The Home Workbench 



How to Make an Accurate Sun-dial 



THIS sun-dial can be made easily and 

 it will give accurate results. While 

 the variation of time in all parts of the 

 United States will be slight, the most 

 accurate reading will be made between 

 the 35th and 45th parallels of northern 

 latitude as this is the area it is designed 

 to cover. 



Any material will 

 suffice to make the 

 dial and style from, 

 and any thickness 

 may be used. But 

 the most neat dial 

 can be made from 

 brass or copper, cut 

 from a sheet or cast 

 from patterns. The 

 parts should be at 

 least 3^ in. thick to 

 be substantial. The 

 degrees of time, as 

 well as the dimen- 

 sions for making, are shown on the ac- 

 companying drawing. Care must be 

 taken that all lines are drawn straight 

 and the dimensions followed closely. 

 After the hours are put on, the spaces 

 can be subdivided into halves and 

 quarters and five minutes if desired. 

 The space left in between the A. M. 

 and P. M. hour divisions is to receive 

 the style and should be just as wide 

 as the style is thick. The best way to 

 mount the style is to tap two holes in 

 the lower edge and bolt through the 

 dial with small machine screws. The 

 style may be ornamented with several 

 hollows cut out, but the top edge or 

 shadow casting edge must be perfectly 

 true. The long vertical end of the style 

 goes at the 12M mark on the dial. 



The whole can be erected upon any 



Diagram of sun-dial, showing dimensions 

 for construction and angles for determin- 

 ing each hour mark 



suitable stand, wood, stone or cement 

 which can be worked up into an orna- 

 mental design. The 12 noon end of the 

 style must point exactly north and the 

 other end to the south. Or the dial may 

 be set to local time by waiting until 

 exact noon and then setting the dial 

 accordingly. — B. F. Dashiell. 



A Waterproof 

 Compound 



A GOOD water- 

 proof com- 

 pound can be made 

 if the following di- 

 rections are careful- 

 ly observed. It is 

 suitable for any job 

 not larger than an 

 ordinary cellar, or 

 where the water 

 pressure is not too 

 great, and is espe- 

 cially adapted for 

 wells, cisterns, cement ice-boxes, etc. 



First dissolve soap in water until a 

 good soapy liquid is obtained. This can 

 easily be done by chipping common yel- 

 low soap into a wash boiler and allowing 

 it to boil . About one bar of soap to e\'ery 

 bucketful of water is enough, but a half 

 bar more will do no harm. When ready 

 to mix, add one bucketful of soap solution 

 to every two bucketfuls of clear water. 

 When applying the mixture, it is essential 

 that it be well troweled. The smoother 

 the finish, the more lasting the result and 

 the better the water-proofing qualities. 



How to Mix Stove Blacking 



USE vinegar instead of water when 

 mixing stove blacking. The work 

 of polishing will be easier and the polish 

 will last much longer. — C. A. Wolf. 



951 



