SMOKE AND SMOKERS. 



398 



SMOKE AND SMOKERS. 



Ki i. I —It is very seldom that a grate becomes so 

 lilled up that it has to be cleaned; but wlien 

 this does happen it is the work of only a mo- 

 ment to insort the point of a file in one of the 

 holes and lift out the grate, as here shown. Jt 

 pays to keep the graies clean. There are a 

 larg'er number of holes near ihe outside of the 

 g-fate than in the center, consequently the fuel 

 burns evenly and does not throw sparks until 

 it is all consumed. 



way, but at the same time it is well to spend 

 about ten seconds once a week or so with a 

 screw-driver in cleaning off this accumula- 

 tion. We have seen smokers with caps or 

 nozzles so filled with creosote that they 

 would not fit down over the fire-box at all, 

 and of course leaked smoke very badly or 

 else had to be pounded on the top with a 

 stick. It takes but little time to remove 

 the greater part of the creosote so that the 

 parts will fit. Most smokers are made with 

 the caps a trifle large ; and while they leak 



smoke at first the collection of creosote will 

 stop this in a short time. 



Sometimes beginners in their eagerness to 

 test new smokers work the bellows so vigor- 

 ously as to blow fire from the nozzle, and 

 before they know it the fire-box is red-hot. 

 This means, of course, that the tin is all 

 burnt off, leaving the bare iron to rust 

 through in a short time. There is usually 

 no need of having a hot flame in the fire-box, 

 for this implies perfect combustion; while 

 the secret of getting lots of smoke is to have 

 imperfect combiistion. Sometimes this is a 

 fault of the fuel. It is best to use fuels that 

 burn slowly. 



While it is impossible to avoid dropping a 

 smoker once in a while, still we think as a 



Fio. 5.— How to hold the smoker when raising the 

 cap. Compress the bellows in orJcr to give 

 the fingers a firmer hold. 



FiG. 6.— Tiic o.ii.v^nieiice of a hoo <> i i,.e back 

 of the bellows. The smoker is a ways at hand 

 at a second's notice. 



rule bee-smokers are handled pretty roughly. 

 It does not take long to learn to use reason- 

 able care in handling a smoker, whereby it 

 will last enough longer to pay. 



When a fuel is used in which there is a 

 good deal of pitch it is sometimes difficult to 

 raise the cap or nozzle after the fire is out 

 and the met il has become cold. We have 

 known of instances where the cap had been 

 battered almost out of shape after being 

 stuck down ?olid. It is always best where 

 such fuel is used to raise the cap when put- 

 ting the smoker away. If it is left open 

 there will be no sticking. 



