THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
135 
gently warmed, or the mixture may be 
melted and laid on with a brush, the com- 
plete impregnation being effected by sub- 
sequently passing it between hot rollers. 
When this mixture is applied to cloth 
such as that employed for tents, it renders 
it very repellant to water. 
A very advantageous application of the 
parafflne mixture is made to various kinds 
of leather, one of the most convenient 
ways of accomplishing this being to coat 
the skins or manufactured articles— such 
as boots, shoes, harness, etc.— with the 
melted composition, and then to gently 
heat the articles until it is entirely ab- 
sorbed. Thus impregnated, leather is not 
only rendered perfectly water-proof, but 
stronger and more durable. 
How to Turn Boxes. 
FIRST, then, as to the material to use; 
this is to a certain extent a matter of 
taste, but for the uninitiated to begin or 
practice upon, there is nothing like box- 
wood. It is both pleasant to work, and 
comparatively inexpensive; this, as a 
quantity is likely to be consumed, is an 
important matter. We will take a piece, 
say 34 to 4 inches in diameter, about i 
inches long, and in order to rough it 
down, first, make the two centres, and 
indent one end to receive the prong- 
chuck, place it in the prong and bring to 
bear the poppit-centre, then take a cup 
chuck and fit the end of the wood into it 
about 5 inch deep, slightly taper and drive 
it in as lightly as possible. The most 
effective way of driving it in without 
damaging the face of the chuck is to sim- 
ply place the wood in the chuck, hold 
it (the wood) in the hand and strike the 
end of the w^ood ; this will cause it to be- 
come quite tight ; if the face of the chuck 
is placed on the bench, it is likely to be- 
come bruised or marked, and so cause it 
to run out of truth, but a little experience 
will soon teach all these points better 
than all the writing. So far, then we 
have the wood chucked ready to begin 
operations. The first part to make is 
the lid, or top of the box. This must be 
^ carefully turned out the desired depth, 
and for a beginner, it will be less difficult 
to fit if made slightly taper, but it is bet- 
ter, when a little further advanced, to 
make the fitting perfectly cylindrical. 
When this is turned out, and the face of 
the inside finished, which must be done at 
the same time, to save the trouble of re- 
chucking it, the top must be cut off with 
a parting tool, and then it can be fitted 
to the bottom ; and when this is done, it 
forms a chuck for the purpose of turning- 
it. This will save all further trouble, and 
the box may be finished, as it were, all 
in one. If it is to be ornamented, that 
must be done without removing the top. 
The inside of the bottom must not be 
taken out till the last thing. Now, it 
may happen that having finished a box 
of this description, and made a very good 
fit of the top and bottom, in fact, quite 
satisfactory in all ways, that upon a re- 
examination at another period, say the 
next morning, it will be found that it does 
not fit at all. This is caused by the wood 
shrinking, sometimes it will expand, and 
hold the lid so tight that it will be diffi- 
cult to remove it. When this is the case, 
of course it is an easy matter to make it 
easy. Not so however, when it is already 
too easy, but these are difficulties that all 
turners have to contend with. The best 
way to get over this difficulty is to screw 
the top and bottom together, instead of 
making them plain-fitting. This is a more 
difficult process, and will require a deal 
of practice, especially if the turner has 
not a traversing mandrel to his lathe ; it 
is at the same time to be overcome with 
practice, first having had some practical 
information on that particular point. 
Now it will not do for a novice, when he 
has made a very fair job of his first box in 
wood, to go directly to ivory, for it is an 
expensive material ; moreover, the second 
attemi)t may. not prove so successful as 
the first, and if this is the case a great dis- 
pointment and loss may occur.— i^orgre 
and Lathe. 
• «^ • 
Corn Starch Paste.— Corn starch makes a 
good paste for scrap-books. Dissolve a small 
quantity in cold water, then cook it thoroughly. 
Be careful and not get it too thick. When cold it 
should be thin enough to apply with a brush. It 
is not so liable to mold and stain the paper as- 
paste made from other kinds of starch. 
