The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1 | Page 9

Augusta, Ga.
[Illustration: Pockets for Thread]

** Cleaning Leather on Furniture [13]
Beat up the whites of three eggs carefully and use a piece of flannel to rub it well into the leather which will become clean and lustrous. For black leathers, some lampblack may be added and the mixture applied in the same way.

** A Baking Pan [13]
When making cookies, tarts or similar pastry, the housewife often wishes for something by which to lift the baked articles from the pan. The baking tray or pan shown in the sketch not only protects the hands from burns but allows the baked articles easily to slip from its surface. The pan is made from a piece of sheet iron slightly larger than the baking space desired. Each end of the metal is cut so that a part may be turned up and into a roll to make handles for the pan.
[Illustration: Baking Pan without Sides]
A wire or small rod is placed between the handles as shown. This wire is fastened at each end and a loop made in the center. The pan can be removed from the oven by placing a stick through the loop and lifting it out without placing the hands inside the hot oven. The baking surface, having no sides, permits the baked articles to be slid off at each side with a knife or fork. --A. A. Houghton, Northville, Mich.

** A Broom Holder [13]
[Illustration: Broom Holder]
A very simple and effective device for holding a broom when it is not in use is shown in the sketch. It is made of heavy wire and fastened to the wall with two screw eyes, the eyes forming bearings for the wire. The small turn on the end of the straight part is to hold the hook out far enough from the wall to make it easy to place the broom in the hook. The weight of the broom keeps it in position. --Contributed by Irl Hicks, Centralia, Mo.

**Stringing Wires [13]
A string for drawing electric wires into bent fixtures can be easily inserted by rolling it into a small ball and blowing it through while holding one end.

** A Darkroom Lantern [14]
Procure an ordinary 2-qt. glass fruit jar, break out the porcelain lining in the cover and cut a hole through the metal, just large enough to fit over the socket of an incandescent electric globe, then solder cover and socket together, says Studio Light. Line the inside of the jar with two thicknesses of good orange post office paper. The best lamp for the purpose is an 8-candlepower showcase lamp, the same as shown in the illustration. Screw the lamp into the socket and screw the cover onto the jar, and you have a safe light of excellent illuminating power.
When you desire to work by white light, two turns will remove the jar.
[Illustration: Darkroom Lantern]
If developing papers are being worked, obtain a second jar and line with light orange paper, screw into the cover fastened to the lamp and you have a safe and pleasant light for loading and development. By attaching sufficient cord to the lamp, it can be moved to any part of the darkroom, and you have three lamps at a trifling cost.

** Preventing Vegetables from Burning in a Pot [14]
Many housekeepers do not know that there is a simple way to prevent potatoes from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot. An inverted pie pan placed in the bottom of the pot avoids scorching potatoes. The water and empty space beneath the pan saves the potatoes. This also makes the work of cleaning pots easier as no adhering parts of potatoes are left to be scoured out.

** A Clothes Rack [14]
A clothes-drying rack that has many good features can be made as shown in the illustration. When the rack is
[Illustration: Folding Clothes Rack]
closed it will fit into a very small space and one or more wings can be used at a time as the occasion or space permits, and not tip over. The rack can be made of any hard wood and the material list is as follows:
1 Center post. 1-1/4 in. square by 62 in. 4 Braces. 1-1/4 in. square by 12 in. 16 Horizontal bars. 1 by 1-1/4 by 24 in. 4 Vertical pieces. 1/4 by 1 by 65 in.
Attach the four braces for the feet with finishing nails after applying a good coat of glue.
The horizontal bars are fastened to the vertical pieces with rivets using washers on both sides. The holes are bored a little large so as to make a slightly loose joint. The other ends of the bars are fastened to the center post with round head screws. They are fastened, as shown in the cross-section sketch, so it can be folded up. --Contributed by Herman Fosel, Janesville, Wis.

** Homemade Shower