February 21, 2008

MAGNETIC SOAP HOLDER (Feb, 1949)

Filed under: Bathroom — @ 2:02 am
Source: Mechanix Illustrated ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Feb, 1949

MAGNETIC SOAP HOLDER

EVERY time Urey Edger of Louisville, Ky., washed his face he got n trouble. Not bad trouble—nobody was killed or clapped behind bars. But trouble enough to make him squeeze up his face tight, hop blindly around the washbasin and holler for a towel, to wipe that stinging soap out of his eyes.

Urey noticed a messy jelly in his soap dish and thought that some of his soft-soap goo might be smearing into his eyes and causing his face-washing woe.

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February 19, 2008

New Mechanical Aids for Busy Housewives (Feb, 1933)

Filed under: House and Home — @ 1:50 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Feb, 1933

New Mechanical Aids for Busy Housewives

This new contrivance attaches to a milk bottle and converts it into a convenient little pitcher for the dining table. At right is seen Mr. “Pickadoodle,” who bends down and with his magnetized beak picks up pins or wire clips. His feet are springs.

Here’s the new “Tell-U-How” cocktail mixer which shows you ingredients for your favorite drinks, and measures contents.

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February 17, 2008

Household Aids (Jun, 1930)

Filed under: House and Home — @ 2:42 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jun, 1930

A half slice toaster? Couldn’t you just cut a piece of bread in half and use a regular toaster?

Household Aids

Inventions to Save You Time and Work Want only half a slice of toast? This tiny electric toaster is designed to give you exactly that. It uses only 150 watts and is adequate for the tea table or an individual breakfast.

With a foot on the loop in the handle, this pail is held steady while dry or oiled mop is cleared of dust by turning against blades.

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February 16, 2008

Drinking Straw Pops Out When Bottle Is Opened (Apr, 1939)

Filed under: Kitchen — @ 12:05 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Apr, 1939

Drinking Straw Pops Out When Bottle Is Opened

Don’t be surprised, when you open a bottle of your favorite soft drink, if a clean, sanitary straw pops out of the beverage. It’s the latest wrinkle in bottling and may make a fortune for its clever inventor. Inserted when the bottle is capped, the waterproof straw is closed at the top, trapping air that makes it buoyant. For use, you simply pinch the top to open it, and extend the telescoping straw so that it will be long enough to reach the bottom of the bottle.

February 14, 2008

Automatic Egg Breaker (Aug, 1935)

Filed under: Kitchen — @ 12:01 am
Source: Science And Mechanics ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Aug, 1935

Automatic Egg Breaker
This new separator cracks the shells of 3,600 eggs an hour, and holds them apart till the contents drain into the cups, where each is inspected. (Int. News)

February 8, 2008

Partition Gives Submarine Effect (Feb, 1950)

Filed under: House and Home — @ 12:40 am
Source: Popular Mechanics ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Feb, 1950

Partition Gives Submarine Effect
Spectators receive the illusion of looking directly into a group of small, beautiful submarine gardens when they view the collection of rare tropical fish owned by Fred Joerger, Hollywood motion-picture artist. All the glass tanks that hold the fish are concealed behind a partition of shaggy redwood bark and are viewed through irregular ports cut through the bark.

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February 7, 2008

A Five-Story Tin Can (Jan, 1948)

Filed under: Kitchen — @ 12:02 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jan, 1948

A Five-Story Tin Can
Phantom view above shows how five different vegetables share the new Layer Pak tin can put out by the Larsen Co., of Green Bay, Wis. The various layers of vegetables are separated by parchment-paper walls.

February 1, 2008

Designs for Better Living (Apr, 1946)

Filed under: House and Home — @ 2:00 am
Source: Popular Mechanics ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Apr, 1946

Designs for Better Living

Pity the industrial designer. He must be one dream in front of his competitor, but if he dreams too far ahead, the customers stay away in droves

By John R. Kinsey

LOOK around your home.

Study the appearance of your radio, refrigerator, bathroom scale or even that tube of toothpaste in the medicine cabinet.

Maybe they look O.K. to you, but not to an army of engineers, research experts, artists, sculptors, draftsmen and model makers who are busy right now figuring out ways to make those products—and thousands of other things— look better, work better and sell better.

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January 30, 2008

Robot Clock Latest Home Aid (Apr, 1934)

Filed under: House and Home — @ 2:04 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Apr, 1934

So, that woman took her electric toaster/heater into the shower? Not too bright.

Robot Clock Latest Home Aid

From furniture expositions in Chicago and London come these latest appliances for making housework more pleasant. A robot alarm clock that pours hot tea; midget radio in the kitchen stove; davenport makes 3 chairs; handy electric heater; and clothes line cleaner.

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January 29, 2008

Newer and Easier Ways of Doing Familiar Jobs (Aug, 1930)

Filed under: House and Home — @ 2:01 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Aug, 1930

The false ears for the deaf on the second page are the definite winner in this group.

Newer and Easier Ways of Doing Familiar Jobs

PATS ROUGE ON. Tiresome work with the fingers is unnecessary in applying cosmetics if this new electric machine is used. Two soft pads, mounted on vibrating arms, alternately tap the face, landing more than a hundred strokes a minute. The device plugs into any light socket.

CARDS CAN’T BLOW AWAY. With one of these tables bridge can be played at the beach in defiance of wind. Metal clips are arranged to hold the dummy hand, the cards being played in the center of the table, and also the individual tricks as taken.

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January 28, 2008

New Ingenuities (Mar, 1936)

New Ingenuities

Ventilated Auto Seat
HOT weather driving will lose its principal discomfort, if this principle is carried into general use. The seat cover is of impervious materials, but with small holes. The car’s motions create an internal air stream.

Ice Cream Goblet
IDEA of a large supply house, to give juvenile customers both sundae and soda at one price.

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January 27, 2008

Milk Bottle Taps Cream Line (Sep, 1935)

Filed under: Kitchen — @ 2:04 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1935

Milk Bottle Taps Cream Line
A PAPER milk bottle containing a collapsible cellophane spout at the cream line has been invented in California to permit the removal of cream without disturbing the milk. To drain the cream, the spout is extended, and the liquid flows into a container. Because of the cheapness of manufacture, the bottle may be discarded after use. The inventor estimates the savings to be effected by the average family using this type of bottle at more than $2 a month.

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