“ The frame is fastened to the bicycle by numerous pieces of rope.
Sailing on a bicycle is very much different from sailing in a boat, for the bicycle leans up against the wind, instead of heeling over with it as the boat. It takes some time to learn the supporting power of the wind, and the angle at which one must ride makes it appear that a fall is almost sure to result. A turn must be made by turning out of the wind, instead of, as in ordinary sailing, into it; the boom supporting the bottom of the mainsail is then swung over to the opposite tack, when one is traveling at a good speed. ”

“ In reality the magician has a very fine wire in his hand which he is heating while he bends over the lighted candle, and the audience gaze on and see nothing. He turns to the other candle and touches a grain of phosphorus that has been previously concealed in the wick with the heated wire, thus causing it to light. ”

“ The bright arc of the circle nearest the center is the path of the North star. The other arcs are the impressions left by neighboring stars, and it will be noticed that their brightness varies with their relative brilliancy. Many are so faint as to be scarcely distinguished, and, of course, telescopic power would reveal myriads of heavenly bodies which leave no trace on a plate in an ordinary camera. The North or pole star is commonly considered at a point directly out from the axis of the earth, but the photograph shows that it is not so located. ”

“ The fish is drawn up, the hook rebaited and the youthful fisherman resumes his pleasures on the ice. Often a score or more of these "tip-ups" are planted about the edges of the ice pond, each boy bringing his fishing tackle with his skates and thus finding a double source of amusement. Maybe one boy will thus have a half dozen different lines in the water at once, it being easy to watch them all together. ”

“ The whole secret of the trick lies in the fact that if light be turned away from anything black, into the eyes of him who looks, the much fainter light reflected from the black surface will not affect the observer's eye. Consequently, if, when the exhibitor puts his hand in the cave, his confederate behind inserts his hand, covered with a black glove and holding a small bag of black cloth, in which are oranges and apples, and pours them from the bag into a dish, the audience sees the oranges and apples appear, but does not see the black arm and bag against the black background. ”

“ It is impossible to describe just how hard a mold should be rammed, but by observing the results the beginner can tell when a mold is too hard or too soft, and thus judge for himself. If the sand falls out of the flask when lifting the cope, or if it opens up or spreads after it is poured, it shows that the mold has been rammed too little, and if the surface of the sand next to the pattern is cracked it shows that the mold has been rammed too hard. It will be found that the edges of the mold can stand a little more ramming than the middle. ”

“ The snow which accumulates on the mountains in vast quantities is turned to ice as a result of the enormous pressure caused by its own weight, and flows through the natural channels it has made in the rock until it reaches the valley below. In flowing through these channels it frequently passes around bends, and when two branches come together the bodies of ice unite the same as water would under the same conditions. The rate of flow is often very slow; sometimes only one or two feet a day, but, no matter how slow the motion may be, the large body of ice has to bend in moving. ”

“ All or any of the parts of an induction coil may be purchased ready-made, and the first thing to do is to decide which of the parts the amateur mechanic can make and which would be better to buy ready-made. If the builder has had no experience in coil-winding it would probably pay to purchase the secondary coil ready-wound, as the operation of winding a mile or more of fine wire is very difficult and tedious, and the results are often unsatisfactory. In ordering the secondary it is always necessary to specify the length of spark desired. ”

“ In filtering a large amount of solution one usually desires some means other than a large funnel and something to make the watching of the process unnecessary. If a considerable quantity of a solution be placed in a large bottle or flask, and a cork with a small hole in it inserted in the mouth, and the apparatus suspended in an inverted position over a small funnel so that the opening of the cork is just below the water level in the funnel, the filtering process goes on continuously with no overflow of the funnel. ”

“ A 1/2-in. hole is bored through the center of the shaft and a lag screw put through and turned in the rudder piece, making it so the rudder will turn right and left and, also, up and down. Two cleats are nailed to the upper sides of the runners and in the middle lengthways for the person's heels to rest against.
Any child can guide this bob, as all he has to do is to guide the rudder right and left to go in the direction named. If he wants to stop, he pulls up on the handle and the heel of the rudder will dig into the snow, causing too much friction for the sled to go any further. ”

“ A galvanoscope for detecting small currents of electricity can be made from a coil of wire, A; a glass tube, B, full of water; a core, C; and a base, D, with binding posts as shown. The core C, which is made of iron and cork, is a trifle lighter than the water it displaces and will therefore normally remain in the top of the tube; but as soon as a current of electricity passes through the coil, the core is drawn down out of sight. The current required is very small, as the core is so nearly balanced that the least attraction will cause it to sink. ”

“ But the cold fact is that there is scarcely any locking device which affords less protection than the ordinary spring lock. It is the simplest thing in the world for a sneak thief to slip a thin knife between the door-casing and the strip, push back the bolt, and walk in.
Fortunately, it is equally easy to block that trick. Take a narrow piece of tin 3 or 4 in. long, bend it at right angles throughout its length, and tack it firmly in the angle between the casing and strip, so as to make it impossible to reach the bolt without tearing off the strip. ”

“ Gymnastic apparatus costs money and needs to be housed, because it will not stand the weather. Gymnasiums are not always available for the average boy who likes exercise and who would like to learn the tricks on horizontal and parallel bars, horse and rings, which all young athletes are taught in regular gymnastic courses.
Any small crowd of boys—even two—having a few simple tools, a will to use them and the small amount of money required to buy the necessary wood, bolts and rope, can make a first class gymnasium. ”

“ Playing in the snow can be raised to a fine art if boys and girls will build their creations with some attempt at architectural skill and not content themselves with mere rough work. Working in snow and ice opens a wide field for an expression of taste and invention, but the construction of houses and forts out of this plastic material provides the greatest amount of pleasure to the normally healthy boy or girl. ”

“ In arts and crafts work, occasion often arises to cut a perfectly circular hole in sheet copper or brass. To saw and file it out takes time and skill. Holes up to 3 in. in diameter can be cut quickly and accurately with an ordinary expansive bit.
Fasten the sheet metal to a block of wood with handscrews or a vise. Punch a hole, with a nail set or punch, in the center of the circle to be cut, large enough to receive the spur of the expansive bit. ”

“ A miniature electric railway is a thing that attracts the attention of almost any person. The cost of a toy electric locomotive is beyond the reach of many boys who could just as well make such a toy without much expense and be proud to say they "built it themselves." The electric locomotive described herewith uses for its power a small battery motor costing about $1. The first thing to do is to make the wheels and axles. If one has no lathe, the wheels can be turned at some machine shop. Four wheels are made from a round bar of metal, as shown in Fig. 1. Each wheel is 1/4 in. ”

“ Run the top of the club through a hole bored in the stern of the center-board. Then make the helm by boring a hole in one end of a strip of soft board about 1 ft. long, and through this hole pass the club or rubber-pole and fasten it so it may be shifted when desired. Make the sail out of an old sheet, if it be strong enough, piece of canvas, or any such substance and attach it to the mast and sprit as shown in the illustration, and guide it by a stout string attached to the lower outer corner. As an ice boat will travel faster than the wind, some care and considerable skill is necessary. ”

“ A German device for the amusement of children is a whirl on an ice merry-go-round. It is made by placing a vertical shaft or stake, provided with a couple of old cart-wheels, in a hole in the ice. One wheel acts as a turning base and prevents the shaft from sinking into the pond, and the other forms a support for the long sweep attached for propulsion purposes, and should be fastened to the shaft about 3 ft. above the base wheel. The sleds are made fast in a string to the long end of the sweep, which when turned rapidly causes the sleds to slide over the ice in a circle at a high speed. ”

“ To make a photograph of the moon is quite difficult and no good picture can be made without an expensive apparatus. At home and with your own hand camera you can make a good picture of the new moon by the use of a flash light on a tennis ball, the tennis ball taking the part of the moon. The ball is suspended in front of a black cloth screen, the camera focused by holding a burning match near the ball and the exposure made by burning a small quantity of flash powder at one side and a little below the ball. ”

“ While the wearing of copper rings for rheumatism may be a foolish notion, yet there is a certain galvanic action set up by the contact of the acid in the system of the afflicted person with the metal of the ring. Apart from this, however, a ring may be made from any metal, such as copper, brass and silver, if such metals are in plate or sheet form, by the following method:
All the tools necessary are a die and punch which are simple to make and will form a ring that will fit the average finger. ”

“ It is important that the assistants remain invisible throughout, and if portieres are impossible, a screen must be used. But any boy ingenious enough to follow these simple instructions will not need to be told that the whole success of the exhibition depends upon the absolute failure of the audience to understand that there is more than one concerned in bringing about the curious effects which are seen. The exhibitor should be a boy who can talk; a good "patter"—as the magicians call it—is often of more value than a whole host of mechanical effects and helpers. ”

“ Gradually heat the tube at the point where the bulb is to be formed, slowly turning the tube to get a uniform heat. The air inside of the tube becoming heated will expand, and the glass, being softer where the flame has been applied, will be pushed out in the shape of a bulb. A great deal of care should be taken not to go to extremes, as the bulb will burst with a loud report if the heat is applied too long. The best results are obtained by heating the glass slowly and then the bulb can be formed with regularity. ”

“ A toy engine can be easily made from old implements which can be found in nearly every house.
The cylinder A, Fig. 1, is an old bicycle pump, cut in half. The steam chest D, is part of the piston tube of the same pump, the other parts being used for the bearing B, and the crank bearing C. The flywheel Q can be any small-sized iron wheel; either an old sewing-machine wheel, pulley wheel, or anything available. We used a wheel from an old high chair for our engine. If the bore in the wheel is too large for the shaft, it may be bushed with a piece of hard wood. ”

“ A good way to chain a dog and give him plenty of ground for exercise is to stretch a clothesline or a galvanized wire between the house and barn on which is placed a ring large enough to slide freely. The chain from the dog's collar is fastened to the ring. This method can also be used for tethering a cow or horse, the advantage being the use of a short tie rope eliminating the possibility of the animal becoming entangled. ”

“ While one boy makes the blocks another can shave them off at the edges and two others can build the house, one inside of the circle and the other outside. The Eskimos build their snow houses in this way, and the man inside stays there until he is completely walled in. Then the door and a window are cut through the wall.
Each layer of snow blocks must have a slight slant at the top toward the center so that the walls will constantly curve inward. This slant at the top is obtained better by slicing off the lower surfaces of each block before putting it in its course. ”

“ A wire is then connected from the metal brace to a push button, two or three cells of dry battery and to the ground wire in connection with the timer The wires are connected in such a manner that when the vane is pointing in a certain direction the battery will be connected in series with the coil under that part of the dial representing the direction in which the vane is pointing, thus magnetizing the core of the magnet which attracts the opposite pole of the needle toward the face of the magnet and indicating the way the wind is blowing. ”