A Drop of Rain Water Completes the Bell Circuit, Thus Giving Warning of the Rain
An annunciating device, which awakens a person sleeping in a room with the window open and warns him that it is raining, so that he may close the window, is an interesting bit of electrical construction. On the outside of the house, as detailed, is a funnel fixed to the wall. At its small end, two separate wires have their terminals. The wires enter the room at the frame of the window, and connect to an electric bell, and a dry cell. A drop of water entering the funnel, flows down to the small end, falling on the terminals of the wires, and acting as a conductor, completes the circuit, ringing the bell. A switch inside cuts out the circuit, stopping the bell’s ringing.—John M. Chabot, Lauzon, Quebec, Can.
Coaster Steering Gear Made from Cream-Freezer Drive
A Steering Rig That Works Almost Like That on an Automobile was Made Out of the Driving Parts of an Old Ice-Cream Freezer
In rebuilding a wagon into an automobile coaster, I used the driving rod and gears from an old ice-cream freezer, and found that it worked so well that perhaps other boys might be interested in the job. The front of the coaster was covered with a hood, and the steering wheel was set back of it, as shown. The center rod of the freezer was used for the steering post F, and an old rubber-tired wheel was made into a steering wheel. The casting from the top of the freezer, with the gears in it, and the rod on which the turning crank was fastened were set on a block, H, and braced, as shown. The shaft where the crank was fastened, at B, was set through the wagon bed. A crosspiece of iron, A, was wired to the axle D with wires C. A heavy block was used for a turntable. The top end of the casting was fastened to the hood with a brace, G, and the block H steadies the rigging also.—L. Chester Bryant, El Dorado, Ark.
Pad for Glass Vessels Made of Corks
In the kitchen, shop, laboratory, and other places where glass or other fragile dishes or vessels are used, a convenient pad on which to rest them can be made by stringing corks on a strong cord or wire in the form of a ring. Several rings of corks may be used to make a mat, or rings slightly larger in diameter than the bottle or vessel may be made for certain sizes of containers. If desired, the corks may be cut to fit closely on the radial joints, making the resulting ring more secure.