to spear is about 8 in. The length of the tassel or fringe is about 4 in.

Figure 2 shows a German military fork of the sixteenth century, the length of which is about 5 ft. with a handle of wood bound with heavy cord in a spiral form and the whole painted a dark color. The entire length of the fork from the handle to the points is about 10 in., and is coveted with tinfoil in imitation of steel.

A Swiss halberd of the sixteenth century is shown in Fig. 3. This combination of an axe and spear is about 7 ft. long from the point of the spear to the end of the handle, which is square. The spear and axe is of steel with a handle of plain dark wood. The holes in the axe can be bored or burned out with red-hot iron rods, the holes being about 1/4 in. in diameter.

Figure 4 shows an Austrian officers' spontoon, used about the seventeenth century. It is about 6 ft. long with a round wooden handle. The spear head from its point to where fixed on the handle is about 9 in. long. The edges are sharp. The cross bar which runs through the lower end of the spear can

[Illustration: Halberd. Ranseur and Lance]

be made in two pieces and glued into a hole on each side. The length of this bar is about 5 in. The small circular plate through which the bar is fixed can be cut from a piece of cardboard and glued on the wooden spear.

A gisarm or glaive, used by Italians in the sixteenth century, is shown in Fig. 5. The entire length is about 6-1/2 ft. The blade is engraved steel with a length of metal work from the point of the spear to where it joins the handle or staff of about 18 in. It has a round wooden handle painted black or dark brown. The engraved work must be carved in the wood and when putting the tinfoil on, press it well into the carved depressions.

Figure 6 shows a Saxon voulge of the sixteenth century, 6 ft. long, with a round wood handle and a steel axe or blade, sharp on the outer edge and held to the handle by two steel bands, which are a part of the axe. The bands can be made of cardboard and glued on to the wood axe. These bands can be made very strong by reinforcing the cardboard with a piece of canvas. A small curved spear point is carved from a piece of wood, covered with tinfoil and fastened on the end of the handle as shown. The band of metal on the side is cut from cardboard, covered with tinfoil and fastened on with round-headed brass or steel nails.

A very handsome weapon is the German halberd of the sixteenth century which is shown in Fig. 7. The entire length is about 6-1/2 ft., with a round wooden handle fitted at the lower end with a steel ornament. The length of the spear point to the lower end where it joins on to the handle is 14 in. The extreme width of the axe is 16 or 17 in. The outer and inner edges of the crescent-shaped part of the axe are sharp. This axe is cut out with a scroll or keyhole saw and covered with tinfoil.

An Italian ranseur of the sixteenth century is shown in Fig. 8. This weapon is about 6 ft. long with a round staff or handle. The entire length of the metal part from the point of the spear to where it joins the staff is 15 in. The spear is steel, sharp on the outer edges.

Figure 9 shows a tilting lance with vamplate used in tournaments in the sixteenth century. The wood pole is covered with cloth or painted a dark color. At the end is a four-pronged piece of steel. The vamplate can be made of cardboard covered with tinfoil to represent steel and studded with brass nails. The extreme length is 9 ft.

The tassels or fringe used in decorating the handles can be made from a few inches of worsted fringe, about 4 in. long and wound around the handle or staff twice and fastened with brass-headed nails.

** An Emergency Babbitt Ladle [264]

Take an old stove leg and rivet a handle on it and then break the piece off which fastens on the stove. The large and rounding part of the leg makes the bowl of the ladle. This ladle will be found convenient for melting babbitt or lead. --Contributed by R. H. Workman, Loudonville, Ohio.

[Illustration: Babbitt Ladle]

** How to Make Japanese Portieres [265]

These very useful and ornamental draperies can be easily made at home by anyone possessing a little ingenuity. They can be made of various materials, the most durable being bamboo, although beads of glass or rolled paper will produce good results. Substances such as straw, while readily adaptable

[Illustration: Bamboo and Straw Portieres]

and having a neat appearance, are less durable and will quickly show wear. The paper beads are easily made as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In Figs. 1 and 2 are shown how the paper is cut tapering, and as it appears after rolling and gluing down the ends. A straight paper bead is shown in Fig. B.

The first step is to select the kind of beads desired for stringing and then procure the hanging cord. Be sure to get a cord of such size that the beads will slip on readily and yet have the least possible lateral movement. This is important to secure neatness. One end of each cord is tied to a round piece of wood, or in holes punched in a leather strap. Iron or brass rings can be used if desired.

Cut all the cords the same length, making allowance for the number of knots necessary to produce the design selected. Some designs require only one knot at the bottom. It is best to make a rough sketch of the design on paper. This will greatly aid the maker in carrying on the work.

When the main part of the screen is finished, the cross cords, used for spacing and binding the whole together, are put in place. This is done with a needle made from a piece of small wire, as shown in Fig. 4. The cross cords are woven in as shown in Fig. 5. As many of these cross cords can be put in as desired, and if placed from 6 to 12 in. apart, a solid screen will be made instead of a portiere. The twisted cross cords should be of such material, and put through in such manner that they will not be readily seen. If paper beads are used they can be colored to suit and hardened by varnishing. The first design shown is for using bamboo. The cords are knotted to hold the bamboo pieces in place. The finished portiere will resemble drawn work in cloth. Many beautiful hangings can be easily fashioned.

The second design is to be constructed with a plain ground of either straw, bamboo or rolled paper. The cords are hung upon a round stick with rings of metal to make the sliding easy. The design is made by stringing beads of colored glass at the right places between the lengths of ground material. One bead is placed at the extreme end of each cord. The rows of twisted cord placed at the top keep the strings properly spaced. --Contributed by Geo. M. Harrer, Lockport, New York.

** Makeshift Camper's Lantern [266]

While out camping, our only lantern was accidentally smashed beyond repair, and it was necessary to devise something that would take its place.

[Illustration: Lantern Made of Old Cans]

We took an empty tomato can and cut out the tin, 3 in. wide, for a length extending from a point 2 in. below the top to within 1/4 in. of the bottom. Each side of the cut-out A was bent inward in the shape of a letter S, in which was placed a piece of glass. Four V-shaped notches were cut, as shown at B, near the top of the can and their points turned outward. A slit was cut in the bottom, shaped as shown at C, and the pointed ends thus formed were turned up to make a place for holding the base of a candle. A larger can was secured and the bottom perforated. This was turned over the top of the other can. A heavy wire was run through the perforations and a short piece of broom handle used to make a bail. --Contributed by Maurice Baudier, New Orleans, La.

** New Tires for Carpet-Sweeper Wheels [266]

The rubber tires on carpet-sweeper wheels often become so badly worn and streched that they fail to grip the carpet firmly enough to run the sweeper. To remedy this, procure some rubber tape a little wider than the rims of the old wheels, remove the old rubber tires and wind the tape on the rims to the proper thickness. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and rub on some chalk or soapstone powder to prevent the tape from sticking to the carpet. A sweeper treated in this manner will work as well as a new one. --Contributed by W. H. Shay, Newburgh, N. Y.

** Gauntlets on Gloves [266]

When the fingers or palms of gloves with gauntlets wear out, do not throw away the gloves, but cut off the gauntlets and procure a pair of gloves with short wrists to which the old gauntlets can be sewn after the wrist bands have been removed from the new gloves. The sewing may be done either by hand or on a machine, gathering in any fullness in the bellows of the cuff on the under side. A pair of gauntlets will outwear three or four pairs of gloves. --Contributed by Joseph H. Sanford, Pasadena, Cal.

** How to Make an Ornamental Brass Flag [266]

The outlines of the flag--which may be of any size to suit the metal at hand--and the name are first drawn on a sheet of thin paper and then transferred to the brass by tracing through a sheet of carbon paper. The brass should be somewhat larger than the design.

The brass is fastened to a block of soft wood with small nails driven through the edges. Indent the name and outline of the flag with a small chisel with the face ground flat, about 1/16 in. wide. This should be done gradually, sinking the lines deeper and deeper by going over them a number of times. After this is finished, the brass is loosened from the block, turned over but not fastened, and the whole outside of and between the letters is indented with the rounded end of a nail, giving the appearance of hammered brass.

The edges are now cut off and four holes drilled, two for the chain by which to hang the flag to the wall, and two along the side for attaching the staff. The staff is a small brass rod with a knob attached to the top end.

It would be well to polish the brass at first, if the finished work is to be

[Illustration: The Finished Flag]

bright, as it cannot be done after the flag is completed. A coat of lacquer is applied to keep it from tarnishing. This is done by heating the brass and quickly applying a coat of shellac. --Contributed by Chas. Schaffner, Maywood, Ill.

** An Adjustable Punching-Bag Platform [267]

A punching-bag platform, suitable for the tall athlete as well as the small boy, is shown in the accompanying sketch. The platform is securely fastened to two strong wooden arms or braces, which in turn are nailed to a 2 by 12-in. plank as long as the diameter of the platform. This plank, as shown in the small drawing at the upper left-hand corner of the sketch, is placed in grooves or slots fastened against the side of a wall. The plank with the platform attached may be raised or lowered to the desired height and held there by a pin or bolt put through the bolt-hole of the plank and into a hole in the wall. --Contributed by W. A. Jaquythe, Richmond, Cal.

[Illustration: Adjustable Platform]

** Clasp for Holding Flexible Lamp Cords [267]

A very easily made drop-light adjuster is shown in the illustration. It consists of a piece of copper wire 7/8 in. in diameter, bent as shown. This clasp is capable of standing a strong pull and will hold the lamp and socket with a glass shade. --E. K. Marshall, Oak Park, Ill.

[Illustration: Clasp]

** Protect Camel Hair Brushes [267]

Camel hair brushes for painters' use should never be allowed to come in contact with water.

** Home-Made Electric Clock [268]

The clock illustrated herewith is driven by means of electromagnets acting directly on the pendulum bob. Unlike most clocks, the pendulum swings

[Illustration: Magnetic Clock]

forward and backward instead of laterally. The construction is very simple, and the result is not only novel but well worth while, because one does not have to bother about winding a clock, such as this one, says the Scientific American.

The clock is mounted on a wooden base measuring 3-3/4 by6-1/2 in., by 1-5/16 in. thick. Secured centrally on this base is a 1/8 by 3/4-in. bar, 6 in. long and at each side of this, 5/16 in. away, is an electromagnet, 3/4 in. in diameter and 1-7/16 in. high. Two uprights, 7-1/2 in. high and 1/4 in. in diameter, are secured in the base bar, and are connected at the top by a brass yoke piece on which the clock frame is supported. Just below the yoke piece a hole is drilled in each upright to receive the pivot pins of the crosspiece secured to the upper end of the pendulum rod. The pendulum bob at the lower end is adjusted to swing just clear of the electromagnets. Mounted at the right-hand side of the base are three tall binding-posts, the center one being 2-3/4 in. high, and the other two 2-5/8 in. high. Each is fitted with a piece of copper wire provided with a small brass spring tip. These springs lie in the plane of the pendulum, which serves to swing the central tip first against one and then against the other of the side tips, thereby closing the circuit of first one magnet and then the other. Each magnet attracts the pendulum until its circuit is broken by release of the center tip, and on the return swing of the pendulum the circuit of the other magnet is similarly closed. Thus the pendulum is kept in motion by the alternate magnetic impulses. The clock train is taken from a standard clock and the motion of the pendulum is imparted to the escape wheel by means of a pawl, bearing on the latter, which is lifted at each forward stroke of the pendulum by an arm projecting forward from the pivotal end of the pendulum rod.

** Method of Joining Boards [268]

The amateur wood-worker often has trouble in joining two boards together so that they will fit square and tight. The accompanying sketch shows a simple and effective method of doing this. Secure a board, A, about 12 in. wide that is perfectly flat. Fasten another board, B, about 6 in. wide, to the first one with screws or glue. Now place the board to be joined, C, on the board B, letting it extend over the inside edge about 1 in. and fastening it to the others with clamps at each end. Lay the plane on its side and plane the edge straight. Place the second board in the clamps in the same manner as the first, only have the opposite side up. If the cutting edge of the blade is not vertical, the boards planed in this manner will fit as shown in the upper sketch. In using this method, first-class joints can be made without much trouble. --Contributed by V. Metzech, Chicago.

[Illustration: Joining Boards]

** Toy Gun for Throwing Cardboard Squares [269]

The parts of the gun are attached to a thin piece of wood 1 in. wide and 5 in. long. It is best to use a piece of wood cut from the side or cover of a cigar box. A rectangular hole 3/16 in. wide and 1 in. long is cut in the wood longitudinally along its axis and 1-3/8 in. from one end, as shown at A, Fig. 1. A small notch is made with the point of a knife blade at B and notches are cut in the end of the wood as shown at C. Rubber bands are fastened in these notches as shown in Fig. 2. The trigger, whose dimensions are given in Fig. 3, is fastened in the hole A, Fig. 1, by driving a pin through the wood. The assembled parts are shown in Fig. 4.

Place the cardboard square in the nick B, attach the rubber bands and pull the trigger. The top rubber band will fly off and drive the cardboard

[Illustration: Details of Toy Gun]

square 75 ft. or more. The cardboard should be about 1/2 in. square. These can be cut from any old pasteboard box. --Contributed by Elmer A. Vanderslice, Phoenixville, Pa.

** Photographic Developing Tray [269]

Plates developed in an ordinary tray must be removed from the bath occasionally for examination. The film when in a chemical-soaked condition is easily damaged. The tray illustrated herewith was made for the purpose of developing plates without having to take hold of them until the bath had completed its work, the examination being made through the plate and the bottom of the tray.

A pocket is provided for the liquid developer in one end of the tray when it

[Illustration: Developing Tray with Glass Bottom]

is turned up in a vertical position. A tray for developing 5 by 7-in. plates should be made 8 in. square inside. The side pieces with the grooves for the glass are shown in Fig. 1. Two of each of these pieces are made with mitered ends. The short groove shown in the top piece of the illustration is for inserting the plate covering on the pocket end of the tray.

Two blocks, one-half the length of the side pieces, are put in between the glass plates to hold the plate being developed from dropping down when the tray is tipped up in a vertical position. The glass bottom of the tray is 8-1/2 in. square, which allows 1/4 in. on all edges to set in the grooves of the side pieces. The wood pieces should be well soaked in hot paraffin, and the mitered corners well glued and nailed. --Contributed by J.A. Simonis, Fostoria, Ohio.

** Iron Putty [269]

A good filler used as a putty on iron castings may be made as follows: Take, by weight, 3 parts of stiff keg lead, 5 parts of black filler, 2 parts of whiting, 5 parts of pulverized silica and make into a paste with a mixture of one part each of coach japan, rubbing varnish and turpentine.

** Rubber Bands in Kite Balancing Strings [270]

Kite flyers will find it to their advantage to place rubber bands of

[Illustration: Bands in String]

suitable size in the balancing strings to the kite, as shown in the illustration. This will prevent a "break-away" and also make the right pull, if only two bands are put in the lower strings. --Contributed by Thos. DeLoof, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

** An Aid in Sketching [270]

Sketching requires some little training, but with the apparatus here illustrated an inexperienced person can obtain excellent results. The apparatus is made of a box 8 in. deep, 8 in. wide and about 1 ft. long. A double convex lens, G, is fitted in a brass tube which should have a sliding fit in another shorter and larger tube fastened to the end of the box. A mirror, II, is set at an angle of 45 deg.

[Illustration: Sketching Aid]

in the opposite end of the box. This reflects the rays of light passing through the lens to the surface K, which may be either of ground or plain glass. The lid or cover EF protects the glass and keeps the strong light out when sketching. The inside of the box and brass tube are painted a dull black.

In use, the device is set with the lens tube directed toward the scene to be painted or sketched and the lens focused so the reflected picture will be seen in sharp detail on the glass. Select your colors and put them on the respective colors depicted on the glass. If you wish to make a pencil drawing, all you have to do is to fill in the lines in the picture on the ground glass. If a plain glass is used, place tracing paper on its surface, and the picture can be drawn as described.

** How to Make Miniature Electric Lamp Sockets [270]

A socket for a miniature lamp can be made as shown in the sketch. A brass spring wire is wound around the base of the threads on the lamp and an eye turned on each end to receive a screw and a binding-post, as shown in Fig. 1. A piece of metal, preferably copper, is attached to a wood base as shown in Fig. 2 and the coil-spring socket fastened across it in the opposite direction. Bend the wire so that the spring presses the lamp against the metal. If the wire fits the lamp loosely, remove the lamp and press the sides of the coil closer together. The metal parts can

[Illustration: Wire Socket]

be attached to any smooth surface of wood without making a regular base. --Contributed by Abner B. Shaw, No. Dartmouth, Mass.

** Imitation Arms and Armor-