i 462 
W* RURAL. NEW.YORKER 
How to Make a broom 
To make brooms we must have a ma¬ 
chine. Here is a device which I have de¬ 
signed. made and used for 10 years, and 
is_as good as a machine which would cost 
$50. Saw four hoards 3G in. long, and 
four .30 in. long. Take two 3G-in. and 
Fig. 1 
: 
d 
% 
-8 
twine ou side toward you and below on 
opposite side, so each stitch crosses the 
twine. One with a little ingenuity will 
have uo trouble. Last year I made 300 
brooms from one acre of corn. I should 
be pleased fo hear from those who suc¬ 
ceed and those who do not, and I will 
answer their questions. 
York Co., Pa. j. a. katiffman. 
36 in. lor.g 
two 30-in. pieces and nail them together 
at ends, making a frame like that in Fig. 
L Ho same with the other four boards. 
Cut three boards 2G in. long. Set up the 
two frames the 30-in. way, and nail 
across the three boards at a, b and c. 
Fig. 3. Bore a 1^4-in. hole at d and one 
ou the other frame at same place. These 
holes are for putting in the broom han¬ 
dle. Now you need a device to grip and 
turn the handle. Fig. 2 is for that pur¬ 
pose. Take a discarded small buggy 
wheel, knock out the box, put in a wooden 
plug, and bore a 1%-in. hole in center of 
plug through hub. A clamp around this 
hole, as in b ig. 2, holds the handle while 
it is wound by pulling forward and down¬ 
ward on the spokes of wheel. 
Now take a handle, insert in hole d. 
then through hole in wheel, and through 
hole in other side, thin end of handle first. 
Fig P 
Waterproofing a Cistern 
I notice in a recent issue some one 
making inquiry about waterproofing a 
cistern. I will tell you about our ex¬ 
perience: We built a large cistern. 1G ft. 
deep and 15 ft. in diameter. For one 
year we could not get this cistern to 
hold water. Finally we waterproofed it 
with waterproof cement. This cement 
comes in large chunks like rock, and 
Sectional view 
Into barrel. 
Heat exit. 
Blow Torch Boils Water in Wood Barrel 
The accompanying illustration shows a 
very handy method of boiling water in 
a wood barrel, using an ordinary gasoline 
blow-torch to deliver the heat. A coil of 
1%-inch galvanized iron piping is in¬ 
stalled in the base of the barrel, as shown, 
each end of which protrudes through the 
walls or staves of the barrel on opposite 
sides. The pipe is coiled by heating a 
few inches of its length at a time in the 
shop forge, and bending it around a cir¬ 
cular body, whose diameter is a few 
inches smaller than that of the inside of 
the barrel to be used, turning each end of 
the pipe to right angles to extend through 
the barrel. It will require the re¬ 
moval of one of the heads of the 
barrel to install the pipe coil. It is 
seen that one end of the coil will pro¬ 
trude through the barrel a few inches 
lower than a level with the other. In 
boring the holes for the ends of the pipe 
a gasoline blow-torch is set on the bench 
beside the barrel and the point for the 
lower hole marked so that when pipe is 
inserted the tip of the nozzle of the torch 
will center the entrance of the pipe when 
December 17, 11121 
boiled in will take the lime off a tea¬ 
kettle. I would save it until there was 
enough. Strain it through a rag and fill 
the radiator with it. The soda is best, 
and if drained out and filled again with 
more washing soda, it is sure to clean the 
scale off. Rain water, when used in a 
steam boiler where there are cisterns, 
makes an old scaly boiler look like new. 
You will say. what has a steam boiler to 
do with a gasoline engine? It is the 
same material in the water that destroys 
both of them. j. j. 
Saratoga Springs. X. Y. 
Pipe coiled 
in barrel. 
Torch, 
Faucet. 
Boiling II atcr in a Wooden Barrel 
Device for Turning Broom Handle 
leaving about G in. of handle extending at 
d for winding on material Bring wheel 
against left frame, bring both sides of 
clamp together. Now take handle, which 
is attached to one side of clamp by a 
piece of leather the proper length, draw 
around other end, draw handle down tight 
and insert peg in hole in spoke. Now 
handle is in position to be wound. We 
need a brake (as in Fig. 3) to prevent re¬ 
turn of wheel when hand is off. Nail a 
broom handle across back about IS in. 
from floor, and extending about 8 in., t<> 
put ou the reel for the wire. Put a pulley 
at a to pass the wire over, then through 
tension and to end of handle, where it is 
fastened. This tension is on same prin¬ 
ciple as one ou a sewing machine, but 
much stronger. It can be made of two 
blocks lined with iron and regulated with 
a thumb screw and spring, or maker may 
devise one to his own liking. This tension 
must he tight enough to wind tightly, but 
if too tight it will tear the wire.’ For 
damp at back use two strips 15 in. long. 
Nail lower ends to crosspiece about 10 in. 
apart. Nail a piece 10 in. long, iy 2 by 
1 V» in. across, at top. Put two 8-in. 
bolts tightly through these corners. They 
must have threads cut three-fourths of 
the way to the heads. Cut another piece 
iy 2 by ^^2 in., 1G in. long, bore holes so 
as to fit loosely ou the bolts, and put on 
tail nuts. 
Take an old broom, examine stitching, 
then cut out the stitching, slowly un¬ 
wind and see how it is made. Take 
broom corn and sort to three sizes, and 
cut off stems about right length. Wind 
on shortest iu first course, then second 
course and then last course with the long¬ 
est material. With left hand hold ma¬ 
terial under wire and pull wheel with 
right hand. 
After broom is wound put in clamp, 
tighten bolts and rub broom so as to 
spread out. Buckle a strap around about 
you melt in the same way they do 
asphalt for the street, then apply it to 
the walls of your cistern hot, just smear 
it on with a trowel just as you would 
cement. It not only stops all leaks, but 
purifies the water, and it is most satis¬ 
factory in every way. Our cistern has 
been done three years now. and everyone 
who tastes the water remarks: “What 
wonderful spriug water!” When we in¬ 
set beside the barrel. The barrel is filled 
with water, the torch lighted and set 
with its nozzle pointed directly at the 
entrance of the. coil, or rather its lower 
end, _ but an inch or more from end 
of pipe, to allow air to pass into the 
pipe. . The torch thus thrusts intense 
heat into the^pipe coil, and it is obvious 
that heated air continues on through the 
entire length of the coil. Boiling begins 
Tight cover 
form them that the water merely springs 
from the roof into the cistern they 
scarcely want to believe us, because most 
people think cistern water horrid to 
drink. q. rp. 
Staten Island. 
first around the lower end of coil and 
soon continues till the whole body of 
water is boiling. A faucet is provided 
for drawing off the water as desired. 
Alabama. p. m. Jordan. 
middle to give proper width and shape. 
The twine you get from where they deal 
iu broom supplies come in hanks of pro¬ 
per length. Wrap a piece around broom, 
Cistern for Septic Tank 
I wish to build a septic tank. Can a 
cistern be worked over and used as a 
ta ° k ? A. i„ D. 
ht. Louis, Mo. 
If this cistern is underground I think 
that it might probably be made into a 
sort of septic tank by carrying the out¬ 
flow from the house into it through a 
tight 4-in. pipe after it enters the cistern 
so that the end will always be about 2 ft. 
beneath the surface level of the contents. 
3 his surface level will be determined by 
fhe position of the outlet pipe, and that 
should be a foot below the cistern cover, 
leaving that much air space above it. The 
outlet pipe should be of 3-in. tiling laid 
within 15 in. of the surface of the ground 
and with open joints, having also a slight 
grade to carry its contents away and 
allow them to seep into the surrounding 
ground. The accompanying sketch will 
give the idea. Such a septic tank is not 
according to customary specifications, and 
it would be something of an experiment, 
but as ir would be an expensive one and 
could be superseded later if it did not 
prove satisfactory, it may be worth try¬ 
ing. You will find in the October 30. 1920. 
issue of this paper a full discussion of 
septic tanks that will give you the prin¬ 
ciples, and you will see wherein your own 
would differ from the standard type. 
Jt. B. D. 
Suggestions About Fence Building 
I have read (lie article on building a 
fence. In my neighborhood posts are cut 
in January, when the sap is in the roots. 
Before set the ends of the posts are 
dipped in hot tar. the tar coming well 
above the level of the cround when the 
post is in place. The posts are set S ft. 
from center to center, then the wire will 
not sag, as it is bound to when they are 
further apart. I do not believe you gain 
anything by driving a post instead of dig¬ 
ging a hole. The post has to be sharpened. 
80 the small end will rot more quickly 
than it it is left in the round, and when 
you build a fence you want to do it in 
such fashion that you will not be bothered 
with it again for as long as possible. 
• N-w York. FARMER. 
Removing Scale from Boilers 
I read the troubles of ('. F. M. with 
his tractor, and think washing soda will 
clean off the scale that collects on the 
cooling system around the cylinder. It 
will bake on, and wthen it gets thick 
enough, chip off. Those chips collect in 
low ami narrow places, and prevent good 
circulation. I have often put a water 
pail full of soda ash in a barrel of water, 
boiled it with a steam pipe and put it in 
the steam boiler with the injector in the 
railroad shop in Butte. Mont. In the 
Rocky Mountains, the worst water T have 
ever seen, will make the boiler foam, and 
is very annoying, but the scale comes our 
in thin mud. The water potatoes are 
Cleaning Old Barrels 
As there seems to be much trouble with 
musty and otherwise dirty barrels. I will 
give our plan. First. i...il a board across 
tin 1 head to hold it together, then mark 
the bead and end of a stave so you will 
get the head back as it was. Then loosen 
the hoops and remove the head. Scrape 
and wash and burn sulphur until you are 
sure there is no more bad odor. We have 
treated a number of barrels and kegs this 
way. and have had trouble with but one. 
After once taking the head out and see¬ 
ing the inside of an old cider barrel, you 
will never feel safe without a thorough 
cleaning every year. p. g. m. 
Indiana. 
Sheathing for Walls 
On page 679 A. S. inquires regarding 
the use of concrete as a filler for a frame 
house. I think while it can be done it 
would be better simply to sheath the stud¬ 
ding with plain 1-in. boards, nailing them 
on diagonally, and either under the boards 
first or on top of the boards, tack one or 
two layers of heavy building paper, usu¬ 
ally known as sheathing paper: on top of 
this about every 10 in., a 1x2 in. strip, or 
heavy lath, and then lath and plaster or 
wallboard. Is using wallboard the lath¬ 
ing strip may be omitted. This I am cer¬ 
tain will make a warm, dry house. The 
reason I would use the paper on top of 
the sheathing boards is to prevent mice 
from cutting it up and making nesting 
material out of it, but this can be prevent¬ 
ed somewhat by nailing a 2x4 scantling 
horizontally between studding every few 
feet. g. ir. g. 
Red Hill Pa. 
Making a Box Kite 
In the picture I have tried to show 
how a box kite is made, for the benefit of 
the young ones. A box kite sails without 
any bobs or balance string. It is made of 
four light sticks, each 30 in. long. i/> in. 
wide and V$ in. thick. Also four sticks 
of same width and thickness notched on 
each end and placed like a letter X in¬ 
side the kite about 8 in. from each end ; 
these brace sticks fit tightly on the 30-in. 
sticks. When you have the brace sticks 
secured to the long sticks, place light 
tough paper around the ends, extending 
from the ends 8 in. toward the center at 
each end. ^ Paste the paper tight on the 
frame. Now you have a rectangular 
frame with paper fast to each end on the 
outside of the frame. Both ends are open. 
The kite when put together measures 30 
in. long, 14 in. square on the ends. Both 
ends are open, as is also the center for 
about 1G in., to allow air to blow freely 
through the kite. At a point marked X 
the string is tied. The kite rides on the 
wind at an angle of about 45 degrees. If 
carefully built square and tight it will go 
out of sight if given enough twine. A 
represents the long sticks, B represents 
the cross braces. C shows another view 
of short brace fitted to long stick. I) 
represents short braces as placed with 
long stick ends showing in notch of short 
brace. E represents the kite when fiu- 
3 B 
Diagrams of Box Kite 
islied. The dotted ends represent bow 
the paper is pasted on. The braces are 
put about 8 iu. from end of kite on the in¬ 
side. I trust our young friends will un¬ 
derstand the description. j. g. 
