Making Impressions of Leaves
A very true and artistic impression of a leaf, or similar object, can be made as follows: Grease a piece of heavy writing paper with linseed oil, and smoke the surface well by lighting a small piece of camphor gum and holding the paper over the flame. Place the leaf on the smoked surface of the paper and cover it with several thicknesses of newspaper, then press the leaf into the blackened surface. Remove the leaf and lay it with the blackened surface on a piece of white paper, then cover again with the newspaper and press evenly and thoroughly. A beautiful and permanent impression of the leaf will be transferred to the paper.
Care should be taken not to move the leaf the least bit either in coating it with the smoke or in transferring it to the paper. Be careful not to use too much oil. This process can be used to stamp cloth for embroidery. A candle can be used in place of the camphor if care is exercised, but the camphor gives a very dense smoke with a minimum of heat.—Contributed by J. H. Beebee, Rochester, N. Y.
Making T-Squares
By J. B. Murphy
The making of a single article of any kind presents a distinct problem in itself, but the production of a large number of the same article must be done in a different way, if efficiency and uniformity in the product are desirable qualities. Taking, for instance, the making of a large number of T-squares, the material is not made up in the same manner as for one. Where a number of these instruments was required, they were made as follows, with no other Equipment than bench tools and a band saw. The squares were made of mahogany having both stock and blade edged with maple. The blades were fastened to the stock with five ³⁄₈-in. button-head screws.
Dimensions for a T-Square of Which a Number where to be Made in Duplicate
The material for the heads and the blades was glued up and finished to the sizes given at A and B. The material was cut to gauge lines on the band saw, the blades being a scant ¹⁄₈ in. in thickness, and the stocks, ³⁄₈ in. Two of each were cut from each prepared piece, first from one side and then from the other. They were then faced off on both sides, and two more pieces cut. With careful cutting, six blades and six stocks were made from each piece. This left one side of each piece to be planed after sawing. The holes for the screws were drilled with a small hand drill.
Stock and Blade Material for Making the Parts, and the Jig for Assembling
For assembling, a jig was made by nailing a piece of stock, ³⁄₈ in. thick, to a straight drawing board. One end of the piece was planed straight and true before it was fastened in place. Stops were provided to locate the stock and hold the blade square with it. Wedges were used to keep both stock and blade against the stops while the screws were inserted. The wedges were not driven with a hammer, but pushed in firmly with the fingers.
¶Insert a scratch awl in common hard soap for hardening, and it will need no drawing after the plunge.
Paddling Your Own Canoe
by
Stillman Taylor
PART II—The Knack of
Handling the Paddle
The knack of paddling a canoe as the majority of amateurs paddle is quickly learned, but to handle a paddle as the expert woodsman and the Indian wield it requires not a little practice and experience. In the birch-bark and canvas-covered craft, used by the guides of Maine and Canada, there are no seats, and the stern paddler kneels with his back against the rear thwart, while the bow paddler usually kneels with his back against the second thwart from the bow. However, the builders of modern canoes furnish a seat for each paddler, and while it is more comfortable to use them, it is better to take the kneeling position, which brings the weight lower in the canoe, as it is safer, and the paddler is better able to control his craft. Again, the use of the seat makes it impossible for the paddler to put much of his body into the stroke, and he propels the craft largely through the muscles of his arms and shoulders. But when paddling from the knees they are spread out to brace the body firmly, and the back resting against the thwart enables the paddler to use his back and thigh muscles to drive his craft ahead with much less exertion and waste of energy than when sitting erect. Of course, the kneeling position is a source of discomfort at first, but after a little practice it will be easy to keep the position for several hours.
The stroke of the paddle is made with the body motionless, one hand grasping the shaft of the paddle and the other holding it a short distance above the blade. The paddle is now carried forward, dipped into the water in front, [Fig. 1, A and B], and carried downward past the paddler’s body, [Fig. 2, A and B], and the stroke is finished in the rear, [Fig. 3, A and B]. The paddle is recovered by turning the wrist so that the blade is turned edgewise as it is swung through the air to begin the second stroke. The swing of the paddle should be smooth from the beginning to the finish of the stroke, that is, free from undue jerkiness, but the long and slow sweep of the paddle is amateurish, pure and simple. The canoemen of the North woods do not use this stroke, but prefer a shorter stroke, quick recovery of the blade, and the “accent” of the stroke is much the same as that the expert axman uses when felling a tree. Therefore one’s energy should be concentrated upon the first part of the stroke, easing up quickly as soon as the blade is opposite the body, and finishing the stroke smartly as it is carried backward. The driving power of the paddle diminishes rapidly as the blade is carried backward, and if the full force of the stroke is continued with a long backward sweep, a way of most amateurs, much energy is wasted, since it adds nothing to the forward momentum of the canoe, but rather retards it, by forcing down the stern, and also causes the craft to drag more water after it. For a short afternoon paddle almost any kind of a stroke will suffice to drive the canoe ahead, but upon long trips, or when head winds and rough water are encountered, the quick, short stroke will save both time and muscle. The long sweeping stroke of the summer idler will probably average about 26 to 30 strokes per minute, while the North-woods guide and Indian will dip their blades almost twice as often, a fair cruising average being about 45 strokes per minute. Short strokes, with the accent at the beginning of the stroke, will push the canoe faster and with less effort, and the paddler has better control over his craft.
Fig. 1-A
Fig. 2-A
Fig. 3-A
Fig. 1-B
Fig. 2-B
Fig. 3-B
The Stroke of the Paddle is Made with the Body Motionless, One Hand Grasping the Shaft of the Paddle and the Other Holding It a Short Distance above the Blade
The bow paddler usually does nothing more than keep up a regular stroke and watch for rocks and obstructions, but if he is a good hand at the paddle he can do much to steer the canoe. For example, take the usual bow stroke, made by dipping the paddle quite close and ahead of the canoe. The force of the stroke thus made forces the bow in the opposite direction, and the man in the stern will be called upon to use more energy in steering. In contrast to this faulty handling of the paddle, the experienced bowman will begin his stroke by dipping his paddle well out from the bow and pulling it toward him at a greater angle, which keeps the canoe moving straight ahead without swinging to one side, and the energy of both paddlers is used in driving the craft steadily ahead. When paddling in tortuous and rocky streams it is the bow paddler’s duty to watch out for rocks and snags, and he should always be prepared to “draw” the canoe whenever it is necessary to clear an obstruction or assist the stern paddler to shoot the canoe around an abrupt bend. To do this is simple enough, since the bowman merely reaches his paddle out at arm’s length over the side and pulls the bow in that direction, while the stern paddler simply paddles straight ahead.
The stern paddler is the helmsman of the canoe, and while he can keep his craft on a straight course by trailing his paddle at the end of each stroke and using it like a rudder, it can only be done when a long, slow stroke is used. To save time and muscle, the experienced stern paddler always finishes his stroke with an outward push and a turn of the wrist, which offsets the swing of the bow and keeps the canoe on a straight course with much less effort than when trailing the paddle astern. Paddling from the stern is often considered difficult, but one soon masters it by a little experience.