408 



Popvhir Scieiice Monthly 



An Easily Constructed Holder for 

 the Broom 



A SIMPLE little article which maybe 

 made by a novice from a few pieces 

 of wood is a holder for a broom. It is 

 designed to lengthen the life of the 

 broom by saving the wear on the 

 bristles and also to operate auto- 

 matically. 



Take a board 5 ins. by 7 ins. by }4 in. 

 thick, and round ofif the top ij/g ins. 

 to hang up holder, as shown in the 

 illustration. Take a i-in. board 5^ ins. 



by 2 



from 



H 



ms., cutting out a slot, f^ 



the top, i^.i ins. wide, tapering 



out a circular disk i in. thick and i^f< in. 

 in diameter and place this in the slot. 

 Nail on the long edge a I in. strip, yg in. 

 wide, which will lea\-e a space i^s 'ns. 

 wide between the strip and part contain- 

 ing the circular disk. 



To complete, nail across the front a 

 piece of -^s-'n- board 2^4 ins. by 5^^ ins. 



\Mien hanging up the broom place the 

 top of the handle in the groove, push up- 

 wards, and let go. The circular disk will 

 fall into place, securely locking the 

 handle. To release broom, push up- 

 wards. — Henry C. Fr.\nke, Jr. 



A Weed Destroyer from a Spoon 

 and Broom-Handle 



A HANDY weed destroyer for use on 

 the lawn is made of the handle of an 

 old kitchen spoon and a broomstick. 

 The eye of the spoon handle is cut out 

 with a file, leaving two prongs, as shown 

 and the inside edges arc then sharpened 

 and the small end of the handle is set in 

 the end of a broomstick. Fig. i. 



With this tool one may easily and 

 quickly cut off small weeds an inch or so 

 below the grountl without disturbing the 

 sod. 



If one prefers to pull the weeds, simply 



BROOM STICK 



WIRE BAND 



niTCHEN SPOON HANDLE 



Fiai 



Showing the Automatic Action of Cir- 

 cular Disk Which Holds Broom in Place 



The Two Prongs are Sharpened so They 



May Be Used Simply to Cut Off the Tops 



or to Uproot Weeds 



nail a small block of wood to the under- 

 side of the tool near the prongs to form a 

 fulcrum. Fig. 2. The weeds ma\- then 

 be prii'd out of the ground, roots and 

 all. — F. H. LiNTiiilM. 



Correcting Pliers Which Bind 



El.KCTRICTANS know how tiresome 

 and annoying arc pliers that are 

 difliciilt to operate. This binding re- 

 sults because the pliers have been 

 dropped upon a hard surface or have 

 been lieid in the fkinie of a blow-torch 

 when holding terminal lugs for soldering. 



This trouble can be remedied by 

 wrapping a wet rag around the jaws, and 

 leaving the joint exposed. The joint is 

 then heated in the Hamc of a blow- 

 torch, care being taken to have tiic rag 

 thoroughh' wet while heating, to avoid 

 drawing llie temjier out of the jaws. 



When hot, remove the rag and 

 inimediaU'h' |)lungc the [iliers in cold 

 water, closing antl ojiening tlic jaws to 

 their full width until they are cold. 

 DrN' thoroughly, and apply oil to the 

 joint by working it in. After this 

 process your pliers will work as easily as 

 ever. — George Niedekuoff. 



