Fig. 5
The Stern-Wheeler Is Similar in Construction to the Side-Wheeler as to Driving Mechanism
A Small Thresher of Practical Use
Buckwheat, oats, wheat, morning-glory seeds, and other grains and seeds, were successfully cleaned with a model thresher of simple design which I made from materials picked up in and around the farm workshop. It is 24 in. high, 14 in. wide, and 3¹⁄₂ ft. long. For a cylinder, I used a roller, 3 in. in diameter and 1 ft. long. The teeth are nails driven spirally about the cylinder in rows that alternate with similar teeth in the concave, the nails being driven ¹⁄₂ in. apart. The fan consists of a small roller upon which four pieces of tin are nailed. The beaters are larger rollers, into which wooden teeth are set. To hold the cylinder, fan, and beaters in place, four posts and two crosspieces were used, as shown.
Made as a Model, This Small Thresher Proved Useful for Various Grains and Seeds
The power used is an 8-ft. windmill that I constructed, using a buggy wheel as the frame. The cylinder must be run at a fairly high speed, the fan nearly as fast, and the beaters may be run much slower; this is taken care of by the relative size of the pulleys. The screen between the fan and beaters must be of small mesh so that grain will not fall through into the fan chamber. The sieve through which the grain drops must be the proper size for grain, and can be varied for the different kinds of grain or seed threshed. It is better to put only the heads of grain into the thresher, as long straws twist about the rollers. The material to be threshed is fed into the cylinder in the usual manner, and takes its course as indicated by the arrows, the grain falling to the spout at the bottom, and the straw and chaff being blown out at the exhaust for it. Soft wood was used in the construction, ⁷⁄₈-in. stock for the heavier pieces, and ³⁄₈ or ¹⁄₄-in. stock for the other parts. The curved housing for the fan was made of tin. Leather or rope belts, fitted tightly, may be used. The power is applied on the cylinder pulley, hand or other power being suitable.—F. E. Brimmer, Dalton, N. Y.
Moth-Ball Puzzle as Window-Advertising Novelty
A druggist recently puzzled thousands with a novel window display. A small white ball in a 1-in. glass tube, about 10 in. long, displayed in a show window, would sink to the bottom, then slowly ascend, only to sink as before. A sign reading “What Makes It Move?” kept the crowd guessing. The tube was apparently filled with water. The construction is simple. The tube is about three-quarters full of carbonated soda water. The white ball is an ordinary moth ball. The ball sinks, and when it becomes soaked gradually as it lowers, bubbles of gas cling to it, carrying it to the top of the solution. There the gas escapes, destroying the ball’s buoyancy, and causing it to sink again, This process is repeated over and over.—David J. Lonergan, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Record-Cleaning Pad Fixed to Talking Machine
