A good way to mend partially broken felt or a felt hat is to hold a lighted match under the break and smooth out the crevice with the hand. The shellac in the felt is melted by the heat and runs together, mending the felt in such a way that the break is hardly noticeable. This method may also be used to mend felt articles in the laboratory.
Imitating Ebony on Oak
The wood is immersed for 48 hours in a warm solution of alum and sprinkled several times with the following mixture: One part of logwood of the best quality is boiled with 10 parts of water, then it is filtered through linen and the liquid evaporated at a low temperature until its volume is reduced by one-half. To every quart of this bath are added 10 to 15 drops of a saturate of soluble indigo entirely neutral in reaction.
Smaller pieces may be steeped for a time in this solution, then the wood is rubbed with a saturated and filtered solution of verdigris in warm, concentrated acetic acid, and this operation continued until a black color of the desired intensity is obtained. The oak wood dyed in this manner is very similar to real ebony.
Tongue Holder for a Boy's Wagon
To prevent any mishap when coasting in a boy's play wagon fasten the tongue with a coil spring so that it will be kept in a vertical position. The tongue is always out of the way when it is not used for drawing the wagon. The spring is only strong enough to hold the tongue, so that when this is used for pulling there is little or no tendency of the spring to draw the tongue upward. The coil spring is fastened with one screweye in the tongue and one in the front axle.—Contributed by Wm. F. Benson, Brockton, Massachusetts.
Holder for the Wagon Tongue to Keep It in a Vertical Position When Not in Use