Plate Hangers
In hanging old china plates for decorative purposes use three large white dress hooks, placed at equal distances apart on the edge of the plate. The hanging wire or cord is run through them from the back side and drawn up tightly. These hooks are much better than the ordinary plate hanger, as they are small and will not show much on the plate.
An Electrically Operated Camera Shutter
The Electromagnet Trips a Spring Plunger That Forces a Piston on the Camera Air Bulb
It is often quite desirable to operate the shutter of a camera from a distance, especially in photographing birds and animals. The device shown in the accompanying sketch serves the above purpose very nicely, and its construction and operation are exceedingly simple. In brief, the operation is as follows: The switch A is mounted on the limb of a tree, in such a manner that it is not conspicuous, and connected in series with a magnet, B, and a battery by means of a piece of flexible conductor, such as lamp cord. The magnet B is energized when the switch is closed and attracts the iron armature C, which is mounted on an arm, pivoted at D. The lower end of this arm is in the form of a latch, which supports the rod E when it is raised to its upper position. The rod E when it is raised compresses the coiled spring F, which is held between the gauge G and the washer H mounted on the rod. A small coil spring holds the armature C away from the core of the magnet B. The lower end of the rod E is in the form of a piston operating in a wooden cylinder J. The rubber bulb at the end of the tube leading to the camera shutter is located in the lower end of the cylinder J. When the rod E is released by the latch K, it moves downward in the cylinder J, due to the action of the spring F, and compresses the bulb L, causing the shutter of the camera to be operated. A small handle, M, may be mounted on the rod to be used in raising it to the upper position. The component parts of this device may be mounted on a small wooden base by means of brass straps, and the terminals of the electric circuit connected to the binding posts N and O, as shown. The switch A may be dispensed with and a push button used in its place, as the operator may station himself several hundred feet away. It may be necessary to use a battery of more than one cell in such cases.
Electroplating without a Tank
Electroplating without a plating tank is made possible with the following easily homemade apparatus described in a German scientific magazine. It consists of a rubber ball, A, fitted at one end with a glass tube, B, which carries at the opposite end a small sponge. A rod, D, passes through the rubber ball, which is tightly corked at both ends, into the glass tube B and carries at that end the anode E. A small glass tube, F, also connects the rubber ball with the larger tube B. The connections from the battery to the cathode, G, the object to be plated, and to the projecting end of the anode-carrying rod, D, are made as shown. The rubber ball is filled with the electrolyte, and is squeezed so as to force the fluid through the small tube F, into the larger tube, B, filling it and soaking the sponge C. The current is then turned on, and by moving the wet sponge over the cathode G, the latter will be plated. Not only is this an interesting accessory for the amateur's laboratory, but it can be used in the industry where only parts of some object are to be plated, and where it is desired to remedy bad spots without putting the articles back into the bath.
