946 



Popular Science Monthly 



An Inexpensive and Effective 

 Water Cooler 



IN the usual gas-engine installation the 

 water is circulated through a large tank 

 where it is cooled by radiation. Ordi- 

 narily this process answers every purpose, 



cold 1X6 



Perforations Feed pan i 



\X — — ^ 



Numerous boards arranged in a rack to 

 spread the water for cooling it in the air 



but in the case of small ice plants, now 

 becoming rather common, a much greater 

 cooling effect is desired. The accompany- 

 ing illustration shows a simple and yet very 

 effective cooler in which the cooling 

 principle utilized is that of evaporation. 

 The apparatus is easy to construct and 

 the cost is low, as it is made almost 

 entirely of wood. 



Briefly stated, the method consists in 

 emptying the heated water into a long, 

 narrow galvanized-iron pan, perforated 

 along each side with a series of small holes. 

 The water drips in fine streams through 

 these and falls on a board inclined toward 

 one side, which becomes thoroughly and 

 uniformly wet on its upper side. The 

 water then trickles off the lower edge onto 

 a similar board inclined in the opposite 

 direction. The wetting action is here 

 repeated and the water falls onto a third 

 fjoard, and so on for twenty or thirty 

 drops, according to the cooling capacity 

 desired. It is finally caught by another 

 galvanized iron pan at the bottom, from 

 which it is pumped for use again. 



Aside from its cheapness and ease of 



construction, the wood has a distinct 

 advantage over metal in that the water 

 spreads out in a uniform layer, whereas 

 on metal the tendency of the water is to 

 trickle down in small irregular streams. 



The cross-sectional diagram clearly 

 shows the relation of the sloping boards 

 and the two pans, while an idea of the 

 general appearance will be gained from 

 the perspective view. When used on the 

 shady side of a building, in a region where 

 the humidity is low, the evaporation is 

 rapid and the cooling effect really re- 

 markable. — John D. Adams. 



Renewing a Worn Artist's Brush 

 by Repointing It 



THE points of sable or camel's-hair 

 brushes such as are used by artists 

 rapidly wear away, thus rendering them 

 practically worthless. 



An apparently worthless brush may be 

 restored by dipping the bristles in glue, 

 pointing it as well as possible at the time. 

 When thoroughly hardened the brush is 

 repointed on a sharpening stone the same 

 as if it were a steel point. It can be done 

 even more rapidly by holding against a 

 slowly revolving emery wheel. The glue 

 is then dissolved by immersing in hot 

 water. — L. B. Robbins. 



A Spring Lock for the Cover of a 

 Garbage Can 



THIS lock is for attaching to an 

 ordinary garbage can, built like a 

 pail having a bail. The spring catch, as 

 illustrated, is riveted to the can cover, 



SPEING BRASS CATCH 



z 



LID- 



CflN- 



Spring catch on a garbage can cover to hold 

 it in place with bail in upright position 



the upper part snapping under the bail 

 when it is in an upright position for car- 

 rying. —P. P. Avery. 



