880 



Popular Science Monthly 



Motor-Truck's Energy Runs a 

 Pipe-Threader 



HUNDREDS of arc lamps have been 

 transferred from wooden pole sup- 

 ports to the structural iron work of the 

 elevated railway, in Philadelphia. To 

 do this, several miles of pipe had to be 

 threaded and cut to varying sizes. The 

 cutting and threading work to be done 

 advantageously had to be done as the 

 work progressed. 



Out of this necessity a novel motor- 

 driven pipe-threader was built by the 

 superintendent of the electric compan3^ 

 A portable truck was equipped with a 

 screw-cutting machine, driven by electric 

 motor. The energy for its operation was 



Current from the truck furnishes power 

 to the screw-threading machine 



furnished from the storage batteries of 

 the truck used by the company for the 

 transportation of men and material. The 

 pipe-cutter was set up at any desired 

 location, the necessary wire connections 

 made, and it went to work. It was 

 moved along and no time was wasted de- 

 livering pipe back and forth between the 

 work on the street and the company's 

 shops. 



Oiling the V's on a Lathe 



TO keep the V's of the lathe bed oily 

 and in condition, a piece of heavy 

 felt should be glued over the V's on the 

 four wings of the carriage. The felt 

 should be almost saturated with oil each 

 day. As the carriage moves back and 

 forth over the V's, the oil will spread 

 over the surfaces in contact and emery 

 and grit will be prevented from accumu- 

 lating between the carriage and the lathe 

 bed. 



Slow-Setting Plaster of Paris 



THE rapidity with which plaster of 

 Paris becomes hard when mixed 

 with clear water in the ordinary manner 

 often proves to be a very objectionable 

 feature, especially if one desires to do 

 several little jobs with one mixing of the 

 plaster. To overcome this fault, if the 

 plaster is mixed with water to which 

 has been added an equal quantity of 

 strong cider vinegar the plaster will re- 

 main soft and workable for a very much 

 longer time than when mixed with wa- 

 ter alone. 



Adjustable Light-Holders for 

 Factory Illumination 



ROWS of machines are peculiarly 

 hard to illuminate economically 

 without some such arrangement as is 

 provided with a new adjustable holder 

 which has just found its way into the 

 market. By its use all machines can be 

 lighted to save current and to prevent 

 eyesight troubles on the part of the op- 

 erator. 



The new device is made of steel tub- 

 ing and equipped with one or two joints 

 which make the light adjustable. Long 

 rows of machines, such as sewing ma- 

 chines, linotypes, drafting rooms, and 

 the like, are individually lighted by 

 standards with the globe in a steel shade, 

 and all the wires lead to a long conduit. 

 Where tables are not permanently estab- 

 lished the standards can be fastened to 

 the floor or to the walls. 



These adjustable Hght holders will 

 solve many a difficult problem in fac- 

 tory lighting 



For Polishing Furniture 



THE polish generally used on mis- 

 sion furniture is the dull wax fin- 

 ish. If, instead of applying only wax, 

 alternate coats of boiled linseed oil and 

 wax are used, a polish will be obtained 

 which is brighter and more durable 

 than the ordinary finish. 



