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Popular Science Monthly 



An Improved Vacuum Bottle 



ANEW type of vacuum l)ottlc made 

 entirely of steel with a pure white 

 porcelain enamel lining — will shortly be 

 placed upon the market. The steel 

 bottle is the in\ention of Mr. William 

 Stanley, who perfected the bottle while 

 engaged with other scientists, notably 

 Dr. Ir\ing Langmuir, in studying heat 

 insulation. 



This new bottle is non-breakable and 

 the inventor claims about ten per cent, 

 more efficiency for it ihan the glass bot- 

 tles heretofore in use. It overcomes the 

 well-known scientific fact that all metals 

 ha\'c buried within them and condensed 

 on their surface varying amounts of 

 gases, which in their total amount to sur- 

 prising quantities, being many times the 

 actual volume of the metal. When a 

 high vacuum is produced adjacent to a 

 metal surface these gases free themselves 

 slowly and for a long time continue to 

 appear in the vacuous space. 



The inventor believes that this phe- 

 nomenon of occluded gas was responsible 

 for the failure to obtain in metal-wall 

 vessels results obtained in glass vacuum- 

 bottles. He, therefore, obtained the de- 

 sired result, not by spacing the inner and 

 outer wall extremely close together, but 

 by filling the vacuous space between the 

 walls witii a very fuiely divided metal so 

 prepared as to be incapable of giving off 

 gas at a vacuum or even to be absorptive 

 of gas in the vacuum. By this procedure 

 each air space enclosed between the 

 granules of the finely fitted material 

 Ijecomes a vacuous space of 

 which the granules form the 

 vacuum walls. 



The bottle is made by 

 electrical welding which makes 

 the joints not only vacuum 

 light but stronger than the 

 sheet metal itself. Although 

 built up of a number of parts 

 this container is one .solid 

 metal unit when coiupleted. 

 The method of construct ion 

 eliminates all danger of break- 

 ing at the joints. In fact the 

 bottle is claimed to be prac- 

 tically indestructible under 

 even the most strenuous usage 

 short of smashing with an 

 axe with malicious inlciit. 



Vacuous Space Filled 

 with Finely Divided 



Metal 



Facilitates Boiling Water 



THIS novel 

 idea of a 

 tube-kettle will 

 be found to give 

 very satisfactory 

 results where 

 water is re(|uired 

 to be boiled in 

 one-third to half 

 the usual time. 



The sketch 

 shows an ordi- 

 nary kettle so 

 fitted, five holes 

 being bored to correspond, both top and 

 bottom. 



In these holes tubes of half-inch to 

 one inch bore are fitted, the bore varying 

 according to the kettle's size, after which 

 they are well soldered to prevent leakage. 

 Kettles fitted with these tubes are 

 suitable for use on either gas stoves or a 

 closed range, and are also rendered suit- 

 able for open grates by fitting corks in 

 the top of the tubes to prevent any smok- 

 ing. 



Practically all kinds of kettles may be 

 readily converted into tube-kettles in 

 this way. — George M. Holden. 



Using Waterproof Lutes 

 TDOILED linseed oil, thickened 



with 

 lead, 

 Care 



Water May Be Boiled 



in One Third of the 



Usual Time 



X3 clay, asbestos, or red or white 



forms a good waterproof lute. 



should be taken to make it thick enough. 

 Flaxseed meal made into a stiff paste 



with water is useful for steam con- 

 nections and is easily ap- 

 plied. 



I'ortland cement is water- 

 proof onK' when gi\-en time 

 for preliminary setting to take 

 place. It is not generally 

 impervious to water, and be- 

 cause of its colloidal character 

 while setting, it seems incred- 

 ible that it could ever act 

 other than as a water-pervious 

 diaphragm. When firmly set 

 antl dry, however, the colloid 

 character is lost. For practi- 

 cal (iur[)oses, jireparationscon- 

 taining metallic soaps or oil 

 enmlsions serve to render con- 

 crete approximately imper- 

 \ious to water. 



HEAVILY NICKELED 

 CUP— LARGE 5CE 

 SANITARY NECK 

 POURING SURFACE 

 PORCELAIN 



COVERED 

 HEAVILY NICKEtLD 



THREAD PItCt 

 RUGCEO STftL 

 OUTSIDC WELL 



PURE WHITE 



PORCELAIN 



ENAMEL LININi 

 STEEL. IN5IDI 

 ■SMELL 



STEEU SurPOKTS 

 METALLIC 

 tXHAUSnON TUBE 

 -HEAI^ 5IEEL 



Bonon 



