Book: The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1

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The Boy Mechanic
Vol. 1
700 Things for Boys to Do
800 Illustrations Showing How



Jack Mansfield
+
Ed

Jan 28, 1938

August 1916

From Mother



THE BOY MECHANIC VOLUME I

Transcriber's Notes

This text accurately reproduces the original book except for
adherence to Project Gutenburg guidelines. Each project title is
followed by its original page number to allow use of the
alphabetical contents (index) at the end of the book. The book
used very complex typesetting to conserve space. This
transcription uses simple one-column linear layout.

The text only version is of limited use because of the widespread
occurrence of diagrams and illustrations. Use the pdf version for
the complete text.

Many projects are of contemporary interest--magic, kites and
boomerangs for example. Try a "Querl" for starters.

There are many projects of purely historical interest, such as
chemical photography, phonographs, and devices for coal
furnaces.

Another class of projects illustrate the caviler attitude toward
environment and health in 1913. These projects involve items
such as gunpowder, acetylene, hydrogen, lead, mercury, sulfuric
acid, nitric acid, cadmium, potassium sulfate, potassium cyanide,
potassium ferrocyanide, copper sulfate, and hydrochloric acid.
Several involve the construction of hazardous electrical devices.
Please view these as snapshots of culture and attitude, not as
suggestions for contemporary activity.

Be careful and have fun or simply read and enjoy a trip into
yesterday.


[Illustration: How to Make a Glider (See page 171)]


THE BOY MECHANIC

VOLUME I

700 THINGS FOR BOYS TO DO

HOW TO CONSTRUCT

WIRELESS OUTFITS, BOATS, CAMP EQUIPMENT,
AERIAL GLIDERS, KITES, SELF-PROPELLED VEHICLES
ENGINES, MOTORS, ELECTRICAL APPARATUS, CAMERAS
AND
HUNDREDS OF OTHER THINGS WHICH DELIGHT EVERY BOY

WITH 800 ILLUSTRATIONS

COPYRIGHTED, 1913, BY H. H. WINDSOR CHICAGO
POPULAR MECHANICS CO.
PUBLISHERS



** A Model Steam Engine [1]

The accompanying sketch illustrates a two-cylinder single-acting,
poppet valve steam engine of home construction.

The entire engine, excepting the flywheel, shaft, valve cams,
pistons and bracing rods connecting the upper and lower plates of
the frame proper, is of brass, the other parts named being of cast
iron and bar steel.

The cylinders, G, are of seamless brass tubing, 1-1/2 in. outside
diameter; the pistons, H, are ordinary 1-1/2 in. pipe caps turned
to a plug fit, and ground into the cylinders with oil and emery.
This operation also finishes the inside of the cylinders.

The upright rods binding the top and bottom plates are of steel
rod about 1/8-in. in diameter, threaded into the top plate and
passing through holes in the bottom plate with hexagonal brass
nuts beneath.

The valves, C, and their seats, B, bored with a countersink bit,
are plainly shown. The valves were made by threading a copper
washer, 3/8 in. in diameter, and screwing it on the end of the
valve rod, then wiping on roughly a tapered mass of solder and
grinding it into the seats B with emery and oil.

The valve rods operate in guides, D, made of 1/4-in. brass tubing,
which passes through the top plate and into the heavy brass bar
containing the valve seats and steam passages at the top, into
which they are plug-fitted and soldered.

The location and arrangement of the valve seats and steam passages
are shown in the sketch, the flat bar containing them being
soldered to the top plate.

The steam chest, A, over the valve mechanism is constructed of

[Illustration: Engine Details]

1-in. square brass tubing, one side being sawed out and the open
ends fitted with pieces of 1/16 in. sheet brass and soldered. in.
The steam inlet is a gasoline pipe connection such as used on
automobiles.

The valve-operating cams, F, are made of the metal ends of an old
typewriter platen, one being finished to shape and then firmly
fastened face to face to the other, and used as a pattern in
filing the other to shape. Attachment to the shaft, N, is by means
of setscrews which pass through the sleeves.

The main bearings, M, on the supports, O, and the crank-end
bearings of the connecting rods, K, are split and held in position
by machine screws with provision for taking them up when worn.

The exhausting of spent steam is accomplished by means of slots,
I, sawed into the fronts of the cylinders at about 1/8 in. above
the lowest position of the piston's top at the end of the stroke,
at which position of the piston the valve rod drops into the
cutout portion of the cam and allows the valve to seat.

All the work on this engine, save turning the pistons, which was
done in a machine shop for a small sum, and making the flywheel,
this being taken from an old dismantled model, was accomplished
with a hacksaw, bench drill, carborundum wheel, files, taps and
dies. The base, Q, is made of a heavy piece of brass.

The action is smooth and the speed high. Steam is supplied by a
sheet brass boiler of about 3 pt. capacity, heated with a Bunsen
burner.
--Contributed by Harry F. Lowe, Washington, D. C.



** Magic Spirit Hand [2]

The magic hand made of wax is given to the audience for
examination, also a board which is suspended by four pieces of
common picture-frame wire. The hand is placed upon the board and
answers, by rapping, any question asked by members of the
audience. The hand and the board may be examined at any time and
yet the rapping can be continued, though surrounded by the
audience.

The Magic Wand, London, gives the secret of this spirit hand as
follows: The hand is prepared by concealing in the wrist a few
soft iron plates, the wrist being afterwards bound with black
velvet as shown in Fig. 1. The board is hollow, the top being made
of thin veneer (Fig. 2). A small magnet, A, is connected to a
small flat pocket lamp battery, B. The board is suspended by four
lengths of picture-frame wire one of which, E, is

[Illustration: Wax Hand on Board and Electrical Connections]

connected to the battery and another, D, to the magnet. The other
wires, F and G, are only holding wires. All the wires are fastened
to a small ornamental switch, H, which is fitted with a connecting
plug at the top. The plug can be taken out or put in as desired.

The top of the board must be made to open or slide off so that
when the battery is exhausted a new one can be installed.
Everything must be firmly fixed to the board and the hollow space
filled in with wax, which will make the board sound solid when
tapped.

In presenting the trick, the performer gives the hand and board
with wires and switch for examination, keeping the plug concealed
in his right hand. When receiving the board back, the plug is
secretly pushed into the switch, which is held in the right hand.
The hand is then placed on the board over the magnet. When the
performer wishes the hand to move he pushes the plug in, which
turns on the current and causes the magnet to attract the iron in
the wrist, and will, therefore, make the hand rap. The switch can
be made similar to an ordinary push button so the rapping may be
easily controlled without detection by the audience.




** Making Skis and Toboggans [3]

During the winter months everyone is thinking of skating, coasting
or ski running and jumping. Those too timid to run down a hill
standing upright on skis must take their pleasure in coasting or
skating.

The ordinary ski can be made into a coasting ski-toboggan by
joining two pairs together with bars without injury to their use
for running and jumping. The ordinary factory-made skis cost from
$2.50 per pair up, but any boy can make an excellent pair far 50
cents.

In making a pair of skis, select two strips of Norway pine free
from knots, 1 in. thick, 4 in. wide and 7 or 8 ft. long. Try to
procure as fine and straight a grain as possible. The pieces are
dressed thin at both ends leaving about 1 ft. in the center the
full thickness of 1 in., and gradually thinning to a scant 1/2 in.
at the ends. One end of each piece is tapered to a point beginning
12 in. from the end. A groove is cut on the under side, about 1/4
in. wide and 1/8 in. deep, and running almost the full length of
the ski. This will make it track straight and tends to prevent
side slipping. The shape of each piece for a ski, as it appears
before bending, is shown in Fig. 1.

The pointed end of each piece is placed in boiling water for at
least 1 hour, after which the pieces are ready for bending. The
bend is made on an ordinary stepladder. The pointed ends are stuck
under the back of one step and the other end securely tied to the
ladder, as shown in Fig. 2. They should remain tied to the ladder
48 hours in a moderate temperature, after which they will hold
their shape permanently.

The two straps, Fig. 3, are nailed an a little forward of the
center of gravity so that when the foot is lifted, the front

[Illustration: Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 -- Forming the Skis]

of the ski will be raised. Tack on a piece of sheepskin or deer
hide where the foot rests, Fig. 4.

The best finish for skis is boiled linseed oil. After two or three

[Illustration: Fig. 4 -- The Toe Straps]

applications the under side will take a polish like glass from the
contact with the snow.

The ski-toboggan is made by placing two pairs of skis together
side by side

[Illustration: Fig. 5 -- Ski-Toboggan]

and fastening them with two bars across the top. The bars are held
with V-shaped metal clips as shown in Fig. 5.
--Contributed by Frank Scobie, Sleepy Eye, Minn.



** Homemade Life Preserver [4]

Procure an inner tube of a bicycle tire, the closed-end kind, and
fold it in four alternate sections, as shown in Fig. 1. Cut or
tear a piece of cloth into strips about 1/2 in. wide, and knot
them together. Fasten this long strip of cloth to the folded tube
and weave it alternately in and out, having each

[Illustration: Fig. 1, Fig. 2; Inner Tube and Cover]

run of the cloth about 4 in. apart, until it is bound as shown in
Fig. 1.

Make a case of canvas that will snugly fit the folded tube when
inflated. The straps that hold the preserver to the body may be
made of old suspender straps. They are sewed to the case at one
end and fastened at the other with clasps such as used on overall
straps. The tube can be easily inflated by blowing into the valve,
at the same time holding the valve stem down with the teeth. The
finished preserver is shown in Fig. 2.



** How to Make Boomerangs [4]

When the ice is too thin for skating and the snow is not right for
skis, about the only thing to do is to stay in the house. A
boomerang club will help to fill in between and also furnishes
good exercise for the muscles of the arm. A boomerang can be made

[Illustration: Bending and Cutting the Wood]

of a piece of well seasoned hickory plank. The plank is well
steamed in a wash boiler or other large kettle and then bent to a
nice curve, as shown in Fig. 1. It is held in this curve until
dry, with two pieces nailed on the sides as shown.

After the piece is thoroughly dried out, remove the side pieces
and cut it into sections with a saw, as shown in Fig. 2. The
pieces are then dressed round. A piece of plank 12 in. wide and 2
ft. long will make six boomerangs.

To throw a boomerang, grasp it and hold the same as a club, with
the hollow side away from you. Practice first at some object about
25 ft. distant, and in a short time the thrower will be able to
hit the mark over 100 ft. away. Any worker in wood can turn out a
great number of boomerangs cheaply.
--Contributed by J. E. Noble, Toronto, Ontario.



** How to Make an Eskimo Snow House [5]
By GEORGE E. WALSH

Playing in the snow can be raised to a fine art if boys and girls
will build their creations with some attempt at architectural
skill and not content themselves with mere rough work. Working in
snow and ice opens a wide field for an expression of taste and
invention, but the construction of houses and forts out of this
plastic material provides the greatest amount of pleasure to the
normally healthy boy or girl.

The snow house of the Eskimo is probably the unhealthiest of
buildings made by any savage to live in, but it makes an excellent
playhouse in winter, and represents at the same time a most
ingenious employment of the arch system in building. The Eskimos
build their snow houses without the aid of any scaffolding or
interior false work, and while there is a keystone at the top of
the dome, it is not essential to the support of the walls. These
are self-supporting from the time the first snow blocks are put
down until the last course is laid.

The snow house is of the beehive shape and the ground plan is that
of a circle. The circle is first laid out on the ground and a
space cleared for it. Then a row of snow blocks is laid on the
ground and another course of similar blocks placed on top. The
snow blocks are not exactly square in shape, but about 12 in.
long, 6 in. high and 4 or 5 in. thick. Larger or smaller blocks
can be used, according to size of the house and thickness of the
walls.

First, the snow blocks must be packed and pressed firmly into
position out of moist snow that will pack. A very light, dry snow
will not pack easily, and it may be necessary to use a little
water. If the snow is of the right consistency, there will be no
trouble in packing and working with it. As most of the blocks are
to be of the same size throughout, it will pay to make a mold for
them by forming a box of old boards nailed together, minus the
top, and with a movable bottom, or rather no bottom at all. Place
the four sided box on a flat board and ram snow in it, forcing it
down closely. Then by lifting the box up and tapping the box from
above, the block will drop out. In this way blocks of uniform size
are formed, which makes the building simpler and easier.

While one boy makes the blocks another can shave them off at the
edges and two others can build the house, one inside of the circle
and the other outside. The Eskimos build their snow houses in this
way, and the man inside stays there until he is completely walled
in. Then the door and a window are cut through the wall.

[Illustration: Laying the Snow Bricks]

[Illustration: Three-Room Snow House]

Each layer of snow blocks must have a slight slant at the top
toward the center so that the walls will constantly curve inward.
This slant at the top is obtained better by slicing off the lower
surfaces of each block before putting it in its course. The top
will then have a uniform inward slant.

The first course of the snow house should be thicker than the
others, and the thickness of the walls gradually decreases toward
the top. A wall, however, made of 6-in. blocks throughout will
hold up a snow house perfectly, if its top is no more than 6 or 7
ft. above the ground. If a higher house is needed the walls should
be thicker at the base and well up toward the middle.

The builder has no mortar for binding the blocks together, and
therefore he must make his joints smooth and even and force in
loose snow to fill up the crevices. A little experience will
enable one to do this work well, and the construction of the house
will proceed rapidly. The Eskimos build additions to their houses
by adding various dome-shaped structures to one side, and the
young architect can imitate them. Such dome-shaped structures are
shown in one of the illustrations.

A fact not well understood and appreciated is that the Eskimo
beehive snow house represents true arch building. It requires no
scaffolding in building and it exerts no outward thrust. In the
ordinary keystone arch used by builders, a, temporary structure
must be erected to hold the walls up until the keystone is fitted
in position, and the base must be buttressed against an outward
thrust. The Eskimo does not have to consider these points. There
is no outward thrust, and the top keystone is not necessary to
hold the structure up. It is doubtful whether such an arch could
be built of brick or stone without scaffolding, but with the snow
blocks it is a simple matter.



** Secret Door Lock [6]

The sketch shows the construction of a lock I have on a door which
is quite a mystery to those who do not know how it operates. It
also keeps them out. The parts of the lock on the inside of the
door are shown in Fig. 1. These parts can be covered so that no
one can see them.

[Illustration: Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3; The Lock Parts]

The ordinary latch and catch A are attached to the door in the
usual manner. The latch is lifted with a stick of wood B, which is
about 1 ft. long and 1 in. wide, and pivoted about two-thirds of
the way from the top as shown. The latch A is connected to the
stick B with a strong cord run through a staple to secure a
right-angle pull between the pieces. A nail, C, keeps the stick B
from falling over to the left. The piece of wood, D, is 6 or 8 in.
long and attached to a bolt that runs through the door, the
opposite end being fastened to the combination dial. Two kinds of
dials are shown in Fig. 2. The piece D is fastened on the bolt an
inch or two from the surface of the door to permit placing a
spiral spring of medium strength in between as shown in Fig. 3.
The opposite end of the bolt may be screwed into the dial, which
can be made of wood, or an old safe dial will do. A nail is driven
through the outer end of the piece D and the end cut off so that
it will pass over the piece B when the dial is turned. When the
dial is pulled out slightly and then turned toward the right, the
nail will catch on the piece B and open the latch. --Contributed
by Geo. Goodbrod, Union, Ore.



** A Convenient Hot-Dish Holder [7]

When taking hot dishes from the stove, it is very convenient to
have holders handy for use. For this purpose I screwed two screw
eyes into the ceiling, one in front of the stove directly above
the place where the holder should hang, and the other back of the
stove and out of the way. I next ran a strong cord through the two
eyes. To one end of the cord I attached a weight made of a clean
lump of coal. The cord is just long enough to let the weight hang
a few inches above the floor and pass through both screw eyes. I
fastened a small ring to the other end to keep the cord from
slipping back by the pull of the weight. I then fastened two
pieces of string to the ring at the end of the cord and attached
an iron holder to the end of each string. The strings should be
just long enough to keep the holders just over the stove where
they are always

[Illustration: Holders in a Convenient Place]

ready for use, as the weight always draws them back to place.
--Contributed by R. S. Merrill, Syracuse, New York.



** Magic-Box Escape [7]

The things required to make this trick are a heavy packing box
with cover, one pair of special hinges, one or two hasps for as
many padlocks and a small buttonhook, says the Sphinx.

The hinges must be the kind for attaching inside of the box. If
ordinary butts are used, the cover of the box

[Illustration: Box with Hinges and Lock]

must be cut as much short as the thickness of the end board. The
hinges should have pins that will slip easily through the parts.

Before entering the box the performer conceals the buttonhook on
his person, and as soon as the cover is closed and locked, and the
box placed in a cabinet or behind a screen, he pushes the pin or
bolt of the hinge out far enough to engage the knob end with the
buttonhook which is used to pull the pin from the hinge. Both
hinges are treated in this manner and the cover pushed up,
allowing the performer to get out and unlock the padlocks with a
duplicate key. The bolts are replaced in the hinges, the box
locked and the performer steps out in view.



** A Flour Sifter [7]

When sifting flour in an ordinary sieve I hasten the process and
avoid the disagreeable necessity of keeping my hands in the flour
by taking the top from a small tin lard can and placing it on top
of the flour with its sharp edges down. When the sieve is shaken,
the can top will round up the flour and press it through quickly.
--Contributed by L. Alberta Norrell, Augusta, Ga.



** A Funnel [7]

An automobile horn with the bulb and reed detached makes a good
funnel. It must be thoroughly cleaned and dried after using as a
funnel.



** How to Make Comer Pieces for a Blotter Pad [8]

To protect the corners of blotting pads such as will be found on
almost every writing desk, proceed as follows:

First, make a design of a size proportionate to the size of the
pad and make a right-angled triangle, as shown in Fig. 1, on
drawing paper. Leave a small margin all around the edge and then
place some decorative form therein. Make allowance for flaps on
two sides, as shown, which may later be turned back and folded
under when the metal is worked. It should be noted that the
corners of the design are to be clipped slightly. Also note the
slight overrun at the top with the resulting V-shaped indentation.

To make a design similar to the one shown, draw one-half of it,
then fold along the center line and rub the back of the paper with
a knife handle or some other hard, smooth surface, and the other
half of the design will be traced on the second side. With the
metal shears, cut out four pieces of copper or brass of No. 22
gauge and with carbon paper trace the shape and decorative design
on the metal. Then cut out the outline and file the edges smooth.

Cover the metal over with two coats of black asphaltum varnish,
allowing each coat time to dry. Cover the back and all the face
except the white background. Immerse in a solution of 3 parts
water, 1 part nitric acid and 1 part sulphuric acid. When the
metal has been etched to the desired depth, about 1-32 of an inch,
remove it and clean off the asphaltum with turpentine. Use a stick
with a rag tied on the end for this purpose so as to keep the
solution off the hands and clothes. The four pieces should be
worked at the same time, one for each corner.

It remains to bend the flaps. Place the piece in a vise, as shown
in Fig. 2, and bend the flap sharply to a right angle. Next place
a piece of metal of a thickness equal to that of the blotter pad
at the bend and with the mallet bring the flap down parallel to
the face of the corner piece, Fig. 3. If the measuring has been
done properly, the flaps

[Illustration: Manner of Forming the Plates]

ought to meet snugly at the corner. If they do not, it may be
necessary to bend them back and either remove some metal with the
shears or to work the metal over farther. All the edges should be
left smooth, a metal file and emery paper being used for this
purpose.

If a touch of color is desired, it may be had by filling the
etched parts with enamel tinted by the addition of oil colors,
such as are used for enameling bathtubs. After this has dried,
smooth it off with pumice stone and water. To keep the metal from
tarnishing, cover it with banana-oil lacquer.



** Boring Holes in Cork [8]

The following hints will be found useful when boring holes in
cork. In boring through rubber corks, a little household ammonia
applied to the bit enables one to make a much smoother hole and
one that is nearly the same size at both openings. The common
cork, if rolled under the shoe sole, can be punctured easily and a
hole can be bored straighter. The boring is made easier by boiling
the cork, and this operation insures a hole that will he the
desired size and remain the size of the punch or bit used.



** Self-Lighting Arc Searchlight [9]

A practical and easily constructed self-lighting arc searchlight
can be made in the following manner: Procure a large can, about 6
in. in diameter, and cut three holes in its side about 2 in. from
the back end, and in the positions shown in the sketch. Two of the
holes are cut large enough to hold a short section of a garden
hose tightly, as shown at AA. A piece of porcelain tube, B, used
for insulation, is fitted tightly in the third hole. The hose
insulation A should hold the carbon F rigidly, while the carbon E
should rest loosely in its insulation.

The inner end of the carbon E is supported by a piece of No. 25
German-silver wire, C, which is about 6 in. long. This wire runs
through the

[Illustration: Arc in a Large Can]

porcelain tube to the binding post D. The binding post is fastened
to a wood plug in the end of the tube. The tube B is adjusted so
that the end of the carbon E is pressing against the carbon F. The
electric wires are connected to the carbon F and the binding post
D. A resistance, R, should be in the line.

The current, in passing through the lamp, heats the strip of
German-silver wire, causing it to expand. This expansion lowers
the end of the carbon E, separating the points of the two carbons
and thus providing a space between them for the formation of an
arc. When the current is turned off, the German-silver wire
contracts and draws the two carbon ends together ready for
lighting again. The feed can be adjusted by sliding the carbon F
through its insulation.

A resistance for the arc may be made by running the current
through a water rheostat or through 15 ft. of No. 25 gauge
German-silver wire.
--Contributed by R. H. Galbreath, Denver, Colo.

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