THIS year more than ever before, when pockets don't contain so many pennies for Santa Glaus, the project of building Christmas presents in the home workshop carries a special appeal. On these pages two interesting gift ideas are presented, and your attention is also called to articles on pages 95, 102, 113, 122, 129, 130 and 137 of this issue, which present a variety of ideas suitable to every type of audience.
FOR the person who desires to earn extra income in spare moments, these swinging-arm dolls will bring in some welcome revenue. The originator used three patterns, a sailor and the "Dutch Twins," which proved very popular when put on display along a main highway.
IF YOU are an ambitious home shop fan, desirous of turning bits of time and materials into cash, this grooved puzzle will fill the bill. It consists of a disc of wood with three grooves of varying diameters, and a center compartment. Somewhere in these recesses are three 5/16" steel balls.
DEEP sea explorers are now enabled to fathom the ocean's secrets to a depth of more than 815 feet, thanks to the invention of a (living suit which has been dubbed the "one-man sub."
Until recently divers could only descend to a depth of about 200 feet, while submarines could only go a little deeper, about 300 ft. In submarines it was not possible to work around in wrecked ships or examine the ocean floor.
A NEW way to get rid of fog has been recently proposed. Experts long have believed that the chief cause of fog is electrification of the tiny, individual water droplets, so that these repel each other and will not combine to form ordinary raindrops. By electric tests, a German professor has confirmed the fact that fog always is electrified and can be dispersed if electrification is removed or neutralized.
Radium Medicine Is Condemned AN AUTHORITATIVE statement of the probable uselessness and even more probable dangers of drinking radioactive waters or taking other medicines supposed to contain radium has been issued by the American Medical Association. Evidence of helpfulness of water is not available.
WANT to take a nice long swim without exerting any muscle power? Then hook yourself up to this new "Body Sailing Yacht" which has just been introduced in Germany. A special bucket board that straps around your body holds the mast upright, your carcass acting as the hull of this unique windjammer.
FOR a cost of less than $1.00, a very satisfactory hair-drying attachment may be constructed for use in the home. Results obtained from the device are very commendable and entirely worth he cost and effort of construction.
Toy “Pugs” Fight Rousing Battle A PUGILISTIC encounter by puppets two feet high and manipulated from the sidelines is the latest in amusements. Dressed in prize fight garb, they stand up in the ring and swing gloves at each other. Their actions are guided by wheels in the grips of the men playing the game. […]
Shoes for Fastidious Walkers IF YOU are a fastidious walker you will probably appreciate the unique shoe soles shown in the photo below. The design is made by the use of inlaid bits of colored leather and with studs, so that the patterns run all the way through the leather, if that means anything to […]
Vacuum Cleaner Brushes Clothes LOCATED in a place handy to the passing public, this new invention is proving a satisfactory substitute for hand brushes. The device, shown in photo below, operates like a vacuum cleaner. Users drop a coin into a slot, which starts the machinery working. The hand nozzle fixture, rubbed lightly over the […]
Where prospectors of the old school searched the gold country for years in quest of the precious metal, the modern aerial cameraman discovers and records all the salient features of a mineral-bearing region by the simple click of a shutter. Read here how the amazing instruments disclose topographical secrets to flying prospectors.
A PHOTO-ELECTRIC tube now makes it impossible for bowlers to step on or over the foul line without being detected. A small beam of light is focused across the alley so close to the floor as to be intercepted by nothing except the player's toe, which needs to slide across the foul line but a fraction of an inch to be detected and registered by a flashing red light.
THE Field Artillery, U. S. Army, has long experienced difficulty in obtaining practice against fast-moving targets. To meet this need, the Artillery Corps has recently perfected a target which can be towed behind a rapidly-moving automobile and yet zig-zag across the landscape like a drunken jackrabbit.
TO PLAY a game of cards with this robot merely press a button. Miniature cards are speedily shuffled and a full hand of five cards flash into view. Each hand is awarded points according to the value of the cards. A pair counts five, three of a kind counts fifteen, a straight represents fifty, and so on up the scale.
You'll never know the last word in winter sport thrills till you've tried out the ingenious stunts set forth here. Apply them to the nearest hill or lake and winter will have a new meaning to you and your gang.
by DALE R. VAN HORN
WHAT'S more fun on a nippy night than a hearty skating party, or a sojourn to the neighborhood coasting track? Speak up; what is?
There's glamour about a winter night and there's plenty of fun awaiting you. Steep, snow-surfaced hills call for sleds and toboggans; smooth ice on lake and pond coax and beg for skates to line their smooth expanses with hair lines and ice shavings.
Here are enough stunts for snow and ice activities to keep you entertained for quite some time. They've all been tried and found quite thrilling. Most of them you will revamp to your own inclinations and local limitations.
New Dry Ice Fire Extinguisher THE illustration below shows a demonstration of a new type fire extinguisher now on the market. It is designed especially for use in the home where its chemical compound will not mar the furniture or the rugs. The compound is carried in a container resembling the standard fire extinguisher. A […]
ANOTHER step forward to greater automobile efficiency has been made with this gearless motor car, invented by a young Australian engineer. The car, shown in illustration on right, promises to revolutionize motoring throughout the world.
THE "flying auto," a combination airplane and automobile which negotiates roads and air lanes with equal facility, has at last appeared in the aeronautical world.
Designed by two German engineers, the craft is a development of the autogyro. A great advantage, however, is that no propeller for the drive in the direction of flight is necessary. The little vertical fins on the gyro blades give the necessary force to drive the car forward in the air.
"SPIKE the Potato" is a highly entertaining game for any party. All that is needed is a single large potato, a number of paper cones and some needles. The paper cones are about 7 in. long and 1-1/2" in diameter at the large end. When you roll them into shape, slip a needle or pin into the small end and daub it with glue. This, when dry, will hold it in place. At the same time, glue the edge of the paper fast. Then pull a small tuft of cotton into a fluffy ball and after rubbing some glue on the inside of the open cone end, push the cotton in.
New Paper Umbrella Is Rainproof ONE of the latest innovations in the umbrella field is this paper rainproof “Wondersol.” When not in use, it folds flat, permitting easy packing or carrying about. To open the parasol from its flat position, first spread out in loosened form, then, grasping the handles one in either hand, finish […]
Spectators at your school or club basketball games will get a bigger kick out of the battle if they can keep an eye on this electric scoreboard, which tells at a glance how the game stands and how much time is left to play. Take the idea to your coach— he'll welcome it.
by E. A. RERUCHA
THERE is a distinct advantage, from the spectators' interest standpoint, In having a scoreboard controlled directly from the officials' table, so that the official score and time left to play can instantly be flashed before the spectators as the game progresses.
The electric scoreboard described in this article is operated by means of a control box from the officials' table and the score, and other information, is flashed on the board by means of sections of lamps, certain sections of lights in various combinations making up the required number to indicate the score, whatever it may be.
Truck Convertible Into Tractor IDEAL for negotiating muddy roads is a new auto-car which is quickly convertible into a caterpillar tractor. Ordinarily the caterpillar treads hook to the rear of the car and are carried as extra baggage. When the truck is to be made ready to traverse muddy terrain or do duty in the […]
by THEODORE HODGDON
A youngster will get some keen thrills out of driving his own specially designed midget motorbike along the highways at a clip of 40 m.p.h. Read this article to learn how to build one of these miniature jobs or cut down a big machine to make it suitable for a 10-year-old boy.
AN EXCEPTIONAL opportunity for the mechanically-minded person to exercise his ingenuity and creative ability is afforded in the construction of miniature motorcycles for youngsters ranging all the way from three up to eight or ten years of age.
When complete, these tiny motorcycles operate exactly like their larger brothers, which may be seen in the hands of sportsmen and motorcycle policemen. The tiny engines propel the little machines along at 35 or 40 miles an hour, yet are easily controlled at a twist of the wrist by regular motorcycle throttle and spark grip.
by Edward B. Cope
Animals have been trapped for furs since the beginning of time, but the armadillo, queer armored creature of the Southwest, is only animal which is "shelled" to bring a cash return to farmer engaged in business of raising it.
THE strangest occupation in the world— that of raising animals which will later become articles of home decoration and furniture—is carried on by Charles Apelt on his armadillo farm near Comfort, Texas, 55 miles from San Antonio.
Pastry Baked From Inside Out PERHAPS the only pastry which bakes from the inside to the exterior is the Tree Cake produced in the pastry kitchen of a Chicago hotel. In making the cake, the hatter mixture is poured on a revolving spit. When gas jets have baked or toasted it to a delicate brown, […]
Truck Like Section of Giant Tire A LARGE rubber factory has just recently put into service the unique truck shown below. The body is built to resemble a section of a huge tire, the tread and design being built of composition material. It is claimed that the section was built in proportion to the exact […]
THERE have been numerous inventions to foil bank bandits in their hold-up attempts but the latest one is the most original. The vibrations of the human heart-heat set off an alarm bell.
Rubber Cap Prevents Gas Stains THE latest equipment for oil stations is a rubber cap that fits over the gas tank and prevents gas from spilling onto the radiator hood of automobiles. The device, shown in photo below, eliminates gas stains from the surface of car hoods.
A TOY saurian from the far-away past proves to be a refreshing novelty to the youngsters. The toy is extremely simple to make, as there are only six major parts. In addition to these, four wheels and some wire complete the whole thing.
The sides or the two body pieces are separated about an inch or more. This is accomplished by using glass beads for spacers on the wires which form the joints. Stiff copper wires about 2 in. long are cut for the two pivots. These are bent over about % in. at one end and thrust through the holes in the side pieces. The rear wire is first passed through one rear leg. The side and leg are then laid upon the table with the wires pointing upward.
Camera Trap Catches Unusual Poses of Smaller Forms of Wild Life AN ORDINARY mouse trap and a few feet of 1/2″ x 1-1/4″ stock are all the parts required to make this automatic shutter release for your box camera. The device, which should be painted green, is unique in catching unusual poses of small forms […]
Mother Hen Eats Dye, Chicks Hatch Out Freakish Colors THE chickens seen in the photo at the left may look just like any brood of infant barnyard fowl but that is because Modern Mechanix couldn’t print them in colors. In the flesh, however, they are a deep pink in hue with bills and toe nails […]
Combination Cat, Fish Globe Affords Unique Spectacle HOW to exhibit prize winning kittens and butterfly goldfish to the best advantage was the problem of Mrs. J. T. Mopham, a cat and fish fancier of Los Angeles. She left the task up to a large glass company of her town who proceeded to turn out the […]
The logical successor to the Wagon Wheel Chandelier Chandelier From Auto Wheel A SERVICEABLE chandelier for the cabin or camp can be made from a discarded auto wheel, as shown in the photo below. Insert a length of electric light wire through the holes drilled in the rim of the wheel to receive the bolts […]
“Alarmball” Warns of Burglars THE “alarmball,” illustrated in accompanying photo, is a clever little device to prevent burglaries. Placed against a door or a window, its own weight pushes the three small legs down and stills a bell, which is controlled by a clock-like arrangement within the walls. The least little movement of door or […]
Paradoxical as it may sound, tidal waves have caused some of the most terrible disasters in history, yet they occur twice daily without serious results. Here is an explanation of these oceanic upheavals.
by CALVIN FRAZER
ANY kind of an upheaval of the ocean's surface has generally been called, particularly by newspaper writers, a tidal wave, but according to the strict definitions of science this designation has been a grevious error. The error, unfortunately, has crept into the working vocabularies of scientists themselves, and now tidal wave has come to denote any kind of oceanic disturbance in which the waters of the sea rise up in their might and work havoc on ships at sea and inhabitants of the littoral.
Free Air Costs Nickel Unless— ANEW device recently patented makes it necessary that motorists either make a purchase at a filling station or pay a nickel for the shot of air they put in their tires. In operation when a coin is put into the slot it releases enough air to inflate five tires. A […]
I hope she doesn’t change her mind. Lip Tattooing Is the Latest Fad A NEW and unique fad making rapid strides among the movie folk of Hollywood is not to rouge the lips but have them permanently made up by the tattoo artist, as demonstrated in photo below. All shades of the more popular lip […]
Asbestos Umbrellas for Firemen THE utilization of asbestos umbrellas has helped the “smoke-eaters” of a German provincial city to combat the fire peril. The novel device, illustrated below, is an imitation of the asbestos protective method used during the World war by Allied troops against the terrible effects of liquid fire. Every brigade member is […]
Copper Swim Suit Ad for Arizona ALTHOUGH not guaranteed to make swimming easier, this jaunty copper bathing suit will cause many a reclining sun bather to sit up and take notice. The suit is generously sprinkled with copper and was worn by Miss Helen Brow of Phoenix, Arizona, recently chosen as “Miss Arizona.” The real […]
Cigarette Ignites Like Match BECAUSE a smoker often has a cigarette but no match with which to light it, an inventor has developed a self-lighting fag which eliminates use of matches. The idea is unique in its field and should be received with favor by all tobacco users who have been caught in a similar […]
Solar Bath Apparatus Helps Cure Diseases of the Head NO, THE peculiar looking device in the photo at left is not a camera, nor even a telescope, although partially resembling both. It is a new solar bath apparatus for the head and has made a great hit with the medical fraternity of Germany. The main […]
Propping up multi-storied skyscrapers on stilts, burrowing beneath railway tunnels, digging out huge chunks of solid rock, thousands of workmen have just completed the most amazing engineering job of its kind on record—the construction of New York City's newest subway, which is the very last word in underground transportation luxury.
by THOMAS M. JOHNSON
ONE winter day 62 years ago, wheels turned in the first underground railway ever operated in an American city. Really it was a block-long subterranean pneumatic tube, through which a steam-driven fan blew a singe 18-passenger car, then sucked it back.