J I < M 



i FOR PRACTICAL 

 WORKERS 



>» 



How to Make an Air Operated Metal 

 Punch for the Shop 



THE junk pile around a shop usually 

 affords parts that may be of use 

 from time to time. The 

 punch here illustrated was 

 made from such material. 

 As it was necessary to punch 

 a great many holes in some 

 braces used in cars at a rail- 

 road shop, the master me- 

 chanic made up plans for 

 using an old 8-in. 

 brake cylinder for 

 the power which 

 was taken from a 

 wrecked freight 

 car. This cylinder 

 was operated on 

 about 100 lb. press- 

 ure, and its power, 

 applied through 

 levers, punched 

 holes 9/16 in. in 

 diameter in rough 

 stock 3^2 in. thick. 

 The controlling 

 mechanism was 

 made from a globe 

 valve, changed to 

 act like a whistle 

 valve, the connec- 

 tions being made 



to a pedal. Metal punch operated by 

 an air brake cylinder 



Keeping Foods and Eggs Fresh on 

 Camping Trips 



HAVING a touring car rigged out for 

 camping, it became a problem how 

 to keep butter and meat fresh. This 

 problem was very satisfactorily solved by 

 taking a single fireless cooker and clamp- 

 ing it to the running board of the car. A 



hole was bored in the bottom through 



to the inside and a brass tube placed 



in it, care being taken to solder the 



tube to the zinc lining -^f the fireless 



cooker. Then a hole was bored in the 



running board of 



the car to run the 



tube through. A 



wire rack was then 



made which came 



half way up the 



fireless cooker. Ice 



was put in at the 



bottom, then the 



rack and then on 



top of that the 



stuff to keep. 



In one trip this 

 improvised refrig- 

 erator was so effi- 

 cient that it kept 

 the ice for three whole days and 

 three whole nights with the 

 weather pretty warm. This was 

 because the fireless cooker is 

 pretty well insulated. 



Another little trick is to keep 

 eggs while camping. These were 

 kept in mighty good condition 

 by placing them in a friction top 

 tin which can be obtained at all 

 camping supply stores. This tin 

 is on the same principle as the 

 little tins in which you find spices 

 and other commodities. First 

 the tin was partly filled with 

 ground cork. The cork, the kind in which 

 grapes are packed, can be procured at 

 fruit stores. Each egg is put in sepa- 

 rately so that one will not touch another 

 and surrounded by cork. Each tin will 

 hold 14 eggs. These tins can be packed 

 closely in a box and there need be no 

 fear of breakage as the cork will absorb 

 all blows and shocks. 



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