“ A camera survey taken of the summer cottage or the camping ground will be a source of great delight while it is being plotted up of winter evenings. There is something weird in watching each tent and dock slip into its place with naught but a pair of dividers and a few pictures to do the trick. And when the map is done, there are all the data to tell just where a tennis court can go or a walk ought to be built.
In making surveys, a plate camera will do more accurate work than will a film camera; and a fixed focus is a big help in plotting. ”

“ An amateur photographer insists that a timing clock in the darkroom is a needless luxury. In order to time printing exposures, which he does with a pendant tungsten light under a reflecting shade, he simply fastens the electric-light cord so that the lamp and shade will act like a pendulum bob which beats the seconds. ”

“ The mechanic who attempts to fasten a mitered frame in the home workshop usually comes to grief. This is due to lack of proper facilities for holding the frame straight and out of wind, and for clamping or drawing the miter joint together after the glue has been applied. The little device shown in the sketch, if properly made and used, does away with the usual difficulties and annoyances. It consists of a triangular block of wood with raised strips on the two edges that make the right angle, and the clamping piece with the wood screw through the center on the long side. ”

“ In coasting, the rider lies full length on the board with his hands on the steering bar. This makes the center of gravity so low that there is no necessity for lateral steadying runners, and aside from the exhilarating glide of the ordinary sled, the rider experiences a buoyant sense of freedom and a zest peculiar to the monorail type. Then, too, the steering is effected much more easily. Instead of dragging the feet, a slight turn of the front runner with a corresponding movement of the body is sufficient to change the direction or to restore the balance. ”

“ For fly fishing for trout, accuracy and delicacy are of more importance than length of cast, and the rod best suited to this phase of angling differs greatly from that used in bait casting. A stiff, heavy rod is entirely unsuited for fly casting, and while it is, of course, possible to make a rod too willowy for the sport, the amateur, working by rule of thumb, is more likely to err on the other side and make the fly rods of too stout a caliber. The idea is simply to help the amateur over the hard part by giving a list of dimensions of a representative trout and a bass fly rod. ”

“ When it becomes too cold for the amateur photographer to take pictures outdoors, he generally lays aside his camera and thinks no more about it until the coming of another spring or summer. While some winter scenes would make up an interesting part of anyone's collection, it is not always pleasant to go out to take them. ”

“ He may have the few tools and materials to be found in every household, or he may possess his own complete chest of tools and well-equipped workshop, but something is lacking—He needs ideas—suggestions of things to make or do. He is tired of all the things that he and his companions have been able to think of. Now there are hundreds of other boys scattered all over this big country who have many new and interesting ideas he has never thought of, but how can this one boy ever get in touch with all these others? ”

“ Surveying and map making have always been two of the most interesting things a civil engineer has had to do. And, like George Washington, many of the men we look up to today as successes in different lines worked as surveyors in their younger days. Surveying takes one out of doors, and is apt to lead him into the unknown and unexplored byways of the earth.
Though modern surveyors often use precise and expensive instruments, creditable surveys can be made with simple and inexpensive apparatus. ”

“ When fishing in small streams and brooks where the trout run small, much less force is necessary to hook the fish, but in quiet water and in larger streams where 2 or 3-lb. trout are not uncommon, the fish may be struck with a smart upward jerk of the forearm and wrist. So far as my experience goes, the matter of striking is governed by the temperament as well as the judgment of the angler. The deliberate thinking man is likely to strike too late, while the nervous individual, striking too early, is apt to prick the trout and roll him over. ”

“ The transfer of electrical energy from the primary coil to the secondary coil of a transformer is based upon the fundamental principles of electromagnetism and electromagnetic induction, and it will be necessary to investigate these principles before we can understand the operation of the transformer.
A magnet is a body, which, when freely suspended, assumes approximately a north and south position. The end of the magnet that points north is called the north pole, while the end that points south is called the south pole. The region surrounding a magnet is called a magnetic field. ”

“ When the photographer wishes to make an enlarged print from a small negative, he arranges a suitable light and condensers back of the negative and by means of a lens projects the resultant image upon a sheet of sensitive paper. Owing to the comparative weakness of the light, however, it is necessary either to use bromide paper or some of the faster brands of developing-out paper. If a more artistic medium is desired, a glass positive must first be made and enlarged to produce a negative from which the final prints will be made by contact. ”

“ For fly fishing nothing is so good as the English style of click reel, which is made with a one-piece revolving side plate and with the handle affixed directly to it. Any kind of a balanced-handle reel is an out-and-out nuisance on the fly rod, because it has no advantage in quickly recovering the line, and the projecting handle is forever catching the line while casting. ”

“ The art of angling is generally viewed as one of the world's greatest recreations, and while each and every phase of fishing may be said to possess certain charms of its own, fly fishing for trout is regarded by most well-informed sportsmen as the alpha and omega of the angler's art. This is so because the trout family are uncommonly wary and game fish, and the tackle used for their capture is of finer balance and less clumsy than any employed in angling for the coarser game fishes. ”

“ Every person is familiar with candy floss, made at stands on fair grounds, or carnivals, in an expensive whirling machine. It is not necessary to wait for a fair or a carnival to have a bunch of candy floss, as it can be made at home much quicker than making taffy candy.
The device for making the candy floss consists of ordinary things that can be had in any home, and usually a boy has a battery motor of some kind that will furnish the power. ”

“ To have one's thumbs securely tied together by any person in an audience and examined by the spectators, then have some one throw a hoop or bicycle rim on one of the performer's arms as if the thumbs were not tied, seems impossible, yet this trick can be done, and its simplicity is its own protection, even though performed close to a committee selected from the audience. ”

“ A surveyor in India once made an alidade out of a piece of straightedge and two sights made of native coins hammered out by a native blacksmith. Two pieces of cigar box, one with a fine vertical saw slit in it, and the other with a vertical slot and a piece of fine wire or silk thread stretched down the center, glued to a well planed, straight, flat piece of wood, make a fine alidade. A careful worker may be able to put his sights on hinges so that they will fold down when not in use. ”

“ As a general thing the veteran fly fisherman prefers to wade with the current and fishes the water in front of him by making diagonal casts across the stream. A good fisherman will systematically cover every inch of good water and little will be left to chance. The novice is inclined to fish his flies in a contrary manner, he casts more or less at random, and is as likely to splash the flies recklessly about in the most impossible places as he is to drop them in a favorable riffle or pool. ”

“ Occasionally an amateur has need of brass rings of round cross section, and if their construction is not understood, the task is a difficult one. If a piece of brass tubing, an old bushing or a cored piece is at hand, a part of the work is already done. If not, a piece of stock with large enough outside diameter should be chucked in the lathe and drilled out with the right size of drill. A tin or pasteboard template should be prepared the size of the ring section—a half circle is best, and it is easiest made by drilling a hole in the tin and cutting it in two. ”

“ Window displays of puzzling nature usually draw crowds. A lighted globe lying on its side in full view, yet apparently not connected to any source of electricity, could easily be arranged as a window display, deceiving the closest observer. A mirror, or window glass, backed with some opaque material, should be used for the foundation of the device. For the display lamp, it is [261] best to use a 25 or 40-watt tungsten, as these will lie flatter on the glass than the larger sizes, and the deception will not be as easily discovered. ”

“ Should the camera be pointed otherwise than at right angles the picture will be distorted. This arrangement cannot be used to take moving objects except under special conditions. A picture of a passing train of cars can be made if the camera is stationary, but the wheels and drive rods will appear twisted out of shape. It is best for the experimenter to confine himself to scenery at the beginning, avoiding architectural objects, because a variation in speed of turning the crank to wind the film naturally distorts the architecture, which variation is not so noticeable in a scenic view. ”

“ However, extremes are not likely to make good fishing, and the trout will not rise as freely on cold, windy days, nor will they fight as gamely. On hot days, too, not so much luck can be expected during the hours of the greatest heat—12 to 4—but a good basket of trout may be creeled early in the morning or late in the afternoon of summer. A bright, clear day is usually the best for fly fishing, because the sun brings out more flies, but a warm rain, or even a fog, is also considered good fishing weather. ”

“ As the bulb is a vacuum, it completely fills with water. If the bulb is now suspended from a wire or thread fastened at the socket end, the water will not run out of it in fair weather when the atmospheric pressure is normal or high, but if the pressure falls, as happens when bad weather is approaching, the water will begin to bulge out of the small opening and sometimes a small drop may even fall off. When, with returning fair weather, the atmospheric pressure increases, the water can no longer bulge or drop out of the bulb. ”

“ If he would take full advantage of any sport and reap the greatest pleasure from a day spent in the open, it is really necessary for the sportsman to get together a good outfit. It is not essential to have a very expensive one, but it should be good of its kind, well proportioned for the purpose for which it is to be used. The beginner, who buys without good knowledge of the articles required, or fails to use careful discrimination, is almost certain to accumulate a varied assortment of junk, attractive enough in appearance, perhaps, but well-nigh useless when it is tested out on the stream. ”

“ If a conductor be moved in a magnetic field in any direction other than parallel to the field, there will be an electrical pressure induced in the conductor, and this induced electrical pressure will produce a current in an electrical circuit of which the conductor is a part, provided the circuit be complete, or closed, just as the electrical pressure produced in the battery due to the chemical action in the battery will produce a current in a circuit connected to the terminals of the battery. ”

“ Copying with a camera on a tripod is always a more or less complicated job, because of the ease with which a picture, being focused, may be thrown out of focus, and even out of the field of view, the camera not being attached to the same support as the picture. With the stand shown in the illustration, the picture is attached to the same support as the camera. This makes it possible to place the apparatus on a table, out in the open, or in any other suitable position, where the light may be best for the work. ”

“ The experienced fly caster will invariably fish with a wet line, that is to say, with a slightly submerged fly, and will let the flies drag over as much water as possible before making a second cast. Owing to the fact that trout lie with their noses pointing upstream awaiting their food carried down by the current, the caster will naturally take pains to float his flies downstream with the leader fairly taut. To neglect this detail and allow the leader to float in a wide loop near or before the flies is slovenly fishing, and few trout will strike a fly presented in this amateurish fashion. ”

“ Any small piece of steel with a point, similar to that shown in the sketch, will make a good eraser holder. The saving of erasers is nothing compared to the convenience of having a small eraser with a chisel edge or point when delicate erasing is required. It is not clumsy as the usual chunk of rubber with a blunt point, for the person erasing can see what he is doing. I use a leg of an old pair of dividers and cut my erasers in four parts in shapes similar to that shown in the sketch by the dotted lines, and can use them easily until they are about the size of a pea. ”

“ When in a crowd, of course, the professional and many amateurs are familiar with the method of holding the camera inverted over the head and looking up into the finder to determine the range of the field. Even this method is inconvenient, often impractical.
The up-to-date newspaper photographer insists on having his camera equipped with direct finders, as it saves him much trouble and many failures. Anyone with a little ingenuity can change one of the old-type finders into a combination device, either direct or indirect. ”

“ On special occasions when company is entertained or in large families, it is almost impossible to wash all the dishes in an ordinary dishpan; in fact, the large platters will not go in at all, so I devised the following method as a substitute for a larger pan. A tin disk was cut from the top of a tomato can with a can opener so as to be as round as possible, then a piece of cheesecloth was folded into an even square, the disk placed in the center and all four corners of the cloth drawn over to the center of the disk. ”

“ A Vise Used as a Caliper Gauge
Not infrequently it is desired to know the distance from one side to another of some part that cannot be directly measured with a rule, and when no calipers are at hand. But with a vise handy, the measurement can be made with ease and with sufficient accuracy for all practical purposes if the vise is not too worn. This trick is particularly adapted for calipering threaded parts, as threads cannot be measured readily with ordinary calipers. How this may be done is shown in the sketch, which illustrates the method as applied to a screw. ”

“ The school play in pantomime is not complete unless the different parts of the play are illuminated in different colors, especially if the performers are clad in glittering garments. A spot light is also a feature not to be forgotten in singling out the star player or the one singing a song. The cost of a light for this purpose is entirely out of the reach of the average schoolboy, but if he has any ingenuity and a little time, a lantern for throwing those colored lights can be made at home, and the necessary parts will not cost much. ”

“ To give the utmost satisfaction, the rod should fit its owner, and several rods should be tried until one is found that most fully meets the angler's idea of what a rod should be. If one happens to have a good fly reel, by all means take it along and attach it to the rod while making the tests. It is practically impossible to gauge the balance of a rod without affixing the reel, and many a finely balanced tool will appear badly balanced until the proper-weight reel is affixed to it. ”

“ The owner of a private workshop has need for taps and occasionally wishes to make them, not because they are cheaper, but for the sake of experience or to get some special thread. In cutting the flutes, whether it be by hand or in a shaper, it is a good plan to give the flutes an angle, that is, to cut them, not parallel with the axis of the tap, but at an angle of 5 to 15 deg. with the center line. This makes the tap cut easier, giving it a wedge action instead of just simply pushing the metal off. ”

“ For in copying any object with a camera, the sensitive medium is behind the lens and the object to be copied is in front, and the size of the copy is therefore limited both by that of the camera and by its bellows draw. In the reflection process, the object to be copied is back of the lens and the sensitive medium is in front; as large a copy can be made with a small camera as with an eight by ten. It is really more convenient to work with a short-focus lens and a camera of limited bellows extension; the nearer the lens is to the back of the camera the larger will be the projected image. ”

“ A galvanometer in which the moving part of the instrument is a permanent magnet controlled by the action of the earth's magnetic field and the magnetic effect of a current in a coil of wire, that usually surrounds the magnet, has the great disadvantage of having its indications changed, although the current itself may remain constant, due to a change in the strength of the magnetic field in which the instrument operates. ”

“ The method of using the thumb as a gauge on a rule in scribing long boards is not always satisfactory, especially if the board has a rough edge. It is always best to have a regular gauge, but in the absence of one, an attachment for an ordinary carpenter's rule can be quickly made from a piece of tin, although one made of sheet brass is better, in appearance as well as for service. ”

“ The knack of using the snowshoe is quickly mastered, providing the shoes are properly attached, to allow the toe ample freedom to work down through the toe hole as each foot is lifted. The shoe is, of course, not actually lifted in the air, but rather slid along the surface, half the width of one shoe covering the other when it is lifted in the act of walking. At first the novice may be inclined to think snowshoes a bit cumbersome and unwieldy, and doubt his ability to penetrate the brush. ”