The Holder Provides a Way to Grind a Slight Curve in the Edge of a Skate Blade
One edge of the board is provided with two pins, D and E, solidly fastened, which are of sufficient height to bring the center of the blade on a level with the grinder axle. An adjusting screw, F, is provided for the grinder base to adjust the skate blade accurately. The support G is for use on baseboards where skates with strap heels, H, are to be sharpened. The shape of the clamp for this support is shown at J.
When the skate is securely clamped to the base the blade can be easily "hollow ground" or given a slight curve on the edge.—Contributed by C. G. Smith, Brooklyn, N. Y.
A Homemade Direct-View Finder for Cameras
Every hand camera and most of the tripod cameras are equipped with finders of one type or another, and usually one in which the image of the field is reflected upward on a small ground glass—being, in fact, a miniature camera obscura. The later and generally more approved style of finder has a small concave lens conveniently set on the outer edge of the camera. When this direct-vision type of finder is used, the camera is held so that the finder is at the height of the eye, a condition that is particularly desirable. When in a crowd, of course, the professional and many amateurs are familiar with the method of holding the camera inverted over the head and looking up into the finder to determine the range of the field. Even this method is inconvenient, often impractical.
The up-to-date newspaper photographer insists on having his camera equipped with direct finders, as it saves him much trouble and many failures. Anyone with a little ingenuity can change one of the old-type finders into a combination device, either direct or indirect. The sketches are self-explanatory, but it may be said that Fig. 1 represents a box camera with a regulation finder set in one corner of the box. To make it a direct finder, a small brass hinge is used. Cut off part of one wing, leaving a stub just long enough to be attached to the front of the camera directly above the lens of the finder and so as not to interfere with it, and high enough to permit the other wing to be turned down on the ground glass, with space allowed for the thin glass mirror A, that is to be glued to the under side of the long wing. The joint of the hinge should work quite stiffly in order to keep it from jarring out of any position in which it may be set.
Two Types of Ordinary View Finders and Methods of Converting Them into Direct-View Finders
If the wing is turned upward at an angle of 45 deg., the finder can be used as a direct-vision instrument when held at the height of the eyes. The image reflected from the small mirror is inverted, but this is no disadvantage to the photographer. The small pocket mirror given out for advertising purposes serves very well for making the reflecting mirror.