612 



Popular Science Monthly 



An Inexpensive Method of Coloring 

 Electric Globes 



THIN a small portion of white shellac 

 with alcohol— a sufficient quantity to 

 cover the globe when it is dipped into the 

 liquid. Dipping the bulb into the solution 

 applies a coating that is a good substitute 

 for frosted glass. To apply an even coat it 

 is necessary to have the shellac very thin. 

 If it is desired to have colored globes, 

 procure some egg dye of the desired tint, 

 dissolve it in alcohol and mix into the 

 shellac. — George Yaste. 



Truck for Handling Filled Sacks 

 on Stairways 



ORDINARY trucks are not suitable for 

 use on stairways. The truck shown 

 was originally devised to remove a number 

 of sacks filled with fancy potatoes from 

 rooms in a basement, but it has enough 

 merit to recommend it for general purposes- 

 It is made up of two handles, two runners 



Instead of wheels two runners with both ends 

 CTirved are used in the manner of a truck 



and three braces as shown. It can be 

 pushed over a floor and pulled up a stair- 

 way, preventing the wearing of the sacks 

 or the bruising of their contents. The 

 floor and stairway in this case were of 

 concrete. — Edward R. Smith. 



How to Construct a Door-Mat , 

 of Wood Slats 



A GOOD substantial door-mat and shoe- 

 scraper that can be very easily and ^j 

 quickly made is shown in the illustration. ' 

 The crossbars are made from a number of ' 



I* — 6" — H 



The wood bars are spaced for catching the 

 mud and dirt as it is scraped from the shoes 



}/2 by 2-in. iron rods of any desired length 

 and number. Each bar is drilled 6 in. from 

 the end with a 3^-in. drill. Two iron bolts 

 of sufficient length must be obtained and 

 also a supply of i-in. sections of 3^-in. pipe 

 to be used as separators for spacing the 

 bars. The bolts are inserted in one bar; 

 then a i-in. section of the pipe, then another 

 bar, and so on, until it is complete. If the 

 nuts are not drawn up tight so that the 

 bars are allowed to move 3^ or 3^ in., they 

 will take off the mud much better, because 

 they will tilt whenever the shoe is drawn 

 across the mat. — Francis W. Nuenmacher. 



Oxidizing Iron with Fumes 

 from Acids 



VERY pleasing and durable color effects 

 can be obtained upon the surface of 

 iron articles by oxidizing with the vapor of 

 acids. Having thoroughly cleaned the 

 metal, removing all traces of grease and 

 polishing it highly, heat it and expose it to 

 the vapors given off by a mixture of nitric 

 and hydrochloric acids in equal proportions. 

 When a good bronze color is obtained allow 

 the article to cool, then coat it with vaseline 

 and heat it again. 



A wide range of colors can be produced 

 after a few trials, ranging from pale prim- 

 rose to deep brown or red. This is done by 

 varying the proportions of the acids and 

 by adding other ingredients — acetic and 

 sulphuric acids. If the disengagement of 

 vapor is too slow the acid mixture may be 

 warmed. — H. J. Gray. 



