Popular Science Monthly 



461 



ture of dry white-lead mixed with varnish, 

 Japan being added as a hardener. The 

 safest plan is to buy all the materials ready 

 mixed — if possible. 



Clean the paint brushes in gasoline and 

 the varnish brushes in clean turpentine. 

 Wash out with warm water and soap, and 

 they will be in good shape no matter how 

 long they are laid away. 



Fastening Nails So They May Be 

 Quickly Withdrawn 



WHEN nailing a box, such as a form for 

 cement where it is necessary that the 

 contents should not be marred or injured, 

 put under each nail-head a small piece of 

 lath or other bit of wood. When removing 

 the nails split away the small piece of wood 

 and enough of the nail head will be exposed 

 for easy drawing. — Lindall Williams. 



An Emergency Wire Stretcher for 

 Repairing a Fence 



AFTER turning the cows into a field I 

 b happened to find a broken place in 

 the fence and I did not have the time to 

 go for a stretcher at the other end of the 

 farm. Finding a hickory stick in the 

 wood pile I sawed off a piece about 3 ft. 

 long for the handle. I could not take the 

 time to prepare a fire for heating an iron 

 so I flattened the end of a 34-i n - bolt and 

 drove it in one end of the stick, then 

 beat the head to make it rough like teeth. 

 Several inches from the end I fastened 

 a short length of chain and a hook taken 

 from a singletree. The hook was bent 



The feolt end of the homemade lever is placed 

 on the post for stretching a fence wire 



so that the barbs on the wire could not 

 slip through. 



When barbed wire becomes slack it can 

 be tightened by catching it between the 

 claws of a hammer and making a series of 

 kinks. These kinks should not be too short 

 to weaken the wire. — J. L. Pinkston. 



A Bubbling Drinking Fountain 

 with Icing Reservoir 



THE bubbling fountain shown in the 

 illustration was made by a workman 

 in a large institution at a cost of $8.75 

 for the material, to replace an expensive 



one that had 

 become use- 

 less. The 

 body is 

 made square 

 of heavy gal- 

 van i z e d 

 iron. There 

 are two 

 boxes of the 

 size shown, 

 the space be- 

 tween them 

 being filled 

 with pow- 

 dered asbes- 

 tos. An or- 

 dinary bub- 

 bling cup A 

 with its 

 valve is con- 

 nected with 

 the upper part of the water reservoir B. 

 The pipes, C and D, are the ordinary 3^ in. 

 galvanized kind. The supply comes through 

 the pipe D where it enters a 2-in. galvanized 

 pipe B used for the reservoir. A key tap is 

 placed in the line D for regulating the flow. 

 A waste pipe F is attached, as shown, to 

 keep the cup C free from water. The cover 

 G can be lifted and enough ice put in to last 

 from 5 to 7 days, according to the quantity 

 of water used. A small drip between the 

 boxes is shown at H, while the waste to the 

 sewer is shown at /. The tank is elevated 

 on four blocks for air to pass below it. — 

 James E. Noble. 



Ice-water tank with bub- 

 bling fountain attached 



A Hat Hook or Holder Made of a 

 Lead Pencil 



IF you can't find ahook to hang your hat on 

 and wish to furnish some amusement 

 quickly take an ordinary pencil, find a 

 smooth board surface, and place the pencil 

 flatly against the surface, holding it length- 

 wise. Briskly rub it up and down for a 

 few times and it will immediately adhere 

 without any danger of falling off. A hat 

 can be hung on it providing the headgear is 

 not too heavy. The "impromptu hook" 

 will remain in this position until removed. 

 — Clarence T. Hubbard. 



