940 



ropiihtr Science Monthly 



A Makeshift Syphon Fashioned from 

 Paper Tubes and a Thread Spool 



THE following plan proved very success- 

 ful for drawing wine from a jar 

 without disturbing the sediments, at a 

 time when a syphon was not available. 

 A li-in. hole was bored in the side of a 

 common spool on a 45 dcg. angle with the 

 hole already running through the spool. I 

 then rolled a couple of sheets of clean 

 paper into tubes and inserted one into 

 ihc hole just bored and the other into the 

 other hole, making the syphon in the form 

 of an inverted V. The hole in the top of 

 spool was tightly corked and my make- 

 shift syphon was ready for business. That 

 it proved satisfactory goes without saying. 

 Such a syphon can be utilized in photogra- 

 phy for removing the clear fluid from mixed 

 chemicals. — Edwi.x R. Mason. 



Utilizing the Waste Heat from an 

 Open Fireplace 



ALMOST all the heat produced in a fire- 

 I^lace located in a wall between the 

 living-room and the dining-room of a 

 certain house was used for heating the water 

 for the bath and to heat the dining-room in 

 the following manner: A coil of pipe was 

 put in the opening just back of tiie flames 



mantel was placed a fireiess cooker, built 

 into the chimney-breast directly against 

 the brick and lined with jisbestos. The 



A coil of pipe is run in the fireplace 

 to heat the water in the range boiler 



and connected to a range-boiler. Pipes 

 were run from the boiler to the bath and 

 sink. Instead of a solid brick back to the 

 fireplace a thin wall of metal was inserted 

 in the dining-room side. A false mantel 

 with open grill-work covered the metal 

 wall. /Xbove the grill-work and on the 



On the opposite side and in the dining-room 

 is a false fireplace with a thin backwall 



exterior finish of the cooker was made 

 ornamental so that it did not look at all like 

 a cooking utensil. — Mrs. H. Coldwater. 



Eliminating Trouble with Toilet 

 Flush-Tanks 



MUCH trouble is experienced with 

 toilet flush-tanks where the chain 

 pull is installetl. Wiu'n the bowl is flushed 

 the chain is nearly always piflled down and 

 outwards instead of straight down, as it 

 should be pulled. When the chain is 

 pulled outward it will eventually throw the 

 inner working parts out of line, thereby 

 preventing the valve from closing tighlK-. 

 A good way to a\'oid this is to turn a 

 screw-eye into the bottom cxige ot the 

 flush-box (lirectK- under the arm to which 

 the chain is fastened, running the chain 

 through this screw-eye. This prevents th.e 

 chain from being pulled out\vard when 

 flushing the bowl. 



Aluminum Alloy for Patterns and 

 Core Boxes 



A MIXTURE of 130 parts aluminum. 25 

 p.irts zinc and 10 parts ferro-zinc is 

 an excellent alloy from which to make pat- 

 terns and core boxes. It also makes a 

 casting that is strong and light and at the 

 same tinu- inexpensi\'e. It is easih- mixed 

 in the crucible .mil the resultant met.il has 

 a very attractive smooth finish. 



