Harmless Steam Cannon Shoots Ball Bearings
THIS tiny steam cannon operating in much the same manner as Archimedes famous cannon will prove an interesting project for the workshop. The cannon works in a very realistic manner simply by heating 3/8-inch steel bearings until they are red hot then dropping into the barrel of the cannon in which a small quantity of water has been poured. The hot bearing striking the water converts it into steam which immediately expands and shoots the bearing out of the cannon.
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FANCY DRESS For Drinks
by George Daniels
YOUR guests will get even more of a kick out of the refreshments you serve them if you dress up each bottle in a costume which fits the personality, shall we say, of the liquor it contains. The most difficult part of this project is getting the “stuff,” but once you have solved this problem, the rest is easy.
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This seems like a really, really bad idea for a party game. What questions would you ask to guarantee an interesting evening?
Also, I love how it can also be used as a kissing meter and that the girl who gets kissed is referred to as “the victim”.
Have Fun With a Lie Detector
No use lying or trying to hide your emotions. This little gadget will surely find you out.
By Tony Karp
IF YOU really worked late in the office last night you have nothing to worry about if the wife wants to give you a little going over with the help of this he detector. But, if you were out with the boys, played poker or told her that the smear on your collar is red ink— watch out! This little gadget will give you away.
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The Mysterious Submarine
By F. D. BURKE
THE interesting little toy described in this article will, when placed in water, automatically dive and come to the surface again, repeating this performance, on an average, once a minute over a long period of time. It not only makes a very good toy for a boy but can be used also for advertising purposes. Placed in a glass tank and displayed in a show window, its actions will attract the attention and interest of passers-by, who will stop to wonder how it operates.
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Trick Marionettes WILL ENLIVEN YOUR PUPPET SHOWS
HOW TO MAKE A DANCING SKELETON, A JUGGLER, A DWARF THAT CHANGES INTO A GIANT, A PIANO PLAYER, A GHOST, AND OTHER AMUSING NOVELTIES
By Florence Fetherston Drake
MARIONETTES that will perform all sorts of amazing tricks can be made without difficulty, once the secret of their construction is understood. Ball tossing, for instance, is a simple trick. Then there is the skeleton that disjoints his limbs and throws his head into the air, and the dwarf who grows into a giant. Various adventures of Alice in Wonderland also can be portrayed.
For ball tossing, drill a hole through a wooden ball and run both strings through it, passing the ends through the palms of the marionette’s hands and knotting the ends, as in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Tie the other ends to an extra 12-in. stick. By tilting the ends of the stick alternately, the ball will fly up and down. There is less friction if the string is waxed and the hole in the ball is burned through with a red-hot wire, instead of being drilled.
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Scenes In Miniature
Hints on constructing small dioramas for home decorations, window displays, and advertising or educational purposes
By HERBERT LOZIER
IF YOU were able to visit the New York World’s Fair, you must have been impressed by the lavish use throughout the entire exhibition of large and small dioramas or miniature scenes. In almost every building these have been used to portray outstanding events, methods of manufacture, historic places, and all kinds of information in vivid, colorful, three-dimensional form.
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STUNTS WITH High-Frequency Current
By Kendall Ford
READERS who have followed the constructional articles on high-frequency apparatus that have appeared in past issues will be interested in learning how some of the amazing experiments are performed. The 36-in. high-frequency coil and its associated apparatus (P. S. M., May ‘35, p. 82, and July, p. 82) will be used for the purpose of illustration in this article.
The 110-volt line current is stepped up to approximately 12,000 volts by means of the transformer. The high-voltage current flows from the secondary of the transformer into the condensers, which become charged. If the circuit comprising the condensers, primary of the high-frequency coil, and spark gap has been properly adjusted, the condensers will discharge across the spark gap with a series of sparks, the frequency of which is many times the original 60-cycle charging current.
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On the second page, is he halfway through putting up the title for a movie called “COLON MAGIC”? Or do you think his name Colon and he has a partner named Magi? Or perhaps it has to do with the Colon Magic Festival held in Colon, Michigan, the “Magic Capital of the World”.
Extra Uses for Plastic Weatherstripping
The adhesiveness of plastic weatherstripping and similar calking compounds makes them ideal for a wide variety of applications. Some uses are illustrated here and others crop up constantly in the home, shop, and office. Surfaces held together by the sticky stuff will come apart when you want them to, since it never hardens permanently. Don’t worry about getting it on the furniture; it comes off easily.—Kenneth Murray.
Rubber-Band Sharpshooter
How a North Carolina Sportsman Makes and Shoots His Slingshots
ONE OF boyhood’s traditional toys has come of age. Jim Gasque, North Carolina sportsman, has proved that the ordinary slingshot, when properly made and used, can be an adult weapon of deadly accuracy at distances up to 30′—a range sufficient for stalking small game. He shoots regular No. 0 buckshot.
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ARC FURNACE INCASED IN TWO FLOWERPOTS
A SMALL electric arc furnace for experimental purposes can be made from two flowerpots, one 2 in. in diameter and the other either 6 or 8 in. Drill two holes opposite each other just below the lip of the smaller pot. (An ordinary steel drill will do this.) Make them large enough to receive carbon arc-light rods.
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