Pneumatic Door Check Made of Bicycle Pump
This Neat and Effective Door Check was Made of an Old Bicycle Pump and a Strip of Iron, Shaped and Polished
A door was provided with a heavy coiled spring that caused it to slam shut, and in order to overcome this nuisance, a check was made from an old bicycle pump. The fittings being worked out neatly, did not mar the appearance of the woodwork. Band iron, ¹⁄₈ by 1¹⁄₂ in., was used for the fittings. A clamp, as detailed, was made to hold the end of the pump cylinder. A bracket, 5¹⁄₂ in. long, of similar iron was fastened to the door, as shown, with screws, and the clamp bolted to it. The end of the plunger was extended and bent at a right angle, so as to pivot in a small angle bracket attached to the trim, as shown in the front view. An air-release hole was provided, as indicated, so that the air was freed from the cylinder gradually as the door closed, thus preventing slamming.—P. P. Avery, Garfield, New Jersey.
Convenient Tool Drawer under Chair Seat
For the householder who does small repairing occasionally at home, a sliding drawer under his working chair will be found a convenience. The tools are always handy when he sits down to his work, and he can put them away again without arising from the chair. This arrangement is also useful in small shops where a chair or stool is used for tinkering and light bench work.—James M. Kane, Doylestown, Pa.
Red Windows in Daylight Photographic Workroom
Instead of the customary dark room, with the expense of red incandescent lamps or the evil-smelling oil lamp, the photographer who works during the day should have a red room, obtained by means of a window with panes of red glass. The amateur can cover the windows with red cloth, through which will penetrate a diffuse red light of the desired quality. This is far superior to the common practice of providing an opaque screen, blocking up the windows, etc., and the screen can be made of red cloth instead of black cloth, just as handily. Proper ventilation should, of course, be provided.—Alfred J. Miller, Albuquerque, N. M.