THINGS BOYS CAN MAKE
$A Way to Bind Magazines.$--First, we must have a frame in which to
stitch the sheets together. Here is mine in Fig. 1. I made it myself,
and any handy lad can make one. The frame shown has an opening a foot
long, so it is big enough to bind a book as long as that, or any
smaller magazine. I have drawn it fitted with five strings, which would
be the right number for a full-sized magazine; more or less strings are
required according to the size of the book. They are, as may be seen,
passed through holes bored opposite to each other above and below, and
fixed tight with pegs. These strings are tapes 1/4 inch wide, which
mother or sister will supply.
Now for the sewing. We have stripped off the wrappers, cleaned the
backs of the sheets, and laid them in order, the last sheet on the
top. But to make neat work, we should have what bookbinders call "end
papers"--plain pieces of paper cut and folded to the size of the
magazine--to go at the beginning and end of the volume; one leaf of
each will be pasted down by-and-by to the inside of the cover adjoining
it.
We begin by laying an end paper on the frame with its back against
the tapes. We take a needle and thread, tie a knot at the end of the
latter, and pass the needle, as in Fig. 2, through the middle of tape
No. 1, and through the paper, drawing the thread to the knot. How we
then go on is shown by the dotted line in Fig. 2; at the nearer side of
tape No. 2 we pass the needle out again, carry it behind the tape, in
again at the farther side of the tape, and so on, till we finally bring
it out on the near side of tape No. 5. Please to notice that we do
not pass the needle _through_ any tape except through No. 1 at first
starting; with that exception, the thread merely _goes behind_ the
tapes.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.]
When we have reached the last tape and brought the needle out on the
near side of it, we lay a sheet, in this case the _last_ sheet, of the
magazine, on the frame, and pass the needle through it inwards on the
farther side of tape No. 5, and then work back to the nearest side of
tape No. 1. Another sheet is now laid on, and so we proceed till the
whole volume, including the front end paper, is stitched together.
If we now lay a good heavy weight on our volume, we can squeeze it into
narrower compass, for as the threads merely go round the tapes, they
will slip down them; and we can then glue the back. Everybody has not a
glue-pot, but everybody can get a 4d. bottle of Le Page's Liquid Glue,
and nothing is better or more handy. Damp a strip of paper, or better,
of thin muslin, and rub it down on the glue; it will strengthen the
back. Leave the volume under pressure till the glue has set, and we may
then take it out of the frame and cut off the tapes to, say, about two
inches long on each side.
[Illustration: _Fig. 2._]
And now we are ready for our covers; a couple of pieces of stiff
millboard, the wreckage of some old draper's box, will do very well.
We cut them to size, and glue down the tapes upon them, as is shown in
Fig. 3; and when the volume is heavy it is well to paste a strip of
thin muslin over the hinge, as indicated by the dotted lines at _a_, to
keep all tight.
I have just spoken of paste; we shall want it for everything else that
we have to do, so I will tell you how to make it. Take a couple of
tablespoonfuls of flour and half a teaspoonful of powdered alum, beat
them carefully with cold water to the consistency of thin cream, and
boil briskly for four minutes, stirring all the time.
What we want to do now is to put a back to our volume. We want
something that will look well, and be strong, and nothing that I have
tried has been equal to "window-blind holland." A dark green I prefer,
but colour is a matter of taste. This material will not stretch out
of place in pasting, as bookbinders' cloth is apt to do. Fig. 4 shows
how the back piece is cut. The middle part _b_ has a strip of stiff
paper pasted on it, which is not exactly the width of the back of the
volume, but just a shade wider, that when pasted in place, it may have
the proper curve outwards. The flap _c_ is to be turned and pasted down
on this strip of paper, but the flaps _d_ and _d_ will be turned and
pasted down inside the covers, after the back has been pasted in its
place on the volume; and when that has been done, the volume should be
kept under pressure till the paste is dry.
[Illustration: Fig. 3., Fig. 4.]
We must, of course, cover the sides of our volume; bookbinders' cloth
or marbled paper, both of which are very inexpensive, are what I
commonly use. After that, we can line the insides of the covers by
pasting down on them a leaf of the end paper. And only one more thing
now remains to be done, that is to letter a label neatly, and to paste
it on the back.
$Scrap Book and Index.$--Keep _two_ scrap-books--one for cuttings and
the other for notes. The scrap-book might be made of brown paper. Take
an ordinary quarto exercise-book, with about 100 pages in it, and set
apart the first fifteen pages for forming the index, for a scrap-book
or a note-book without an index is as absurd as a public library
without a catalogue. On the first page of your scrap-book write, in
clear style, your name and address. Next, put the date on which you
commenced to insert cuttings in the book. And then you might add an
appropriate motto. How would this title-page do?
[Illustration:
"When found make a note of."
CAPTAIN CUTTLE.
* * * * *
MY
NEWSPAPER
CUTTINGS.
* * * * *
FREDERICK COWLEY,
14, ABBEY ROAD, KNUTSFORD.
_Commenced Jan. 25th_, 1910.
]
[Illustration: Fig. A.]
Having finished the all-important question of a title-page, which might
be much more ornamental than the one above, begin the index on page 2
of the book.
Take a strip of paper of the same length as the pages in your book,
and by doubling it in half twice and then dividing it into three equal
parts, mark it off into twelve portions, as shown in Fig. B.
[Illustration: Fig. B. STRIP, THE SAME LENGTH AS THE PAGE. 1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12]
Now place your strip alongside of the edge of page 2, and rule a line
on the page exactly where the figure 1 has been put. Only a tiny line,
about three-quarters of an inch in length, is needed. On page 3, again
place your strip along the edge, and rule a line where the figure 2
occurs. On page 4 rule a line where the figure 3 is; on page 5 rule a
line where the figure 4 is; on page 6 rule a line where the figure 5
is; and so on, till on page 12 you rule a line where the figure 11 is.
I expect you see why I have done this. Now neatly cut from the bottom
of page 2 a strip, three-quarters of an inch wide, as far as the line
you have ruled. This will leave at the top of the page a piece of paper
jutting out. On this write the letters [A | B] in ink. Then on page 3
cut your strip three-quarters of an inch wide, up to the ruled line,
and write [C | D] on the little square which projects underneath [A |
B]; and continue to write two letters of the alphabet on each page till
you get to page 12, when you must write [UV | W]. On page 13 you can
write [XY | Z]. Now your index is complete so far as the lettering. The
edge of your book should look something like Fig. C.
If you want the index to look still better, you should write the
letters alternately in red and black ink.
On the first line of page 2 in your book put A, and turning over the
leaf write B on the top line. On page 3 write C, and turning overleaf
write D upon the top line. Thus you will have allotted a page to each
letter in the alphabet, with the exception of the last six letters. I
think I should put on the top line of page 12 U V, and overleaf write
W, as W needs more room than U V. On page 13 write X Y, and overleaf Z.
[Illustration: Fig. C.]
Now that the mysteries of what the bookbinders call "index cutting"
have been overcome, nothing remains to be done in the way of preparing
your scrap-book for the reception of the numerous newspaper cuttings
which I hope will find a home therein.
We will suppose you are interested in cricket. Here comes the
usefulness of your book. When the averages of the County Cricket are
published you can cut out the list and paste it in your book, and enter
in your index, under C, the fact thus: "Cricket, County Averages, 25,"
the 25 referring to the page on which you have pasted the cutting.
When Brown _minor_ is trying to prove that his county of Kent was
third on the list, you will be able to convince him of his error by
a reference to the page in your scrap-book, whereon you have pasted
a cutting headed "County Championship." Reserve a few pages in your
book for cuttings from the comic papers. You have no idea, until you
commence, how interesting and engrossing your scrap-book will prove.
In the newspapers there are so many curious little incidents recorded
as to swimming, cycling, football, science, which you will be glad
to preserve for future reference. Then, any little facts about your
favourite hero may well find a place in your book. And when you have
filled one book, commence another, and thus manufacture your own
library of "best bits."
[Illustration: Fig. 1]
[Illustration: Fig. 2.]
[Illustration: Fig. 3.]
$Net Making.$--In Fig. 1 we have a netting needle and the way of
filling it, in Fig. 2 a mesh stick. The stick may be almost any shape
and about nine inches long. It regulates the mesh of the net, for
the mesh is twice the circumference of the stick, so you may make a
coarse net for tennis or a finer one to protect your strawberries, or a
hammock net, or any kind you wish. Fix a hook into a wall or door, or
in some other similar position. Take a piece of twine, a foot long will
serve, tie the ends together, and hang the circle A thus made over
the hook as in Fig. 3. Take the needle in your right hand and pass it
through the loop. At B hold the loop and the twine that comes from the
needle. Now cast a turn of the twine so that it rests on the upper part
of your left hand and wrist, and also over loop A. Next pass the needle
in an upward direction, pulling slowly and finishing with a tight knot.
What makes the knot is shown at Fig. 4. In Fig. 5 the knot loose and
tight is shown.
[Illustration: Fig. 4.]
[Illustration: Fig. 5.]
[Illustration: Fig. 6.]
[Illustration: Fig. 7.]
[Illustration: Fig. 8.]
Slowly as this is done a time will come when you can do it rapidly.
When you have tightened the knot, hold the mesh stick in the left hand,
lay the twine over the stick with the knot resting at its edge, as in
Fig. 6. Pass the needle through the loop that has thus been made, pull
the twine firmly round your mesh stick, then throw a turn of the twine
over your wrist and so make the same knot again. Throw the twine once
more round the stick and make one more stitch through our old friend
loop A. At this stage slip all you have done from your mesh stick,
and you will find two half meshes attached to your loop A. In Fig. 7
these are shown as 1 and 2. Treat 1 and 2 as you treated loop A, that
is first in 2 make 3 and 4 in 1. Now you have your first completed
mesh, 4. Mesh 5 also is made on 1, the knots being one on the top of
the other. Now go on in the same way, making the meshes in the order
that you find them numbered in Fig. 7. The taking of two stitches
through the last mesh of each row is the widening process, and this
operation is maintained to the end of the net as far as the top edge is
concerned. On the other edge, however, as soon as you have reached the
width you need you must change this policy to that of taking the stitch
through the last two meshes of the preceding row as in Fig. 8. When
the net is as long as you need it this narrowing as it is called is
applied to both edges, and the fourth corner is finished off by taking
the stitch through the last two meshes. Then they should be tied fast.
Do not widen or narrow at the wrong edges as you work. To prevent this
mistake some netters lie a piece of ribbon upon the top or narrowing
edge.
Nets for fishing and for such pursuits may be made in this way. First
make a square, then go along the edges of the square, narrowing at
regular intervals until the net is of the size needed. Gloves may be
worn if the fingers become chafed, or the knots may be drawn tight in
such a way that the strain is on the needle and not on the finger. When
a new needleful is commenced be sure to make the first knot very firm.
Among the useful articles that may be made in this way are tennis nets,
onion bags, nets for the protection of growing fruit, and hammock nets.
$Photographic Enlargements.$--There are so many excellent sources,
easily available, from which boys may learn how to use their cameras,
so many developers, toners, and fixers ready to their hands at the
chemist's, that we have not occupied space here with a general
dissertation upon photography. We think, however, a chapter on
enlargements will be welcome. The rapid development of bromide printing
paper, and the ease by which enlargements may be produced thereon,
has created quite a new era in amateur photography. No longer is it
necessary to carry about an unwieldy heavy kit, which destroys half the
pleasure of the amateur, when "on pictures bent," for now he may make
use of even the smallest form of camera, and enlarge his pictures when
he has returned from his meanderings. Enlargements may be produced in
several ways. The negative itself may be enlarged, or what is simpler
still a direct enlargement may be made on bromide paper. The latter
may be easily effected in two ways--(1) by means of daylight, or (2)
by artificial light. It is with the former that the writer intends to
deal in the present paper. A word first as to the kind of negative best
adapted for enlarging purposes. The quarter-plate size will be found
most suitable, and these may be successfully enlarged to 12 by 10. The
negative must be perfectly sharp, full of crisp detail, and perfect in
every way. Any small defect in a negative is fatal to its enlargement,
as it is made so much more apparent by magnification.
Most amateurs find a room at the top of the house the most convenient
for enlarging purposes, and one with only one window is best, and
that preferably with an uninterrupted view of the sky. The light
must next be excluded by pasting brown paper over the entire window,
or by having a tightly-fitting wooden frame made to answer the same
purpose. Provision is then made to fit into the frame a quarter-plate
printing frame, in which is placed the negative. By this means no
light is permitted to enter the room, save that which filters through
the negative. As a general rule, it will be found necessary to fit on
the outside of the window frame a reflector of some sort, and a piece
of white glazed board fixed at an angle will be found as effective as
anything. This will concentrate the light and produce an equal amount
of illumination over the entire negative.
The arrangement of the camera calls next for consideration. If the
camera possessed by the would-be enlarger is one which focuses from
the front, no adaptation of any sort will be required. All that is
necessary is to place an oblong table close to the window, so arranging
it that the camera when placed thereon will be on the same level as the
negative. The ground-glass at the back of the camera being removed,
place the camera as near to the negative as possible, which must have
its film side facing the room. To prevent any escape of light through
the body of the camera there should be as little space as possible
between the negative and the camera, a black cloth being thrown over
the end of the latter to make quite certain. At the other end of the
table is fixed the enlarging board, on which the bromide is affixed by
means of drawing pins. The farther this board is from the lens, the
greater the enlargement, of course. A few experimental trials will soon
show the tyro the proper distance the board should be placed, and this
discovered, the place should be marked for future reference.
It will be found a great convenience to have a piece of ruby glass
fixed in the end of the lens cap, as this will enable the operator to
see the full size of the image on the enlarging board, and thus obviate
any difficulty as to the exact spot in which the bromide paper should
be. The greatest difficulty experienced by the beginner in enlarging
is undoubtedly the gauging of the correct exposure. Light varies so,
that it will be found necessary to give the same negative longer or
shorter exposures at different times. The best plan is to make a table
of approximate exposures by experimenting with a few strips of bromide
paper, giving each a different exposure. These strips should then be
pasted in a note-book for any future reference, together with the
following particulars:--(1) Time of day and year; (2) intensity of
the light; (3) density of negative; (4) brand of paper; and (5) size
of the enlargement. An observant worker will soon master all these
little difficulties, and when once success has been achieved, enlarging
pictures from small negatives will be found to be one of the most
interesting branches of photographic operations.
$Magic Lantern Slides.$--Draw first on paper the figures you wish to
paint, lay the paper on the table, and cover it over with a piece
of glass of the right size and shape. Draw the outlines with a fine
camel's hair pencil or a pen, in black paint mixed with varnish, and
when this is dry, add the proper colours. The transparent colours are
alone to be used in this kind of painting, and these include aureolin,
gamboge, Italian pink, Indian yellow, madder lake, crimson lake,
Prussian blue, indigo, burnt sienna, madder brown, vandyke brown, lamp
black. Ox gall will cause the colours to flow more easily on glass.
Be careful that the glass is not greasy. Both water colours and oil
colours are available.
An easy way to make diagrams and other outline drawings for the magic
lantern is to take a piece of frosted glass of the right size and draw
upon it, using Indian ink. The frost enables you to do this, but would
prevent the maximum of light passing through the glass when it was in
the lantern. Accordingly, to remove the frost now that it has served
its purpose, pour Canada balsam upon it, cover with another piece of
glass and bind the two pieces together as other magic lantern slides
are bound.
A curious effect may be obtained by a magic lantern slide made as
follows:--Tint vaseline with cochineal and place some between glasses
of the magic lantern slide size, making a kind of vaseline sandwich.
Put this slide in the lantern and focus it, and then insert a knife
point a little way between the two pieces of glass and so let them be
alternately forced asunder and drawn together. The effect upon the
vaseline as seen upon the sheet is very peculiar.
$Three Ways of Making a Hectograph.$--It happens often that a boy,
especially if he be the secretary of a cricket or football club, needs
to send away many letters or notices, all alike; and few things are so
wearisome as this writing of the same thing over and over again. If he
will make for himself a hectograph he need write his notice no more
than once and yet he may have more copies than he is likely to need.
Here is the mixture that will prove so useful: gelatine, 4 ounces;
glycerine, 15 fluid ounces; carbolic acid, 1/2 fluid ounce; water, 15
fluid ounces. First add the water to the gelatine and let it stand
until the gelatine is quite soft. Now place all this in the glycerine
and heat it over the fire until the gelatine has been dissolved, and
then until the water has passed away in steam. The carbolic acid is to
keep the mixture from turning sour, and it must be added gradually now,
before cooling begins. Pour the whole into some shallow tray like the
lid of one of those square tin boxes in which grocers keep biscuits.
When the mixture has become firm and cold it is ready to be used.
Get a bottle of aniline ink and write or sketch whatever you desire
to multiply. When the ink is dry place your letter or drawing face
downwards upon the pad you have made with the gelatine. Rub the back
of the paper with your hand to force the ink upon the gelatine. When
the paper has been upon the hectograph for some time strip it off and
you will find that your drawing or writing has been transferred to the
gelatine. If you now press clean paper upon this drawing or writing it
will be printed upon the paper, and so you may have copy after copy.
When you have as many as you need clean the surface of the hectograph
for the next time you wish to use it. This may be done with a soft
sponge and tepid water, but this process being rather tedious, most
boys will be pleased to hear of an easier method, though it causes the
hectograph in time to lose its clean appearance. Put it in the oven and
let it melt, and when it is cold again it will be ready for the next
letter or drawing.
The following is another way to make a hectograph: Take of pure
glycerine, 9 parts; water, 6 parts; barium sulphate, 3 parts; sugar,
1-1/2 parts; gelatine, 1-1/2 parts. Mix well together, and allow all
to stand for twenty-four hours; then heat gently over a slow fire
until the whole is melted, stirring continuously until the various
ingredients are thoroughly amalgamated. It may now be poured into the
shallow tin or dish prepared to receive it, and allowed to stand for
a day where it will be free from dust. It should not be used until
absolutely cold and firm.
Here is another method we have found very successful. Take 2 ounces
of fine Russian glue and 4 fluid ounces of cold water. Let the glue
steep in the water until the water has been absorbed, or nearly so.
Now place the glue and water in a vessel upon the fire until the glue
melts. It need not boil. Add eight fluid ounces of common glycerine and
six drops of carbolic acid, and also as much Paris white as will make
the solution milky. Stir well and then pour the mixture into a shallow
tray. In about twelve hours it will have set. For ink Judson's purple
dye will serve.
$How to Make a Filter.$--You should procure a common flower-pot, nine
or ten inches deep. Put in a layer of animal charcoal two inches thick.
Wood charcoal may be used, but animal charcoal--that is charcoal made
from bones--is best. On this put a layer of well washed sand. For the
way to wash sand see page 132. The layer is two inches thick. Then
comes a two-inch layer of small pebbles, each about as large as a pea.
At the hole at the bottom of the flower-pot should be a fragment of
brick which fits the hole loosely. Put the filter on a stool or on a
shelf. There should be a hole in the stool or shelf to correspond with
the hole in the flower-pot, and under the hole a vessel to catch the
filtered water. The first drops that come through the filter may not be
clear, but in about a quarter of an hour clear water will commence to
issue from the hole in the bottom of the flower-pot. Take out the sand
and the pebbles and wash them thoroughly once in six weeks, and once in
four months replace the vegetable charcoal.
$The Syphon.$--In aquarium work and in other occupations it is
necessary sometimes to empty water from a vessel by means of a syphon.
Suppose that we wish to empty a bucket. The simplest thing would be to
take the bucket and turn it upside down. Suppose, however, the bucket
were fast and could not be moved, or suppose there were some dregs or
sediment in the bucket which we did not wish to disturb, then we should
find a syphon useful. Suppose a bucket is on a table. One end of a pipe
is in the water in the bucket and the other end is dangling down. Now
if we can once induce the water to flow through the pipe the water will
continue to run, although at first it has to run up-hill a little, a
most unwaterlike proceeding. There are two ways of inducing the flow.
If you take the lower end of the pipe and suck, water will be brought
over the elbow. Or if before you put the pipe in position you fill it
with water, it will flow, and in each case it will continue to flow
until it has emptied the bucket; that is, if the pipe reaches to the
bottom of the bucket.
$How to Make a Fountain.$--A fountain is based on the principle that
water strives to find its own level. The water tries to rise as high
as the reservoir which feeds it, and would succeed, but the pressure
of the air prevents it. In a U tube the water keeps at the same level
in each part of the tube, but if you were to cork one arm of the tube
it would not come so high there, because the air would not allow it.
The writer of this article when he was a boy made fountains for a fern
rockery and for a garden aquarium in the following simple way:--Upon
the garden wall he placed a bucket. At the bottom of the bucket he
punched a hole and inserted one end of a length of india-rubber tube
bought from a shop where they sell the appliances for the teaching of
chemistry. At the same place he bought some pieces of glass tubing of
such a size that it would fit inside the rubber tubing. Explain to the
man in the shop, and he will know exactly what you need. Take a few
inches of the tube and hold the middle of it in the gas flame, or in
a Bunsen burner if you have one. When the glass is soft draw the ends
asunder gently, and you will find you have two pieces of glass shaped
like a fountain-pen filler. It may be that one end of each of these two
pieces of tube may have been closed by this process, but all that needs
to be done is to file the sharp point until you have come to where
the tube is open again. This serves for the nozzle of the fountain.
There were no fountain pens when the author made his fountain, and it
has just occurred to him that perhaps the best thing would be to buy
a fountain pen-filler at once and have your nozzle ready-made. If you
make your own you may not get it right first time. It may be crooked
or the opening too large or too small. However, there will be this
advantage, you may make many nozzles, and so by changing them have a
variety of sprays. The finer the opening the higher will be the jet. It
is not difficult to apply the fountain to an aquarium. For a rockery it
will be easy to arrange the pipe and nozzle, and to fix it in position
with the stones.
$Case for Shaving Papers.$--Decide upon the size of paper you like
best. Cut a piece of millboard, celluloid, or even thin wood the same
size, and upon this paint an attractive design. Now cut a strip of
the same material as wide as this piece, but only an inch, or less,
deep. Arrange piece, paper and strip as in the sketch. A is the piece
of millboard, B the sheets of paper, C the strip. At D E F bore holes
and secure the whole with paper fasteners put through these. This pad
may hang upon the wall with ribbon, but the design and not the strip
should hang outwards. When all the pieces of paper have been used the
paper fasteners may be unfastened, and a new set of papers introduced.
The turned-down ends of the paper fasteners are ugly and are liable to
scratch. Paste over them very neatly a strip of brown paper or other
suitable material.
$A Blotting Pad.$--A very serviceable blotting-pad may be made upon the
same principle as the case for shaving papers. The measurements only
will be different, and a pad of writing paper may be made in the same
way.
[Illustration: SHAVING PAPERS.]
[Illustration: HYGROMETER.]
$A Hygrometer.$--This is a Greek word made up of _hygros_ meaning
moist, and _metron_ a measure. It indicates how much or how little
moisture there is in the air. In the diagram is a small nail A, a
thread B, or better still, a long hair begged from your mother, sister,
or friend. C is a weight of some kind. The author had a penny that had
a hole in it. Hang this on a wall in your bedroom or in an outhouse, or
even in some sheltered place out of doors. When you hang it up rule a
line at D, and put the date. In damp weather the weight will rise, in
dry it will descend so you may rule other lines showing where it was
at different times of the year. The hair should be as free from oil as
possible. You may have noticed that the clothes line slackens in dry
weather, and tightens on rainy days, and this applies also to the cords
of the window blinds. There is a story that when some men were putting
a London monument in position, by a miscalculation it needed to be
raised just a few inches more, and this elevation the men were unable
to bring about. At last, from the crowd that had gathered to watch the
proceedings, a sailor bawled, "Wet the ropes." They wetted the ropes,
and up went the heavy monument into its right place.