The small tube is loaded at the lower end with a quantity of shot, or other heavy metal, in such a way that it will stand in a vertical position when it is placed in a vessel of water. The amount of the loading will depend upon whether the hydrometer is to be used in determining the specific gravity of liquids heavier or lighter than water. If the liquids are heavier than water, the loading should be such that the tube is almost entirely immersed when placed in water; if lighter, only sufficient loading should be used to make the tube stand upright in water. After the amount of loading has been determined it should be fastened in place by means of a small quantity of calcined plaster. A small cork should now be placed in the open end of the tube, and the tube sealed by coating the end with shellac, or melting a small quantity of resin or sealing wax over the top of the cork with a hot soldering iron.
Now place in the large tube a quantity of as pure water as can be obtained—fresh rain water will answer very well and distilled water still better. Immerse the small tube in the water in the large tube and allow it to come to rest. Make a small mark on the small tube with a file, level with the surface of the water in the large tube. If the hydrometer is placed in a liquid lighter than water and allowed to float, the mark made on the tube will always be below the surface of the liquid in which the instrument is placed, and the mark will be above the surface of the liquid when the liquid is heavier than water.
The hydrometer may be calibrated by making use of a hydrometer borrowed from the druggist or doctor. The two hydrometers should be immersed in the same liquid and the tube of the newly made instrument marked to correspond with the markings on the borrowed instrument. If the liquid is heavier than water to start with, its specific gravity can be reduced by adding water, and as the water is added the hydrometers will both rise.
A Stirring Stick
The stirring, or mixing, stick shown in the sketch deserves its name, as it will stir evenly all the way around. It consists of two flat sticks, one two-thirds the width of the other, which are nailed together as shown. The narrow one is only long enough to enter the depth of the liquid.—Contributed by Frank J. Rempe, Oakland, California.
A Flat Surface Strikes the Liquid No Matter Which Way the Stick is Moved
