_A Maxim Gun._--For this two wheels, each about 2-1/2 in. across, must
be constructed in the manner described above.
The body of the machine is easier to make than describe. Fig. 27 shows
the under side. A small match box is taken and along one long edge of
the top a piece of stale is glued, projecting 1/4 in. at each end. This
stale is the axle. Two full-length stales are then glued so that they
meet at the end furthest from the axle. To render these projecting
pieces more stable, a triangular piece of veneer is glued across them at
the place of meeting.
[Illustration: FIG. 27.]
The two wheels are then fixed in position by means of doll pins. For the
front of the machine a screen is required, and a piece of veneer or card
is cut as shown in Fig. 28, and glued to the front edge of the match
box. Through the hole in this screen will project the actual gun itself.
For this a piece of wooden skewer or slender dowel will do. This can be
attached to the top of the box by means of glue, and can be wedged up
into a horizontal position if found to slant too much.
[Illustration: FIG. 28.]
A coat of dull grey paint will add greatly to the realistic appearance
of this interesting little toy.
Many other things can be made, too, for use when playing with toy
soldiers. One such model is
_A Step Bridge_, as shown in Fig. 29. This is a very pretty little
model, and one quite delightful to make. For it we require four 1-3/4
in. or 2-1/4 in. match boxes, a piece of cardboard or veneer, and some
match stales.
[Illustration: FIG. 29.]
The cardboard should be cut to the width of the match box that is,
either 1-3/4 in. or 2-1/4 in., and to a length of 4-1/2 in. At each end
of this should be glued the side of a match box. In this way the actual
bridge itself is formed. The step is provided at each end by a match
box, lying down, and glued to the standing box.
The remaining task is the cutting and fitting of the match stales to
provide the railings--and this is the part requiring great care.
Reference to the sketch will give a much better idea of the design than
any amount of explanation. The stales will be cut to the following
lengths: two at 4-1/2 in., eight at 2-1/2 in., and four at 2 in. You can
finish off your model by pointing some of the stales; but this is not
at all necessary if you have used a sharp knife and made clean cuts. If
in fitting up the stales you find the glue is not sufficient, you can
strengthen the important joints by use of doll pins.
One other splendid use to which match boxes and stales can be put is the
provision of the lighter sorts of furniture for the dolls' house. We
give two examples typical of the extent to which these simple materials
may be applied.
_A Doll's Umbrella Stand_ is a very happy little idea--very simple but
extremely effective. At the two ends of a small match-box tray, long
stales are glued, projecting underneath to act as short legs to keep the
tray from the ground. Near the top of these upright stales, four others
are fixed to act as a strengthening frame. These last should be secured
in place with doll pins in addition to the ordinary dab of tube glue.
Then across the frame so made should be fixed one or two short lengths
of stale in order to divide the stand into two or three compartments.
Fig. 30 shows the completed stand.
[Illustration: FIG. 30.]
_A Doll's Fender_ is another article of similar type. For this we
require a cardboard or veneer base and a number of stales. The base is
cut out so as to measure at the most 5 in. in length; 5 in. by 1-1/4 in.
is a very suitable size. Now on three sides this will have a rail,
constructed with stales alone. A pillar is required about 1/8 in. from
each corner: this pillar should be about 3/4 in. high. Stretching from
pillar to pillar and glued to the base will be three pieces--one a long
one, approximately 4-1/2 in. long, and the other two short ones, about
3/4 in. in length. Above these, and not far below the tops of the
pillars, will be fixed a parallel series of long and short rails, fixed
into position with doll pins and glue. Very short pieces glued into an
upright position between the two long parallel rails add to the
stability of the structure and improve the appearance (Fig. 31). If you
can stain the different pieces with black and brown to represent iron
and copper, then a very effective representation of a fender will be
obtained.
[Illustration: FIG. 31.]
With a little ingenuity a set of fireirons--poker, tongs, and
shovel--can be devised and constructed from match stales.
In similar fashion countless other objects can be copied in miniature
with most pleasing results. We have not space here to detail the
construction of any more; but we would suggest that some of the
following might be attempted: bedstead, table, chair, deck chair
(folding), camp bed (folding).
The construction of one or two of these will doubtless suggest many
more, and reveal to the reader the boundless possibilities of this
peculiarly fascinating pastime.
There is another broken household article on which the young toy-maker
may not cast eyes of scorn, and that is the broken clothes peg. In
skilful hands, this is capable of reconstruction to very useful ends.
In the first place, if you can use a pocket-knife with some degree of
skill, you will be able to chip out of a few broken pegs quite a
respectable set of
_Chess Men._--The pegs must be sawn across cleanly just through the
centre of the knob end: they will then stand upright. A few clean cuts
with a pocket-knife will quite easily suggest a king or a castle or a
bishop. The knight will, of course, provide most in the way of
difficulty--as he is generally shown with a horse's head. A few
painstaking attempts, however, should result in the obtaining of a
credible likeness. Fig. 32 shows the construction of a "pawn."
[Illustration: FIG. 32.]
_Skittle Men._--Another piece of work for the pocket-knife expert is the
provision of a set of funny skittle men for use in the game of catapult
skittles (see below). These can be cut out to any quaint shape, and may
be caricatures of well-known people, or of trades, &c. Much amusement
can be got out of the cutting and painting of these grotesque little
figures. Hats can be provided for them by glueing on little rings of
cardboard (Fig. 33).
[Illustration: FIG. 33.]
_A Catapult Game._--Probably every boy knows what a catapult is--and
what fun there is in the using of it. Happy young fingers pull back the
powerful elastic, and bright eyes watch the stone go whizzing away.
There is a fluttering of white wings: something falls; and there, lying
in the road, is a motionless lump of flesh and feathers--all that
remains of what was a beautiful little bird, pouring out its heart in
joyful song.
Boys who think for a minute will not want to use the catapult in that
cruel fashion: they will prefer a game in which no harm is done, in
which no innocent creature is harmed, but which provides just as much
fun. "Catapult skittles" is such a game.
It consists simply of a board with a catapult at one end, and a set of
skittles at the other. The broken peg skittles dealt with above will do
admirably for this (Fig. 34).
The catapult itself can also be made with two pegs. These should be cut
off cleanly at the forks. Two holes, about 3 in. apart, should then be
bored in the base board (for this, a piece of plank about 3 ft. or 4 ft.
long will do quite well), and the pegs screwed on (see Fig. 39 on page
34).
[Illustration: FIG. 34.]
For ammunition all you need is an unlimited number of little pieces of
cardboard, folded in two. These carry well, are quite heavy enough to
upset the skittles, and, above all, are not likely to hurt, even if they
do strike a player.
If you wish to vary the game slightly, you can rig up a "cokernut shy"
in place of the skittles. This you will find very popular at Christmas
time, particularly if you play for the nuts.
For this you want some wire hoops on which to stand the nuts. To make
these, take a piece of stiff wire about 5 in. long and bend one end in
the shape of a small circle, about 1/2 in. across. Now bend this loop so
that it is at right angles to the wire; then when the wire is upright
the circle will be horizontal (Fig. 35). Sharpen the other end with a
file. Make three or four like this, and then some more an inch shorter,
and a third lot two inches shorter. These must then be driven into the
other end of the catapult board so that they are not too close together;
otherwise the game is too easy.
[Illustration: FIG. 35.]
Now all you need is a cardboard shelter. This can be oblong at the ends
and triangular at the sides; but the shape is quite immaterial so long
as the "shy" is properly shut in. Fig. 36 shows a suitable arrangement.
[Illustration: FIG. 36.]
Another tip-top game, for the making of which you can use broken clothes
pegs, is the "_ring-board_" or "_indoor quoits_." This consists simply
of a board with a number of pegs projecting from it. The object of the
game is to throw a number of rings in such a fashion that they will
lodge on the pegs, scoring points according to the numbers marked at
each peg. The board may be hung on the wall, or else placed flat on the
floor. In the former case, the pegs must have a slightly upward slant,
so that the rings will not tumble off easily; in the latter the rings
must be upright.
To make either game, obtain a piece of wood about 18 in. square. You
will probably need to join up boards for this. If you get three pieces
of 6-in. board, each 18 in. long, and secure these side by side by means
of a couple of battens, nailed right across the back, the result will be
a square of the right size (Fig. 37).
[Illustration: FIG. 37.]
Now mark out the board as in Fig. 38. At the points where the dotted
lines cross you will fix the projecting pegs.
[Illustration: FIG. 38.]
For these last take some broken pegs, and saw them off cleanly, just
above the fork. If the board is to be a ground board, cut them quite
level; if an upright board, then slightly slanting (Fig. 39). These must
be secured in place by long thin screws driven in from the back--the
correct holes having been bored in the base board. Now give each peg a
number--assigning the higher numbers to the more difficult pegs--and
paint the number on the back board close to the peg.
[Illustration: FIG. 39.]
For rings various things can be used. Old brass curtain rings are
suitable in some respects, especially for the ground game, but they are
very noisy. Thick india-rubber rings are frequently used, and can be
purchased quite cheaply at any "games" shop. Rings made of stout cord,
or thin rope, are frequently played with, especially on board ship,
where the ground game is very popular. Should there be any difficulty in
obtaining or making any of these, then it is a very simple matter to cut
rings from a sheet of thick cardboard.
The great objection to the upright game is the nuisance of the falling
rings. This may be avoided partly by constructing a cardboard "catcher"
to fit underneath. This is simply a cardboard triangle, or rather two
right-angled triangles joined together by tape so as to bend easily and
be strong: these are nailed to the two under edges of the board (Fig.
40).
[Illustration: FIG. 40.]
Another splendid shooting toy is the _Dart Box_. For this you need a
wooden box of some sort. Size and shape do not matter very much, but a
box with ends roughly square would do best: one 15 in. long, 6 in. wide,
and 6 in. deep would be admirable for the purpose.
On the inside of one end paint a target, and number each division,
assigning higher numbers to the spots more difficult to hit (Fig. 41).
Now in the centre of the opposite end bore a circular hole with a
diameter of about 3/8 in.; and across this, on the outside of the box,
fasten a strong piece of ribbon elastic--nailing down each end with a
piece of wood (Fig. 42). For the dart, take a butcher's wooden skewer,
and into the pointed end introduce a piece of a stout needle.
[Illustration: FIG. 41.]
[Illustration: FIG. 42.]
When shooting with this toy, hold the box firmly, open the lid, fit the
dart in the hole from the inside, and draw back the elastic. When you
have taken careful aim, close down the lid and let go.
This is a capital toy, and provides endless amusement. Also it is a very
desirable one as far as shooting is concerned, for the closing down of
the lid ensures perfect safety.
While talking of making things from clothes pegs, we may as well give
particulars of one or two things which will appeal rather more to our
girl readers.
_A Key Rack_ such as that shown in Fig. 43 is just such an article as a
girl would take a delight in making, because of its simplicity and its
prettiness.
[Illustration: FIG. 43.]
The only materials required are two pegs, some hooks, and a length of
ribbon. Take the two pegs--which should be nicely turned ones--and wedge
the prongs one within the other so that the pegs remain fixed at right
angles. In doing this, push the pegs in tightly, but take care not to
split the pegs in so doing. Using a bradawl, make a hole through the
junction of the prongs, and screw in a hook: the common sort as used on
dressers, &c., will do quite well. Now bore holes midway between the
junction and the knobs, and screw in two more hooks.
If now a coat of enamel be given to the pegs--say green in colour--and
if ribbons (pale blue) be tastily arranged as shown in the sketch, then
a very pretty and useful little article will result.