A leaf of paper—letter-paper is good for the purpose—is cut into an exact square; fold this cornerwise, and then through the middle each way, as indicated in Fig. 1. This done, turn over each corner in succession, so that the edge of the square will be along one of the cornerwise folds, as in Fig. 2, and fold sharply the portion from a to b. Do this eight times, twice with each corner, first turning it one way and then the other, till it has the folds shown in Fig. 3. Turn inward two of these portions, indicated by the shading, as in Fig. 4; this will draw together the other two sides; fold it closely across the middle, a b, as in Fig. 5; then repeat the same in the other direction, folding on the line c d. This is done to mark the folds, which may be made more completely by pressing them with the finger-nail. Now it will be easy to bring the corners of the square up together, making a figure like No. 5 or like No. 6, when looking down on the meeting of the points at a. Then bring the points 1 and 2 together, also 3 and 4, and your figure will be like No. 7. Take the two outside points at a and turn them down, folding at the dotted line, and you have Fig. 8. Now turn down the other two points, 3 and 4, one forward, the other backward, making Fig. 9, with two broad points inside and two narrow ones outside. Turn and fold these narrow points to the right and left, and turn down the end of one point to form the head, and you have the bird, Fig. 10. Take it by the head and tail, as shown in the final view, and move them to and from each other. After a little careful working, when the folds become flexible in the proper places, you will make the bird flap its wings. It can be done after a few trials, if not on the first, and is sure to afford amusement to all.
THE TUMBLING EGG.
Fill a quill with quicksilver, seal it at both ends with good hard wax; then have an egg boiled, take a tiny piece of shell off the small end, and thrust in the quill with the quicksilver; lay it on the floor, and it will not cease tumbling so long as any heat remains in it; or if you put quicksilver into a small bladder, and then blow it up, upon warming the bladder it will skip about as long as heat remains in it.
THE THREE HALOS.
Take a saturated solution of alum, and, having spread a few drops of it over a plate of glass, it will rapidly crystallize. When this plate is held between the observer and the sun or a lamp-flame, with the eye very close to the smooth side of the glass plate, there will be seen three beautiful halos of light at different distances from the luminous body. The smallest, which is the innermost circle, is the whitest, the second is larger and more colored, with its blue rays extending outward, and the third is very large and highly colored.
PAPER BOATS.
Take a piece of paper measuring about four by three inches; fold it across the middle, as shown by dotted line in Fig. 1; then turn down the corners of the folded side (a b, Fig. 2). You now have Fig. 3; turn up the edge c d toward you, and fold it; turn up the other edge away from you, and fold it against the other side, which gives you Fig. 4. Bend over the points c d in either direction, also the other two corresponding points, so that the outline of the triangle is continuous. You can cut off these little corners if you like; but the boat is somewhat stronger, however, by letting them remain, and after a little experience, you will find no difficulty in disposing of them. This little hat-shaped form you now open (Fig. 5) and press together, with the points e f meeting each other, which gives you Fig. 6. Bend the point f up toward you till it meets the point g, folding on the dotted line. Turn the point e up likewise on the other side. Now you have another hat, but smaller, and with a triple crown. Treat this as before (Figs. 5 and 6). Your last shape will have two points meeting at the bottom and three at the top. Pull the two outside points at the top apart sideways (Fig. 7), and continue this till you have drawn it out to a flat shape, as in Fig. 8. Press this closely together, then open it slightly, and the boat is complete—like Fig. 9.
[Note.—To avoid taking up unnecessary space, the first two figures are drawn smaller than their actual proportion to the rest.]
HOW TO TAKE IMPRESSIONS OF PLANTS.
Take fine paper and oil it well with lard or sweet oil; let it stand a few moments to soak through, then remove the superfluous oil with a piece of paper, and hang it in the air to dry. When the oil is well dried in, take a lighted candle and move the paper slowly over it in a horizontal direction so as to touch the flame, till it is perfectly black. When you wish to take impressions of plants, lay your plant carefully on the oiled paper, and a piece of clean paper over it, and rub it with your finger equally in all parts for about half a minute; then take up your plant, being careful not to disturb the order of the leaves, and place it on the paper on which you wish to have the impression; cover it with a piece of blotting-paper and rub it with your finger for a short time, and you will have an impression equal to a fine engraving. The same piece of black paper will serve to take off a great number of impressions, so that when you have once gone through the process of blacking it, you may make several impressions in a very short time.
It is well for beginners to try with single leaves before attempting whole plants. After you have gained some experience you will find little difficulty in making a beautiful bouquet of leaves, which will be a very acceptable Christmas or birthday gift for mother or an older sister or friend.
A NICE FRAME FOR THE ABOVE.
Procure a strip of board, half an inch thick and three inches wide; take the dimensions of your drawing or impression picture, and subtracting half an inch from both length and width, make the remainder the inner dimensions of your frame. For instance, suppose your picture was twelve inches wide and fourteen inches long, the inner dimensions of your frame would be eleven and one-half by thirteen and one-half inches. The two upright strips would be cut just thirteen and one-half inches long, but the top and bottom would be eleven and one-half inches plus six inches, the width of the two sides, which is seventeen and one-half inches. So the two sides would be thirteen and one-half inches and the top and bottom seventeen and one-half inches each. Great care must be taken to cut the pieces so that their ends will be at exact right angles to their sides. If you are not expert in such work, it would be well to get a carpenter to cut the pieces for you. In selecting your stock for this frame, procure a board with a rough, unplaned surface, if possible, as the result is much better than with a perfectly smooth satin finish. Next take a lath and cut from it two strips three inches longer than the side-pieces, in this instance sixteen and one-half inches, and two other strips one-half inch longer than the inner dimensions of top and bottom, being twelve inches for the frame we are making. With good hot glue join the parts of the frame, and tie it with a cord to keep its form till the glue is dry; then lay the laths upon the back of the frame, one-fourth of an inch from the inner edge, and with small brads nail them in place. At this stage it is well to have your glass fitted, as it saves marring the frame when finished. After it is fitted—any glazier will do that for you—lay the glass carefully away till needed. Find some prettily shaped larch twigs with their little cones attached, or if they are not to be had, pine twigs will do, and with the hot glue and two or three slender brads, place them in graceful bunches over the points of joining. With a bottle of gold paint and a soft brush you can very soon change this rough, unpretending affair into a very artistic frame, one of which, if every step of the process of construction has been carefully taken, you may justly be proud. The glass is next put in place, then the picture carefully laid upon that, face downward, and a piece of cardboard—an old paper-box cover will do—cut the exact size of the glass, laid upon both; these are caught in place by brad-nails driven into the edges of the laths, and extending over the edges of the cardboard. When the picture is firmly fixed in its place, paste a piece of strong brown paper over the whole back of the picture and frame, covering the laths as well. This will exclude all dust and dampness and make the whole thing neater in appearance. Last of all, put in two screw-eyes a little above the middle line of the frame and attach a wire or cord for hanging it in its place upon the wall.
[Note.—Before pasting on the brown paper, dampen it well to avoid its wrinkling.]
PAPIER-MACHÉ BOATS.
In a preceding article, I alluded to boats as being good subjects for papier-maché, and remembering how much pleasure every boy takes in constructing a boat, I will give a few more explicit directions for the benefit of those of my readers who have ponds and brooks within easy access of their homes.
Having cut from soft wood a good model for the hull, smear it well over with sweet-oil or lard, and rub it well into the wood; then cut your paper into strips an inch or so wide, and paste them longitudinally around the model from stem to stern, in very much the same manner that the boards are put on a real boat, but not so evenly, as the arrangement will not show when the boat is completed. Continue this process until the coating of paper is as thick as very heavy pasteboard, and let it remain until perfectly dry; then with a sharp knife cut off the edge evenly at the top, and sand-paper the whole surface till it is smooth and hard.
Cover both inside and out with two good coats of oil paint, making sure that every point is protected by this medium from the invasion of the water, which would soon ruin it if allowed to reach the paper surface.
Now cut two supports or braces out of 7/8-inch board, which will just fit into the body of the boat, across it from side to side. These are to give proper strength and, at the same time, form supports for the masts; while into a post at the stern two small iron sockets can be driven from the outside through the paper, for holding the rudder in place. The others are placed, one fore and the other aft, in the position the masts are finally to occupy.
As these boats are necessarily very light, some ballast or a keel is indispensable for their sailing well. If a ballast is used, it must be fastened in place by wires on the inside; but as a keel is most satisfactory in the end, I should strongly advise its use. As it is molded from lead, you will be obliged to construct your own mold, which can be done by digging out a piece of wood in the proper shape, or, what is easier, by nailing on a flat piece of board two narrow strips at a suitable distance from each other, and closing the form by nailing other and shorter strips across the ends of the first. A little trough, as you will see, will be the result, and if after passing into this your melted lead you place two sharp nails with their heads imbedded in the mass, at the same distance from each other, and in the same relative positions as your wooden supports, your keel will, when hard, require only a few blows with the hammer to fix it in place. Care must be taken to place the nails so that they will enter the supports after passing through the paper bottom; as the keel would not otherwise hold in place. Next cut from the cigar-box wood a deck for your craft; this is easiest done by simply laying the model upon the wood bottom upward, and marking around the edge with a sharp-pointed lead-pencil. This deck must necessarily fit in your boat if your lines are followed in the cutting. Mark upon the deck the positions of the supports, and bore holes through it and into them, for the accommodation of the masts, which should be two in number for a schooner, or three for a full-rigged ship; fasten a bowsprit in its place, and arrange your sails and stays to suit the style of your boat.
After the keel, deck, and bowsprit are in place, it would be well to give her another good coat of paint, and when that is perfectly dry, to varnish her thoroughly with the shellac spoken of before in this book.
This boat is a great improvement on the ordinary dug-out hulls most boys are in the habit of making; for aside from taking less time in making, and sailing more rapidly, it has the advantage of being duplicated; that is, of having a dozen if you wish, made just like it on the same model, while it would be almost impossible to make two alike by the old, laborious method. In forming your model be careful to make it largest at the top, so that it can be removed without trouble from its papier-maché covering.
THE TOY STEAM-BOAT.
Among the many mechanical toys a boy of ordinary ability can make, the steam-boat is perhaps one of the most satisfactory of them all.
As a scroll-saw takes an important part in its making, some knowledge of one, or friendship with the owner of it, is desirable, if not absolutely necessary, for complete success.
This toy is composed principally of five pieces of board, of different degrees of thickness, which are first cut out as follows:
The first piece, or hull, is eighteen inches long by three and one-half inches wide, with a shape like that indicated by Fig. 1, and made of wood seven-eighths of an inch thick.
To insure making both sides of these pieces alike, it would be well to first draw, on thick brown paper, a straight line from the bow to the middle point of the stern, and carefully mark out one-half the piece on the right side of this line; then, folding the paper on the line, cut through the outline, and the pattern is ready for use on your wood. Do this with all the parts, and you will find less difficulty in putting them together.
The second piece is made of a half-inch board, and is nineteen inches long, by five and one-half inches wide opposite the slits for the wheels.
The dotted line d e across this is just nine and one-half inches from the bow, and is placed there to show where the slits a a are to begin. These slits are for the wheels, and are four and one-quarter inches long, five-eighths of an inch wide, and three-eighths of an inch from the edge. The sides opposite these slits must be straight, or parallel to a line drawn from bow to middle of stern. The hole in the middle is three inches long by two inches wide, with an extension two inches long by one wide on the forward end. The middle of the main hole forms a line with the middle point of the paddle-wheel slits. Remember and mark out one-half of this on paper, double, and cut both sides at once; do 3, 4, and 5 the same way.
The third piece is made of seven-eighths-inch wood, fourteen inches long, and corresponds in shape to the second board from the dotted line b c, Fig. 2, to just aft of the slits for the paddle-wheels. Here the edge forms a line parallel to that of the second board, but one inch from it all the distance around, as indicated by the dotted lines on Fig. 2. Its shape is given in Fig. 3, and the point d is intended to fall over e in Fig. 1. The rear, f, in the second board, indicated in Fig. 2, extends an inch beyond, and forms the base for the flag-staff to stand upon, and a hole is made at g for another flag-staff to rest in (see engraving). The slits and central hole are the same size as in second board, and correspond to them in shape and position. (The position which three occupies in connection with two is indicated on Fig. 2 by the dotted lines.)
Fourth piece: Cut it like Fig. 4 in shape, and out of a board one inch in thickness. Its position is indicated by the inner set of dotted lines on Fig. 3. This piece is ten inches long and two and three-quarter inches wide, with a central hole the same size and shape as in the other pieces. At three-quarters of an inch forward from the slits for paddle-wheels, cut in three-quarters of an inch and finish in a semicircular shape at each end.
The fifth piece is made of half-inch wood, in shape like Fig. 5, and fifteen inches long by two and three-quarter inches wide, with the middle opening corresponding in length to the other three, but only three-quarters of an inch wide. Its position is indicated on Fig. 3 by the outer set of dotted lines. When referring to these pieces hereafter, I will call them Numbers 1, 2, etc., as indicated by the figures.
The smoke-stack next claims our attention: this is six inches long, and seven-eighths of an inch in diameter across the top; its position is indicated at g on Fig. 5.
The pilot-house is cylindrical, and cut to correspond in form to that in the illustration. It is one and one-half inches in diameter and two inches high from base line to tip of point on the top.
The walking-beam is rather less than one-quarter of an inch thick, and is two and three-quarter inches long by one and one-quarter inches wide. It should be cut in the shape represented in Fig. 6, and a small hole bored in either end.
The supports for the walking-beam are two in number, made of quarter-inch wood, cut in the shape of d, e, f, Fig. 6; the base line, d f, is one and one-half inches, and the height of the support just two inches.
The wheels are made from three-eighths-of-an-inch wood and are circular in form, with a diameter of three and three-quarter inches.
At this stage of the work it would be well to bore in each of these two holes to allow the passage of a good-sized wire; one hole through the center, and the other a quarter of an inch one side of it. This is so arranged that the wire can be brought through the center of one wheel and allowed to project a few inches. Then bend the projecting end twice, in such a manner that it may enter the second hole in the wheel when that is pushed back upon it. This arrangement is seen at B, Fig. 3, in which the dotted lines show the final position of the wheel.
The pieces for the paddle-boxes, four in number, are semicircular, with a base line or diameter of four and one-quarter inches. The form is seen in Fig. 8, which also is intended to assist in the decoration.
Fig. 7 represents a front view of the walking-beam and its supports; the line a b is a short piece of strong wire, which passes through the hole made in the center of the walking-beam, and rests in two holes made in the sides of the supports near the top, and extending nearly, but not quite through to the outer side. This is plainly seen in the figure, the black line indicating the length of these holes. C in the same figure is a small piece cut from a quarter-inch wood and intended to hold the supports in place, and to keep them a sufficient distance apart to allow free motion of the walking-beam.
The forward and aft flag-staffs are of large wire, and the two masts are of tough wood nearly as large round as a lead-pencil.
Having all the parts now cut out in the proper form and size, take each piece and bore holes for the screws which hold them together. The position of these is indicated in each figure by the heads of the screws placed at precisely the best points; these screws should be of different lengths, as those passing through No. 4 require a length of one and one-half to one and three-quarter inches, while those for No. 2 need not be more than an inch in length. In No. 3 make four small holes, indicated by a in Fig. 3, for slender screws which are to hold the outer paddle-box pieces in place. In Fig. 3, the lines b c, b c, indicate grooves, cut down in the sides five-eighths of an inch deep, and reaching across in a straight line from the middle of one slit to the middle of the other; these should be large enough to admit an easy play of the wire which is to form the axle of the wheels. Holes should also be made at a and b, in Fig. 5, for the wire forming the flag-staffs to pass up through, and for the screws at c and g, which are to hold the pilot-house and smoke-stack in place.
Having smoothed off all these pieces and sand-papered those parts needing it, we now proceed to the painting, as it is much more convenient to paint each piece separately, and then put them together, than to leave it till the last, as is generally the custom.
No. 1 simply needs a thick coat of white paint.
No. 2 is also painted white. It seems unnecessary to add that those parts not seen when the steam-boat is put together, need no paint.
No. 3 is first painted white, then the windows are stenciled on in the same manner as given in the directions for making toy cars, in another part of this book. These should be black, while the name should be either dark red or brown.
No. 4 is also white, with windows stenciled on in black, as in No. 3, while No. 5 is painted a buff color, both on the top and under-side.
The smoke-stack is black, while the base is a deep yellow; and the pilot-house is white, with windows stenciled around its sides, while its pagoda-shaped top is a bright, light green.
In Fig. 8, the two outside pieces of the paddle-box are given; and the manner in which they are to be painted is indicated; these four pieces need be painted only on one side, with a thick coat of white; two of these may now be laid aside, but the other two, after drying, should be decorated with radiating lines of red extending from the central semicircle, to the dark-red line running around the top at a short distance from the edge. These radiating lines should be alternated with light blue ones near the circumference; and the small semicircle at the bottom is a rich dark blue, with a star cut from gilt paper pasted on to give it the desired brilliant effect.
The walking-beam, Fig. 6, should next be treated; this is first covered with a bright green, and when dry marked with black, as indicated in the cut. The supports are first painted buff, the same color as the top, and afterward striped with black, as seen in Fig. 6.
The wheels must not be forgotten, for although showing but slightly, they would give the whole boat an unfinished appearance if left unpainted. These may be dark, or Indian red, with lines of black radiating from the center to the edge.
After all the parts are perfectly dry, fasten No. 2 and No. 1 in position, then having a sufficient length of wire, about the size of a large knitting-needle, fasten it in the first wheel, as indicated at B, Fig. 3. Then bend it into a crank, as shown by dotted lines in the middle opening of Fig. 3. This crank should be one and one-half inches wide and three-quarters of an inch deep; make the points, where it bends, as near right angles as possible; then pass the end through the other wheel, and with pliers bend it in place; next fasten the end of the wire, as in the first wheel, taking especial care meanwhile that the wheels are fixed the proper distance apart, and that the center of the crank comes in the middle of the opening.
It is a matter of some difficulty to adjust these wheels, as they should not be crowded against either side of the slit, but turn easily when the boat is drawn over the floor.
After the crank is bent in shape, wind around it the end of a piece of smaller wire about six inches long, as shown in Fig. 3. This wire is to connect the crank to the walking-beam, but it is not to be fastened to the latter until the boat is put together.
The outside of the paddle-boxes should next be attached to No. 3 by the small screws already spoken of, which are to pass up from the under-side through the holes a a, a a, Fig. 3, into their lower edge. The extremities of these boxes should form a line with the ends of the slits, and the outside of these and the edge of No. 3, which contains the name, should form a continuous flat surface.
The other two sides of these paddle-boxes are to be secured against the sides of No. 4, their bottom line forming a continuation of the bottom of the piece, and their position determined by placing the part on top of No. 3, as indicated in Fig. 3, and making their ends form a straight line with those of the outside pieces and the slits; this is also indicated by the dotted lines on the outside of Fig. 4.
Having fastened No. 3 in its position over No. 2 (see Fig. 2, dotted lines), place the wheels in their slits and let the wires rest in the bottom of the grooves; they will then extend a fraction of an inch below the bottom of the boat. This arrangement is intentional, as the toy is intended to be drawn over a floor or carpet, and it is the friction these wheels encounter that moves the walking-beam, and thus gives it the natural appearance of a boat moving through the water. After these wires are pushed to the bottom of the grooves, insert wedges of wood above, deep enough to nearly touch them; make these of tough hard wood, so that there shall be no danger of the wheels riding up out of their proper places.
Place No. 4 in position, first drawing the wire attached to the crank through the opening, and screw it firmly down upon No. 3. There is now no danger of the axle of the wheels getting out of order, if the wedges were firmly fixed, and deep enough to keep the wire in place.
The smoke-stack should now be fastened with a strong and very long screw from the under-side of No. 5, at g. It should be very firmly attached in its place, as little children frequently use this as a handle to take the boat from the floor. Fasten on the pilot-house in the same manner at c, on Fig. 5. Having the walking-beam and its supports perfectly dry—and it would have been well to have given both a good coating of shellac dissolved in alcohol—take a wire or piece of knitting-needle nine-sixteenths of an inch long, and having fixed one end in the hole made near the top of the support to hold it, pass it through the central hole in the walking-beam, and insert the other end in the second support, then screw the piece marked c, in Fig. 7, in its place, which will of course hold the walking-beam firmly fixed. Now glue the supports inside the slit of No. 5, and in such a position that when the walking-beam is extended in a horizontal direction, the hole in the end toward the stern shall be exactly above the line of the axle of the wheels—that is, a line running across the boat from the center of one wheel to that of the other. These supports should also be caught underneath with nails, that there may be no danger of their falling through into the opening in the center.
Having fixed these in place, fasten the loose end of the wire connected with the crank through the small hole in the end of the walking-beam, so that when the crank is in a horizontal position, the walking-beam will also be in the same position. Attach a piece of wire four or five inches long to the other end of the walking-beam, and let the loose end fall through the opening in the top.
Now cover the open spaces at the top of the paddle-boxes with pieces of tin just wide enough to reach their edges, and catch it in place with tacks. Paint them with the light buff used for the deck.
Fasten the two wire flag-staffs to bow and stern, and pass a wooden one seven inches long through a, Fig. 5, down into a hole in No. 2, as shown in Fig. 2, at g. With fine wire attach a topmast five inches in length to this, allowing them to lap about an inch.
Sink a mast four inches in length into a hole bored through 5 and well into 4, so that its top will be about three inches above the deck, and fasten the stays in their positions, as seen in the cut. On a piece of blue cambric paint white stars, cut it in the shape of a flag, and attach it to the forward pole. A small “one cent flag” will do for the stern, while the name of the boat painted in red or vermilion upon a white ground, should float from the tall staff in front of the pilot-house.
Before the flags are placed, the whole surface of the boat should be washed, if she has become soiled while being put together, and after the flag-staffs and stays are painted and have dried, the whole should be covered with the shellac dissolved in alcohol. Be sure and use white shellac, as the other would stain the white to a light brown and spoil the whole effect.
A hole is bored horizontally through the bow three-quarters of an inch from the extreme end, of sufficient size to admit a piece of large fish-line, the ends of which after it is inserted can be tied together to give a better hold for the hand.
This boat is modeled after the ordinary bay and river excursion boats common to the northern and middle Atlantic sea-coast, but if any boy residing in the West should care to make one resembling those he is accustomed to see, he will find little difficulty in modifying these directions to suit his own particular taste in naval architecture.
THE BOTTLE IMP.
Take one or more small bottles, such as are generally used by homeopathic physicians for their pellets; cover them with a bit of closely-woven white cloth, and fasten it with a string around the middle. With oil paint make a grotesque face upon the upper part, and draw stripes or figures to represent a clown’s dress upon the lower and loose portion of the covering of each. Varnish this with the shellac, dissolved in alcohol, and when perfectly dry they are ready for use. Have a large-mouthed, perfectly clear glass jar nearly filled with water; then, after filling the little bottles about one-third full of the liquid, place the finger over the opening and immerse them, one at a time, bottom upward, into the jar. Be sure and keep the finger over the tiny mouth till they are well under the surface of the water. Should they sink in the jar, you have too much water in them.
The quantity of water they contain should be such that they will barely float, that is, the bottom of the little inverted vials should just touch the surface. This adjusting of the equilibrium is a matter of some delicacy; a single drop will make a difference: but by half-filling the bottle, placing the finger over the mouth, and removing it an instant to allow a drop or two to escape, the proper degree of buoyancy may be attained. Three or four of these bottles, in masquerade, should be introduced into the jar, and if they are, as they doubtless will be, of slightly differing degrees of buoyancy, the amusing effect will be enhanced. Now stretch a piece of thin rubber, such as toy balloons are made of, across the mouth of the jar, and tie it down, as seen in the illustration.
To make the imps dance, one has only to press upon the rubber top, as the air, in the top of the jar, is thus forced downward, the water is driven up into the small bottles, compressing the tiny quantity of air they contain, and they, in consequence, fall lower in the jar; but when the pressure is removed, the air in them expands, and they instantly rise to their normal position again.
Quite a pleasant evening’s entertainment can be derived from this simple toy. You may first adjust your imps and make sure they are in good working order; then prepare a slight introductory speech, in which you can pretend to mesmerize the little images, not letting it be known they are bottles, and by some wonderful power you are supposed to possess, can make them obey your slightest wish. This will be very simple, as they will naturally descend when you press upon the top. This pressure should be exerted in such a manner that it is not noticed by the others in the room. You might stand with your left hand resting upon the top of the jar as if by accident, but in such a manner that you can easily press down upon the rubber with one or more fingers, and while telling of the wonderful things these little fellows can do, you can make graceful gestures with your right hand, and motion with it what you require them to do; it will thus seem that they are obeying the motions of that hand, and will serve to mystify more than ever those of your audience who are unacquainted with the secret.
TELESCOPE WHICH A BOY CAN MAKE.
First, obtain two lenses; the larger having a long and the smaller a short focus.
A powerful telescope, having a large field of vision, requires a lens at least two inches in diameter, with a focus of from two to three feet for the larger glass; and another lens of from one-half to one inch in diameter, and with a focus of one inch, for the smaller end. Having your lenses, the next important step is to make your tubes; this is done by bending a piece of pasteboard a foot long by seven inches wide in the shape of a tube, whose diameter shall be about one-sixteenth of an inch larger than that of your lens. Glue the edges firmly together, and tie a piece of tape around to insure their keeping in place. Make two tubes of this size and one rather smaller, that its ends may fit in the other two. Lap these ends together, and paste or glue them in place (see cut). Joining these sections together is simply to insure a proper length of tube. If a piece of pasteboard can be found large enough to make a tube three feet long, it will look much neater than the one described above. Take a narrow strip of pasteboard and glue it around the inside of the tube, half an inch from one end; put the large lens in its place, and press it against the edge of this band. Now take another strip, three-eighths of an inch wide, and paste around the inside between the lens and the end of the tube. By this means the glass is kept in place, it being held by the edges of the pasteboard on either side.
Another and smaller tube, five or six inches in length, and of a size just sufficient to slide easily in the other end of the long tube should now be made. Around the inside of one end paste a band of pasteboard, as in the larger section, but much nearer the edge. When this is dry, paste still another strip inside this one, making a wide edge for the lens to rest against. As this tube is of much greater diameter than the glass, inclose the latter between two disks of cardboard of the same size as the opening in the tube, and each having a round hole cut in its center for the eye to look through. Cover the inner side with paste, and press it against the edges of the strips. Finally, cover the whole thing with some dark-colored paper, pasting it carefully over the surface, and your telescope is completed.
This instrument will present everything in an inverted position, but if the lenses are carefully adjusted, objects at a long distance can be very plainly seen, and a boy can derive a great amount of solid comfort, not only while constructing, but from its subsequent use.
To find the focal distance of a lens, if for any reason the optician does not give it, hold it in the sun, and observe at what distance from itself it makes the smallest point of light. That, if measured, will be its focal distance. The long tube should be from two to three inches shorter than the focal distance of the larger lens.
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.
“What shall we make for Christmas?” is the cry that arises from the children all over this land and abroad, wherever the Christmas season is known and observed; and many a boy would be glad to contribute his share of labor toward making the others of his household happy, if he only could think of something to make. In the following pages, I purpose to give a few directions for some simple things, which boys of ordinary ability can easily execute.
THE ORNAMENTAL EGG.
Procure a large, perfectly white, hen’s egg, and after making a hole slightly larger than a pea in either end, blow the contents into a bowl placed to receive it. Paint some little thing on both sides of the shell—a bunch of forget-me-nots or pansies are very good subjects—or, if well acquainted with the brush, a small landscape, inclosed in an oval, is still prettier. After the painting is perfectly dry, varnish it with a brush filled with “retouching varnish,” and, with a long hair-pin, draw a piece of blue or pink ribbon through the holes, and get some lady friend, who can keep the secret, to tie the ends in a pretty bow. A yard of ribbon about an inch wide is required to complete this pretty ornament.
TRINKET-HOLDER.
During your summer journeyings, collect any fine large shells you may see; the large well-formed quahaug-shells (the common hard-shell clam), or those of the beautiful sea clam, with their wonderful opalescent linings. Scrape off all the outside you can possibly remove; then sketch on the inside some pleasing marine view, or, if that is beyond your powers, take any simple subject you are confident of doing well, remembering that a very unpretending thing, well painted, is much more pleasing, and indeed ornamental, than the most ornate subject imaginable, if poorly executed or badly drawn.
In painting on egg or sea shell, or, in fact, on any hard substance of a similar nature, use the paint as dry as is consistent with its flowing freely, and allow plenty of time for it to dry. After the painting seems firm and hard, give it a good coat of varnish, taking care to avoid touching all the unpainted surface of the shell. This little trinket-holder is easily made, costs nothing if one has a supply of paints at command, and makes one of the most acceptable presents you can offer to either an older sister or brother, as it is intended to stand on the dressing-table, and hold rings, collar-studs, or sleeve-buttons, when taken off for the night.
AN IDEA FOR BRACKETS.
In making a corner bracket, which, on the whole, is the most satisfactory to make, let one side be as large as the other, with the thickness of the wood in addition, and let the front of the shelf form the arc of a circle. If no curtain or fringe is to be tacked on the shelf to cover the uprights, some simple ornamentation on these is desirable. If a scroll-saw is conveniently at hand, this is easily accomplished. A design should first be drawn upon paper the exact shape and size of the bracket desired. This should then be transferred to the wood and the surplus portions carefully cut away. After the pattern is sawed out, the edges should be rubbed down with sand-paper, or if left very rough, a rasp would reduce this unevenness more readily; the sand-paper should be used in that case, to give the final finish. After the surface is as smooth as it is possible to make it, oil the whole, and when dry put the three parts together with brads and glue. Then oil the entire surface again, and when dry varnish if you like.
ANOTHER BRACKET.
If no scroll-saw is to be had, a pretty pair of uprights are made by gouging a narrow stripe around the entire form, at equal distances from the edge, and painting with gold paint a small stenciled form on the middle of each, also filling the stripe with the same material. For the stencil use a simple one of your own design, made according to directions given in another place in this book. Should you and an older sister desire to unite in making the present, she making the curtain, and you the woodwork, no fancy design would be required. A simple bracket, with well-proportioned supports nicely curving in front, and well sand-papered, oiled, and varnished, would be all required, as the curtain would hide the entire form.
THE CONE AND TWIG BRACKET.
One of the prettiest home-made brackets the writer ever saw was in an old-fashioned country house, in a thinly settled region of Massachusetts. The maker, a quiet, gentlemanly boy of fifteen, was a cripple, and being obliged to remain much of his time within-doors, had utilized these spare moments, and surrounded himself with many beautiful things, made from materials which nature with so lavish a hand bestows upon us all. This poor crippled boy loved the fields and meadows, lakes and woods, with an intensity of feeling utterly inconceivable to his more robust brothers and sisters; but his gentle, kindly manner won their hearts, and the brightest and best the farm afforded, whether fruit or flowers, minerals or young animals, found its way into “Ned’s sanctum,” as his little room was called. Even the young calves and colts, were brought around to his window, that he might admire their rather doubtful beauty, and nearly every brood of newly-hatched chickens spent several hours of their early life in a basket on the table at his side. One day, the children brought home some beautiful spruce and larch cones, and the little sufferer began, with the true artist’s sentiment, to revolve in his mind how he could put them in a form, which should always be in sight from his place by the window. At last he thought of the bracket, and immediately set to work drawing designs for the foundation. When these were quite satisfactory, he asked his brother to saw the different pieces from old cigar-box wood, and nail them together. The bracket was very simple in outline, but the arrangement of the cones, half nut-shells, and tiny twigs, was extremely artistic and pretty. They covered the two supports and the under-side of the shelf, forming little pendants, like stalactites in some hidden cave. These were glued firmly in place and afterward carefully varnished.
THE PEBBLE VASE.
On this bracket was a little vase, made by the same deft fingers. A broken wine-glass held the water, and the vase was formed around this, of that inexhaustible material, papier-maché, studded all over with bits of colored glass and bright pebbles gathered from the sea-shore. From earliest spring till the frost claimed the last lingering blossom, this vase was filled with the fairest flowers of the seasons, and, with the unique little bracket, seemed like a bit of the delightful out-door world transferred to the pleasant corner of the sunny little room.
THE CONE AND TWIG HANGING-BASKET.
The fall after his experiment with the bracket, Ned made a hanging-basket with the same materials, using a wooden bowl for the foundation. This was also a success, but not as uncommon as the bracket. The cocoanut-shell, cut evenly around near one end, forms a good material to build upon. In either this or the bowl, be sure to bore three holes near the top, at equal distances from each other, to attach the chains or strings to the basket. This must be done before the cones are glued in place. If a fourth hole is made near the bottom, and filled with a round-headed peg which can be removed at will, but which forms a part of the design, and receives its share of the final varnishing, the plants growing in the basket will present a much more flourishing condition, as the surplus water can be readily drawn off from their roots.