First prepare the two sides, cutting them out by the pattern of Fig. 163. Then glue the bottom edge of each side to the edge of the wooden frame, cutting holes in the left side for the belt-wheels and projecting posts to run through (see Fig. 160 and A, B, C, D, and E, Fig. 172). The top to the front of the car should now be cut as shown in Fig. 173, the distance between the sides being measured to get the piece of proper dimensions. Bend the edges as in Fig. 173, and glue them to the inner surfaces of the side pieces as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 172. In the same way cut and glue a piece of cardboard between the side pieces at G and H (Fig. 172) for the seat-backs. The bent edges of these pieces are shown by dotted lines in the illustration. Draw four

Wheels as shown in Fig. 164, using a compass with which to describe the circles, and cut them out with a sharp knife. You can cut out between the spokes, if you wish, or leave them solid. Glue the wheels to the cardboard, placing their centers about as located at I and J, Fig. 172. Four

Mud-Guards should be cut like Fig. 165, with flaps made along one edge. Then bend these guards around the tops of the wheels, and, after applying glue to the flaps, press them against the cardboard side, holding your fingers upon the flaps until the glue has dried (see Fig. 160). The guards should be placed a little above the tops of the wheels. Cut four

Lamps like Fig. 166 and glue end K of two upon the front of the automobile at L (Fig. 172) and one of the other two upon each side at M. These lamps are shown in position in the illustration of the completed automobile (Fig. 160). Draw and cut

The Steering-wheel similar to Fig. 167, and, after pivoting it to the end of a strip of cardboard with a pin as shown in Fig. 174, bend the lower end and glue it to the under side of the cardboard top F at N (see Fig. 172, also Fig. 160). Make a

Horn like Fig. 168 and glue it to the steering-wheel as shown in Fig. 174. A strip of cardboard about the size of that used for the upright of the steering-wheel should be cut for

The Brake, and glued to the inside surface of the right side of the car at O (Fig. 172).

The Chauffeur should now be made. Cut his head and body the shape and size of Fig. 169, drawing the face upon each side with goggles over the eyes. Cut the arms in two pieces the shape of P and Q (Fig. 170), and then pivot P to Q at R and the end of Q to the shoulder of the body at S, using thread for fastening the pieces together. Paint the hat, coat, sleeves, and gloves a leather color, and the face flesh color. The body should then be fastened to the hammer of the clockworks with sealing-wax, as shown in Fig. 171, while the left hand should be glued to the edge of the steering-wheel and the right to the end of the brake (see Fig. 160). By thus attaching the body to the end of the hammer, and winding up the small spring, the chauffeur will shake violently when the auto runs across the floor, showing the vibrations of the machine in a greatly exaggerated and amusing manner.

Paint the Machine to complete it. The photograph (Fig. 160) shows where different colors are needed. The lamps, top, ends, and sides of the front portion of the car should be painted the color of brass, and the rest of the sides, with the exception of a strip along the bottom and the edge of the arms, should be painted vermilion. Paint the inside of the car and the edges of the seat-arms tan color, to represent leather upholstering. With black paint, or ink, stripe off the door and trimmings upon the sides and top of the machine, as shown in Figs. 160, 172, and 173. Blacken the brake and steering-wheel and the spokes and rims of the wheels. Along the bottom of each side glue a strip of cardboard for the running-boards.

When you have tired of your touring-car, you can easily convert it into

An Automobile Delivery Wagon, such as illustrated in Fig. 175. To make this you will require the same frame as that used for the touring-car, with the clockworks and belt-wheels attached in the same manner. If you have made the touring-car, remove the cardboard sides from its wooden frame, separating the cardboard from the wood carefully so you can put the machine together again when you wish. If you haven't made this automobile, you will find the details for the construction of the frame in Figs. 161 and 162, and the manner of performing the work described on pages 104 to 107.

The Cardboard Sides are much easier to prepare than those for the touring-car, as they are straight and require but little cutting. The outline for these is shown in Fig. 175, surrounding the drawing of the completed wagon. Lay out one side upon a piece of cardboard, using the dimensions given upon the drawing, and then place it upon a board and cut it out with your knife. Using this as a pattern, place it upon another piece of cardboard and run a pencil around its edges, thus marking out the second side. In cutting out the latter piece, run your knife a little inside of the line in order to allow for the increase in size caused by marking it out with the first cardboard side. Having prepared the two sides, draw panels upon them in some such form as shown in the illustration, separating them with three lines. Draw a small window, with its top slightly arched, near the front edge of each side, and cut an opening for it (see illustration).

Glue the sides to the edges of the truck in the same manner as those of the touring-car were done, piercing holes for the posts of the clockwork to fit in, and openings for the belt-wheels to project through, in the left side. Cut a piece of cardboard for the back of the wagon, fit it between the sides, and fasten it in place by gluing a number of linen strips to it and the sides upon the inner or unexposed surfaces. Then cut a piece of cardboard for the roof, making it about two inches longer than the sides, to give it the proper projection over the front of the wagon. Fasten this piece in position in the same manner as you fastened the back of the wagon.

Make the floor and footboard for the wagon out of a piece of cardboard bent as shown in Fig. 175, and fasten it across the top edges of the projecting portions of the sides with linen strips. Cut a strip for a seat, and fit it between the sides an inch and one-half above the floor.

The Wheels of an automobile wagon contain fourteen spokes, but as you have the pattern for the touring-car wheels of twelve spokes, you can just as well use it in making the wagon wheels. They should be mounted upon the sides of the wagon, a trifle above the bottoms of the spool wheels, as shown in the illustration, so they will not touch the carpet when the machine is operated.

All Other Portions of the wagon should be made of the same patterns given for the touring-car, viz. the chauffeur (Figs. 169 and 170), the steering-wheel (Figs. 167 and 174), the brake (Fig. 160), and the lamps (Fig. 166). As the legs of the chauffeur will show, it will be necessary to cut a pair out of cardboard (the drawing shows the shape clearly enough to work by) and fasten them to his body. Fasten the chauffeur upon the seat and glue his left hand to the steering-wheel, placing the latter in front of him, as shown in the drawing. Stick the lower end of the cardboard upright of the steering-wheel upon a pin run through the wagon floor from the under side. Glue the upper end of the brake to the chauffeur's hand and the lower end to the side of the wagon.

Paint the Wagon with water colors, making the sides, end, and roof olive green, the steering-wheel, brake, and spokes of wheels black, and the lamps yellow or the color of brass. In painting the sides show the battery compartments upon them below what would properly be the bottom of the wagon (see illustration). Leave the cardboard white below this box, as it represents no portion of the machine, but is necessarily brought down so far to conceal the wooden frame. It will give the machine a more finished appearance if, after painting, you go over it with black paint and a fine brush and stripe the panels upon the sides, following the lines which you drew upon them with a pencil. Letter the word "Delivery" upon the center panel of each side, and the firm name in the small panel between the lamp and window.

By attaching a set of clockworks in the same manner as described for the automobiles, you can make

A Clockwork Railway, constructing the cars similar to the street car shown in Fig. 84, Chapter VI, and using the schemes in the same chapter for the tracks and depots.

Each car should be provided with a clockwork motor, because a single clockwork is not strong enough to pull more than one car. Let me know how you succeed in building a clockwork railway.

CHAPTER XI

HOME-MADE ELECTRICAL TOYS

An entire volume might be filled with plans for electrical toys and yet not exhaust the innumerable forms that are within the ability of a boy to construct. There is room in this chapter for only a few, and I have selected simple ideas, those that can be carried out by a boy having no knowledge of working with electricity, with materials that can be obtained at an expenditure of little or nothing. Thus every boy will be able to make these electrical toys.

The Electro-magnet Derrick shown in Fig. 176 will hoist nails and other small pieces of hardware from the floor to a table top, and as the boom, or arm, can be swung from side to side, and raised and lowered, loads can be moved from place to place in the same way as with large derricks. The toy derrick may be used for loading and unloading toy wagons, carts, and trains of cars, provided, of course, you use iron or steel of some sort for your loads. It is easy enough to get nails, brads, tacks, and odd pieces of hardware for the purpose. The model from which Fig. 176 was made has lifted a bunch of two hundred and eighty-four brads ³/₈ inch long. By using smaller brads, or tacks, a much larger number could be lifted.

The first part of the toy to construct is

The Electro-magnet. The difference between an electro-magnet and the toy variety of horse-shoe magnet with which every boy is familiar, is that the electro-magnet retains its magnetism only so long as an electric current is passing around it, while the steel magnet retains its influence permanently, after being magnetized, unless it happens to be demagnetized by subjection to heat, or in some other way.

Figures 177 to 179 show the details for making a simple home-made electro-magnet.

An electro-magnet consists of a center core of soft iron, wrapped with a coil of insulated wire. When an electric current passes over a wire, a magnetic field is formed around the wire; and when several turns of insulated wire are wrapped about a soft iron core, the magnetic fields of all the turns of the coil, or helix, combine, forming a very strong magnetic field which strongly magnetizes the iron core. As I have said before, this magnet loses its magnetic influence the instant the current ceases to pass through the surrounding coil of wire.

You will need a machine-bolt or carriage-bolt 2½ or 3 inches long, and ¼ inch in diameter, for the core of the magnet, some insulated electric-bell wire for the coil, and a piece of heavy cardboard. Cut three washers of a trifle larger diameter than the bolt-head, out of the piece of cardboard (Fig. 178), and slip these over the bolt as shown in Fig. 179—one at the bolt-head end, the other two at the nut end; then screw the nut on to the end of the bolt.

Before starting to wind the insulated wire upon the bolt, pierce two holes through the inner cardboard washer of the two at the nut end. Then stick the end of the wire through one of these holes, and pull a length of 4 or 5 inches of the wire out between the two washers. Starting at this end of the bolt, then, wind the wire around the bolt, keeping the turns even and each turn pressed close against the preceding turn. When the washer at the head end of the bolt has been reached, wind back to the starting point; then wind back to the washer at the head a second time, and again back to the starting point; and so on until six or eight layers of wire have been wound in place. An even number of layers will bring the free end of the wire back to the double-washer end. Slip this end through the second hole in the inner washer, and bring it out between the two washers, as you did the first end. Then screw the bolt-nut tight against the washers, to hold the wire ends in place (Fig. 177). The outer cardboard washer will prevent the nut from chafing the insulation on the wire ends.

Now connect the ends of the coil to the binding-posts of a battery cell, and you will be surprised to find what a strong magnet the head of the bolt core has become.

One end of the magnet coil should be connected to a dry-cell, and the other to a switch; and another wire should connect the switch with the dry-cell (Fig. 180).

A Home-made Switch that is easily made is shown in Fig. 181. Cut strips A, B, and C (Fig. 182) from a tomato can. Tack the turned up ends of A to a wooden knob (D). This forms the switch lever. Strips B and C, folded in half, and punched near the ends, form the binding-post plates.

Figures 181 and 182 show how to mount the lever and binding-post plates upon the switch base. Pivot lever A with a small screw passed through a hole punched near its end, and through the hole near the folded end of plate C. Fasten plate B with a rug-tack (F) so the lever will come in contact with it. Screw-eyes E form the binding-posts.

Instead of using a separate base, the switch can be mounted as shown in Fig. 176, upon the base of

The Derrick. Cut the base about 8 inches wide and 10 inches long (A, Fig. 176). The mast (B) is a piece of broom-handle or curtain-pole 16 inches long, and fits loosely in a hole bored in the base. Figure 183 shows a detail of the mast. The pulley upon its upper end (C) is made of two spool-ends nailed together (Fig. 184), and it turns upon the axle D, which slips through holes in the plates E nailed to the end of the mast. The lever F sticks in a hole in the mast, close to the platform. This is used to swing the boom from side to side. Screw-eye G is placed several inches above F to serve the purpose of a pulley to guide the hoisting cables.

Figure 185 shows a detail of the boom. Cut the side sticks H 18 inches long, and fasten between them the separators I, which should be just long enough to allow clearance for the spool pulley J. The pulley is mounted on the axle K. Screw the lower ends of the boom to the mast, at a point 2½ inches above the base.

The Windlass for raising the derrick boom, and for hoisting the loads, is shown in detail in Fig. 186. Bore a hole through upright L for the axle M to stick through, and cut axle M enough smaller than the spool drums N so they will turn easily. Fasten a crank and handle to one end of each spool, and drive a brad through each end of the axle to prevent the drums from sliding off. Cut four notches in the inner flange of each spool, as shown, and pivot the catches O to the post L, in the positions indicated, so they may be thrown into the notches to lock the windlass (Fig. 176).

The Hoisting Cables should be made of strong cord. Fasten one end of the cable for raising the boom to a nail (P, Fig. 176), and run this cord up and over the mast pulley, then down through screw-eye G and over to one drum; tie it securely to the drum so it will not slip around. The other cable should be fastened between the nut and washer of the magnet, as shown in Fig. 180, run up and over the boom pulley J, then through screw-eye G, and tied to the second drum.

Figure 176 shows how the dry-cell may be strapped to the base board in front of the mast, and how the wires that connect the electro-magnet, switch, and cell should be twisted around the hoisting cable, part way, and the remainder of their length allowed to hang. Be sure to cut the wires long enough to reach from a table-top down to the floor. Use flexible wire if you can get it.

By mounting the base upon spool wheels, your derrick can be moved along a table-top. Spool-ends may be used for the wheels, and can either be screwed to the edge of the base, or be fastened upon axles as the wheels of the Electric Motor Truck are fastened (Figs. 203 and 208).

How the Derrick Works. It is probably unnecessary to explain that a load is picked up by throwing over the switch lever to the contact point and closing the circuit, and that it is dropped by throwing off the switch lever and opening the circuit—which causes the electro-magnet to lose its magnetism.

A Toy Shocking Machine..The little shocking machine shown in Fig. 187 is a harmless toy with which you can have an endless amount of fun when entertaining friends. The shock it produces is not severe, but strong enough to make your friend's arm and wrist muscles twitch, and perhaps cause him to dance. Large shocking coils contract the muscles to such an extent that it is impossible to let go of the metal grips until the current has been shut off, but in our small shocking machine the handles can be dropped the instant the person holding them wishes to do so.

The shocking machine consists of an induction-coil, an interrupter, and a pair of handles, all of which are easy for a boy to make, and a wet or dry battery of one or two cells to furnish the current.

The Induction-coil is the first part to make. This is shown in detail in Figs. 188 to 191. The coil has windings of two sizes of wire upon an iron core. For the core buy a 5/16-inch carriage-bolt 2½ inches long, and for the wire coils get some No. 20- or 24-gauge electric-bell insulated copper wire, and some No. 30-gauge insulated magnet-wire. To keep the wire from slipping off the ends of the bolt core, cut two cardboard ends about 1½ inches in diameter. Slip one of these on to the bolt next to the head, and the other one next to the nut, as shown in Fig. 188.

Three layers of the coarse wire should be wound on first, for

The Primary-coil. Pierce a hole through one cardboard end, stick the wire through it, and allow about 5 inches to project upon the outside; then commence winding the wire upon the core, placing each turn close to the preceding turn. When the opposite end of the bolt has been reached, wind back to the starting point, then work back to the other end again. There will be in the neighborhood of 175 turns in the three layers. Cut off the wire so there will be a 5-inch projection, and stick the projecting end through a hole in the cardboard end. This completes the primary-coil (Fig. 189).

Before winding the small wire on top of the primary-coil, to form

The Secondary-Coil, wrap the primary-coil with a layer of bicycle tape, or glue several layers of paper around the coil. Then wind on the small wire as you did the coarser wire, being very careful to get it on evenly and smoothly. Wind eleven layers on the coil, and run the end of the eleventh layer out through the cardboard end (Fig. 190). There should be about 100 turns of this wire to the layer, or 1100 turns in all.

A crank arrangement can be rigged up to make the winding easier, but with patience, and by doing the work slowly, the wire can be wound almost as well by hand. It is difficult to keep track of each preceding turn, while winding, because of the fineness of the wire, and on this account it is a good scheme to coat each layer with bluing after it has been wound on, so that each turn of the following layer will show plainly against the stained layer beneath it. Fig. 190 shows the complete induction-coil.

Cut a base block 5 inches wide and 7 inches long, bevel the top edges to give it a trim appearance, and mount the induction-coil to one side of the center (Fig. 187), strapping it in place by means of two tin straps similar to that shown in Fig. 191, cut from a tin can.

The projecting ends of the primary-coil connect with the battery, while the two ends of the secondary-coil connect with the handles. Make three binding-post plates out of folded pieces of tin, similar to plates B and C, in Fig. 182. Tack two of these to the end of the base and connect the secondary-coil wires to them (Fig. 187), and tack the third near one end of the induction-coil and connect one primary-coil wire to it (Fig. 187).

For the Handles take two pieces of broom-handle 3½ inches long, and cover each with a piece of tin (Fig. 192). The pattern for the tin covering (Fig. 193) shows how tabs are prepared on the ends and holes punched through them for connecting with the induction-coil. The connecting wires should be 5 or 6 feet long. Flexible wire is better than bell-wire for these, because it is more easily handled in passing the handles around. Tack the tin covering to the pieces of broom-handle.

An Interrupter must be inserted between the battery and one of the wires leading to the primary-coil of the induction-coil. There are several ways to construct an interrupter, but the scheme which I have invented for the model of this shocking-machine (Fig. 187) serves the purpose nicely, and is a neat appearing little piece of apparatus. This interrupter is easily constructed as you will see by the working details shown in Figs. 194 to 198.

Cut the base block A 1½ inches wide and 2½ inches long. Make the shaft B 2¾ inches long and of a diameter equal to the hole in a thread spool; and prepare the crank C to fit on the end, and drive a brad into it for a handle. Fasten the crank to the shaft with glue, or by driving a small brad through the two. The shaft supports D should be prepared as shown in Fig. 196, 1¼ inches wide across the bottom, ⁵/₈ inch wide at the top, and 1¾ inches high. Bore a hole through each, a little below the top, and large enough so the shaft will turn easily, and fasten these supports with brads to the sides of base A. Drive eight brads into a thread spool, spacing them equidistant from one another, and mount this spool upon the shaft (E, Fig. 194), first slipping the shaft through one support, then through the spool, and then through the other support. Drive the spool brads a trifle into the shaft to hold the spool in position.

The projecting arm F (Fig. 194) is a strip of tin cut from a can, and must be long enough so each nail-head will strike its end when spool E is revolved. Drive a nail into base A, at G, and, after bending strip F as shown in Fig. 198, fasten it with brads upon the top of an upright made similar to H (Fig. 197), and nail this upright to the end of base A. The upper end of strip F must be bent so it will bear down upon the head of nail G.

The wire from the primary-coil which is as yet not connected should be attached to nail G, and one battery wire should be connected to a binding-post plate I fastened to the lower end of strip F. Figure 198 shows how the binding-post plate is made out of a doubled piece of tin, with a hole punched through it for a small binding-screw.

This completes the interrupter. Mount it beside the induction-coil upon the base block, and connect it with the battery and the induction-coil, as shown in Fig. 187. Connect the battery cells in series. Two cells will be enough.

Home-made electrical toys of a light construction are easily operated by a toy motor, when the motor and battery cell are not carried by the toy; but when both are transported, as in the case of a wagon, the construction must be very carefully worked out, or the motor will not be powerful enough to drive the wheels.

The Toy Electric Motor Truck shown in Fig. 199 is of light construction, the axle bearings produce very little friction, and the battery is light and of a powerful type.

Get an oblong shaped cigar-box for the bed and sides of the truck, several large thread spools for wheels and pulleys, two small silk-thread spools, four lead-pencils, or sticks whittled perfectly round and ¼ inch in diameter, for axles, belt-shaft, and steering-wheel post, and six screw-eyes 5/16 inch in diameter for the bearings.

First, place the cigar-box in a wash-boiler or wash-tub of hot water, and allow it to remain there until the paper labels have soaked off or loosened sufficiently so they can be scraped off with a knife.

Then, after the box has thoroughly dried, cut the two strips A (Fig. 208), and fasten them to the bottom, one at each side. Screw the screw-eye axle bearings into these strips. Place them at equal distances from the ends of the strips.

The Wheels are made from the flange ends of the large spools. Figure 202 shows the front pencil axle. Slip the center portion of one of the large spools on to this for a pulley, then stick the pencil ends through the screw-eyes in strips A, and glue the spool-end wheels on to them. The rear axle is like the front one, with the spool pulley omitted (Fig. 203).

The Upper Shaft shown in Fig. 201 supports a spool pulley like the one on the front axle, and its screw-eye bearings should be screwed into the top edge of the sides of the box (Fig. 200), directly over the front axle. Slip a silk-spool on to each end of this shaft to keep its ends from slipping out of the screw-eyes.

The Belts. As you will see by Figs. 200 to 202, the upper large pulley is belted to the motor pulley, and another belt extends from the upper shaft down to the pulley on the front axle. Rubber-bands make the best belts. Cut a hole through the bottom of the cigar-box for the belt extending from the upper shaft to the front axle to pass through. Screw the toy motor to the cigar-box with its pulley directly in line with the upper shaft pulley. Wrap the spool pulleys with bicycle-tape, to keep the rubber-band belts from slipping.