A 12-FT. ALL -WOOD CANOE

A 12-FT. ALL -WOOD CANOE

EDITOR : F.J.CAMM

APRIL 1947

AT WORK ON THE NEW 40 -SEATER AIR LINER " AMBASSADOR " (See page 247)

Miniature Gas BlowpipaRocket PropulsionRoad Safety Exhibition

PRINCIPAL CONTENTS

The Mystic Art of AlchemyLighthouse EngineeringEliminating the Boring Beetle

World of ModelsLetters from ReadersCyclist Section

FROM the world-famous Terry factory

come steel clips, bronzeclips, stainless clips, big

clips, little clips, wide clips,narrow clips - in fact clips in

every conceivable shape and size.Illustrated here are two of our stock

patterns, 8o and 8r, made in a rangeof sizes to grip from / in. to ri in.

Maybe a clip of special shape would benecessary for the job you have in mind.

Well, we can help you because we make clipsfor hundreds of uses. We can make to print or

specification, or our Research Department willdesign for you.

Our knowledge of clips has advanced side by side withour 91 years' spring -making experience.

Sole Makers : HERBERT TERRY & SONS LTD., REDDITCHLONDON MANCHESTER BIRMINGHAM

by TERRY SPRINGS

tib * and just a few special shapeswe have made to order.

"441

Ertablished 185514,4

April, 1947 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS

SCALE MODELS !The present shortage of materials and parts makes it difficult:or us to supply all the models our customers would like tohave. Remember that Bassett-Lowke scale models, famousfor " true-to-life " realism, are well worth waiting for. In themeantime please write for our Catalogue " Gauge ' 0 ' ModelRailways " (GI12), price Is.This catalogue presents to customers some of our models nowavailable and others which will be in production as soon ascircumstances permit.

WRITE ALSO FOR :" How to Build a Traction Engine," price 6d." Laying Permanent Way," price 6d." How to Build a Gauge ' O' Steam Mogul from a set of

finished parts," price Is."The Model Railway Handbook," Standard Edition, fully

illustrated, price 5s., post 4d.Model Supplies (LI12), price Cd.

BASSETT-LOWKE LTD.,NIMITHAllPTON

LONDON : 112, High Holborn, W.C.I. MANCHESTER : 28, Corporation St.

S. TYZACK & SON LTD."TOOLS FOR ALL TRADES"

THE " ZYTO"PROFILE OR JIGSAW MACHINE

DATA AT A GLANCEStroke, 21in.Saw Blade length, 6in.Throat capacity,Table measures 9in. x 9in.Speeds, 280-500 r.p.m.Motor, h.p.Overall length, I6in.Overall depth, 10in.Overall height, 20in.Net weight, 78 lbs.

For SAWING and FILING OFMETALS (Ferrous and Non -Ferrous),PLASTICS AND WOOD. The Saw-ing and Filing of Metals, Plastics andWood is an easy and speedy matterwith the " Zyto " Profile or JigSaw Machine. There is no com-plicated mechanism or elaboratecontrol gear. Just flick over theSwitch and the machine becomesyour willing servant. Ruggedconstruction, totally enclosed,powered by a H.P. Motor. Theuse of Double Cone Pulleys enablesthe machine to be run at either 280or 500 strokes per minute simplyby changing over the belt. WorkTable is 9in. square and may betilted in either direction, while the74 in. capacity of the Bow enables thehandling of work not normallyaccommodated on a machine of thissize.

Single Phase

Three Phase

PRICE

£38 10s. Od.

£39 10s. Od.

£39 10s. Od.

FULL DETAILS ON APPLICATION

S. TYZACK & SON LTD.341-345, OLD STREET, LONDON, E.C.1

Telephone : CLERKENWELL 4004-5-6

Srene : City. Time . 3 p.m.Lord Portable a rrieei to address

7-HERf musrIlia Lordship introduces Ben Grinder,Ped Grinder, ' Arry 'Ammer, BreezyBlower,Val re Facer, Esq., Miss QueenieQuartermaster (Secretary), and after afew apt remarks continues

217

HO CLOSED stio,

4 WE simp0must not keep a good

thing to ourselves," saysLord Portable in his opening

address. "We must-ahem-play the game, what!" "Only

yesterday," continues his Lordship,"I saw a sad sight --such a respectable

Than-trying so hard to drill a hole.withan old-fashioned .bratt and bit. I took little Quartermaster out of my pocket,and Whizz! - young Q.M. finished the job. 'Lor' Guvnor,' he says, 'that'ssaved me an hour's work.' I thought quickly one hour's work saved200,000,000 workers, tha...'s two hundred million hours or would be ifthey all had'' Wolf' electric tools. 'Let's form a Union,' I says. 'A WorldUnion, Guvnor ! ' he replies. 'Of 'Wolf' Users' I .says, 'A World Union ofWolf Users."Whoops for W.U.W.U. !' he calls after me. Now, boys," sayshis Lordship, "let's spread the news. Our job is to speed production-not byworking longer hours-but fewer not with honest-ahem---sweat, butwith electricity. Let's make work so pleasant that all you fellowS will becomelittle Oliver Twists and chirp for more (cheers) yes, more work!"

The range of Wolf Portable Electric Tools in- '

eludes-Drills, Bench, Pedestal, Hand andFlexible Shaft Grinders, Hammer and Hammer - ELECTRICKits, Screwdrivers, Chisel Mortisers. Sanders,Blowers, Engine Reconditioning Equipment in- T 0 0 L Scluding Valve Seat Servicing Kit, Engine Kit etc.

S. WOLF & CO. LTD., PIONEER WORKS, HANGER LANE, LONDON, W.58181

TWO USEFUL CHEMICALS FORTHE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER

AZOLDEVELOPER FORTHE NEGATIVES

UNIVERSALDEVELOPER FORTHE PRINTS

SEND 3d. IN' STAMPS AND WE WILL POST TO YOUA COPY OF THE NEW 38 PAGE BOOK CALLED"HOME PHOTOGRAPHY." WE WILL ALSO ENCLOSEA SET OF THE AZOL TIME AND TEMPERATURETABLES AND AN ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE OF THE

CHEMICALS WE MAKE.ADDRESS YOUR LETTER TO DEPT. 41

Ask your Dealer for theScales Brand Chemicals

JOHNSON & SONS MANFG. CHEMISTS LTDHENDON, N.W.4 ESTAB. 1743

218 NEWNES PRACTtCAL .MECHANICS April, 19-47

Join the Well -paidRanks of theTRAINED!ZS.-MENTHERE IS ALWAYS A GOOD POSITION FOR THE MAN

WITH A SPECIALIZED TRAINING, BUT THERE'S

NO WORTH -WHILE PLACE FOR THE UNTRAINED

Ambitious men everywhere have succeeded throughI.C.S. Home -Study Courses. So also con you. Weoffer you the benefit of our 56 years' matchless ex-

perience as the creative pioneers oftechnical instruction by the postal method.Since our establishment in 1891, morethan 1,000,000 British men and womenhave enrolled for I.C.S. Courses.

The man with an I.C.S. Training in any one of the subjectslisted below knows it thoroughly, completely, practically.And he knows how to apply it in his everyday work.

AccountancyAdvertisingAeronautical EngineeringAir and Vacuum BrakesAir -ConditioningAircraft Eng. LicenceArchitectureArchitectural DrawingBoiler EngineeringBook-keepingBuilding ConstructionBuilding SpecificationsBusiness TrainingBusiness ManagementCarpentryChemical EngineeringChemistry, Inorganic and

OrganicCivil EngineeringClerk of WorksColliery Examiner'sColliery Overman'sCommercial ArtConcrete EngineeringCotton ManufacturingDiesel Engines

Draughtsmanship(State which branch)

Drawing Office PracticeElectrical EngineeringElectric Power, Lighting,

Transmission, TractionEng. Shop PracticeFire EngineeringFree -Lance JournalismFuel TechnologyHeating and VentilationHydraulic EngineeringHydro -ElectricIllumination Eng.Industrial ManagementInternal Comb. Eng.JoineryLetteringMachine DesigningMachine -Tool WorkMarine EngineersMechanical DrawingMechanical EngineeringMine SurveyingMining Engineering

Motor EngineeringMotor MechanicMotor Vehicle Elec..Municipal Eng.PlasticsPlumbingQuantity SurveyingRadio EngineeringRadio Service Eng.RefrigerationSales ManagementSalesmanshipSanitary & Domestic Erg.Sheet -Metal WorkShort -Story WritingSteam EngineeringStructural SteelworkSurveying

(State which branch)Telegraph EngineeringTextile DesigningWelding, Gas & Elec.WoodworkingWoollen & Worsted Mfg.Works Engineering

And most of the Technical, Professional, and Matric Exams.

If you need technical training, our advice on any matter concerningyour work and your career is yours for the asking-free and withoutobligation. Let us send you full information regarding the subject in which youare specially interested. DON'T DELAY. Make ACTION your watchword.

The successful man DOES to -day what the failureINTENDS doing to -morrow. Write to us TO -DAY

Use this Coupon

INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS LTD.Dept. 95, International Buildings, Kingsway, London, W.C.2

Please send me particulars of your courses n

Name Age(USE BLOCK LETTERS)

Addres

Addresses for Overseas ReadersAustralia : 140, Elizabeth Street, Sydney.Egypt : 40. Sharia Malika Farida, Cairo.India : Lakshmi Bldgs., Sir Pherozsha Mehta Rd., Fort,

Bombay.New Zealand : 182, Wakefield Street, Wellington.South Africa : .1S, Shortmarket Street, Cape Town.

IF YOU ARE CONVERTING YOURSILENT PROJECTOR TO SOUNDOR MAKING YOUR OWN PRO-JECTOR, write to us for our latestlist, P47/I, price 4d., containingdetails of the following :-

Sound Optical Systems, Sprockets,Idlers, Gear Trains, Cam andShuttle Movements, ScanningDrums, Photo -Cells, CompleteSound -Heads, Amplifiers, andmany other items for theenthusiast and experimenter.

SOUTHERN5, Mackenzie

(Tel. No.

FILM

Street,

SERVICES

SLOUGHSLOUGH,

23436)

Bucks.

LTD.

HEAVY DUTY BENCH LATHE(Illustrated on Cabinet Stand)

3P1. (10in. Swing in Gap) Type ML.7.Latest design, and built to close limits. Unfortunately, suppliesare limited, but as raw materials become freely available, andPRODUCTION approaches DEMAND, we shall be able, once

again, to give you a more reason-able delivery date.

All Myford Products are distributedthrough recognised Tool Merchants,

MYFORD ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITEDBEESTON . NOTTINGHAM 'Phone: 54222 (3 lines)

:78..sosA.

NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS

Whatever your soldering job, in your homeor workshop, you will prefer to use ErsinMulticore Solder. No extra flux is re-quired. Multicore is the simple and pre-cision method of making sound soldered joints for all householdpurposes. Just apply it simultaneously with the soldering

iron; the three cores automatically providecorrect proportions of flux to solder.

Workshop Sizes 4iI0 - 6i9 each

MULTICORE SOLDERS LTD.,Mellier House, Albemarle Street, London, W.I.

Tel.: REGent 1411.

d.

CARTONshown above

FIRST STEPS IN shopping drill

OP!

00,

"I'd like to buythat ! "

"Not quite a peace -timejob, though"

" Better wait tillthere's a bit more choice"

SAVING is not just prudent, it's patriotic. The better times will only bepossible if we're sensible about our spending now ; for the less everyonespends the better the nation will be able to get on with the job of buildingBritain's prosperity.

Todaj's best value is SAVINGSIssued by the National Savings Committee

219

You justmake it andbake it

ttxtX az&

HEMODELLING MATERIAL

MODEL railway buildings and platforms,model ships and houses, animals andmany useful and permanent objects

can be made with Pyruma Plastic Cement.You just "make it and bake it" to stone -hardness, and afterwards, according to ourinstructions, paint in natural colours, i.e.with enamels, poster -paints, etc. Pyrumais comparatively inexpensive, and is obtain-able in tins from Ironmongers, Art MaterialDealers and Hobbies Shops. Send Id.stamp for illustrated instruction sheet onPyruma modelling to the address below.

ILFORD

SANKEY'S

PYRUMAPLASTIC CEMENT

Write : Dept. 4

1J.H. SANKEY&. SON.E11."

EST. 1857 ESSEX

220 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS April, 1947

Every home should havea " Crystal "

No matter what the job-interioror exterior painting, distempering,or re-cellulosing a car, the " Crystal "Spray Gun will enable you to do itto perfection.

Connected to any standard vacuumcleaner, the " Crystal " will handleany normal finish without mess orwaste and without fatigue to theoperator. It does not require experthandling and being precision built offirst class materials it will give long,trouble free service, and save itscost over and over again.

The " Crystal " Spray Gun will beforwarded by return, post free, on

receipt of remittance with order.

We are Retail Distributors of Pi nchin'sPaints and can supply from stock ceilingwhite and most shades of their interiorPaints and Distempers. Particulars on

application.

751-complete

Special Hooverconnector3/6

DOMESTIC SUPPLY COMPANY341, REGENT'S PARK ROAD, LONDON, N.3(Near Finchley Central Station) Tel.: FINchley 5193

lOPPORTUNITIESIN PLASTICS

A most informative handbook entitled " OPPORTUNITIESIN PLASTICS" is now available for distribution. This guidediscusses in considerable detail the prospect of careers in all branchesof the Plastics Industry-knowledge required, salaries, possibilitiesof promotion, and so on-and explains how you may prepare for theseopportunities through our modern home -study courses.We specialise in Plastics training and our courses are authoritative,up to date and comprehensive. The range of our tuition is wide,covering Elementary Instruction in Basic Subjects, PLASTICSTECHNOLOGY, coaching for the CITY AND GUILDSEXAMINATIONS, and specialised instruction in such specificbranches of the industry as :-

Plastics Mould Design, Plastics in the Paint, Varnishand Lacquer Industries, Plastics Costing and Estimating,Plastics for the Aircraft Industry, Plastics for theElectrical Industry, Plastics for the Building Industry,Plastics in Sales Promotion, Plastics in Textiles,Designing in Plastics, Synthetic Rubber Technology,

etc.All courses are conducted under a guarantee of

" SATISFACTION OR REFUND OF FEE "" OPPORTUNITIES IN PLASTICS" will be sent on request,free and without obligation. The book contains so much usefulinformation and guidance that whatever your interest in Plasticsmay be, you should make a point of writing for your copy at once.

BRITISH INSTITUTE OF PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY4, SHAKESPEARE HOUSE,

17, STRATFORD PLACE, LONDON, W.1

JUST OUT IThe new electric -driven " Sea Sparks." This is the

first kit for a hydrofoil boat ever to be produced, and itmarks a new era in the model world.

Hydrofin Handbook ... 2s. 6d.HNMJI6 (1110th scale of HNI4), Drawings ... I5s. Od." Sea Sparks," Drawings ... 5s. Od." Sea Sparks," Drawings and Kit ... 35s. Od.Electric Motor (suitable for either model) ... 25s. Od." Sea Bug " Junior Model Kit and Drawings ... 7s. 6d.

"HYDROFIN"EGYPT HILL, COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT

DELAY SWITCHES9) -to -feet (Yore?,

fRaclio eytt9Mizeitt4 VOLT 5 VOLT 63 VOLT HEATERS

OLIVER PELL CONTROL LTDgelephone - WOOLWICH 1422CAMBRIDGE ROW WOOLWICH S EI8

MODEL RAILWAYCLUB EXHIBITION

EASTER WEEKTuesday, April 8th to Saturday, April 12thThe work of members of the Model Railway Club-steam and electric working models, locomotives,coaches, wagons, signal systems, permanent way, etc.Free rides on model railway.

CENTRAL HALL, WESTMINSTERTuesday, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. thereafter -II a.m. to 9. p.m.

Admission : Adults 2/3d. Children 1/-

April, 1947 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS 221

Every "Leytool " isa genuine post-wardesign, as acceptedby the Council ofIndustrie! Design fordisplay at the"Britain Can Makeit" Exhibition.w

PRECISION

HANDDRILLDRILLProv. Patent No.

20987,44

Leytoolsa lie

QUALITY Tools PRECIS!ON HAND DRILLS

As illustrated. 1 -inch dia-meter capacity.

RATCHET SPANNERS42 Stock sizes. Indis-pensable for assembly andservicing work.SPECIAL : MOTORISTS'SETS of Ratchet Spannerscomplete in wallet.

UNIVERSALLY JOINTEDSOCKET SPANNERS

18 Stock sizes.

POCKET SCREWDRIVERS4 -bladed.

" Leytools " are obtainablefrom all good Toolshops,Ironmongers and Stores. Ifany difficulty in obtaininglocally, send your orderdirect, or write for descriptiveleaflets giving full details ofsizes and prices of any ofthe above tools.

FURTHER "LEYTOOLS" ARENOW BEING DEVELOPED

LEYTONSTONE JIG & TOOL CO., LTD.,LEYTOOL WORKS, HIGH ROAD, LEYTON, LONDON, E.10

Telephone: Leytonstona 5022-3

tests everything electrical

RADIO, HOUSEHOLDAPPLIANCES ANDMOTOR CAR LIGHTING

ETC.

Ask your local Factor toshow you one of these

remarkable in-struments andto put yourname down onhis waiting list.

A Fine

Typ K.

Achievement!

For details of other S. G.

Brown Headphones (pricesfrom 25/- to 60/-) ask forillustrated Brochure "P.M."

in Radio Reception hasbeen attained by the latestS. G. Dt1i07YN, Type K

MOVING COIL.HEADPHONES

Where High Fidelity Reproduction isrequired, such as for DX work,Monitoring and Laboratory purposes,etc., these precision -built Moving CoilHeadphones will be highly appreciated.

Technical Details

D. C . RESISTANCE -94 ohms per pair

IMPEDANCE -104 ohms @ 1,000 c.p.s.

SENSITIVITY -8Dbs. above I microwattper bar 0, 1,000 c.p.s.

PRICE £5 . 5 . 0 PER PAIR

Descriptive Brochure "P.M.K. "will be sent free on request.

Telephone , oWn tACOrn 5021

VICTORIA ROAD, NORTH ACTON, LONDON, W.3

vvws,seceoff,127,01MZ..1",t i; ffIZZfia~ds-

4

Wherever Rozalex is used

it inspires confidence in

avoiding dermatitis.

This relieves workers of

undue anxiety, and thus

promotes a feeling of

security which is reflected

in increased production.

APPLIED BEFORE WORKPREVENTS DERMATITIS

ROZALEX LIMITED 10 NORFOLK STREET MANCHESTER


PREPARE FOR COMPETITION NOW !As the Engineering Industry swings into its peace -time stride, the inevitable competitionfor the secure and well -paid posts will return. It is the man who stands out from therest because he is technically trained who will be in the happy position of taking overthe more responsible, more secure, and better paid positions. " ENGINEERINGOPPORTUNITIES " will show you how to get this all-important technical trainingquickly and easily in your spare time. This 100 -page book is full of valuable informationand explains the simplest way of preparing for recognised Examinations. Among thecourses described are :

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING GROUP ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING GROUPA.M.I.Mech.E. Estimating A.M.I.E.E. Electricity SupplyCity & Guilds Foremanship City & Guilds Electrical MetersGeneral Mechanical Eng. Jig & Tool Design General Electrical Eng. Electrical DesignDiesel Engines Viewing & Inspection Alternating Currents Illumination*Draughtsmanship & Tracing Welding Power House Design InstallationsWorks Management Sheet Metal Work Traction TelegraphyPress Tool Work Maintenance Eng. Mains Eng. TelephonyPattern Making Metallurgy Mining Electrical EngineeringFoundry Practice RefrigerationMining Practice WIRELESS GROUP

COMMERCIAL ENGINEERINGA.M.I.P.E. Cost AccountsCommercial Eng. Languages

CIVIL ENGINEERINGA.M.I.C.E. Road Eng.Inst. Mun. & Cy. Engineer HydraulicsA.M.I.Struct.E. Municipal Eng.M.R.San.l. General Civil Eng.Sanitary Inspector Structural Eng.Specifications Reinforced ConcreteStructural Design Railway Eng.Mining Surveying

SURVEYING AND BUILDING GROUPA.R.I.B.A. Costing & ValuationsF.S.I. Heating & VentilatingA.M.I.H. & V.E. Clerk of WorksL.I.O.B. Surveying & LevellingF.A.I. Building (all branches)

GROUP

GROUP

A.M.Brit.I.R.E.City & GuildsGeneral WirelessShort -Wave Wireless

AUTOMOBILEA.M.I.A.E.

City & GuildsAutomobile Repairman's

Course

AERONAUTICALA.F.R.Ae.S.R.A.F. (Maths.)Pilots' LicencesGround Licence

Advanced WirelessRadio ServicingTelevisionTalking -Picture Eng.

ENGINEERING GROUPGeneral Automobile Eng.Garage ManagementElectrical EquipmentHigh Speed Diesels

ENGINEERING GROUPAero EnginesNavigators' LicenceAeroplane DesignMeteorology

UNIVERSITY DEGREESLondon Matriculation University EntranceSchool Certificate Intermediate B.Sc.

Our Diploma is accepted for Graduateship of the Inst. of Engineering Draughtsmen and Designers.

WE DEFINITELY GUARANTEE

" NO PASS NO FEE "If you are earning less than LIO a week you cannot afford to rniss reading " ENGINEERINGOPPORTUNITIES" ; it tells you everything you want to know to make your future secure, anddescribes many chances you are now missing. In your own interest we advise you to write for yourcopy of this enlightening guide to well -paid posts NOW-FREE and without obligation.

BRITISH INSTITUTE OF ENGIATERING TECIROLOGY410A, SHAKESPEARE HOUSE, 17, STRATFORD PLACE, LONDON, W. 1

THE B I.E.T. IS THE LEADING INSTITUTE OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD


SUBSCRIPTION RATES(including postage)

Inland - 10s. 6d. per annum.Abroad - 10s. per annum.Canada - - lOs per annum.Editorial and Advertisement Office : " Practical

Mechanics," George Newnes, Ltd.Tower House, Southampton Street, Strand, W.C.2

'Phone : Temple Bar 4363Telegrams : Newnes, Rand, London.

Registered at the G.P.O. for transmission byCanadian Magazine Post.

Copyright in all drawings, photographs and articlespublished in " Practical Mechanics " is speciallyreserved throughout the countries signatory to theBerne Convention and the U.S.A. Reproductionsor imitations of any of these are therefore

expressly forbidden.

FAIR COMMENT

Owing

PRACTICALMECHANICSto the paper shortage " The Cyclist," "Practical Motorist," and "Home Movies" are

temporarily incorporated.

Editor : F. J. CAMM

VOL. XIV APRIL, 1947 No. 163

Late !WE apologise to our readers because this

issue is a few days late in publica-tion. No one could foresee the coal

crisis, which has disrupted industry for anumber of weeks, and the full effects ofwhich have yet to be felt. When the paperration was increased last year we thoughtthat the worst of our troubles were over,but we were reckoning without the fuelcrisis, the calamity which has struck us allsuch a disastrous blow, and which has set usback so badly.

Coal figures very largely in paper making,and our paper mills are suffering from thisacute coal shortage. We are hoping, ofcourse, that we shall not have to reducethe size of this journal. Readers may restassured that we are doing our utmost to copewith the situation in these most difficulttimes, and that we shall endeavour not tobreak faith with them. We ask their indul-gence if for these reasons we are unable togive that promptitude of service upon whichwe pride ourselves.Engineers' Appointments Bureau.

PROFESSIONALEngineers' Appoint-

ments Bureau commenced operationsin October, 1945, and since that time it hasdone a large amount of useful work. Thebureau invites applications for registrationfor employment from members who, byreason of the:r engineering qualifications,belong to the Institution of Civil Engineers,the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, orthe Institution of Electrical Engineers ; orfrom persons whose engineering qualifica-tions for election or admission to one ofthose bodies have been approved by therespective council. The necessary formsmay be obtained on application to the Regis-trar of the Bureau, at 13, Victoria Street,Westminster, The registrar inter-views applicants who have completed thenecessary form.

Employers of Professional Engineers areinvited to submit details of positions vacanton their staff, indicating any special require-ments, staiing the salary range offered. Anydetails necessary for the guidance of thebureau which it is desired should be keptconfidential should be indicated accordingly.

During 1946, the average number ofengineers on the register was 964, 184 ofthese being primarily civil, 390 mechanical,and 390 electrical engineers. Employershave supported the bureau well by notifying1,155 vacancies during the year, a numberof the applications being for more than oneengineer. In general, nominations havebeen made within seven days of the vacancybeing notified.

It is known that at least 217 engineershave obtained posts with the employers to

whom they were nominated by the bureau.This is above the estimate of the resultsanticipated for the bureau's first year ofoperation, but actual results may well behigher, as information has not yet beenobtained on a number of the nominationsmade, despite the operation of a " follow-up " system, the necessity for which hasincreased the pressure on the bureau's smallstaff of four.

It Is also known that at least a further158 engineers were offered posts, as a resultof the bureau's introductions, at or abovethe minimum salaries they specified, but thepositions were not accepted for variousreasons, the most usual being the lack ofsuitable living accommodation. These figuresdo not, of course, include the numerousengineers who have registered, but haveeither decided to stay with their presentemployers after testing the market or havedecided, on the bureau's advice, to return totheir pre-war employers.

Except under special circumstances, it hasbeen the policy of the bureau to refrainfrom putting engineers forward for postscarrying salaries below the minimum figuresshown on their application forms. In theearly part of the year it was noticeable thata large proportion of engineers on the regis-ter were specifying minimum salaries con-siderably in excess of those offered byemployers notifying vacancies, but in thelatter part, matters had improved appreciablyin this respect. The salaries at which postshave been filled range up to kz,000 perannum, and the age of the candidates over4o years of age, though where possible thebureau has tried to influence employers notto specify low maximum age limits. An ageanalysis of engineers on the register hasindicated that approximately 4o per cent. ofthese were under 3o, 35 per cent. between3o ,-nd 4o, and 25 per cent. over 4o. Acorresponding analysis of the age of theengineers who have been placed shows that5o per cent. were under 3o, 4o per cent.between 3o and 40, and to per cent. over40 ; 52 per cent. of the engineers placedwere ex -servicemen.

Extensive use has been made of theadvisory services of the bureau both byregistered engineers and employers, andjudging from the replies received this func-tion of the bureau has been widely appre-ciated.

Whilst a large number of engineers on theregister have indicated they are anxiousto obtain employment in the Dominions, themajority of the overseas vacancies notifiedhave been for the Middle and Far East, orCentral and West Africa, and difficulty hasbeen experienced in finding candidates whoappear willing to go to these countries.

BY THE EDITORThe bureau is not a profit -making con-

cern, and its sponsors are the three associa-tions we have named. The charges madeto applicants are stated on the registrationform. No charge is made to employers.'The three institutions evolved the wholescheme, and the board consists of the presi-dent and secretaries and three members ofthe council of the three institutions.

Although the bureau is not incorporated,and therefore has no authorised capital, thefunds are available as the result of dona-tions received from employers and from theinstitutions. The registrar and secretary,Mr. R. W. L. Harris, B.Sc., served hisapprenticeship in engineering and rose tothe position of personal technical assistantto the technical director. Later he becamea senior engineer and was engaged on workfor the Central Electricity Board andGovernment of Northern Ireland. He is,of course, a member of the three institutionsconcerned.

ContributionsWE invite contributions from readers on

practical subjects within their experi-ence. It is necessary when submitting manu-scripts to include details of your qualificationsto write on the particular subject. Manu-scripts are promptly considered, and theyshould be accompanied by drawings orphotographs, which should be captioned.Manuscripts for preference should be type-written on one side of the paper only, witha tin. margin down each side, and doublespaced. A stamped addressed envelopeshould be enclosed for the return of rejectedmanuscripts.

Airmen as CraftsmenMANY. of our readers received wartime

training in certain trades, and theywill be glad to know that those whocompleted five years' service in their tradeare eligible for admission as skilled menin certain engineering and allied civilianoccupations. The admission, however, asfully skilled members of the appropriatetrade union is a matter for negotiationbetween the airmen and the unionconcerned.

Normally men are only accepted for tradeunion membership if they are in actualemployment at the time of applying, butservice in the R.A.F. is recognised asemployment for this purpose.

This agreement does not affect that madebetween the Air Ministry and the Amalga-mated Engineering Union, under which thetraining received by apprentices at Hortonand Cranwell is regarded as fully equivalentto that given to civilian apprentices in theengineering industry.


A Miniature Gas BlowpipeConstructional Details of a Small but Efficient

. Appliance for the Home WorkshopBy H. H. WARD

THE blowpipe about to be describedwas designed in the first instance forfine work on silver and gold, and

has, in point of fact, been used for goldsoldering the hinges on watch cases andether very small jobs. For these purposesit is possible to adjust the flame until itis only ain.. in length and tapers to almosta needle point. At full gas and air pressure,however, the flame is over -4in. long andis quite hot enough to silver solder largerwork, such as fitting the unions on tomodel steam pipes and building up smallparts. It will also be found to be of ampleheat for sweating articles of a fairly largesize or for carrying out the smaller glass-blowing operations. Up to about half powerthe air supply can conveniently be suppliedby the lungs of the user and thus be undervery accurate control, but beyond this pointfhe aid of a pair of bellows or a bloweris required. Taps were not fitted to thegas and air supplies as these were alreadyat hand on the supply pipes, which werewell within reach. Where it is necessaryto work at some distance from the gas tapand air supply, taps with nozzle ends forrubber tubing should be fitted in place ofthe plain ends shown.

Details of ConstructionThe construction can be commenced by

making the head of the blowpipe, which isseen in section in Fig. 3. For this a pieceof rectangular brass of din. x fin. section

1

,,,, .vitiloa,,,:::::::::...,,,

. ,..

-1--

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and at least 21in. long will be needed. Atone end the bar is marked out as at " A "in Fig. 2, and the heavily shaded piece iscut out, care being taken to saw on thewaste side of the lines. The opposite endshould be centred in the same way, butno work should be done on this end unlessthere is no four -jaw chuck fitted to one'slathe. If this is so, then the ends shouldbe drilled down with a Slocombe bit inpreparation for between centre turning.Either held and centred in the four -jawchuck or mounted between centres, thecorners are turned off the projecting piece,leaving it as shown at " B.' When the jobhas been reversed, either in the chuck orthe centres, a fine parting tool, is used tomake successive overlapping cuts to removethe metal in the centre of the plain part soas to leave two in square blocks standing,OM as at "C." The round.part projecting has

next to be gripped in a chuck, which willhold it concentrically so that an 0-B.A.tapping size hole can be drilled completelythrough the block. The hole is shown inFig. 3 as being tapped out to 0-B.A., andthis tapping can be carried out at this stagewith an intermediate tap, which is stoppedwhen it has penetrated to a depth of fin.The figure shown in the sketch is approxi-mate, and the final adjustment of the airjet is best carried out by trial and errorafter assembly and testing. For this purposea plug tap can be inserted to give the finalposition.

Air and Gas TubesThe opposite end of this hole, from which

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Fig. 4.-The air nozzle.the flame will emerge, is next opened outto 9/32in. diameter, care being taken toprevent the drill from snatching and goingdeeper than the sin. required. At the endsof the projecting square blocks diagonals aredrawn to find the centre, after which *in.diameter holes are bored through to themain bore and enlarged to take the 3/16in.tubes, as shown in Fig. 3. These are ofbrass and may be obtained from a plumber'smerchant, and, like most tubing from thatsource, may be relied upon to be just atrifle oversize. This enables the tubes tobe eased down until they are a driving fit

Fig. 1.-The corn- Fig. 2.-Details of thepitted blowpipe. blowpipe head.

in the holes, and the solder which is appliedonly serves to make them gas tight. Theair nozzle is turned, bored and threaded from*in. diameter brass rod at one setting, andis then cut off. It has a sawcut made inthe back end, as shown in Fig. 4. Thescrew at the rear end need not be exactlyas specified, provided that it closes the endhole and does not extend far enough to closethe air passage. To complete the head, thetop part is rounded off, as seen at "D " inFig. 1. The jet is screwed in from theback as far as it will go with the aid of anarrow bladed screwdriver, and the flameis tested. Then the jet is removed andthe plug tap is used to deepen the hole.It will probably be found that the best flameis obtained when the end of the inner jetis about fin., or perhaps a shade more,behind the outer tube. The details of thelower part will be clear from the drawing,the various parts being secured by soldering,

Submarines, acting as floating electric power -stations, are to provide power for some of theRoyal Dockyards. This is to ease the situation caused by the shortage of coal. It is understoodthat 26 submarines will be used -15 at Portsmouth, 9 at Devonport, and two at Sheerness.Two or three submarines, working together, can produce an output of power equivalent to thatof a fairly large power station. Each vessel is expected to supply about r,000 kilowatts daily.The illustration shows the. switchboard of the submarine H.M.S. " Tiptoe," which has arrived

at Sheerness to provide electricity for the dockyard.


A Vertical EnlarAer----2Details of Baseboard, Print Holder, andEnlargement from Ordinary Negatives

By R. J. CHAMBERLAIN

(Concluded from page 211, March issue.)

IN last month's issue, -details of the lamphouse, lens box and sleeve, including thenegative carrier, were given and, by this

time, no doubt, the reader will have experi-mented with any different lenses which mayhave come his way, and decided on thedegree of enlargements of prints he prefers.

Assuming +-plate size enlargements arepreferred, the baseboard can be made to thedimensions shown in Fig. 7. It is cut toshape from a piece of seasoned deal t2in.long by 70n. wide by lin. thick. If a pieceof fin. plywood is available, it should be used.However, ordinary in. deal shelving materialis ideal if properly seasoned ; fresh, dampboard is sure to warp, particularly if " hearty "in the centre.

When the wood is cut to shape, using akeyhole saw or scroll saw, the edges aretrimmed and glasspapered smooth, includingthe surface. Akin. hole, for the flex wire, isbored at the rear end. A second hole,acting as an outlet for the wire, is bored tomeet the first hole, as indicated by the dottedlines:

The two discs, Sin. and 2in. in diameter,are cut from lin. wood. The in. centralholes should be bored before cutting the discto shape. The larger disc is glued centrallyover the base -board flex wire hole, then thesmaller disc affixed on top. A 3in. diameterwooden disc, in. thick, is cut from plywoodand glued on at the underside. Two tin.diameter by fin. thick discs are adhered at thefront end corners on the underside, as shown.These discs serve as toes and ensure that thebaseboard rests firmly on any table top.

The Metal TubeThe tubular upright is an i8in. length of

lin. diameter curtain rod, either brass coveredor plain mild steel. A 3ft. length (or more,according to individual requirements) of twinflex wire is threaded through the baseboardhole and brought up at the top. Having

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inserted the end of thewire through the tubing,the latter is pusheddown into the baseboarddiscs.

The lamp house ispushed over the metalrod and the flexiblecable connected to thelamp holder, with aplug, or an adaptor,connected at theopposite end. If thereis no switch handy forcutting off current, asmall line switch couldbe connected betweenthe baseboard and plugor adaptor. An alter-native arrangement is tohave a push -bar -switchlamp holder fitted to thetop of the lamp house.

The Print HolderBecause of the close

proximity of the neg-ative carrier and bright-ness of illumination,ordinary f -plate contactprinting papers-whichare not so sensitive tolight as the bromideprinting paper-can beused. Hence, the print holder is of a sizesuiting l-plate contact papers which are morecommonly known as " gas -light papers." Ifdesired, a printing frame could be purchased.

A printing frame, however, is not soconveniently arranged as the home-madeprint holder. One could, nevertheless, fita new back. In fact, this will be essential,because the back of the home-made holderis covered on the inside with a sheet of whitecard which is used for focusing purposesprior to inserting the printing paper for makingexposures. s-

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Fig. 12.-Showing how a half-plate enlargement can be made froman ordinary snap" negative.

The bought printing frame will have aglass front and a back which is hinged in themiddle, either half of which can be lifted upfor inspection purposes when making day-light exposures on P.O.P. (printing -outpaper). If you do not wish to fit a new back,a sheet of thin, white card /IL in. by 3?2in.could always be inserted in the frame forfocusing purposes, then removed and theprinting paper inserted.

The glass front is undoubtedly an advantage,since it keeps the printing paper absolutelyflat. The glass is absolutely necessary in aprinting frame when making contact printswith film negatives. If plates are used, thenno glass is needed.

But experience shows that a glasslessprint holder, so far as enlargements areconcerned, is the best. Glass collects dust,fluff and finger marks, and unless kept clean,pictures may be marred. So, it will be seenthat while a bought printing frame can beused, the best type is the one designed foruse with the home-made enlarger.

Deciding the SizeBromide printing paper is always used

when making enlargements. Being moresensitive than gas -light paper, less exposuretime is required. If you prefer it and desireto save a little extra money by making use ofI -plate size printing paper (61in. by 4.1in.)cut in quarters, the rebate of the home-madeprint holder could be made to suit, thismeasuring 31in. by 2 in. As a result, thepicture will measure Sin. by 21 in. and showan fin. white border all round.

Otherwise, of course, the print holderparts are cut to the sizes given in Fig. 8.Part 0 is the centre piece forming the rebate


to the frame ; it is cut from fin. wood.Pieces Q are cut from lin. wood and form the" lip " to the centre piece (0). Pieces Rgo on the opposite side of piece 0 to deepenthe rebate. Piece T is a lug for the snib(S) pivoted on the back, P, the latter beingcut from 3/16in. plywood and faced on oneside with white card, as shown in the con-structional view, Fig. 9. The snib and lugare cut from /in. plywood.

The back is fixed in position with along brass butt hinge. The hinge is attachedwith fin. by 4 flathead screws. It is advisableto have the back hinged in place beforeadhering the card to it since the points of the

Fig. 9.-How the print -holder parts areassembled together.

screws may project and need filing flat, thisalso applying to the snib pivot screw. Thelatter is a tight fit in the backing, but free inthe snib. The white card should be aboutrit6in. thick ; postcard material could beused.

The holder, when completed, is hingedupon the baseboard to be directly under thelens holder. Use a couple of small metalbrackets high enough to permit the holderframe to turn over. It might be thought, bythe way, that with the lens holder closeto the print holder, the latter could not beturned over. This is so, but in practiceyou will find that it is impossible to makesuitable -sized enlargements with the lensholder so close to the print holder. Note thatthe print holder is kept level with the surfaceof the baseboard with a small wooden rest(see side elevation).

The FinishThere is no need to finish off the work

in any way beyond applying a coat of blackspirit stain. Such a stain can be made byadding some lamp -black powder to sufficientmethylated spirit. A water stain could bemade and used, but this, tends to raise thegrain of the wood.

If you are particular about the finish thelamp house could be covered with blackleatherette paper, removing the top and ventcovers for this purpose, including the armsupport bracket. The vent covers, top lid,arm, base and print holder could be stainedand polished ebony black. The reason fornot polishing the lamp house is that the heatmay effect the polish.

A Temporary Dark -roomIf you are an amateur who intends to do a

lot of enlarging at ,home, the kitchen orscullery can be easily turned into a temporary" dark -room " at a moment's notice by meansof a ruby -coloured electric lamp cover, thisresembling a smalliglass jar haying a screw -off -lid. The cover is for use on any electric

light point ; it enables such work as plateloading, processing, etc., to be carried out insafety. If such a cover is needed for printdeveloping and fixing only, there is a specialcover for this purpose, the glass being anorange colour.

Bromide paper is insensitive to orange -tinted light. It is also insensitive to ruby -tinted light, but the latter-as produced bythe ruby lamp cover-has a peculiar effectupon one's sight, making it difficult to judgethe correct development of prints; the reddishglow, however, is better than no light at all.Apart from covers, one can obtain specialcoloured electric lamps. To save buyingtwo separate lamps or lamp covers, one lampcould be orange -coloured ; it could be enclosedin a ruby -coloured lamp cover, the coverbeing removed when necessary.

Cine Film EnlargementsCinematograph films are, as you doubtless

know, printed from film negatives. It ispossible to reverse the process and makenegative pictures from the prints. This isdone by enclosing a strip of the film betweenan undeveloped plate and a sheet of clearglass the size of the plate and giving about1/.'ith second exposure to white light, afterwhich the plate is developed and fixed in theusual manner.

The experiment can be tried with, say,

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a 4fin. by 3fin. plate, the clear glass being anold 4fin. by 3fin. plate that has been cleanedfree of emulsion in warm, soapy water, thenrinsed and dried. The emulsion side of thefilm must face the emulsion side of the plate,with the clear glass on top of the film to pressit flat.

Several strips of film can be " sandwiched "between the new plate and its sheet of glass.The strips are kept side by side, and centralwith the plate. This leaves sufficient spaceat the ends for the fingers to hold the plateand clear glass tightly together during the briefexposure.

Having processed the plate, the negativeimages are projected on bromide paper tomake the enlargements required. Whendealing with 9.5 mm. cine film, the maxi-mum degree of enlargement possible withoutany distortion is about 44in. by 3 fin., as shownin Fig. to.

Any attempt at reducing the enlargementwill cause a slight distortion (see dotted lines).The distortion effect will be more accentuatedif an attempt is .made at " crushing.."part of-.a miniature film, such as standard size

cinematograph film, into dimensions smallerthan 4fin. by 31 in. This means any portionof film larger than the " mask " size, i.e.,9/I6in. by 7/16in., or thereabouts.

Standard Cinematograph PicturesApproximately one quarter of the " frame "

of standard cinematograph film can beenlarged at a time, as shown in Fig.No " mask " need be used. Provided theplate negative images are properly exposedand developed, resultant enlargements willbe sharp, with correct density and contrast.The only stipulation is that only one quarterof the film " frame " can be dealt with. Theremainder of the projection will be " bent"and out of focus, as shown by the shading.

An Alternative ProcedureIf you cannot make a success of printing

negative images on an undeveloped plate, anahernative method of dealing with the filmf isto project the " negative " enlargements onthe printing paper and process the latter tomake a paper negative.

In this case one obtains a " negro minstrel "effect, i.e., a picture of the negative. Havingdeveloped and fixed the print, it is set in aprinting frame, face side upwards, and a freshsheet of bromide paper set on top, with itssensitive side facing the negative picture.

Because of the thickness of the printingpaper-a single weight paper is advised-a fairly long exposure to white light isnecessary. You will have to experiment tofind the amount of exposure time necessary.After exposure, the print is processed. It willbe, perhaps, slightly hazy, due to the grainin the texture of the paper itself, but you haveat least obtained a print. And if extracopies are wanted, the paper negative canbe used repeatedly without the need again forthe enlarger.

Enlargements from Popular NegativesThe most popular size of negative measures

3fin. by 2fin., this being the size made withSix -2o " Brownie " box cameras and foldingcameras, and consequently, many readerswill have this size of negative available.Here, again, only portions of the negative

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can be treated successfully, but this is anadvantage rather than a hindrance.

The enlarger enables' one to cut out redun-dant matter in the negative. Let us assume,for instance, you have a good indoor snap(or time exposure) of, say, a lady friend andthat, with exception of the features, thepicture. is -somewhat - spoiled by thesurroundings.


Now, by making a half-plate size printholder and using half-plate printing paper,the snap can be turned into an excellentportrait, as revealed in the drawing, Fig. 12.A really " sharp " negative is essential, such asproduced by high -precision miniature cameras,but the ordinary negative, while not producinga clear-cut picture, produces a " soft "enlargement which tends to enhance thefeatures of individuals, so there should be nocomplaints.

Should the head be too large, as in the caseof a close-up, it will not be possible to makeany enlargement. Head and the shouldersshould fit into the mask aperture. Fortunately,box cameras and folding cameras, unlikestand cameras, have a fixed focus which,

unless a portrait lens is fitted over the originallens, does not enable close-ups to be taken.Objects have to be 5ft. to 8ft. distant andbeyond !oft. to infinity, seldom nearer, sothat most 31in. by 2fin. negatives giveportraiture areas within a 7/16in. by 5/16in.mask aperture.

Printing Frame SizesIf you prefer to buy ready-made printing

frames for use with the enlarger as printholders, it should be noted that there is avariation in size of frames for plates andframes for films, as shown below :

It must again be pointed out that printslarger than half-plate size require a larger

227

FOR PLATES (no glass) FOR FILMS (with glass)

Size of rebate Print size31 x zlin. .. 31 x skin.41 X 31in. 4 x 3in5+ x 3iin . 51 x 3+in.61 x 41in. .. 61 x 41in.81 x 61in. .. 8t x Gtin.

Size of rebate Pririt size31 X 2141. .. 3 x zin.3i x 21in. .. 3+ x zlin.41 x sun. .. 41 x ziiin.51 x 31in. .. 45 x 21in.51 x 4fin. .. 5 x 4in.

baseboard, with an increase in the lengthof the lamp house tubular rod upright andan extension of the lamp house arm. Thereis, too, a limit to the magnification possiblewith the enlarging lens used, and the readershould experiment to find sizes which givethe most pleasing results (on a white card)prior to buying a print holder.

Glues, Cements, and Adhesives 3Cold Glues, Pastes, Gums and Their Uses

Making Starch and Dextrine PastesSOME time ago I came across a recipe for

making starch paste in which it wasadvised to add boiling water to dry

starch and not first to make a " batter " withcold water. This scheme, tends to producelumps and the instruction that it should bestrained through coarse linen is inviting amessy job. There is also danger of " cooking "the starch. The method I prefer is to makea creamy mixture of starch and cold waterin a heavy receptacle, such as an enamellediron pot or cup, and to place this in a saucepanof hot water which is brought up to a simmer-ing starq,h is being stirredcontinually. A second gas -ring should belighted, so that another supply of hot wateris available, and this should be poured on asrequired until a lurnpless sticky mass isformed, the process not going so far as tomake it absolutely transparent. It shouldremain white like milk. Another method isto make it in a double saucepan, the creamybatter being sufficiently thinned out so thatthe right final bulk is obtained, no additionalhot water being necessary. The secret hereis to maintain stirring so that no part of themixture is overheated.

Don't on any account make the mixtureso hot that it becomes transparent, unless itis going to be used at once, The overcookingof starch causes it, I have found, to liquefy andlose its adhesive qualities in a few hours.The addition of a teaspoonful of nitro -benzine-quite a cheap chemical-and a thoroughmixing up result in a mucilage with afragrant almond -like odour. If the coldbatter of starch is not brought to a temperaturemuch below that which makes it translucentand a little gum arabic jelly is added with thenitro -benzine quite a good office paste isobtained.

Flour PastesI have always prepared wheaten flour paste

in exactly the same way as the foregoing, withthe batter in heated water, and with theaddition of nitro -benzine have found thepaste remain quite good for over four months.Previous to using this chemical I alwaysemployed alum, in the proportion oft to 2o,put into the flour before making the batter.Alum in paste tends to abstract the water andalso makes it more adhesive. It certainlyprevents the paste going mouldy or decom-posing, and its presence does not injurecoloured work except perhaps gilt or bronzedpaper.

In making paste the final mixture mustnot be cooked. This destroys the adhesiveproperties. Therefore, there is no object inletting the cup of made paste remain boiling

By " HANDYMAN "(Continued from page 194, March issue.)

in the outer receptacle. In fact, definite ex-periments in boiling the paste, after it has beenmade in the saucepan with the lid jammedon tightly so as to increase the temperatureabove the normal boiling point, have shownthat the paste is not so good as before.

Glues and gums may be added to flourpastes, but make them a little more prone togo mouldy. The addition of one of the fishglues (as sold in tubes) is better than puttingin a solution of carpenter's glue.

Don't attempt to make a flour paste in acold receptacle, especially with a batter thatis too thin. Flour requires to be broughtmore nearly 'to the cooking stage than dextrineor starch, and the heat abstracted from theappled boiling water may be so great inamount that the flour granules are not madehot enough to release the glutens. If moreboiling water is added the paste becomes toothin for anything but special uses.

Gum ArabicGums are distinguishable from the resins-

and there are many sorts of each-by a simpletest. A true gum simply chars in a flame buta resin takes fire and burns smokily. A resindoes not dissolve. Resin is soluble in methy-lated spirit or turpentine, but a gum is notacted upon in any way by these solvents.

Gum arabic is obtained from the acaciatree grown in the Sudan. It has been usedsince the days of the Ancient Egyptians, butwas rediscovered about 25o years ago. Thecolourless variety is the best, and the best gumis odourless and tasteless and perfectlysoluble in water, yielding quite a clear solution.

Gum arabic contains sulphur and is acid,which impurities render it liable to becomemouldy and cloudy. It can be treated bydissolving it in a mixture of lime and water

to 5, adding a few drops of sulphuric acid.The lime is changed to sulphate of calcium,which will settle, leaving a clear solution ofgum. This can be decanted off.

Uses of Gum ArabicCommon qualities are used for adhesive

purposes-envelopes, postage stamps, etc.-and to prevent the gum from cracking amodicum of glycerine is added.

For the best cardboard model work suchas architectural models the best gum arabicshould always be used. There is no dangerof the work falling to pieces, and I have seenexamples which are now forty years old, andwhich are as good as the day they were made.The material recommended for all thesemodels is Bristol board and no wood need

enter into their construction-simply the finecardboard and white gum arabic, built uplayer on layer to give the necessary relief.

Gum arabic, being rather brittle when dry,does not affix labels and paper objects tosmooth surfaces like glass or polished wood. z.

To render it more elastic glycerine is sometimesadded in the following proportions : r part gum )arabic, 5o parts hot water and part glycerineto attract moisture and thus tend to loosenE:Agythe work. It, however, certainly lessens the'. frbrittleness of the gum.

Sulphate of alumina (note, not commonialum) can be dissolved and mixed with thegum arabic jelly to make it more flexible.This does not attract the moisture. Sometimesa solution of sugar candy is added to a .gumarabic mucilage to lessen its brittleness ondrying.

Waterglass as an AdhesiveOne of the cheapest adhesives for paper

and other similar work is silicate of soda-the familiar waterglass or egg preservative.It should be used as it is obtained in a clear,sticky mass, without the addition of water.

(To be continued.)

Hydro -electric Equipmentfor Tummel Garry

THE present acute difficulties in obtain-ing coal supplies will give an added

importance in this country to hydro -electricgeneration, and the progress of the Northof Scotland Scheme will therefore bewatched with great interest.

For the Errochty power station in theTummel Garry scheme, forming one of themost important parts of the general project,the North of Scotland Hydro -.Electric Boardhas placed a contract with The General Elec-tric Co., Ltd., for the manufacture and in-stallation of three vertical -shaft water turbo -alternators with turbines of Boving manu-facture. Each alternator will have an out-put of 27,800 kVA M.C.R. at i,000 volts,and the Boving turbines a specified ratingof 35,000 h.p. against a 525ft. head of water.

It is of interest to note that as muchof the plant as possible will be made inScotland, where the water turbines willbe built, and all the heavy forgings for thealternators produced. The electrical equip-ment will be manufactured throughout at theG.E.C. Engineering Works at Witton.

Messrs. Merz & McLellan are the consul-tants for this scheme, and it is hoped tocomplete the installation for the winter loadof 1948.


Rocket PropulsionThe Vickers -Armstrong Project -Pilotless Aircraft for Transonic Research

By K. W. GATLAND

(Continued from page 194, March issue.)

THE first fully controlled aeroplane toachieve supersonic flight is almostcertain to be American. There can be

no doubting the success of the Bell XS -rduring its recent powered trials, and with atleast three other machines featuring in theU.S.A.A.F.'s " S " (for sonic) programme, itwould seem that some interesting times areahead at Murac Flight Test Base, California.The Bell Aircraft Corporation is reportedto have in hand a swept -back wing version ofthe XS -r, the XS -z, with Douglas developingan XS -3, a near " flying -wing," and Northropa similar project known as the XS -4.

British Research ProgressIt would be interesting to know exactly

how all this compares with British research.On the surface, our progress seems slow.The Miles M.52 might well have been in theair before the XS- r had its contract not beencancelled ; and nothing further has beenheard of the enterprising programme ofresearch which features pilotless models builtby Vickers -Armstrong, Ltd., first reportedlast July. The folly of passing judgment onthe basis of public knowledge, however, isobvious.

In any event, a logical series of experimentswith controlled models seems a proper firststep. The ideal shape for transonic flight isyet a matter for experiment, and full-scaleresearch at this critical stage seems in manyways a gamble -in life, material and man-hours. The tragedy which overtook Geoffreyde Havilland at speed in the D.H.ro8 issurely sufficient justification for not plungingdirectly into the design of piloted aircraftfor even faster travel. This, however, is notto excuse the scrapping of a project so advancedas the M.52, with its detachable cabin ensuringreasonable safety for the pilot.

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Sectionalised drawing of the Vickers -Armstrong rocket -propelled transonic aircraft.

The Vickers -Armstrong ProjectThe research programme which Sir Ben

Lockspeiser, Director -General of ScientificResearch (Air) at the Ministry of Supply,has before him should endanger no one, andyet provide complete data on a large varietyof wing forms -and therefore virtuallydifferent aircraft -while involving minimumexpenditure.

There are likely to be several modelsproduced, each with some different arrange-ment of wing and tail, some tail -less, but allretaining the same bullet -like lines of fuselage.

The first model to come from Vicker's

Fig. 94. Diagram of rocket -propelled aircraftr. Non -return Valve in Air Pipe. 12. Position Gyroscope. 23.2. Air Pressure Pipe. 13. Electric External Services. 24.3. Pipe Conduit.4. Air Speed Indicator.5. Reducing Valve.6. Hot Air -External Supply.7. Longitudinal Accelerometer.8. Normal Accelerometer.9. Suspension Hook, Retracted.

so. Automatic Pilot.al. Rocket -starting Starting Switches.

14. Air External Supply. 25.15. Rate Gyroscopes, Roll and Pitch. 26.16. Radar Transponder.17. Fin. 27.i8. Reactance. 28.19. Hydrogen Peroxide Inlet. 29.20. Mixing Valve and Burner. 30.21. Pit& Head. 31.22. Balance Weight. 32.

works at Weybridge was basically a o.3 copyof the Miles M.52, and no doubt this has beenproduced mainly lb; static tests. Only whencomplete reliability is assured, both asregards its aerodynamic qualities and theaccuracy of the air -to -ground recordingsystem, can it be expected that models ofother shapes will follow. In all essentialrespects, it serves the same purpose as theprototype of a full-scale aircraft, though thesimile is not quite accurate. It was said at theR.A.E. when the model was first exhibitedthat five others would be built to this design.

The complete series will probably not beready until sometime later this year.

giving nomenclature of componentFuel -Alcohol Hydrazine Hydrate.Safety Diaphragm.Hydrogen Peroxide.Anti Cavitation Vanes on OutletPipe.Air Supply for Pressurising Tanks.Servo motor for Ailerons.Telemetering Six Channel Unit.Oscillator.Batteries.Mainplane.

parts.33. Air Supply for Pressurising Tanks.34. Hydrogen Peroxide.35. Air Supply for Controls.36. Locking Device for Tailplane.37. Twin Servo Motors.38. Tailplane.39. Alcohol Fuel Inlet.40. Combustion Chamber.41. Polygon Lining.42. Carbon Venturi.

April, 1947

" Operation Transonic "The scene for the actual flight experiments

is set 36,000ft. above the Atlantic, a few mileswest of the fringe of Cornwall, and a similardistance north of the Isle of Scilly.

Each model will be taken up to heightbeneath a specially adapted Mosquito "and released during level flight at 40o m.p.h.A single point suspension on the c.g. line ofthe missile is provided to secure the modelbeneath the 4,000lb. bomb -bay of its parent.To eliminate the drag that it would otherwiseincur, this lug is spring loaded and imme-diately after release retracts flush with theskin surface.

The 'parent aircraft having dropped its load,climbs away sharply so that the slipstream ofits propellers will have little chance ofupsetting the model's trim. The auto -pilotin the missile comes into action immediatelyand a clockwork mechanism causes it to 'diveat an angle of to deg. for a period of 15 secondsbefore levelling out. There is a loss in altitudeof about i,000ft., which must be concededto ensure undisturbed air and steadiness inthe missile.

As soon as the missile assumes level flight,a diaphragm bursts and releases air pressureto the propellant system, feeding T-stoffand C-stoff in correctly metered proportionsto the single combustion chamber. Themixture is self combusting and the resultingthrust drives the model up to sonic speedwithin the space of 18 seconds. It thencontinues to accelerate up to its maximum

NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS 229

A " Mosquito " releases a Vickers -Armstrong modelcine-pictures.

di-lycol boosters, but by no means could theyoperate their missiles at effective altitude.It was not a case of no suitable aircraft beingavailable. There would have been' nodifficulty in converting an Me. Ito, for example,

to carry them up intocomparatively rarifiedstrata-the great problemwas to obtain data fromthe models once they werereleased.

The German techniquedepended upon tracingthe trajectory of modelsby means of tine -theodo-lites which, with airlaunching, was obviouslyout of the question ; andhaving no such device as

Section of combustion chamber for Vicker's rocket unit, showing thecarbon venturi.

Mach number of 1.3 (at 35,000ft.) which isreached in a total time of 70 seconds.

The propellant exhausts at this point and ahorizontal glide of about 2-1/2 miles follows.Then, having decellerated to subsonic speed,the auto -pilot locks down the tailplane and themodel plummets into the sea. From the timeof release it will have covered over 22 milesin level flight, having attained maximum speed(880 m.p.h.) after travelling some 12 miles.

The course of each missile will be plottedby radar from a station in the Scilly Isles.This is arranged quite simply, a signaltransmitted from the ground being picked upby the missile's transponder and retransmittedon a different frequency. At the same time,the pilot of a Gloster " Meteor " will attemptto obtain cine-photo's, and thus a completepicture of what happens during each testwill be built up.

Advantages of Air LaunchingThe Vicker's models represent a considerable

advance over those of the German" Feuerlilie " series ; and not only becauseof their remarkably simplified power plants.

A rocket will operate with maximumefficiency only at high speed and in rarifiedatmosphere, preferably in vacuum. TheGermans achieved the former ideal with

the telemeter, there wasno ready solution. Theuse of graphical recorderswithin the models mighthave been a way out butfor the fact that there wasno apparent method ofretrieving them in onapiece. More often thannot, a small crater in theground would mark theresting place of a modeland so there seemed nofuture in integral record-ing. Radio -control, withthe possibility of bringing'the models into a reason-able landing was likewiseno salvation ; the effectivecontrolling range was notsufficiently great, and sizeand weight were alsoagainst it.

It is surprising that theonly real solution, that ofejecting the instrumentswith their recording drumsand landing them by para-chute, does not appear tohave been attempted. Such

as a " Meteor " races in to take

a device need not have been excessivelycomplicated.

The Vicker's models operate under nosuch handicap. Despite their small size-the " first off " was only 11.83ft. long and8.ift. in span-each has its own telemeterwhich transmits six simultaneous readings ;of dynamic pressure, static pressure, normalacceleration, longitudinal acceleration, com-bustion chamber pressure and tailplaneangle. These signals are picked up by theground station where the data is recorded'and later tabulated to give comparative figuresof performance for the entire series.

Accuracy and simplicity of operation are thekey -notes of the telemeter which is becomingimportant in all flight test work. Withparallel progress in radio -control, it shouldsoon become possible to carry out the testing

The auto -pilot adapted from the V-1 unit. Components areas follow : (top left) position control gyro (bottom left)clockwork mechanism; (top right) pitch control gyro; (centreright) roll control gyro ; and (bottom right) altitude control unit.

230 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS

TELEMETER/Ai GTRANSMITrER

PEAC?"A'NCEUNIT

The telemetering transmitter. The input leads for the six measurements are clearly shown.Note also how the metal insert in the wing leading edge is utilised as an aerial.

of full-size aircraft entirely by remote control.Perhaps this course will be adopted after thecomplete programme has been flown off,and data is available for the design of a full-scale transonic machine.

The Vicker's Project in DetailThe three main features that technicians

of Vicker's and the R.A.E., Farnborough, arebuilding into their transonic missiles are :(a) a bi-fuel rocket system based on theGerman " cold " units, yet of greater simplicityand improved efficiency ; (b) an auto -pilot,and (c) the all-important telemeter. It isclear that German research has contributedmuch to the detail design, and yet it is therefinements made in the rocket system and theincorporation of the telemeter that, coupledwith air -launching, have made these modelsoutstanding.

The Rocket UnitOne of the most striking features of the

rocket system is the simplicity of its com-bustion chamber. It is truly a remarkablepiece of work and comprises only four mainparts. The size and make up of the unitcan be gauged from the accompanying photo-graph and it will be seen that there is a steelouter casing, swaged down at one end intowhich a machined carbon venturi fits. Adin. thick polygon insert protects the walls

Birch wing for the Vicker's transonic rocketaircraft.

of the chamber and both this and the nozzleare set in position with a special ceramicpaste, the joint being smoothed off to ensuregood flow conditions. The injector plate,with its three stainless steel inlet nozzles,completes the assembly-the result, a perfectjob without a single rivet or bolt. Approxi-mate dimensions of the carbon nozzle are :throat diameter, z.5in. mouth diameter,3.5in., and the distance from the minimumthroat diameter to the mouth, 4n.

The thrust developed by this motor iszo91b/lb. fluid second ; the specific consump-tion, 17.2 lb/lb. thrust hour, and the actualtemperature rise, 1,750 degrees Centigrade.As already mentioned, the unit operates onT-stoff and C-stoff, the same propellant asused in the Messerschmitt 163. Thesecomprise hydrogen peroxide of 8o per cent.concentration (T-stoff) and a combinationof 57 per cent. methyl alcohol, 3o per cent.hydrazine hydrate, 13 per cent. water. Asmall amount of potassium cuprocyanideis added to the C-stoff to catalyse the peroxide,thereby ensuring spontaneous combustion ofthe two components when they meet ins thechamber. The actual fuel/peroxide ratio (byweight) is o.3oo.

April, 1947

The swaged end of the rocket motor isexposed to the airstream at the missile's rear.There are two spherical tanks for the T-stoff,having a total capacity of 12 gallons, while7i gallons of C-stoff are carried in an annularcasting at the nose. Three tubular tanks inthe shape of rings (in a word, " toroidal ")comprise the other main items of the propel-lant system, supplying air to pressurise thepropellant tanks. A fourth toroidal containeris provided as an air drive for the gyroscopes.The location of these components will beapparent from the drawing, Fig. 94.

It will be seen also that a pitot head projectsfrom the nose of the missile and that thereadings are conveyed to an air -speed indi-cator placed just aft of the small T-stofftank, the capillaries being taken through thecentre of each of the forward tanks. A similararrangement allows for the passage of feedlines and electrical leads through the aftT-stoff tank.

The longitudinal accelerometer, normalaccelerometer, and auto -pilot are all situatedabove the mainplane, with the six channeltelemetering unit, oscillator and batteriesbeneath. The radar transponder is mountedabove the tailplane.

Constructional DetailThe fuselage shell is of light steel, i8in.

in diameter with an ogival nosing and taperedtowards the rear. The supporting andstabilising surfaces are all true bi-convexsections, the mainplane constructed in lami-nated mahogany, and the tailplane and finin laminated birch.

An ingenious feature of the wing make-upis that stainless -steel " knife-edges " arebonded into the upper surface of the leadingedge, serving the purpose of aerials for thetelemetering transmitter, with similar profilesof light alloy let into the lower surface ofthe trailing edge and at the tips. There arealso light alloy plates bonded into the centreof the top surface and others near the aileroncut-outs to strengthen the structure. Thetailplane and fin embody similar inserts,those in the leading edge of the Ruiner beingutilised for the radar transponder.

Both wing and tailplane are single -pieceunits passing through the fuselage. The wingis rigidly fixed at o degrees 33 minutes to

(Above) Mahogany wing, and (below) birch tailplane for the Vicker's transonic rocket -propelled aircraft.

April, 1947

the body axis, and the aileron links (fromservo unit to the aileron lever arms) are takenthrough internal channels. Like the arrange-ment for the Miles M.52 (and also in the BellXS -t), the tailplane is " all -moving." It ispivotally anchored so as to obtain elevatoreffect under the action of its servo motors,having a range of movement 8 degrees downand 5 degrees up. The lower part of the fin,rooted approximately a quarter the overalllength of the fuselage from the rear, providesa point of pivot for the tailplane.

ConclusionsIt is inevitable in a research undertaking

of this nature that many alterations will benecessary before final perfection is achieved.

NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS 231

The telemeter, for example, though a develop-ment of far reaching importance, is stillvirtually untried (especially in a machineof model proportions) and if, in the courseof preliminary trials, its accuracy should befound anything less than too per cent.,the missiles will not be acceptable for theirexacting job. It will obvously be no usebuilding the complete series of models if noaccount can be made of their performance.

New technique presented by the use of atransponder may prove equally troublesome.

No doubt there have been, or are yet tobe, free -flight tests of the preliminary modelsto ensure good flight and control charac-teristics, after which it may well be thatsome components will require modification,

perhaps complete redesign. Thus, theexperimental work may be expected to con-tinue for some time until, in the light offurther flight tests, the design is found topossess no apparent fault. However, asnothing has been heard of the project forsome time, it seems likely that a fair amountof the ground work is by now completed.

Those contributing to the Vickers -Armstrong project are to be congratulatedon a very plausible approach to some difficultproblems. The programme is admittedlyless spectacular than the American, but itis nevertheless of great importance and maystill pay dividends should tests prove theA.A.F.'s " XS " series premature.

(To be continued)

A 12ft. All -wood Canoe

An easily -made craft designed for speed and buoyancy.

THIS canoe has been designed for speed,extra buoyancy and grace in shape.It is made entirely from wood, such as

deal. This helps to keep the craft light inweight and, despite the softness of dealtimber, it is strong-much stronger than acanvas -covered canoe.

It has a large water -tight compartment atthe bow and three smaller water -tightcompartments aft. Thus, in the event of acapsize, the canoe will not sink should itbecome flooded with water. In any case,every canoeist should be a person who canswim, particularly if fond of " coasting "around a seaside resort or crossing largeinland lakes.

To fully appreciate the length of the canoeillustrated, a distance of t2ft. should be markedput on the ground. It may be consideredthat the craft is too long, but one feels asense of greater security in a 12ft. canoe than,say, a 9ft. model. Indeed, some canoes areover i4ft. long.

The length of 12ft., with a beam (width) ofapproximately 24in. and a bow depth oft4in. and a stern depth of 8in. ensures thatthe canoe is suitable for carrying mostindividuals. It is intended for a singlepassenger only, but if a craft is wanted fortwo youths, it is a comparatively simplematter to build the craft as a double -seatertype. This could be done by extending thefore end of the cockpit to the nearest forwardhull -former framing, extending the length ofthe three footing laths and adding extracross -pieces to make the extra seat. This

alteration in plan may, be it noted, haveeffect on the construction of the craft, asdescribed in this article, and the reader mustmake allowances, and use his own ideas.

A Suggested DesignTo be quite frank, the sizes, drawings and

shapes are presented more with a suggestiveview in mind rather than a set principle.The construction ison the simplest linespossible with wood.Having got thegeneral idea, thereader can no doubtplan his own particu-lar canoe.

He should, to makehis craft graceful,adopt the long, taper-ing bow and the" angled " deck andhulls. Wooden canoeswith vertical hullsand bottoms identicalin size and shape asthe decks are easierto build, but lack agraceful, streamlinedappearance.

T h e extremelyhigh bow meansthat one can dashthrough fairlyhigh waves in a

E 0

Constructional Details of anInexpensive Craft for the

Amateur Canoeist

By R. J. CHAMBERLAIN

choppy sea with a minimum of splash orspray. The cockpit coaming is an extraform of breakwater. Due to the shapeof the deck (which slopes at each side fromthe centre) water trickles off almostimmediately. And since the bottom is muchnarrower than the deck width, the craft,unlike the equidistant -sided type, will" settle " better in the water. These pointsmust, therefore, be borne in mind.

The Bottom ShapeTo lay the " keel," prepare the bottom

piece. This consists of two toM. wide bythick shelving boards tongued and

grooved together, or alternatively, dowelledtogether, using :lin. dowelling and marine(waterproof) glue.

It is advisable to adhere the boardstogether unshaped and, when the glue dries,trim the joint with a smoothing plane andthen proceed to mark the curvature shape.This is best done with a long lath of woodwhich bends easily. The lath is affixedwith a nail at one end of the joint, kept outto width at the centre with another nail, thenbent to the joint of the board at the otherend and nailed. The bent lath serves as aguide for the pencil.

C 8 4

Fig. I.-Side elevation o

Bevel

12 Ft'

skeleton framework, with plan views

232 NEWNES PRACTICAL ,MECHANICS April, 1947

3

%Li171

4 3"

4"---4

13",

6 12'

Fig. 2.-Bottom and deck shapes, with detailsof end posts and hull formers.

The other side can be marked in the sameway, or by means of the waste wood whencut away. Cutting is done, of course, with abow -saw or keyhole saw. The edges shouldnot be trimmed until the hull -former framesare attached, as these will give the necessaryangle to which the bottom edges are planed.

Hull -former FramesThe hull -former frames A, B, C, D, E

and F (Fig. t) are cut either from fin. woodor fin. stuff. The formers B and C aremade as frames, being dowelled together, theothers being cut out from solid material,rub -jointed together to make up the widthor, better still, to ensure strength, they canbe dowelled together.

Approximate dimensions are provided.The top centre of each former is notched totake the deck bars. The latter, including thebow and stern posts, must be cut from fin.wood, as shown at Fig. 2. Attach the bow andstern posts to their respective bars, then addthe hull formers. Use glue and ain. ovalnails. A few nails driven into the posts anda single nail at each former will suffice. Thetop edges of the bars are bevelled to conformwith the angle of the formers, so all nail headsshould be sunk slightly with a nail punch.

This bevelling is best done when theframing has been fixed to the bottom board.To do so, set the work temporarily in positionand mark the position of the formers and endposts with a pencil. Make holes between thepencil lines with a bradawl or drill for slimby 6 flathead brass screws, countersinkingsame on the opposite side, i.e., the underside, of the canoe bottom board.

Having secured the framing temporarilywith a few screws, the parts are finally gluedand screwed together. If marine glue is notavailable, use a thick paint, such as old oilpaint or tar paint. When driving home thescrews, partly fill the holes with putty. After-wards, conceal the screw heads with puttyand level off with glasspaper. Iron screwsmay be used, but these are liable to rust. Theedges of the bottom board are planed to theangle of the formers, and the end postsbevelled.

The Hull BoardsThe view at Fig. 3 shows the constructional

work clearly, and although the " skeleton "may seem frail, the addition of the hull boardsand deck makes everything strong and rigid.Regarding the hull boards, the best materialto use is Bin. thick matching (tongued -and -grooved sheeting),boards. This stuff is madein the popular width of 3fin., but may alsobe obtained about 2fin. wide or less.

The latter is more easily " bent " aroundthe hull framework. Sheeting is normallyobtainable in lengths up to I4ft. Pick lengthsfree from loose knots and cracks as much aspossible. The first length to be attached hasits grooved edge planed away (see Fig. 4).When attaching it, have the end projecting afew inches beyond the bow post; applythick paint to the formers and use smallscrews or copper nails which take a good grip.Should the posts themselves not afford agood grip for the nails or screws, strengtheningblock strips could be added, planing same toconform with the curvature of the work.

Having attached one board, a second lengthis added. It needs to be bent and forced closeprior to securing with nails or screws. Thereshould be a guide line marked on the firsthull board, central with the edges of theformers. The tongues and grooves should becoated with paint to keep the joints waterproof.

If you have difficulty in obtaining sheeting,an alternative is to fit " stringers " (laths ofwood about I lin. wide by fin. thick) at eachside of the framework. The stringers arekept about 2in. apart, the topmost being flushwith the formers, this also applying to thebottom side, the remainder fitting between.

The spaces between each stringer at theformers are packed with strips of fin. thick

Deck HalHuff

F

SternPost

Keel Strip

Fig. 3.-General constructional view,keel.

es Attached AfterBoards Are'zed to Framing

BowPost

with underside view, showing

wood. When the stringers have been attached,they are covered with roofing felt. This iscarried out after applying paint to thestringers. Before the deck is added, theinterior of the canoe is liberally coated withoil paint to make all joints completely water-proof. If desired, red lead paint could beused.

The Deck ShapeAssuming you prefer to use matching

board for the hulls, proceed in the manneralready described. Owing to the gradualdecrease in width from the bow to stern,some lengths become shorter. Allow theends to project beyond the bottom boardfor cutting flush later on With a panel saw.The projections at the bow and stem postsare also cut level with the posts and themeeting ends " pointed " with nosing pieces(see top view at Fig. i) which are paintedand nailed on.

The deck consists of two half shapes. Inorder that these lie flat, the top edges of thehull boards and the bow and stern deck barsare bevelled to the angle of the formers with(preferably) a sharp, finely -set try -plane orsteel jack plane. The deck, of necessity, mustbe.made as separate halves..

One of .these halves is shown, in Fig. 3.The width of the boards used is about

Liin. Since fin. deal shelving material isnever more than Itin. wide, it is essential todowel two yin. wide boards together, or usewidths which make up t4in.

It is also imperative that the half cockpitshape is cut in each board. This permitsthe wood to be " twisted " midway so thatit lies flat on the tops of the formers. Therefore,having prepared the two boards and cutout the half cockpit shapes, the joining edgesare bevelled to meet correctly (see enlargedmid -sectional view-Fig. 5).

Lay one board so that its bevelled joiningedge is central with the deck bars and naildown temporarily. Attach the oppositeboard similarly. The curvature of the hullsides is then marked by scribing with apencil, following which the deck boards areremoved and cut to shape.

When this has been carried out, theinterior sides of the deck boards are painted,then laid down permanently with oval nails.Use slim long nails and to prevent splittingthe wood, and to ensure that the nails drivestraight into, the edges of the hull boards,make suitable holes with a bradawl. All nailheads are sunk slightly with a punch andconcealed with putty. The deck edges aretrimmed with a smoothing plane and roundedslightly ; this will also apply to the bottom

edges. Any gaps orfissures in the hullboards, when short-ened, should be filledwith putty. Putty sticksbetter to a painted sur-face, so it could be usedafter the woodwork isgiven its primary coatof paint, which maybe red -lead paint.

The CoamingNote the two up-,

right " rib " membersfitting against the hullboards midway in thecockpit (see Fig. 3).These strips are bestfitted prior to attachingthe deck boards, beingsecured with screws.They serve as strength-ening battens to thehull boards.

The rim of the cock-pit space is surrounded

with lengths of Bin. matching board, thetongue and groove being removed. Thestrips should bend easily to correspond withthe curvature of the shape, but if not, bendingwill be facilitated by making a series of

CO -r

Seat

31"

GrooveRemoved

0

Double 4

Bladed '-'

Bladed'

Fig. 4.-Details of -seat, paddles and sections oftongued -and -grooved sheeting material used in

making the hull.


3/16in. deep cross cuts in the strips about tin.apart. The kerfs " close " against each otheras the wood is bent.

Attach the curving strips first, with thefore ends mitred. The back piece goesbetween. Have the coaming attached withpaint and raised -head screws or ordinaryflathead screws. If raised -head screws areused, it will still be necessary to countersinkthe holes slightly, as such screws have halfflat -head and half round -head heads.

Seat, Keel and PaddlesThe seat, as shown in Figs. t and 4, is

formed by arranging three floor slats together,with the seating laths on top, the latter beingabout zin. wide by li in., this also applyingto the three floor slats. The pieces aremerely nailed together, then screwed to thecanoe bottom.

To project the underside of the canoe,and also help to give extra strength to thejoint, a keel lath (running the length of thecraft) should be attached ; it can be cut fromfin. wood Sin. wide. The keel is clearlyseen at Figs. t and 3.

Regarding a suitable paddle, details of adouble -bladed type are given in Fig. 4.This may be made from a sin. thick dealboard 8ft. long by 8in. or 9in. wide. Itwill be observed that the blades are planedto taper at the tips. Drip rings, near theshoulders, are necessary to prevent the waterrunning down the shaft into the hands ;these rings can be formed with a binding

of cord. The rings could be placed nearerthe middle of the shaft.

The single -bladed paddle is made from adeal board 6ft. long by gin. by tin. Whencut to shape, and the blade tapered, alledges should be smoothly rounded by spoke -

Fig. 5.-Mid-sectional view at hull former C.

shaving and glasspapering. To finish off,apply two or three thin coats of oil paint.Canoe Finish

The canoe itself is finished by applyingtwo thin coats of oil paint, or a hard -glossenamel paint, over the foundation coat of redlead. Colour depends on individual tastes,but as this is a bright, modern age, the

in the wood.In conclusion, it might be added that,

in the event of very slight leakages of water intothe watertight compartments, due to severebumping, it is a good idea to have outletholes in the decks which are plugged with acork. These holes are, of course, bored overthe watertight compartments only.

writer suggests bright colours. Light green(on the exterior) and bright red (on theinterior), with paddles to match, is an attract-tive combination. And to make everythingcomplete, fit a strong screw -eye to the bowand provide a mooring rope, with S-shaped

hook at one end for engag-ing with the hookeye. Thisrope can he stored in the"open" compartments.You might also care tofinish your craft with aname which can be neatlylettered on the bows withblack or red paint.

The canoe has a fairlyshallow draft so that it canbe used on shallow waters.It will, -too, stand up to alot of hard buffeting andaccidental collisions withsubmerged boulders orrocks. The wise canoeistwill, however, avoid asmuch harsh treatment aspossible, remembering thatsudden bumps cause strainand the breaking of joints

The Road Safety ExhibitionWE have to face the fact that in any

exhibition of this kind we are merelyskimming the surface of the problem.

The twentieth century has let loose a numberof lethal weapons on society. Of these themotor -car is one and atomic energy is thelatest. Science has outpaced human capacityfor assimilation and its capacity for masteringthe principles involved and using them solelyfor its own advantage. It takes the lion -tamermany years to learn exactly what he can safelydo with lions.

But mankind has not been granted a longenough period to reach even the realisation ofthe dangers that lurk in the creations of itsown genius.

Of these dangers, the motor -car is the mostcommonplace and is the one which we havehad longest to get used to. It is more pacificthan most of them in that, unless it is misused,it will be a useful servant. It will not destroyyou from an altitude nor, in peacetime, will itthrow things at you in anger. It will only turnsavage if one of two parties does somethingfoolish.

Pacific as its intentions are, humanity has sofailed to understand its destructive possibilitiesthat it has been forced into the top rank oflife -destroyers, and vies only with heart -disease and other natural causes as a destruc-tor of human life.

We do not want to go into morbid statistics.Let one or two suffice : Over six hundredpeople were killed in London alone in 1946,and deaths averaged 14 a day for the wholecountry. But twenty-eight thousand cases ofinjury in the same year is astronomical. TheL.C.C. ambulances answer an average of13o emergency calls per day.

Persuasion and education are all very well-this exhibition is good, and it is organisedentertainingly, in so far as such a gruesomesubject may be entertaining.

I will leave it to child psychologists toponder on the case of the brother and sister

By the MARQUIS of DONEGALL

who returned from the exhibition and starteda new game which consisted of running intothe chairs and knocking them over. Askedwhat they were doing, the six -year -old girlsaid : " We are playing accidents, and wehave already killed ten pedestrians ! "

The Miles TesterOn entering the exhibition I turned to the

right at the top of the wide staircase and foundthat the driving -test on the Miles Tester wasin progress. This reminded me a good deal ofthe blind -flying trainer which I tried duringthe war at an R.A.F. aerodrome. I finished upby doing a spin straight into the ground from3,000ft., but they were kind enough to saythat a fighter squadron -leader had done evenworse on his first effort only the day before.

So it is with the Miles Tester, in that thesteering being very light it is quite easy torun off the edge of the road and even throughthe hedge or into a tree.

The road that unwinds in front of thestationary " car " looks just like one of thosefilms that one often sees at the movies whenthe shot is being taken along the bonnet of amoving vehicle.

I was much surprised on being invited byone of the representatives of the Royal Societyfor the Prevention of Accidents to go behindthe scenes to find that the effect was notproduced by the back -projection of a film.

The system employed consists of a revolvingcircular glass turntable which increases inspeed as the accelerator pedal of the " car "is pressed. On this turntable are miniatureroad and scenic effects, the hedges being abouttin. high, roughly on thi gramophone -recordprinciple. It is a small light controlled by thesteering -wheel of the " car " and suspendedon to. the road that back -projects theimpression of a film to the person being tested.

" In that case," I asked, " you could easilygo through a hedge ? " " Yes," said myexpert, wistfully. " People do and we have tospend a lot of time reconstructing the thingsthey knock down on this turntable."

Apart from the steering test, which is reallyeasy if you are careful, they give you areaction test. You have to pull up as quicklyas possible when you see a little red light goon at the end of the bonnet. They say that theaverage reaction is seven -tenths of a second.Mine was three -fifths of a second, and mydriver (who, I must admit, had been tippedoff by me exactly what was going to happen)got all the credit by registering half a second.

The experts freely admit that this tester,excellent as it is in principle, can be improvedupon. They are trying to devise ways wherebyrealistic pedestrians could dash across at adistance where it is possible to avoid anaccident if the person being tested does theright thing. They are also trying to providethe complications of oncoming traffic.

Road Safety CompetitionFeeling that we have not done as well as

we might, we emerge from the Training Boothand take a look at the prize-winning postersdesigned by London schoolchildren in theRoad Safety Competition. By far the best isthat of Derek Stokes, of Forest Hill, entitled" Beware of the Shadow on the Road." Theshadow is a skeleton in front of an oncomingcar, and the whole poster is well conceivedand executed.

Some of the posters devised by the RoyalSociety for the Prevention of Accidents arewell designed to appeal to schoolchildren.One shows Mary and her little lamb :

" She toddled off to school each day,The lamb behind her strode,But at the kerb they looked each wayAnd safely crossed the road."

234

In a room apart is the display of the L.C.C.Ambulance Service. An extraordinary arrayof instruments and aids to releasing trapped,gassed and semi -drowned casualties is ondisplay. A large map of the London areashows a typical ambulance day by means of


the pont of view of boys aged seven to 70 is ademonstration of braking power. Given thatthe normal person takes seven -tenths of asecond for the eye to connect through "thebrain and muscles to the brake and clutch -pedals you get the following result :

At the recent Road Safety Exhibition Mr. Alfred Barnes, the Minister of Transport, tries outthe Motor Trainer, designed for testing the motorist's reactions to various traffic emergencies.The test, watched by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Bracewell Smith, is being conducted by

a member of the Metropolitan Police.

pins to represent each emergency call. I hadstarted to count them when a helpfulambulance attendant informed me that therewere 13o.

We then pass to the main hall, where asmuch entertainment as possible was providedfor the youthful element-almost on thefun -fair principle. Plenty of buttons topress, illuminating panels which in sequencetold the story of the consequences of somerash action. Conversely, other machinesshow how no harm results if traffic is treatedwith respect.

Demonstration of Braking PowerPerhaps the most fascinating exhibit from

(0 At to m.p.h. you go loft. before yourreaction takes effect and a further 5ft. topull up.

(2) At 20 m.p.h. you go loft. to react andloft. to come to a standstill.

(3) At 3o m.p.h., Soft. for reaction andsoft. for the brakes.

(4) At 4o m.p.h., 4oft. and 85ft.(5) At 5o m.p.h., Soft. and 125ft.In order to demonstrate this and induce

people to have their brakes periodicallytested, the organisers had set up a gadgetresembling one of those roller coasters thatused to delight some of us in our gardens,as children. At the top of the slope you couldadjust a miniature car so that its brakes would

April, 1947

be roo, 5o or 25 per cent. efficient. Havinglet it run off from the top of the slope, youcould then go down and verify on anotherdial the equivalent of how many feet it hadtaken to pull up.

So much for the exhibition, which wascertainly admirably organised, entertaining,and can but do good. I feel, however, thatall such things only nibble at the problem,and that if education continues to fail tostop at any rate the increase of road accidents,something much more drastic will have tobe done to protect the public-I include allforms of road users-from the consequencesof their own carelessness. It is, of course, theduty of the State to make the roads thatexist as safe as possible, to build by-passes,fly-overs, tunnels, cycle -tracks, etc. Butas we seem incapable of even building housesat the moment there will be a vast army ofcasualties long before we can hope foranything of that sort to happen.

Fines for Road Carelessness !In the meantime, I suggest that the situation

calls for drastic action, and as dictatorial meas-ures are not entirely unknown to the presentGovernment I suggest that road carelessnesson the part of any road user should bepunishable. Motorists are already prettyefficiently hemmed in by regulations andknown penalties for infringing them. Itwould be unfair to increase these penaltiesand thus further lay the onus of accident onone section of the road -using public whileinevitably increasing the carelessness and, insome cases, dare -devilry of another section.

It might be somewhat difficult to fine aquarter of the nation every day, but the mereknowledge that you are committing an offenceand are liable to a fine-as opposed to beingfrightfully clever-if you ask for death andescape it only by the skill of a driver, orsuccessfully negotiate a busy thoroughfarewithout using an island, would have far-reaching results.

I firmly believe that a hundred or so well -publicised fines for careless walking everyday for a week in all the major cities of theBritish Isles would have a greater psycho-logical effect than all the costly propagandaand exhibitions.

As to the practicability, far more dictatorialthings have been done in this country sincethe end of the war than to issue every police-man with a book of half-crown and five -shilling fine tickets and let him use hisjudgment, as indeed is already done withgreat success in Madrid.

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iiiiPr..411111111111111111111111111111111111111.11Mliil'

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A reproduction of one of the Scalemobile blueprints (greatly reduced).


The Mystic Art of AlchemySome Strange Beliefs of an

Age-old Chemical Cult

ALCHEMY, that infant, semi -mystic cultof chemistry, which, in many countries,flourished exceedingly for a thousand

years or more, died a hard, lingering death.Indeed, even at the present day there seem

to exist a few people who harbour alchemicalnotions just as there are fanatical thinkers whopersist in asserting that the world is flat.And so, despite the mighty creations ofscientific chemistry, we come across, now andagain, a few isolated " adepts " who endeavourto resurrect alchemical notions and to placethem on a basis of experimental fact.

Alchemy is practically as old as mankinditself. As soon as man found that by mixingone material with another and that by treatingthe mixture in some special way he couldmake something new, something havingaltogether different properties from those ofthe mixed ingredients, then alchemy began.

The Chinese had their alchemists and theiralchemical systems. So, also, had the ancientHindus. The Greeks despised the art, and sodid the Romans, because to those great nationsanything which savoured of experimentaldemonstration was mean and ignoble, andunworthy of the attention of any seriousthinker.

But the ancient Egyptians were confirmedalchemists. Through their alchemical cultsthey seem to have discovered various chemicalfacts and processes such as the differentmethods of embalming the dead, of makingcolours and paints, of working in metals andof medicine -making. Indeed, many of themedixval alchemists in England and in otherEuropean countries looked to these oldEgyptians as the first originators of their cult.Particularly did they refer to one HermesTrismegistos as the father of the alchemical art.This ancient alchemical adept is supposed tohave lived in Egypt about the period B.c. 3,400and to have contributed some 36,000 originalwritings to alchemical literature.

The Hermetic ArtThe best known of these is the Emerald

Table of Hermes, which consists of a numberof mystic precepts for the guidance of ardentalchemists which are frequently quoted in the

235

A medieeval alchemical laboratory which was reconstructed in Liepzig, Germany, previous tothe war.

ultra -fantastic and quasi -occult writings ofthe medixval alchemical enthusiasts.

From Hermes we get the old name ofalchemy-the " Hermetic art." Our presentexpression, " hermetically sealed," is derivedfrom the same source. But the probable factis that Hermes Trismegistos never existed.He was probably the Egyptian moon -god whowas supposed to excel in the art of healing.He was also regarded as a patron of music, andthe sacred number 4 was assigned to him.

The golden age of alchemy-so far asEuropean countries were concerned-occurredfrom the 13th to the 15th centuries. Duringthis period, kings, princes, doctors, students,tradesmen and even ecclesiastics tried theirvarious hands at the alchemical art. It is quiteuntrue to suggest, as many writers have done,that all these varied people were utter rogues,impostors and hypocrites. To many of themalchemy was almost a sacred study. It wasthe study of material things and of theimmaterial, semi -spiritual " essences " which

were considered to lie behind the materialentities and to guide and dominate theirproperties.

Naturally, medixval alchemy had its dueproportion of tricksters among its ranks. Theadept who pretended to make gold, knowingperfectly well that he had not done so was atypical member of this alchemical category.So, also, was the old hermit who offeredmedicinal cure-alls at enhanced prices to acredulous public.

Of course, this gentleman is still with us atthe present time. Even scientific chemistryis not free from him, although successive Actsof Parliament are nowadays making hisfraudulent activities more and more difficult.

However, the point for us to bear in mindis that most of the alchemists of old were notany more dishonest than are the scientificchemists of to -day. They were stupid, selfish,obsessed by fixed ideas, self -deceived andgreatly addicted to a vast amount of muddledthinking, but they believed in their cult and

The four degrees of heat. An alchemical idea of temperature. Hermes, the father of Alchemy. (From an early print.)

236

The vase of Hermes in an alchemical furnace.

were ready to sacrifice comfort, health, richesand even life itself for it.

Alchemy was nothing if it was not an entirelymystic art. If it had been able to shed itsconfirmed and entirely purposeless mysticism,it might have got somewhere and done some-thing centuries before it very graduallydeveloped into the first glimmerings ofscientific chemistry.

The " Soul " of ThingsThe ruling idea of the alchemist was that

material things were all possessed of a " soul,"and that although you might not be able tochange things physically, you could bringabout profound changes by influencing the" soul " of the material-if only you coulddiscover the way.

One of the greatest failings of the alchemistswas that they were very much averse to thestatement of plain facts. Everything had to beput into writing in the form of an allegory oraparable. Even the names of common sub-stances had to be changed. Argentum or silverwas termed in alchemical writings, Luna-themoon, because the moon shone like silver, andin alchemical formula' it was given the symbolof the crescent. If an alchemist wanted to putinto writing the fact that the action of sulphuron silver was to darken the metal, he wouldwrite something to the effect that the face ofLuna was obscured by a black cloud, whilst ifhe desired to describe the solvent action ofnitric acid on silver, he would portray such afact by means of a drawing representing afiery dragon devouring the moon.

It was this sort of incomprehensibleobscuration of plain fact which, in the end,brought about the downfall of the alchemicalsystems. No one could make head or tail oftheir mystical writings. One feels, indeed,that they must have been totally unable todecipher or, at least, to explain one another'swritings. But if you will refer to any alchemicaltreatise or manuscript in our great librariesyou will find this sort of thing at every pageof these now ancient and venerable tomes.And after a careful examination of theirpages you will come away hardly a whit wiserthan before.

It would be useless to try to enumeratethe various types of mystic recipes which thealchemists wrote down for the information


of posterity and of one another. Most ofthem were so much gibberish. Others requirevarious outlandish materials such as toad'svenom, the slime of snails, the hair of deadinfants, the eyes of spiders, and so on.

The alchemists, too, had a trick of assigningoccult numbers to their materials, whichfigures they put into their recipes and formula.Hence, we get this sort of thing which isextracted from an old alchemical work andwhich purports to be an infallible recipe formaking gold from quicksilver :

" Of several things, take 2, 3 and 3, I ;to 3 is 4 ; 3, 2 and z. Between 4 and 3,

there is I ; 3 from 4 is s ; then r andI, 3 and 4 ; I from 3 is 2. Between 2and 3 there is r, between 3 and 2 there is 1.r, t, z and I, 2, 2 and r, t and t to 2.Then z is I. I have told you all."

The Seven MetalsSeven metals were known to the alchemists

-gold, silver, iron, copper, mercury,lead and tin, these metals being associatedwith the planets and officially represented by

An alchemical emblem of the Philosopher'sStone, the source of all perfection.

planetary and astrological signs. Thus goldwas symbolised by the Sun, silver was giventhe symbol of the Moon, iron that of Mars,and copper that of Venus. Mercury wasassigned to the planet Mercury, tin to Jupiterand lead to the slow -moving planet, Saturn.

Seven, to the ancients, was a sacred number.Hence, seven metals fitted in very well indeedwith their notions. It was only towards theend of the alchemical period that threeadditional metals were discovered, namelyantimony, bismuth and zinc, and these atfirst were considered to be mixtures of theother seven.

To the alchemist, there was only one realmetal. That was gold, the perfect metal, theshining, lustrous, incorrodible one, whichwas symbolised by " Sol," the Sun. They hadthe curious theory that their remaining sixmetals represented different stages in metallicevolution, the final stage being gold, the metalof perfect maturity. Metals were generatedand actually grew within the earth just asanimals are born and grow to maturity onthe earth's surface.

By certain alchemical means, the alchemistbelieved that it would he possible to assistNature in this matter of metal growth. Itwas possible, they believed, to make a certainsubstance with which the inferior metals

April, 1947

could be treated and which would at oncerid them of their drosi",- speed up theirgrowth and convert them into pure, shiningincorruptible gold.

The Philosopher's StoneTo this supposed magic substance were

variously given the names of The AlchemicalEssence, The Universal Essence, The Red Lion,The Fountain of the King, The Red Tincture,The Stone of the Wise, The One butmore generally it became known universallyas The Philosopher's Stone.

By mixing numerous materials (one recipementions some 600 of them) the alchemistsconsidered it possible to bring into beingthe Philosopher's Stone and, by its use toturn base metals (and even non-metallicsubstances) into gold.

Just as the Philosopher's Stone had,according to the alchemists, the propertyof ennobling metals, ridding them of theirsupposed dross and converting them intoperfect creations, so, considered these mediaevaladepts, there existed another material whichwould be found to have a similar effect onman himself.

This, the Grand Magisterium, the GrandElixir, or the Elixir of Life, as they called it,would be found to have precisely the sameeffect on man as the Philosopher's Stonewas supposed to have on metals, and otherobjects of inanimate creation. The Elixir ofLife would cure all human ills, would restoreyouthfulness and prolong life for manycenturies.

To some alchemists the Philosopher's Stoneand the Elixir were different materials, butaccording to the majority of alchemicalwritings, the Stone and the Elixir were moreor less identical. Indeed, most alchemistsin their treatises went so far as to describethe appearance of the Stone. According tosome it was a red powder. To others, itwas a liquid. Some conceived it to be hardand shining like rock crystal, whilst a fewalchemists, more accommodating than themajority of their fraternity, allowed theStone to be of " any colour, shape or texture "according to its mode of preparation.

With these conceptions of transmutationthoroughly ingrained into its very texture andsystem, the cult of medieval alchemyconstituted one long, self -deceptive searchfor the Philosopher's Stone and for theElixir of Life. Numerous people, high andlow in degree, rich and poor, being giftedwith what we should now term an experi-mental turn of mind, joined in the search, a

An alchemical distillation apparatus of Moorishorigin. (Sometimes known as a " Moor's

Head.")

April, 1947

quest which was, for the most part, conductedwith much secrecy and which was garbedwith a quasi -religious or spiritual atmosphere.

Alchemical adepts spent their lives, theirhealth and sometimes their fortunes in thesearch. Kings employed official alchemistsmuch in the way in which our moderngovernments employ official chemists.

Naturally, all sorts of claims to success weremade. Even as late as the 18th century

The" Chymic Choir" of the Seven Metals.An alchemical allegory of transmutation.

Various statements were made to the effectthat several of the medixval alchemists,having discovered the Stone and the Elixir,were still alive and living in Asia manyhundreds of years after their assumed deaths.

The illusion, too, was kept up to someextent by the accidental discovery of gold -likealloys which could be made cheaply frombrass. Charlatans dipped copper articlesinto a solution of mercury in nitric acid,whereupon a shining film of mercury wasinstantly deposited on the metal. " There ! "exclaimed the experimenter. " I havesucceeded in turning copper into silver.Before long I shall be able to take the finalstep and turn it into gold."

It was all, of course, a manifestation of theold, old story, a breaking -out of mankind'sinborn desire for riches and for immortality.And although the alchemists, despite theirnumerous and varied claims to success, nevertransmuted anything and certainly neverconcocted anything even remotely in thenature of a universal elixir, they did a lot ofuseful chemical work. For instance, as aresult of their secret and individual calcinings,their " projections " and innumerable mixings,their distillations and dissolvings, theystumbled on the preparation of a host ofuseful materials such as nitric, sulphuric andhydrochloric acids, iron sulphate, magnesiumsulphate, various mineral compounds, pigmentcolours, dyes, certain medicinal extracts andvarious other things.

Indeed, their medixval terminology stillpersists to some extent in these days ofmodern chemistry. We still talk of " elixirs "and of " decoctions." For hydrochloric acidwe still at times use the name " spirit ofsalt." We have still with us " spirit ofwine " (alcohol), " spirit of nitre " and so on.All these " spirits " are relics of a time whenthe alchemists believed that there was a soulor a spirit behind every material thing, aspirit or essence which could be alchemicallyextracted, bottled and subsequently used forsome special effect or purpose.

The Universal SolventAnother strange conception of the alchemists

was that of the Alkahest or Universal Solvent,


a substance which had the power of convertingall bodies into liquid.

Probably this notion arose in consequenceof the discovery that many metals and othernormally insoluble materials could bedissolved in certain acids. The alchemicalmind, therefore, always mystically reachingout towards an imagined perfection ofcharacter, was not long in postulating a sort ofsuper -solvent which dissolved everything.This they termed the Alkahest, from theGerman allgeist, meaning " all -spirit."

The fact that a few alchemists, perhaps alittle shrewder than their brethren, from timeto time inquired as to what sort of vesselmight be used for containing the UniversalSolvent did not in any way diminish the faithwhich these old experimenters had in theexistence of this magic liquid. It is, indeed,a remarkable fact that van Helmont, theDutch experimenter who flourished in the17th century, and who has been styled the" last of the alchemists," claimed a solutionof his sal mirabile (miraculous salt), which wasnothing more than a solution of sodiumsulphate, to be the long-awaited UniversalSolvent, in spite of the fact that he stored itin a glass flask ! The paradox of the wholeproceeding never seems to have occurred tovan Helmont.The Philosopher's Egg

The preparation of thePhilosopher's Stone wasalluded to by the alchemistsas the " Great Work." Thefurnace, retort or other vesselin which the Stone wasprepared was dubbed, quasi -mystically, the Philosopher'sEgg or, sometimes, alter-natively, as the HermeticVase.

Sometimes, if the Philo-sopher's Egg was of glass, itwas termed allegorically theHouse of Glass, and at othertimes the Prison of the King.

Various other alchemicaloperations were similarlystyled. For instance, amixing vessel would begiven the name of TheSepulchre, or the House of theChick. A retort or distillationapparatus might be calledthe Green Lion, and a con-centrating -bottle or flask theTriple Vessel.

It all, of course, added to the mystery andatmosphere of magic and allegory with whichmedieval alchemy was invariably enshrouded.And it lasted until a few outstanding indi-viduals such as Robert Boyle (1626-1691),having an inborn scientific spirit and a giftfor accurate experimentation, cried out for acessation of this nonsense, and an investigationand recording of plain facts only.

Lingering BeliefsAnd yet, in spite of the rapid rise of

237

scientific chemistry throughout the ifithcentury, alchemical beliefs seem in some wayto have persisted strongly. Even at thebeginning of the last century, a certain PeterWoulfe, living near Holborn, London,asserted that he would gain the secret of thePhilosopher's Stone and of transmutation ifhe could keep his materials digesting in aphilosophical furnace for precisely sevenyears. He does appear actually to have kepthis lamp burning for six years t s months anda few days, but, unfortunately for thisenthusiast, the lamp suddenly went out andthe experiment failed !

Near Hitchin, too, about 1828, there wasan active alchemist named Kellerman whoasserted that he had discovered the Philoso-pher's Stone and, also, the Alkahest. Heoffered to reveal his secret only in the presenceof the King, but the King's ministers declinedthe offer, whereupon Kellerman vowed thathis secret should die with him.

Still later in the century, an alchemicaladvertiser in a London paper offered for afee of zoo guineas to furnish " a philosophicalstudent or other pupil with a proper quantityof the requisite mercurial matter with whichto operate for the profitable application of theHermetic science as a source of wealth to

The Philosopher's Egg. An allegorical representation of analchemical furnace.

the fortunate operator in this mystical branchof metallurgic chemistry so successfullypractised by the adepto-chemical philosophersof the Middle Ages."

And so the last remnants of the alchemicalart have persisted until our own days. Butit is all a chimera, fantastic and untrue.Modern chemistry lias displayed morewonders than alchemy ever claimed. Itsscope and sphere of influence, its power forgood is, indeed, far greater than anythingwhich alchemy, in its wildest moments, everimagined.

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238 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS April, 1947T. 7 7

1-dOntnouse EngineeringThe History and Development of Lighthouses and Their Equipment

ALTHOUGH the lighthouse generally isa unit taken for granted by the majorityof engineers to -day, few can visit a

modern example without being deeply im-pressed by the many factors which combineto form the whole, whether the tower, thescheme of lighting, the lens projector, or theoperating mechanism be considered. Likemany other products of the engineeringcommunity, lighthouses have evolved fromstrange and wonderful beginnings, and aglimpse into the past, as a preface to a some-what more detailed scrutiny of presentproductions, may be a useful preamble.

The need for some illuminated guide forthe mariner was recognised several hundredyears before the birth of Christ, and culmin-ated in the Colossus of Rhodes-a huge brassfigure that bridged the entrance to the harbourof Rhodes and, in an upraised hand, carriedthe light for the sailor-and, some years later,the Pharos of Alexandria, a lighthouse builtin white marble. In the Roman periodlighthouses were erected at different pointsround Europe, and from time to time lighttowers were erected wherever the seafaringfraternity-or, perhaps, more important insome quarters, the needs of the merchantsthey supplied-seemed to call for protection.Not until the early part of the nineteenthcentury did the subject receive the attentionit merited, though many clever designers wereat work, and positive evidence of this factsoon materialised.

Trinity HouseAn event which influenced greatly the future

development of lighthouses and similar unitsin Britain was the inauguration of theCorporation of Trinity House in 1514, whenthe first charter was granted to this community.One of their first duties became the systematicmaintenance of many of the existing beaconsand sea -marks round our coasts, and in 1600 anew light was established at Caister in Norfolk-the first since the Roman occupation-succeeded by others at Lowestoft andDungeness. These, however, and many otherswhich followed, were built on land, not-withstanding the fact that many danger pointsexisted round the coasts in rock -girt zoneswhere a land light was worse than useless.The earliest " rock " lighthouse to be builtwas in 170o when the first Eddystone-Winstanley's-was completed. Whetherthrough lack of experience or some defect inbuilding, its life was brief, the whole edificebeing swept away in. one of the storms forwhich that locality is famed. Four differenterections have been made at this spot, the lastbeing completed in 1882, and standing to -dayas a monument to the skill of its builder,Sir James Douglass, the then Engineer -in -chief to Trinity House. The height isapproximately i6oft., its tower and lanternbeing subject to the full blast of Atlantic gales,with waves that attain a height of sooft.and over.

The experience gained in more than twocenturies has been put to excellent purpose,and many lighthouses exist to -day in differentparts of the world as well as round the, coastsof Britain and Ireland. Where the edificemust resist successfully the repeated onslaughtof, literally, hundreds of tons of sea water,the foundations are well and truly built intothe base of the rock on which the tower is tobe erected, the bottom layer of stones andgranite being keyed to the rock and allsubsequent tiers dovetailed stone to stone,and interlocked to the preceding layer toform what for all practical purposes is a solid

By G. W. McARD

tower and a sound engineering job. Only socan its security be assured, but rememberingthe difficulties attending such work, and the

Fig. 1.-Early type of coal grate (or chauffer)used for lighthouse duty.

fact that actual working hours per annum inmany instances are relatively few becausesea and weather conditions are so oftenunfavourable-when building the Minot'sLodge tower off the Massachusetts coast, thecontractor's men could only work for 3o hoursduring the first year-the time taken on mosterections in this class is long and the cost high.

The LanternAn important section surmounting the

tower of any lighthouse is the lantern or glazedframework which serves to protect the lightand the optical apparatus. This part, thoughseemingly unimportant, involves much carefuldesign in order to afford the maximumprotection in the worst storms, while causingthe least possible interference to the flashingof the light, and many different designs havebeen evolved to secure these features. Theglass used must be special quality plate sheetapproximately sin. in thickness, the lanternitself being usually circular in section whenseen from above. Polygonal lanterns weretried but found unsuitable, as the darknessoutside sometimes converted the flat side ofthe polygon behind the light into a mirror andgave what were found to be false flashes. Afurther important function which the lanternmust carry out is that of natural ventilationfor the entire lighthouse.

In view of the tremendous increase in seatraffic since the introduction of steam pro-pulsion in the 19th century, the necessity fora complete system of lights and, incidentally,their individual characterisation, becameincreasingly evident. As the result differentauthorities were created throughout those landspossessing maritime frontiers, and to -dayinternational conferences are held regularly,when not prevented by war, to which allinterested nations send representatives for thediscussion of major problems, and the pooling

of vital information affecting the subjectat issue.

A point which is always greatly stressed inregard to lighthouse machinery concerns itsreliability and availability, and the statementhas frequently been made that unless. thedesign and production of a proposed newlight can be guaranteed no matter what thecircumstances may be, it is better to have nolight at all. A little thought confirms thisview, and probably no other branch ofengineering exists to -day in which so manylives are dependent daily on the correct andregular functioning of a relatively delicateinstallation regardless of the state of theelements surrounding it or, indeed, of anyother factor.

Two classes of light are employed, namely,fixed and revolving. A fixed light must bevisible equally from any point on the horizonof its range, and to achieve this condition alllight which would otherwise be lost above andbelow the desired plane of projection must bedeflected and concentrated to this end. In therevolving light, however, since the object is toilluminate a single point only at prede-termined intervals of time, all the light raysmust be condensed, horizontally and verti-cally, into a single powerful beam of maximumintensity.

Light SourcesThe methods employed, past and present,

in producing the actual light have beenstrangely varied. In the early examples,fires of coal or wood logs burned in gratesor chauffers, similar to that shown in Fig. 1,were the only source of illumination, and notinfrequently the mariner's side was obscuredby dense clouds of smoke, the light beingvisible to landward only ! Curiously enough,in spite of its many drawbacks-one of whichwas its heavy consumption of fuel, as muchas 400 tons per annum in some cases-thecoal fire persisted until as late as 1822, whenthe last unit, the Flatholm, in the BristolChannel, was converted to oil. Candles,however, preceded oil, and Smeaton's famousEddystone was lighted by a chandelier having

STEMEQ

Fig. 2.-British lighthouse electric lamp(Siemens).

April, 1947

24 candles, an interesting contrast to themodern light, which may have an intensityrunning into millions of candlepower. (Theterm " candlepower " is now becoming

_ obsolescent in so far as lighthouse illuminantsare concerned, owing to the variation in thevalue of the candlepower in different countries,and is being replaced by that of " lumens,"a relatively new term.)

The illumination provided by candles,even twenty-four, was obviously inadequatefor the purpose, judged by present-dayknowledge, and until the arrival of a morepowerful illuminant the natural step to takewas to intensify by reflectors ; first, by smallglass mirrors fitted together to form aparaboloid, and later, by silvered metalreflectors, one to each of the 24 candlesbeing fitted in Smeaton's Eddystone.

Fig. 4.-Fresnel's lens.

Oil BurnersThe next development was the application

of the oil wick burner, using, latterly, acircular wick which gave a flame diametervarying from 4in. to 6in. according to thepower required. This was superseded in theearly years of the present century by theincandescent oil burner and mantle which isstill largely employed, the respective candle -powers of the lights being approximately73o and 1,250 for a 4iin. diameter wick andan incandescent oil mantle tin, in diameter,and oil consumptions of 4 pints and I pintper.hour. From oil the natural step was tothe use of electricity, first by employing thearc lamp-having many disadvantages-andlater by gas -filled lamps, special lighthousetypes being designed and perfected, havingthe filament suitably concentrated to projecta high -power beam. The lamp illustrated

Catadioptric(Reflectors)Back Prisms

DioptrtcMirror

A

1

r

Burner


by Fig. 2 is of kilowatt capacity, workingat 23o volts and giving a candlepower ofapproximately 600 (or 7,50o lumens). Coalgas and also acetylene gas are both used-generally, however, as standby lights in caseof an electric mains failure, an automaticmechanism swinging the failed lamp out ofposition and the reserve light into correctfocus.

. Mears Rey

414

,-.------

-",%---'-. 0 DioPtric'boil !ength e (Refractors)

Light CombinationsTo ensure that no failure of light shall

interfere with the effective working of alighthouse, at least two sources of supply areusually made available by employing thechanging mechanism already referred to.The combinations provided may be any ofthe following :-

(t) An electric lamp so disposed on itsstand that lamp and holder may be removedin the event of filament or mains breakdown,and a standby oil wick capillary lamp placedin position.

(2) As for (t) above, except that the standbyunit is of the petroleum vapour incandescentburner type, with a special screw adjustmentto compensate for the difference in overallheight of the oil burner, and the light centrelength of the electric lamp.

(3) An electric lamp and a standby acetyleneburner (or a coal gas burner) mounted on asemi -automatic " changing ' mechanism."Semi -automatic" in that after the mechanismhas functioned once automatically, it mustbe reset for the next change.

(4) Two electric lamps mounted on asemi -automatic lamp changer, with a mainssupply to one lamp, and a battery or specialsupply through the mains for the second lamp.This special " supply is usually obtainedfrom an automatic generating set which comesinto operation immediately a failure occurs,an audible warning being given in the keeper'sroom by bell or horn to indicate the failureof lamp or mains. Two advantages at leastare obtained with such a scheme, viz., thebeam intensity remains constant, and thefunctioning of the light is practically ensuredregardless of human intervention, so longas the filament of the second lamp remainsin working order.

(5) Two electric lamps and an acetyleneburner carried on a semi -automatic changerso designed that failure of the first lampcauses the second to swing into place, andfailure of the second, or a mains failure,brings the acetylene into position. This alsooccurs each time the light is switched off,and the changer has therefore to be reset byhand each day.

(6) Two electric lamps andan acetylene burner mountedon a fully automatic lampchanger which operates onsomewhat similar lines to (5)above, except that where amains failure has caused theacetylene lamp to be swunginto position, on a resumptionof mains supply the machineautomatically swings the

Angie of acetylene lamp unit out andYer,ical replaces the electric lamp.Divergence Fig. 3 shows a changer of this

Mean class- Pay

-s-- Mean Ray

Catedioptric(Reflectors)

about tin. in diameter asagainst a possible 6in. flame

-,..- Mean Ray diameter for the oil Vickburner, this differenee obviously

Fig. 5.-Diagram illustrating the several elements which affecting the foci of the lensescombine.to form a modern lighthouse optical apparatus. and their curvature. The

Catadiopf(Retlecrors)

quit t

LensesAn interesting result of the

change in illuminants has beenthe alteration in the design ofthe lenses required, since thefilament of the electric lamppreviously referred to is only

239

Fig. 3.-Automatic lamp changer.

introduction of prisms to collect and intensifythe light beam has been one of the mostoutstanding developments in lighthouseengineering, and the object before thedesigner to -day is to intercept the maximumnumber of light rays and to focus themwith the greatest degree of accuracyand the smallest number of prisms. Asalready stated, metal reflectors were used inearlier lighthouses, but experience provedthat these deteriorated somewhat rapidly in asalt -laden atmosphere, and also throughscratches received during cleaning operations.Many optical equipments supplied nearly tooyears ago are as serviceable to -day as whenfirst fitted.

Possibly one of the earliest attempts toconcentrate light rays by means of a glasslens was that devised by Augustin Fresnel,a famous French physicist and lighthouseengineer in the early years of the last century.This is illustrated in Fig. 4, and comprisesa series of concentric rings-each having adifferent profile and centre of curvature-which collect all available rays of light, andfocus. them on a common object. From thisevolved the combination of glass prismswhich serve to form the complete lighthouseoptic, using some as reflecting agents andothers for refracting purposes. Fig. 5 showsthe different forms of glass elements employedand their purposes when functioning together,and it will be seen that Fresnel's first inven-tion is employed as the refracting agent,covering a total angle of light beam equal toapproximately 8o deg. To engage the raysoutside this angle, metal reflectors were atfirst employed, and to replace these the aidof skilfully designed glass prisms was sought,using the principle of internal reflection.Fig. 5 illustrates clearly how this operates,the rays refracting as they enter the prism,striking the rear face and emerging throughthe third face at the same angle as that of entry.

(To be continued.)


Eliminating the BorinA BeetleThe Woodworm Pest and How to Deal With It

By J. F. STIRLING

THE annual ravages of the few species ofboring beetles which are unfortunatelyonly too common in this country

present a perennial problem to house andproperty owners, connoisseurs of good furni-ture, to custodians of historic buildings, andto all concerned in one way or another withthe preservation of structural and furniturewoodwork.

These insect pests, multitudinous enoughin their numbers before the war, seem to haveincreased enormously in recent years, and,worse still, the English species have beenreinforced by numbers of their Americanrelatives which, in the guise of the " PowderPost " beetles, have been imported into thiscountry chiefly from the United States.I Exposed structural timbers in blitzedsites have formed a happy paradise for thesetimber and furniture destroying creaturesduring the last few years. So much so that itmay be said that there are no areas ofwoodwork which are permanently safe fromthem unless such areas have received specialtreatment previously.

The damage inflicted by wood -boringbeetles on English woodwork must amountto some thousands of pounds annually. For,like the majority of other living pests, thewood -beetles are always with us, and havingonce obtained a footing in a house or other

A remarkable photograph of a Death-watchbeetle in the act of " ticking," a noise whichthe insect makes by striking its head in rapidsuccession on the woodwork surface. In thisphotograph the insect is many times enlarged.

building their depredations ever tend toincrease in extent.

The problem of the " worm in the wood "is a real one for anyone interested in thepreservation of structural woodwork andfurniture, but, fortunately, it is a problemwhich is readily amenable to careful treatment,

The Life CycleIn order to control or eradicate an attack of

woodworm in furniture or timber we must,in the first place, have a clear understandingof what is known as the " life cycle " of thepest with which we are dealing. The variousinsect pest research stations have now workedout this cycle fairly accurately, so that we areno longer in the dark concerning the preciseactivities and habits of the wood -boringcreatures in this country.

In the natural order of things, the variouswood -boring beetles serve a useful purpose infacilitating the slow natural removal of deadforest trees. The beetles will not attack livingtimbers. But when a tree dies and crashes tothe ground it is not long before its timberbecomes riddled through by the tunnels ofthe wood -borers. Air and moisture thereby

gain access to the substance of the timber, andwith them come the multitudinous varietiesof the wood -rotting fungi which eventuallydestroy the timber and reduce it to a soft,brown powder.

Such is the natural function of the wood -boring beetle. In Nature, he is an expert andindefatigable scavenger, a shifter of unwantedobjects in forest and woodland. He onlybecomes an intolerable nuisance to us throughhis constitutional inability to distinguishbetween a dead tree branch or trunk in awoodland glade and a dead tree in the guise ofa piece of structural timber or an antiquechair, cupboard or bookcase. They are allthe same to the wood -boring beetle, providingfresh food and living space for his voraciousprogeny !

Let us trace the life history of the wood -boring beetle from the time its eggs are laidby the female insect in tiny cracks andcrevices in the rough undersides of furniture,and in the less exposed areas of structuraltimbers. The egg -laying business generallytakes place during the months of June, Julyand August. After about a fortnight (more orless) the eggs hatch out into tiny thread -likegrubs which are almost invisible to the naked,untrained eye. Although these whitish specksof living matter could be crushed to deathby the merest touch of the finger, they arepossessed of black jaws which are very tough.

Close-up view of the culprit, many timesenlarged. This tiny " worni" has iron -hardjaws which cause the well-known damage to

structural timber and furniture.

And they proceed immediately to make gooduse of such appendages, digging down intothe wood and excavating minute tunnelsinto it as they proceed.

A photograph of a carefully sectionised wooden spindle showing awoodworm (greatly enlarged) actually at work.

The furniture beetle. This photograph wartaken with a special camera 5ft. long.

Bulldozer JawsWithin a day or two, they have disappeared

from sight. Down into the wood they gowith their bulldozer jaws, always followingthe grain of the wood and seldom goingacross it. Their necessary nutriment theyextract from the particles of wood fibre whichthey digest as they go along. But there isnot a great deal of nourishment in the woodfor them. Most of the ingested wood isexcreted in the form of a brown powder-and, often enough, this brown dust falling tothe ground around the areas of open worm-holes is the first warning that some valuablepiece of furniture is under active attack bythese pests.

By the middle of September, the newlyhatched woodworm has got well under way,and ordinarily, no suspicion of his destructiveexistence within the woodwork is evident.There may be hordes of these tiny grubspresent within the timber, but they are allconfirmed individualists and they all boretheir own tunnels along the woodwork.

Throughout the long winter months andthrough the whole of the following year each

individual tunnellinggrub plays the role ofthe miner at the coalface, ever diggingaway at the solid massof wood in front ofhim, ever lengtheninghis tunnel, growingperceptibly in sizeand, therefore, everincreasing thediameter of hisburrow.

Never does the grubin one tunnel boreinto the neighbouringtunnel of anothergrub. Tunnels maygo parallel for feetthrough a piece oftimber and they maybe so close togetherthat the walls almosttouch, yet one


" Powder Post" beetles (male and female), an America,importation, which are rapidly increasing in numbers intimber yards. They are now attacking structural timbers.

grub never intrudes on another grub's work.In the winter -time, the work of tunnelling

proceeds slowly, being at a minimum duringthe coldest months. But with the advent ofthe warmer weather, the grub speeds up itswork and its hidden destructive work increases.Various estimates have been given as to thetotal length of tunnelling which an averagewoodworm is capable of during its lifetime,but there is no agreement on this matter. Noris there on the actual speed of tunnelling ofthe worm.The Chrysalis Stage

However, some eighteen months after itsfirst entry into the woodwork, that is tosay during the first months of the second yearfollowing its hatching from the egg, the wood-worm, being now fully mature, decides toend its seemingly interminable tunnellingactivities. About the February of the year itceases to bore longitudinally through thewood. Instead, it takes a direct turn upwardsto the surface of the timber. But it neverreaches the actual timber surface. By someinscrutable instinct inherent within itself itceases its tunnelling when it has reached towithin a quarter or even an eight of an inchfrom the wood surface. At once it makes foritself a sort of tiny cell or cavity and imme-diately afterwards it passes into a dormantphase and turns into a " pupa " or chrysalisin exactly the same manner as an ordinarycaterpillar proceeds into this stage.

During the ensuing month, the grubchanges into the adult insect-the beetle-and, at the end of this dormant period, thebeetle, on waking up into activity, loses notime in boring its way upwards to the surfaceof the wood and emerging therefrom. Itdrills its way out of the wood (having arrivedat the surface) by dint of revolving its headbackwards and forwards through two semi-circles, and it occupies six or seven hours inthe task of thus finally escaping from thewood.

The beetles begin to emerge from the woodabout the end of March, and successive broodscontinue to emerge up to about the middle ofAugust. At first the adult beetles crawl aboutslowly on the wood surface and ton adjacentwalls, wallpapers and windows, but in thesummer weather they actually fly throughopen windows from one building to another,from one room to another, from one piece offurniture to another piece.

This is the way in which wood -beetledamage is extended and multiplied. In casesof bad attack, you can often see hundreds ofthese tiny, brackish -brown beetles crowdingon to a sunny window -pane, in which placethey are usually mistaken for " midges."

The " Ticking " of the Death WatchA word must here be said about the

characteristic " ticking " of the adult wood -

beetles. The adult insects have ahabit of setting up a faint tickidgnoise, which they effect by strikingtheir heads on the surface of thewoodwork some seven or eighttimes in rapid succession. At thedead of night, when silence sur-rounds a room, this habitual tickingnoise can be very pronounced. Inolden days, it was popularly takento presage approaching death.Hence the term " Death-watch "beetle which is still applied to onefamily of these creatures.

Needless to say, all such super-stitions (which still exist in someparts of the country) are sheernonsense. The ticking of the wood -beetle is, as it were, a love -call, asignal by which one beetle attractsits mate. Indeed, by rapidlytapping on the woodwork with apencil point, the hidden wood -beetle can nearly always be got to

give answering taps, thereby revealing tosome degree its approximate position on thewoodwork.

There are two common families of wood -beetles in this country : the " Death-watch "beetle, which is the smaller and which attacksmainly structural timbers, and the "Furniture"beetle, which is bigger and which prefers

Wormholes. The ominous signs of pest wood-worm attack in a panel of a chest.

articles of furniture, particularly of oak,mahogany and walnut. Pine wood is notusually attacked, unless it is very old, since itis too resinous.

An understanding of the life -history of thewood -beetle will dictate the best methods forits eradication.

In the first place, it is obvious that attemptsat treatment during the winter are more orless useless, because it is at that time that thewood -boring grubsare at their deepestwithin the woodwork.Treatment, therefore,should always becommenced betweenmid -March and mid -April wheneverpossible, although itmay be carried outany time during thesummer months.

Fortunately, t h ewood:beetle at all itsstages is killed by thesimplest of substances.Paraffin oil is sufficientto destroy it, providedthat the liquid canmake contact with theinsect. Creosote, of

course, is quite deadly to it and always givespositive results. Nevertheless, creosote hasthe great objection of staining.

A good mixture for woodworm eradicationis paraffin oil, to parts (by volume), goodgrade creosote, t part. This will not stain andit can be applied to even furniture woodwork.It is a good plan to dissolve sufficient coppernaphthenate or copper resinate in the paraffinto colour it a strong green. Zinc resinate ornaphthenate can be used instead if the greencoloration is objected to. Both the zinc andthe copper naphthenates (or resinates) arepowerfully toxic to insect life. They have thegreat advantage of being quite insoluble inwater and, hence once they penetrate into thewoodwork through the medium of theparaffin oil, they remain there for good andrender the woodwork permanently proofagainst beetle attack.

Solvent naphtha can be used in place ofparaffin, if desired, since, in some areas, it ismore plentiful.

All aqueous fluids and solutions are worsethan useless. They do not penetrate the wood,and sometimes they accumulate in cracks andcrevices and cause the wood to split or to warp.- Treatment even with oils may, in someinstances, cause . dry woodwork to swellconsiderably. This is a point which should beborne in mind when treating the drawer sidesof cabinets and bureaux, since it sometimeshappens that drawers which have " run "smoothly and easily tend to bind after oiltreatment for the eradication of woodworm.

Penetration the SecretThe whole secret of success in this type of

woodwork treatment is to get the oil mediumto penetrate the wood. For this reason, it isalways advisable to apply the oil hot. It is agood plan to add some methyl-salicylate(synthetic oil of wintergreen) to any oilmixture with which the woodwork may betreated, since the salicylate has very powerfulpenetrating .powers and helps to carry downthe oil and toxic matter into the pores of thewood. Ten per cent. by volume of the methyl-salicylate calculated on the total volume, of theoily liquid used is sufficient for this purpose.

Ortho-dichlorbenzene is a liquid which isnow being recommended for woodwormeradication, so much so that it may now beobtained from a number of paint stores. It isan excellent liquid for this purpose, and it maybe used " neat " or diluted with paraffin ornaphtha. It has, however, a very penetratingand a rather disagreeable smell, an odourwhich lingers and which, on occasion, has beenknown to give rise to the remark that thewood -beetles themselves are preferable to thedichlorbenzene !

Various proprietary preparations are avail-able for the treatment of wood -beetle attackon structural timbers and furniture. They areall effective, but not more so than any of thesolutions above mentioned. The main factoris to ensure that the liquid penetrates the

Trausve;3 svetic;:-, a ciialr leg after2trach iyy woodworms.

it has undergone a severe


woodwork, and for this reason, as previouslymentioned, it should be applied hot.

During March of the year the woodwormsapproach the wood surface to enter into theirchrysalis state, and it is their nearness to thesurface which renders them specially suscept-ible to eradication by means of appliedpenetrating liquids.

Hence, if even a single article of furniture isfound to have been attacked by wood -beetles,not only that article but all the others in theroom should be given a brushing -on treatmentwith one of the oil liquids above mentioned.The article which has been actually infestedshould have its treatment renewed at fort-nightly intervals during the summer, but theother non -infested articles of furniture neednot be re -treated more than once or twiceduring the year.

Although this sort of persistent treatmentwill usually eradicate even a bad woodwormattack, it is always advisable to renew thetreatment once or twice during the sameperiod of the following year in order to dealwith any of the insects which, having beendeep in the wood, may possibly have escapeddestruction in the preceding year.

It is an excellent plan to treat all furniturewoodwork in a room in which an attack of" beetle " has broken out with one of the newand highly -effective insecticidal dusts-" Gammexane " or " D.D.T." These cannot,of course, penetrate the woodwork, butscattered over the hidden portions of furniture,along drawer bottoms, and at the bottoms ofcabinets and bookcases, they will dealinstantly with any stray wood -boring beetlewhich has escaped the general destruction ofits kith and kin.

Heat TreatmentIt is useful to remember that no species of

woodworm can withstand a dry heat of about

55 deg. C. (131 deg. F.). Hence, in thecase of small articles, it may be possible insome instances to place the affected piece ofwoodwork in an oven heated to this tempera-ture. Four hours' heating at this temperaturewill destroy all worms within the wood, but,of course, it should be remembered that suchheating may possibly cause wood to warp,twist or otherwise distort.

Another excellent method for positivelyeradicating woodworm is one which may beemployed at all times of the year, but which,unfortunately, is ordinarily only applicableto small articles which can be completelyimmersed in a bath of liquid.

Using any of the toxic liquids previouslyenumerated, place the wooden article to betreated in a vessel and completely cover itwith the chosen liquid, placing a weight ontop of it to keep it continuously submerged.Then slowly heat the liquid to near itsboiling-point-bearing in mind, of course,the inflammability of liquids such as paraffinand naphtha. Retain the liquid at this hightemperature for an hour. Then allow it tocool slowly.

After this, repeat the process of slowheating and cooling. All this time the woodenarticle must remain completely submerged bythe liquid and it must not be raised in anyway.

During the heating, air is expelled from thepores of the wood and, during the ensuingcooling, the liquid is forcibly squeezed byatmospheric pressure into the woodworkpores in consequence of the partial vacuumcreated by the previous expulsion of air.Here, therefore, is a very positive means ofensuring that the deepest possible penetrationof the woodwork by the toxic liqUid is effected.The wooden article, however, must becompletely immersed in the liquid, otherwisethe process will only be partially effective.

Structural timbers, but not usually furniture,are nowadays being attacked by the intenselydestructive " Power Post " beetles whichoriginally came over to this country inAmerican timbers, and which are often aplague in raw timber yards. Their cycle ofdestruction is more rapid than that of theold-fashioned English " Death-watch " beetle,but the methods for its eradication are preciselysimilar.

Filling WormholesFor the filling -up of wormholes in treated

furniture (and this always ought to be donelest the holes provide a lodging for fungi andother pests) use coloured plastic wood, ora mixture of fine sawdust and thick glue.

Delicate and valuable articles of woodworkwhich, through woodworm attack, have be-come very crumbly can be strengthened upconsiderably by saturating them with gluewater or with a gelatine solution made bydissolving so parts (by weight) of cookinggelatine in 90 parts of water. After becomingsemi -dry, such articles are brushed over witha solution of commercial formalin (dilutedwith an equal bulk of water). The formalinrenders the glue or gelatine tough, hard andcompletely insoluble in water.

After this gelatine-formalin treatment, thewormholes in delicate articles of woodworkare carefully stopped up (one by one ifnecessary) with plastic wood or other com-position, the whole being then carefullyvarnished over. In this way, even the worstattacked woodwork articles can be preservedand made good permanently in structure, andin appearance.

Like measures apply, in the main, todealing with wormholes in structural timbers,but, naturally, in many instances, thesecan be hidden by being painted over.

Mathematics as a Pastime -4Squaring the Circle.

YOUR many times great-grandfather hitupon two truths that lessened hislabours. He found that, with his

available wood supply, the most capaciousstructure he could make was in the form of asquare. The x6ft. of planking you have willmake you a square of 16 sq. ft. ; but theoblong, 2 by 6, gives you only 12 sq. ft. ; andthe rhombus with 4ft. sides gives you only of4 multiplied by a height less than 4.

The second truth was that a wheel in theform of a circle rolled more easily than thewheel that bulged. The square and thecircle-these were his ideal figures, and amongthe first of the problems that eager students

4'

1650.ft.

Square

2 12 sq. ft_

Oblong

RhombusDiagrams of areas.

By W. J. WESTON

posed to themselves was the relation betweenthe figures. How can you turn a circle into asquare covering the same space ? How findthe exact area of any circle ? If only you knewhow many times the diameter can go roundthe circumference, you solve the problem.

The Greek word for circumference isperiphery, and a (pronounced pi) is the initialof periphery ; :7, therefore, became thesymbol for the relation between diameter(the distance through) and periphery (thedistance round). The search for an exactrelation has been shown to be vain ; but youcan get near enough to satisfy all but themost exacting.

Join the old mathematicians and have a tryyourself. With your compass draw a circle.With your set -square set off angles of 6o deg.at the centre, so getting six points on thecircumference. Join the points ; you have thena regular hexagon inside the circle, each sidebeing equal to the radius. The periphery ofthis hexagon is therefore exactly three timesthe diameter. That enables you to make onestatement about the circumference lyingoutside the hexagon : it must be more thanthrice the diameter.

Now, with your set -square at each of thesin points, set off lines at right -angles to theradius. Make all these lines meet, and youhave a regular hexagon outside the circle.You find by measuring, you confirm by calcu-lating, that the periphery of this hexagon isover 3.47 times the diameter ; the circum-

ference, therefore, lying inside the hexagonmust be less than 3.47 times the diameter.

And if you, as generations of circle squarershave done, increase the number of sides inyour polygon, you bring the two limits nearer.For a hexagon is nearer to a circle than asquare ; our twelve -sided threepenny -pieceis nearer still ; the circle itself is the finallimit of a sequence of regular polygons. Afamous Dutch mathematician, patient andindustrious, calculated .7 by this method to35 decimal places, and he had the achieve-ment recorded on his tombstone. Perhaps youwill be less ambitious and content yourselfwith getting within sight of 3.1416, even of3.1/7.

Diagram illustrating the squaring of the circle.


Observations -2Further

Tied by ElectricityIt is fascinating to think that everything

is held together by electric forces, and thatour bodies are mostly space which we cannotsee.

And there is this queer thing, that on thesurface of liquids there is an added attractionwhich produces a kind of hard skin or aform of " surface tension." Colloidal chem-istry has shown us how particles of goldcan be made so small as to stay suspendedin water, but surface attraction is quiteanother story, and if you take a perfectlydry needle and drop it very close to thesurface of some water, keeping it absolutelylevel, it will commonly float. Reminiscent,in fact, of some forms of these new militarybridges.

A still more striking example is shown bycovering the surface of a bowl of water withthe lycopodium powder which comes from amoss found in Russia. These particles areso small that their " tension value " is veryhigh, and you can plunge your hand into thebowl of water, through the skin of thinparticles,without it becoming wet in any way.

Don't be CaughtIt is very difficult to observe any occur-

rences accurately. You will find that if threepeople in front of, say, twelve, are watchedin a simple action such as one man droppinga bunch of keys, one kicking it, and onereturning it to the first man, and the threethen sitting down in different order, everysingle person in the audience will give adifferent account of the performance. Orvery nearly so. This is why road accidentscause so much apparent lying. Anyway,it is one kindly reason.

The camera now being used to judgeracing is the only real method unless wehave some electronic recorder, which I hopewill be used one day for voting. Thesehigh-speed cameras are fascinating things,and I observe that they have now intro-duced a revolving winning post, so that itwill not interfere too much with the lines ofsight but appear stationary as the cameraclicks.

Very embarrassing for the onlookers whomight be in the unhappy position of theman who entered a ballroom which had asprung floor. He had dined adequately andwas heard to mutter " does it, or am I ? "

But high-speed cameras do show whathappens if you break an electric light bulbwith a hammer. The side opposite to thehammer usually falls out first because thecolumn of gas inside pokes it out beforethe hammer has time to penetrate thefracture.

It was once argued in Court that a certainphotograph had been taken wrongly becausethe flash made by the photographer startleda man holding a screen. No one noticed itat the time, but Counsel should have pointedout that the flash would be over long beforethe screen could have been dropped. Theexposure which resulted was not only thatof a film! A tricky point for the Judge,was it not ?

Too DangerousThere seem to have been a sad number

of railway accidents of late, and it is rathera reflection on civilisation that scientificmethods should take so long to apply. Build-ings burn down when almost fireproof

Interesting Facts About Everyday Topics

By Prof. A. M. LOW

(Continued from page 206, March issue)

methods are available. Trains could travelfast through fog if radar equipped. Animalsdo not run into each other in the darkbecause they have senses which indicate thepresence of others. We, by living in cities,eating tinned food, wearing clothes andshaving (all very necessary so that we canthink better), require mechanical aids to oursenses, and I suggest quite seriously that inthe very far geological future human beingswill have no hair, no teeth, and very poorhearing. They will aid these senses electri-cally! Eyes will also be helped, and itseems very probable that legs will becomeatrophied. Indeed, I think it is best thatwe should try to forget our bodies, for thewhole purpose of education, almost of lifeitself, is to improve our minds and forgetour unpleasant physical attributes.

You will notice I do not speak of tabloidmeals. They will come, but our stomachsat present must be worked mechanically aswell as by their usual metabolism or else theworks get rusty and the nasty diseases ofcivilisation appear. Even now we take apoor view of those who gorge red steaks, andwe are a little ashamed of boasting thatthe sideboard was groaning with pieces ofanimals.

It will not be long before mechanicalhearts and other parts become common.How fascinating to thinkthat brains might livewithout all the comcom-itant horrors which wenow love for want ofknowing better. We arestill so savage that wecan only communicatea thought by blowing airthrough a set of wagglinglips.False Impressions

I have mentionedbefore that things arcnot always what theyseem, and now anotherterror has been addedto life by the discoveryof an eminent scientistthat the impression ofspeed can be given bydrugging certain local-ised parts of theanatomy. I rather likethe idea of selling abottle with every slowcar, or it might bedoled out to house-holders who are waitingfor their homes to bere -built. It might alsobe used to study all thewasted motion used inlaying bricks. But Idoubt if they giveenough attention to thefact that human beingscan only put out acertain amount of effortby custom.

Motor -car drivers don o t want infinitelyvariable gears, becausethey cannot be botheredto use them or to learn theright speed at which

an internal combustion engine gives its bestcompromise between comfort and efficiency.Bicycles have often been designed with handle-bars connected to chains so that speedcould be increased. It is forgotten that whenpressing upon the pedal one can pull on thehandlebar, and thus use the energy from theunfortunate rider to its full.

The other evening I was dining in arestaurant and was told by a friend that somepeople can tell the difference between Empirewines and others (if they can get them).There seems to be some difference, forpoisons of many kinds vary in the rapidityof their effect upon the stomach. I shouldnot have mentioned this word, but I com-monly think of the place where what Iunderstand an " abominable belt " is worn.Now, poisons are interesting, because same ofthem seem to paralyse different parts of thebody, and vary in the manner in whichthey preserve the body or respond tochemical reaction in the hands of the police.

The Vortex BoxTake any box about 8ins. long and the

same in width. Glue some pieces of papertightly over the open side and in the oppositepart cut a hole tin. in diameter. Whenfilled with smoke you can send vortex ringsacross the room or put out a candle if thebox is sufficiently large.

Portable X -Ray equipment is being used in a Clydeside shipyard forfinding faults in electric welding. The illustration shows a welded

keel in the shipyard being photographed by the X -Ray unit.


Inventions of InterestPotato Peeler

THE peeling of potatoes is ordinarily awoman's job. It is natural, therefore,

that an improved potato peeler should bethe offspring of the brain of a member ofthe fair sex.

The invention is of the kind whichincludes a blade of channel shape in cross-section, having an outwardly projectingpart sharpened to form a cutting edge.

In the conventional shape of this typethe blade extends longitudinally. And thecutting edge of the projecting part likewiseextends in a straight line:

Potatoes are of spheroidal shape. Conse-quently, when peeled by means of theexisting appliance, as the peeler has astraight cutting edge, the paring is, underordinary conditions, comparatively narrow.

The proposer of the new idea remarksthat experience shows that by increasing thepressure on the cutting edge a wider paringresults. But this is obtained at the expenseof speed, since there is a slowing up ofthe peeling operation. This more thancancels out any advantage. In fact, peelersof the type with which the improved deviceis concerned are deliberately designed, sothat the paring shall be as thin as possible.The object is not only to avoid waste butalso to enable the peeling to be expeditiouslyperformed.

A Useful CurveIN order to effect a cut wider than normal,

with consequent saving of time andwithout causing extra waste, it has beenproposed to provide a blade -holder designedto accommodate a detachable flexible sheet -form blade in such a manner that the blade,when fixed in the holder, is bowed. Asa consequence, there is a concave surfaceof the blade and a similarly shaped edge.These are presented to the convexity of thepotato.

To improve upon the construction justmentioned is the aim of the new device.Its object is a potato peeler which, whileequally efficient, is at the same time simplerto form and can be more cheaply made.

Self -exerciser for InvalidsTHE invalid often is not only prevented

from freely using his limbs, but thosemembers naturally suffer owing to a lackof exercise which tends to atrophy.

A new apparatus for exercise for peoplesuffering from weakness in arms, legs orback is the subject of an application acceptedby the British Patent Office. This enablesthem to exercise their feeble parts withoutthe assistance of another person.

This self -exerciser has a seat mountedin a frame, supported by legs provided withwheels or castors. The frame has one sidewhich can be opened and closed to permitthe patient to enter and leave. There aresupports and members for exercising thelimbs, and a foot -exercising appliance if theinvalid is unable to walk.Long Life for Tyres

AN unpuncturable tyre, like a nylonstocking that will not ladder, is still

a desideratum, although a fortune beyondthe dreams of avarice awaits the inventorof such a cover.

The originator of an improved outer coverpoints out that normally such a cover ismade with an inner wall woven from cottonyarn, and its length of life is governedby the wearing quality of this fabric.

In ordinary use the heat generated con-tributes greatly to the failure, after a period,of the yarn, as cotton is made tender byprolonged exposure to high temperature.

Therefore improved heat -resisting is acharacteristic of the new invention. Theinner wall is woven from fibres of cellulose

The information on this page is speciallysupplied to " Practical Mechanics " byMessrs. Hughes & Young, Patent Agents, of7, Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, London,W.C.2, who will be pleased to send free toreaders mentioning this paper a copy of theirhandbook, " How to Patent an Invention."

which have been partially acetylated whilstmaintaining the original fibrous struc-ture. The degree of acetylene correspondsto a combined acetic acid content of fromten to thirty per cent. The inventorscontend that acetylated cellulose has ahigher resistance to thz adverse effect ofheat than cotton.

New Hot-water SystemWHAT is claimed to be an effective hot-

water system is the subject of anapplication for a patent in this country. Thissystem is of the kind in which water froma valve -controlled supply tank communicateswith a hot-water tank connected with acock -controlled heat exchanger.

The object of the invention is to furnisha hot-water system ofthis type which issimple in arrangement,effective in use andoperates satisfactorilywith a minimum ofattention,

The device has alarge -capacity bathwater tank, fed bythe supply tank andalso by a cock -controlwith a mediumcapacity hot - watertank. This is heatedby an electric immer-sion heater and from'it a supply pipe fromthe hot-water tankdelivers under separ-ate tap controls hotwater to domesticablution appliancessuch as a wash -basin.

Instant hot watercan be drawn directlyfrom the mediumcapacity tank by cut-ting off communica-tion with the bathwater tank. There-fore, ordinarily, com-munication betweenthe two tanks is cutoff but is establishedwhen bath water isrequired.

The water supplyfor the bath watertank and for themedium capacity tankis from a self-regulat-ing supply from themain, such as a cisternhaving a ball -valveand feeding into thebath water t a n k,

which freely supplies water to the mediumcapacity tank.

A turn -cock prevents hot water flowingback into the bath water tank. Consequently,only water in the medium -capacity tank isheated. However, a separate container fordrinking purposes may be provided in thistank.

There is always cold water communicationbetween the two tanks. If a container isused there is a separate main supply intothis container.

Only when bath water is required is acock turned on to put the two tanks intohot-water circulation.

Adjustable Bathroom Mirror

ADRESS mirror is indispensable in abathroom. The complete specification

concerning a device of this character hasbeen accepted by the British Patent Office.

This invention includes a looking -glasswith means for adjustably supporting it froma wall fitting or cabinet. It is capable ofbeing moved outwards so as to take up aconvenient position for use.

If the mirror serves as the door of acabinet, it is arranged to give access to thecontents. The supporting means also issuch as will allow the mirror to be tilted.The door moves in a vertical or horizontalplane, and when not in use it will return flatto the cabinet.

Six British racehorses were recently flown from London Airport to theUnited States in an American Overseas Airways Skymaster. A specialhoist was built at the airport for loading the horses, which were insuredfor £70,000. The horses, secured with a safety belt, had to stand allthe way on their thirty hours' flight to Burbank, California, via NewYork. The illustration shows one of the racehorses in the special hoist,

being loaded into the 'plane..


THE WORLD OF MODELS

Fig. 2.-Bassett-Lowke tin. to the foot scale model of the T.S. " Arnhem." A new turbinecross -channel vessel built by Messrs. John Brown, of Clydebank, for the L.N.E.R. service to

the Continent via Harwich and Hook of Holland.

ALTHOUGH I dealt with some of themodels at the Shipwrights' Exhibitionin the March issue, I feel that there

was so much interesting work displayed therethat I must make a further reference to it. Thegeneral opinion expressed at the Exhibition isthat there never has been such a wonderfulcollection before of high-class models of shipsat any exhibition held in England.

Remarkable Ship ModelsAcknowledged to be one of the finest

exhibits was the four models made by Messrs.Vickers -Armstrong, Ltd., Barrow-in-FurneSs,of the famous ships that they have built.These were the battleship H.M.S. KingGeorge V, a magnificent piece of work, aneven more attractive model of the aircraft -

carrier H.M.S. Indomitable, and two modernmerchant ships-the P. & 0. Strathmore, andthe Orion, of the Orient Line, in her attractivemodern livery. Imposing in their appearance,uniform in their workmanship and excellent

Fig. 1.-An interested person watches a skilled craftsman assembling some of the -metal parts -

used in the construction of the model of H.M.S. " Anson," built by Bassett-Lowke, Ltd.,for Messrs. Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, Ltd.

Models at the Shipwrights'Exhibition : Swiss Model Railway :Model Liners at the Mariners'

Museum at Virginia, U.S.A.

By " MOT I LUS"in their detail and finish, these four hugemodels, all to the same scale-that of fin. tothe foot-were the first exhibit whichattracted attention on entering the large hall.

Despite the magnificence of the stand ofMessrs. Vickers -Armstrong, Ltd., the prizefor the best exhibit went to Messrs. Swan,Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Ltd., ofNewcastle -on -Tyne, chiefly, I would say, onaccount of the variety of the type of vesselsfeatured. Two of their models, H.M.S. Ansonand H.M.S. Vindex, were mentioned in mylast contribution, and as it is now permittedto publish photographs of these ships, thisclose-up of H.M.S. Anson (Fig. 1) showssome of the excellent details of this replica ofone of Britain's latest battleships. Theirexhibit also included several models finishedin the traditional style of silver- and gold-platedfittings-a style adopted by many model -makers until quite recently. Althoughattractive from an exhibition point of view, itlacks the realism of a model that is finished inthe actual colouring of the ship itself, and thusin the eyes of many ship lovers the modern styleis preferable. These included two trainferries-Chiangkiang built for the Ministryof Railways of the Republic of China, and the

Fig. 3.-Two tunnels of the Dietschiberg ModelRailway.

Twickenham Ferry used for the EnglishChannel, together with two very attractivemodels to a scale of fin. to the foot ; H.M.Telegraph Ship Monarch, and the first-classpassenger ship Duntroon. The ice -breakerKosma Minin, built for the Russian Govern-ment, modelled in the scale of fin. to the foot,showed an unusual design, while a sectionalmodel showed the interior construction of atanker's ribbing and plating, being centrallyilluminated. Altogether this exhibit was amost comprehensive display of the scope ofthe work of Messrs. Swan, Hunter & WighamRichardson, Ltd., and fully deserved the prizeit was awarded.

Doubtless, those who frequent the cross -channel route were pleased to see the modelof the new cross -channel ship the Arnhem


Fig. 4.-Part of the British Shipping Exhibit, Main Room, The Mariners' Museum. Bycourtesy of the Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Virginia, U.S.A.

(Fig. 2) exhibited by the L.N.E. Railway, whowill operate this ship on their well-known andpopular service Harwich -Hook of Holland.This vessel is up to date in every respect, andshould certainly be one of the most popularof the cross -channel boats. It is expected tobe in service towards the end of the year.

Swiss ExhibitionSwitzerland is a country which appeals to

many varied interests of the travelling public,perhaps mainly because of its attractivescenery, good hotels, excellent service, and itsfriendly and industrious people. Also, as hasbeen mentioned before in these pages, it hasa very definite appeal to those interested inrailways and models of railways. This year,Switzerland will have an added interest forthose who are model railway enthusiasts,because it marks the celebration of thecentenary of the Swiss Federal Railways.Many interesting functions have been organ-ised, and a travelling exhibition is to tour thecountry from April to November. Fivecomplete model trains, to a scale of r : to,built to show the progress made during thelast roo years in the history of Swiss rail-roading will form part of the exhibition, andapart from their historical interest I am surethey will be a praiseworthy example of theusual workmanship of the Swiss model -maker,as these are all being made by members of thevarious enthusiastic clubs of Switzerland.The actual opening of the railway took placeon August 7th, 1847, when the locomotive" Aare," a 4-2-0 built by the firm of EmilKessler, of Karlsruhr, and designed by thewell-known Swiss engineer, Nicolas Riggerts-bach, drew the first train to run entirely onSwiss ground on the track from Baden toZurich. On the anniversary of the openingdate this year, a full-size reconstruction of thefirst train will again run over the same trackwhich made Swiss railway history too yearsago, at the speed of the original train, and thissame train will be in service at the variousplaces where the exhibition is staged through-out the year.

Dietschiberg Model RailwayAn attraction which should not be missed

by any model railway enthusiast who visitsSwitzerland is the famous DietschibergRailway above Lucerne, as I understand thatthis is now in operation again (Fig. 3). Con-structed in beautiful scenery, the layout is

complete with stations, buildings, tunnels,bridges and all lineside features, and isreached by trolleybus from Lucerne. Built toa scale of : to, the railway has about sooyds. ofpermanent way, to a gauge of approximate-ly 5tin. It is electrically driven by overheadtrolley working on 220 volts A.C. The loco-motives are fitted with 65 -volt motors andeach engine carries its own 220/65 voltstransformer. Some idea of the extent of this

which was built specially for the New YorkWorld's Fair, is still exhibited at the Mariners' -Museum, Newport News, Virginia, U.S.A.(Figs. 4 and 5). Surrounded by models of theSirius, Great Western, Britannia and GreatBritain, some of the early steamships whichcrossed the Atlantic, the Queen Elizabethmodel is shown as part of the display " ACentury of British Transatlantic Shipping "in the main hall. I am told by the Director ofthe Museum, Mr. Frederick F. Hill, that thisdisplay has drawn a tremendous amount ofinterest since it was shown in 1940. Estab-lished in 193o, the museum is situated in anextensive park, its chief aim being the cultureof the sea and its tributaries, its conquest byman, and its influence on civilisation. Notbeing confined in its scope, it is devoted to thedisplay of maritime accomplishments of alltimes and of every nation, and in its many andvaried rooms the ship lover could spend hoursof contentment. Keeping pace with thematerial exhibits, the nautical library containsmore than 23,000 volumes devoted to maritimesubjects, as well as thousands of photographs.Among the items exhibited are oil paintings,old manuscripts, navigational instruments, andfittings and actual parts of ships of everydescription. A large courtyard between twoof the main building's wings affords shelterfor an exhibit of actual small craft, and inanother room is an interesting display ofscrimshaw, the artistic skill of the days ofMoby Dick. It numbers in its collection morethan 300 full models, rigged or otherwisecomplete, and about 200 half models. Whata treasure trove !

Museums of ship models are certainly foundin out-of-the-way places, and I am hopingthat some day there will be a guide -book ofsome kind published so that ship lovers, whentravelling, can find out where they mayenjoy beautiful models.

Fig. 5.-Main Exhibit Room, one of the four exhibit halls, The Mariners' Museum. Centre :Eagle figurehead from U.S. steam frigate "Lancaster," 1858. Wing spread, aft. 8in. By

courtesy of the Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Virginia, U.S.A.

railway is realised when the fact that a normalpassenger train weighs over 13cwt., while theaverage goods train weighs more than a ton.The express train, shown in the illustrationon page 245, consists of three coaches-first-class, second-class and baggage -van, hauledby a 2-4-4-2 locomotive with four motorswith individual axle drive. The goods train,which has a variety of types of rolling stock,is also drawn by a 2-4-4-2 locomotive operatedby two motors.

Model of R.M.S. " Queen Elizabeth "It may be of great interest to readers to

know that the famous 32ft. half model of theCunard White Star Liner Queen Elizabeth,

WORKSHOP CALCULATIONSTABLES AND FORMUL/E

Eighth Editionby F. J. CAMM

A handbook dealing with methods ofcalculation, solution to workshop problems,and the rules and formula necessary invarious workshop processes. It containsall the information a mechanic normally

requires.From all booksellers, 6/- net,by post 6/6 from the publisher,

GEORGE NEWNES, LTD. (Book Dept.),Tower House, Southampton Street, W.C.a.


Letters from ReadersA Model Locomotive from Odds and EndsSIR,-From time to time I have felt very

envious of the many fine models illus-trated in the pages of PRACTICAL MECHANICS.I doubted my ability to make such a modelwith my limited tools, but eventually Idecided to try my hand at building a modelfrom scrap. The accompanying illustrationshows the result of my efforts.

First I salvaged two " Slippery ElmFood " tins for the boiler ; the bands round itwere made from strip metal taken from disusedpacking cases. The anti -splash gadget, foundcn most kitchen taps, when cut in two suppliedboth chimney and dome, while the safety -valve

made the connecting rods, and the cylindersare two pieces of copper tubing solderedtogether. The undercarriage is composedof strip steel costing a few coppers, and brassrods made the handrails. From an oldgramophone the speed -regulating handle wassalvaged to make a neat handle for the boilerdoor. The overall length is zft. Sin.

A set of wheels from Messrs. KennionBros., and a second-hand 12 to 24 -volt motorgeared down with gramophone motor wheels,housed in the tender and driving the rearwheels, completed this realistic model of asteam loco. The same dealer supplied a trans-former, and I finished the job by painting the

A Model G.W.R. 4-6-3 locomotive made from scrap materials byJ. R. Hornbuckle, of Mapperley.

is simply two dome -headed nuts. The caband tender were made from the metal of twoflattened 71b. jam tins. Angle aluminiumfrom a previous model served as stiffenersfor the frame of the tender and the engine.Spring curtain wire made the couplings andthe brass buffers were made from scrapmaterial which resembled closely the realthing. Old hack -saw blades stripped of teeth

model in green and black within a total time ofthree months, at an inclusive cost of £3 15s.

My " blueprint " was a photograph of a4-6-o " 1,000 " class G.W.R. engine publisheda few months ago. I am now working on atrack to run 6o yds. round my garden, and thisshould cost about LI, as the metals are madefrom fin. square iron, with a live rail made fromcopper wire.-J. R. HORNBUCKLE (Mapperley).

247- -

P.M. Battery -driven ClockSIR,-I thought perhaps the result of the

struggles of a non -practical reader tobuild the PRACTICAL MECHANICS BatteryClock might interest other readers.

It was in 1933 that I first saw thearticle in PRACTICAL. MECHANICS, but itwas almost ten years later that I started tobuild it.

Some of the parts I made and re -madeseveral times ; the " suspension " unit,"and the " trailer finger " were the worst.Strangely enough, the bob and magnets wereO.K. the first time of using. Incidentally, thewhole affair cost me 6s. only -5s. for thedial, and is. for shellac to varnish the case.An old alarm clock, the bottom half of abrass fire extinguisher (for the shilling), andsundry pieces of hardwood for the case, bitsof brass, odd nuts and bolts, I had in the junkbox. I also made a relay to switch the clockon to a dry battery when the current (mains)fails. Normally, the magnets are energisedfrom an 8 v. trickle charger. The case is a" granddaughter." I have fixed the backpiece to a substantial piece of wood, and thewhole affair stands on the floor ; levelling isdone by four bolts let into the baseboard.And it goes ! What is more, it has keptexcellent time for more than twelve months.-W. J. VIGGUS (Cardiff).

Air CompressorSIR,-With reference to the article in the

February issue of PRACTICAL MECHANICSon making an Air Compressor from a motor-cycle engine, I would point out that forserious work at least a 1 h.p. motor would berequired. Most professional spray gunsrequire a minimum of two cubic feet of airat 4o1b. pressure.

When used as a tyre pump it will also benecessary to use a special connector madefor the purpose which incorporates a centralrod which lifts the tyre valve from its seat.Although this might not be necessary if thereservoir was cut out, and the tyre connecteddirect to the cylinder head of the compressor.-A. R. TURPIN (Banstead).

Club NotesRadio Controlled Models Society

THE next meeting of the above Society, willtake place at 3 p.m. on Saturday,

March 29th, at the Y.M.C.A. Peter St.,Manchester, when Mr. Peter Hunt, TechnicalEditor of Model Aeronautical Press Ltd., willlecture and demonstrate on Radio Controlledmodels. All those interested will be welcome.-J. C. Hogg, Hon. Secretary, 24, SpringfieldRoad, Sale, Manchester.

Model Railway Club Exhibition, x947THIS exhibition, which is organised by

the Model Railway Club, Ltd., is beingheld during Easter Week from Tuesday,8th April to Saturday, 12th April, 1947.It will be open daily from II a.m. to 9 p.m.(except Tuesday, 8th April, when it will beopen from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.).

It will be open to the public, admission-adults, 2/3 ; children under 12, II-. It isnot held for financial gain. Light refresh-ments can be obtained at the exhibition atmoderate prices. A lounge or rest room willbe provided.

The Model Railway Club, which was foundedin 191o, caters for all those who are interestedin the making of models of railway subjects.Amongst its members may be found thosewho are interested in all branches of the hobby,including the making of models to so smalla gauge as 3.5 mm. to a foot, the owningand operating of complete track layouts, theconstruction of stations, signals and thebuilding and operating of large scale steam loco-motives capable of hauling zo or more adults.

The object of the club is to help thosehaving difficulties or problems in theirhobby to provide for the exchange of ideasand knowledge gained from experience ; toadvise members as to the correct design oftheir models and the railway -like operationof the railways and where necessary theproper use of tools and drawings.

There will be a representative collectionof models of locomotives, coaches, wagonsof the four railway companies-G.W.R.,L.M.S.R., L. & N.E.R., and S.R.

Models of all types and gauges will beexhibited, including some of the larger steamlocomotives in operation on the club track.In addition, there will be models of track -work, signals, stations, and many other itemsof railway interest.Loan Collection

This consists of interesting models kindlylent by model -makers or owners who are notmembers of the club.Trade Section

The model -making industry is wellrepresented by leading firms who displaytheir latest products, including advancedsamples of their future productions.

It is felt that the exhibition of modelsmade by amateurs, and the consequent ex-change of ideas, will not only benefit theactual model -makers, but will materially fosterand help the model -making craft generally.

The Sheffield and District Society ofModel and Experimental EngineersOUR 1947 Exhibition is to be held on the

four days Wednesday, April 9th, toSaturday, April 12th, inclusive, and we are

anticipating a great success, with manythousands of visitors.

During the four days of the 1946 Exhibition,almost 8,000 people visited the show, andundoubtedly this figure will be surpassedthis year.

The Council of the Society has consideredthe question of Trade Stands, and has comereluctantly to the conclusion that, owing tolack of space, we shall not be able toaccommodate our Trade friends this year,in the Exhibition Hall.

We propose, however, to have a table forthe display of leaflets or brochures.-W. J.Hughes, 87, Hopedale Road, Frecheville,Sheffield.

OUR COVER SUBJECTIN spite of the fuel crisis, work is proceeding

at the Airspeed Experimental Factory atChristchurch, Hants, to complete the proto-type Airspeed " Ambassador," a new twin-engined 4o -seater air liner. Intended forshort-range work at high speed, it is ahigh -wing monoplane with tricycle under-carriage to facilitate frequent loading andunloading. The whole of the fuselage isventilated and heated, and the aircraft can bebuilt in two versions, pressurised or un-pressurised. The latest developments andsafety devices are being incorporated in thisnew British air liner and, when it is put intoservice, it is anticipated that the fare perseat -mile will be lower than first-class travelbetween London and the neighbouringContinental capitals. The illustration showswork in progress on the high three -fin tailsection of the " Ambassador."

248

QUERIESENQUIRIES

A stamped addressed envelope, three pennystamps, and the query coupon from the currentissue, which appears on back of cover, must beenclosed with every letter containing a query.Every query and drawing which is sent mustbear the name and address of the reader.Send your queries to the Editor, PRACTICALMECHANICS, Geo. Newnes, Lcd., Tower House,

Southampton Street, Strand, London, W.C,2.

Dyeing Bone ObjectsT SHALL be glad if you will give me any infor-

mation on the method of dyeing smallbone objects.

I have tried many different dyes, both waterand spirit, but all seem to come off with handling,as the dyes do not penetrate.-B. Palmer (Dublin).BOIL the bone material gently in water for an hour" so as to soften its surface a little. Thenimmerse the bone in a concentrated hot-water solutionof the dye. Dye for at least half an hour at the boilingpoint. A little Glauber's salt added to the dye bath(say 2 per cent. of the weight of the water) will promotelevel or even dyeing. A little soap may be used inplace of the Glauber's salt, if preferred.

Spirit dyes may he used in spirit solution for thedyeing, but, even when applied hot, they do notpenetrate well. Prolonged dyeing in hot or boilingwater and with concentrated solutions of dyes is thebest way of overcoming the bone -dyeing difficulty.The same applies, also, to the dyeing of ivory.

It might help also if the bones were steeped for twoor three days previous to dyeing in a to per cent. solutionof tannic acid (i.e., to parts of tannic acid in 90 partsof water), since any absorbed tannic acid would aid inthe fixing of the dye.

Crackle -finish EnamelCAN you please tell me of a non-stoving enamel

or paint which will leave a non-reflectingsurface with a crackle finish suitable for darkroomapparatus ? If this is unobtainable, what wouldbe the heat required to use a stoving enamel ?Also, wculd you name any firms where I couldobtain either of these finishes ? As an alternativeis it possible to make crackle enamel in smallquantities ?-E. H. Witts (Fulham).'THERE is no non-stoving enamel which will give a

crackle finish. Indeed, crackle -finish enamelsare not commercially obtainable, although they are muchused by manufacturers who, often enough, employsecret formula.

You can make a crackle enamel by adding about5 per cent. of aluminium stearate (obtainable fromMessrs. A. Boake, Roberts & Co., Ltd., Stratford,London, E.t5) to black enamel, dissolving it withoutheat. After application, the enamelled object is at oncebaked in an oven at a temperature of z to -115 deg. F.until the " wrinkles " have been formed. Thereafter,the temperature of the oven is taken up to 30o deg. F.to harden the enamel film. This higher temperaturebaking takes about three hours. This is also thetemperature at which an ordinary stoving enamel isbaked, but with an ordinary stoving enamel thetemperature should be maintained at 16o deg. F. forabout half an hour before allowing it to rise to the300 deg. mark.

Messrs. Johnson & Sons, I.td., ManufacturingChemists, Hendon. London, N.W.4, supply some verygood black instrument finishes in glossy and dead -blackform. It is very probable that one of these would fityour needs admirably.

Silver EmulsionsT AM desirous of making my own photo plates

for a camera, and I would be obliged if youcould inform me as to how one puts the filmsolution on the glass plate.

Can the solution be bought, and where ?-A. K. Smith (Willesden).IF you have chemical skill and experience and if you

care to make tedious experiments with silveremulsions, you can undoubtedly prepare your ownsensitive emulsions, in which case refer to any gooddictionary of photography. But the fact is that it isnot ordinarily practicable for the average photographicamateur to obtain success at emulsion making, especiallyin view of the fact that all commercial emulsions, asused on plates, papers and films, are made to secretformula.

Hence, your best plan is to obtain a bottle of a ready-made sensitive emulsion, such as " Emulsol," whichmay be obtained from any large photographic dealer,such as Messrs. Wallace Heaton, New Bond Street,London W.t. Have the glass plate scrupulouslyclean and merely coat it lightly with the emulsion, asdirected in the printed instructions; the wholeoperation, of course, being conducted in a darkroom.

NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS April, 1947

The glass plate must be cleaned with soap and water,rubbed down with a paste of whiting and water, rinsed,rubbed over with weak ammonia and finally rinsed inwater (preferably distilled).

Freezing MixtureWOULD you kindly advise me on tile following :

I require to know the ingredients of asuitable freezing mixture to keep half a gallonof ice cream for about two days.

I possess no special utensils for the process ofpreserving ice cream.-K. N. Brooks (Brighton).'THERE is no chemical freezing mixture which could

economically and effectively keep half a gallon ofice cream at freezing point for two days. Chemicalfreezing agents are, in the main, of only short-livedefficiency and they can only be applied economically tosmall amounts of material.

You will, therefore, have to rely on broken ice (whichyou ought to be able to obtain locally) or, as an alternativeyou might be able to use " Dricold," which issolidified carbon dioxide gas, a transportable com-modity which is nbrmally obtainable from ImperialChemical Industries, Ltd., Millbank, London, S.W.i,although whether it is yet available for non -industrialuses we are unable to say.

Capacitor Motor Starter SwitchT HAVE an A.C. 230 V. S h.p. motor having threeL. terminals. It has to have a 20 mfd. condenseracross one of the windings, but unfortunately Iam not sure how to connect up to the switch.Could you oblige me with the circuit ?-T. Wodlett (London, N.).IF the motor is a capacitor motor, as distinct from

a capacitor -start motor, the starting windings aredesigned to carry current continuously. The motorcan then be connected as indicated in Fig. a, andstarted by a plain double -pole switch and protected bya pair of fuses. If it is a capacitor -start motor, thestarting winding and condenser should be switched out

SpringControlled

Condi,

Mains

StartWinding

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Diagrams showing starter windings and switchingfor capacitor motors.-(T. Wodlett.)

of circuit when the motor has speeded up at starting,otherwise the starting winding may burn out. Atwi-knob switch would then be suitable. This has twoblades, one of which springs open when pressure on theknob is released. This blade should be in control ofthe starting winding, as in Fig. 2. This switch ismanufactured by A. P. Lundberg & Sons, of 491-493,Liverpool Road, Holloway, N.7. It is possible theywill only supply switches for essential work, and youmay then have to use a separate single -pole tumblerswitch to disconnect the starting winding and condenser.

Treatment for Dry RotWILL you please inform me of some methods

of combating dry rot in building timber -work ?-M. R. Durman (Oswestry).DRY rot is a mould or fungus which feeds on wood

and completely destroys it. It is propagatedby means of invisible seeds or " spores " which floatabout in the air and thus, in time, settle on woodwork.If the woodwork and its surroundings are dry, the spores

cannot develop, but if the timber is damp and is situatedin permanently damp surroundings, the fungus sporeswill develop rapidly and a new infection of " dry rot "will thus commence.

The name " dry rot " is applied in view of the factthat, under the influence of this fungus, the woodcrumbles away to a dry, brown powder.

Badly affected woodwork should be cut awaycompletely. There is no other method of dealing withit. The surroundings of the woodwork must also beimproved as regards dryness and ventilation, otherwisethe fresh woodwork will become infected.

One of the best specifics against dry rot is creosote.This remedy is effective and cheap. Apply creosoteoil (preferably warm) to the woodwork liberally, parti-cularly to the sawn ends. Do not be afraid of usingplenty of it. Dry rot fungus cannot possibly with-stand the action of creosote, for which reason telegraphpoles are pressure -impregnated with creosote, as are,also, wooden railway sleepers.

If you are the owner of your own residence it willalways pay you to go over the structural timber of yourhouse with the creosote brush. The smell of thecreosote is, admittedly, a disadvantage, but this iscounterbalanced by the knowledge that creosotedtimber cannot possibly perish from dry rot.

Surfaces which are to be painted must, of course, nothe creosoted, for the creosote which is absorbed by thewood mingles with the paint and sometimes discoloursit badly. Fortunately, painted woodwork is not usuallysubject to dry rot. It is the rough, unprotected timber -work which falls a prey to this insidious pest, and it isjust this type of woodwork which responds the bestto the creosote treatment.

Creosote can be obtained from any builder's merchantor ironmonger.

Enlarger LensT HAVE an Ensign horizontal enlarger, which1. I have put on a stand and so converted to avertical model. I find that I could do with morelift to get the desired magnification. Could Iuse a spectacle lens for the purpose and, if so,what diopre, please ? The focal length of my lensis 125 mm. and stop f 6.3.-S. Murray (Lancaster).

AN ordinary spectacle lens would not suit yourpurpose, since it would result in faulty definition

in the enlargements. You could get over the difficultyto some extent if you could use an enlarging lens ofshdrter focal length than the one you are using atpresent, always assuming that the lens of shorter focallength is able to " cover " the area of the negative.Alternatively, you could use a supplementary lens,

it over the front lens of the enlarger. These usedto be available, but we understand that they are nowonly obtainable secondhand from firms of dealers suchas Messrs. Broadhurst, Clarkson and Co., I.td.,Farringdon Road, London, E.C.4, to whom particularsof the focal length of your existing lens should be sent.

There is an approximate rule which will be usefulto you for finding the focal length of the supplementarylens. It is : Multiply the desired focus of the enlarginglens by its actual focus and then divide the result bytheir difference. This will give you the necessary focallength of the supplementary lens. Remember, ofcourse, that you will require the enlarging lens tooperate (by means of a supplementary lens) at a shorterfocus or focal length than it does at present.

Notwithstanding the above, the best way of gettingout of your enlarging difficulty is, by one means oranother, to raise the height of the normal lens abovethe paper. This will then give you the extra size ofimage ; it will not interfere with the optical perform-ance of your enlarging, and you will get better definitionthan the use of any supplementary lens can bring about.

Spray -paintingT SHALL be very grateful if you will give me theJr. following advice :

(I) Is there any sprayable paint which can beused over the top of existing lead -paint or enamel ?If not, is there any setting liquid which can first beapplied to prevent surface breaking, which seemsalways to occur when enamel or similar paint isapplied on cellulose and vice -versa ?

(2) I wish to redecorate the interior walls of myhouse. Is there any matt surfaced paint obtainablenow which could be sprayed over the existingdistemper ? If not, would it be possible tospray distemper (the ordinary oil -bound variety),instead of the laborious method of hand -paintingit on ?-E. F. Amos (Tenterden).

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The above blueprints are obtainable, post free from Messrs. George Newnes, Ltd., Tower House,Southampton Street, Strand, W.C.2.

An denotes that constructional details are available, free, with the blueprint.


(T\ Any good quality paint is capable of being brushedor sprayed over an existing lead paint. If the

surface of the paint layer breaks or becomes streakyas a result of this operation, the trouble is either due toa poor quality (and possibly contaminated) paint, or,more likely, to a dirty, greasy paint surface to which thefresh paint has been applied. Even in the case of alayer of cellulose paint, we think that if you will givethe base paint a good washing down with a solutionof common soda before spraying the new paint thetrouble will be overcome.

(2) Distemper cannot usually be sprayed owing to itshigh solid content and the rapidity with which settle-ment takes place in the paint. We believe, however,that there have been claims respecting the spray -ability of ordinary oil -bound distempers, and if youwould care to write to the Walpamur Company, Ltd.,Darwen, Lancs, you would receive first-hand inform-ation on this point.

Any ordinary oil paint can be made to give a mattor eggshell surface merely by diluting it with turpentine,or a mixture of turpentine and raw linseed oil.

Chromium and Copper Platingy SHALL be glad if you will inform me what.0- chemicals to use and the right amount to agallon of water for chromium plating ? Also,what anode to use, and does this go on the positiveor negative side ? How many volts and ampsare necessary ? I would also like to have similarinformation about copper plating.-W. H. Wood(Hillingdon).CHROMIUM plating is not easy to carry out by the

ordinary amateur, and many attempts at it mayresult in disappointment. However, for your information,the following is an average chromium plating bath:

Chromic acid.. .. 25o parts (by weight)Chromium sulphate 3Water 1,000 33

Chromic acid is very corrosive and must only becontained in glass vessels. The amperage of currentmust be too for every square foot of surface which isbeing, plated. An E.M.F. of 4-6 volts is sufficient.The anode must be a lead strip, it being the positiveelectrode of the plating bath.

You can only effect chromium plating on copper oron nickel-preferably the latter.

Copper plating is much easier than chromium plat-ing. There are two types of copper -plating baths ingeneral use, the " acid " bath and the " alkaline "bath. The latter is generally preferable, but since itcontains the highly poisonous potassium cyanide (whichyou would not be able to obtain) you will have to usethe acid type of bath, a typical formula of which is thefollowing :

Copper sulphate .. 21b.Water t gallon.Sulphuric acid (concentrated) 4-6oz.For this bath, use a copper strip as the anode or

positive electrode, the work undergoing plating con-stituting the cathode or negative electrode of the bath.An E.M.F. of 2-4 volts is sufficient, the current -density being 5-20 amps. per square foot of surfaceundergoing plating.

Note that the objects to be plated must be very care-fully cleaned and degreased previous to plating, other-wise very bad results will accrue.

Electro-plating chemicals may be obtained fromMessrs. W. Canning and Co., Ltd., Great HamptonStreet, Birmingham.

Silvering GlassCAN you please tell me the method used to

silver -plate glass ? I wish to make mirrorsout of some plate glass I have, size approximatelyaft. by tft. 6in.-J. White (Peckforton).GLASS is not " silver-plated " in the sense that a

metallic surface is plated. Rather, it is silvered bychemical action. The process can be operated by anamateur, but it is a tricky one, being messy and callingfor considerable skill and experience.

The following is an outline of the process.First of all clean the glass thoroughly by swabbing it

over with a dilute solution of soda and by washing itwell in water. Then immerse the glass sheet in cleanwater until the silver bath is prepared.

The silvering bath is prepared as follows:Three separate solutions are necessary :

Solution t.Silver nitrate .. .. oz.Water oz.

Solution 2.Caustic potash 0* &II

Water a. Solution 3.

Glucose .. I oz.Water .. 2} oz.

A quantity of solution I is poured into a clean mixingglass and ammonia is poured into it drop by drop untilthe precipitate which first forms just re -dissolves. Thesame quantity of solution 2 is now mixed with the liquidand the resulting precipitate is again just re-clissplvedwith ammonia as before. A few drops of solution 3are next added to the liquid, but only sufficient toproduce a slight permanent milkiness or turbidity in.theliquid. Finally, the same quantity of solution 3 as wastaken of solutions t and 2 is now mixed with the liquid,and the mixed liquids are immediately poured on to thecleaned glass sheet which should be resting face upwardsin a shallow dish. The silvering action begins almostimmediately and is usually completed within a fewminutes. The solution may be diluted, in which casethe silvering will take longer. The liquid is uselessafter the silvering and may be thrown away.

OZ... 2 OZ.

The separate solutions will keep indefinitely, biNoaftermixing they will not, keep for more than so minutes.

After silvering, the glass is gently washed and thenplaced in a rack to dry. Heat must not be used fordrying.

Throughout the silvering process, the most scrupulouscleanliness of dishes must be observed. The slightestgrease off the hands may be sufficient to spoil theprocess.

It is a good tip to immerse the glass sheet immediatelybefore silvering in a solution made by dissolving toparts of tin chloride (stannous chloride) in 90 parts ofwater. This is supposed to be a " trade secret."

Turbine -driven DynamoT SHALL be obliged if you will advise me on

the following matter. I have a water turbinewhich drives a thrashing mill. I would like todrive a 250 volt D.C. dynamo, direct from theturbine, to give me a few lights and also to drivea t h.p. electric motor, which is to drive a milkingmachine.

Is this possible without the use of a storagebattery ? Could you also advise me on whattype of motor to use and how to wire it up tothe starter and dynamo ?-A. Macalpine (Kil-marnock).

If this process fails, the print will have to be chlorinebleached. This process is safe, provided that you handlethe print carefully while it is in the wet state.

Proceed as follows :Support the print on a sheet of glass (preferably

plate glass) and sponge it over with a solution made bygrinding a heaped teaspoonful of chloride of lime intoa tumberful of cold water. Note that all the chloride oflime will dissolve, and only the clear solution resultingfrom straining the liquid through cloth should be used.

After the above solution has been in contact with theprint for one minute, sponge over it an acid solutionmade by nixing t part of acetic acid with 3 parts ofwater. (Hydrochloric acid can also be used in thisproportion, but acetic acid is safer.) If the print isnot completely bleached after this application, repeat theprocess.

After the print has been bleached, it must be washedin running cold water for two hours. This washing isessential in order to remove every trace of the bleachingagents. Do not, therefore, attempt to cut down thiswashing time.

After washing, the paper will be soft and woolly.It will now require sizing. This is done by allowing itto become semi -dry and then by immersing it for halfa minute in a solution made by dissolving 4 parts ofcooking gelatine, § part of white soap and # part ofcommon alum in too parts of warm water. The solu-tion can be sponged over ..he print if preferred.

After this sizing, the printis hung up to dry for 24hours. It must not be

Fuses

FieldRegulator

ShuntField Coils

t_ t _ Lighting7 Series Field Coils Circuits ,_ ___

___ ---.Dynamo and/or interpoles Motor

Circuit diagram for running a motor from a dynamo, which is alsoused for lighting.-(A. Macalpine.)

ASSUMING you do not require to use the lightsor motor when the dynamo is not running, no

battery will be necessary. It is, however, important thatthe speed of the dynamo should not vary more thanabout three or four per cent. above or below its normalspeed if good lighting is to be obtained. If you canachieve this result we suggest that you use a compounddynamo, preferably one having interpoles. Thedynamo output required to drive the motor wouldbe about t kW., with r kW. extra for each to lampsof too watt capacity and so on. It would be bestto get a dynamo slightly larger than the calculatedvalue, rather than one slightly smaller.

If you cannot maintain a fairly constant speed itwill be necessary to use a governor or an automaticvoltage regulator to control a variable resistance con-nected in the shunt field circuit, so that the shunt fieldcurrent can be increased when the speed is low toincrease the voltage. In this case you would need adynamo giving about 300 volts at normal speed soas to avoid overheating the field coils with the increasedcurrent necessary when the speed is low. You coulduse 3/0.029 V.I.R. or lead sheathed cable betweenthe dynamo and motor. We suggest that you use ashunt or compound motor to drive the milking machine,protecting this with a fuse designed to melt at aboutto amperes.

Removing Stains from EtchingsT HAVE some black and white etchings in someAfirst editions which I am very anxious topreserve. Unfortunately the etchings are staineda rusty colour, and I have been told this may bedue to dampness at some time having worked onthe components of the paper. Is it possible toremove these marks by bleaching or otherwisewithout damaging the print ?-W. James (Reading).

WE take it that your engravings or etchings havebecome discoloured with little brown spots known

as " foxing marks." These are due to the action ofbacteria on the paper under the influence of dampness.The paper becomes weakened in the area of thesemarks. If the markings are more extended, they maybe due to some contamination with iron -bearing water.

However, the marks can be removed, but the task isone which calls for some care and experience. Youshould therefore practise the process on an unwantedprint before applying it to the valuable prints.

First of all, with a clean sponge wipe the entiresurface of the print over with strong hydrogen peroxideand then place the print in strong sunlight. If you arelucky, three or four of these peroxide applications willcompletely remove the rusty markings, after which theprint can be ironed (on the back) and returned to itsframe. Note, however, that exposure of the print tosunlight is essential.

allowed to dry in contact with the glass, otherwise itwill stick to the latter.Neither must the sized printbe dried by heat. Slowdrying in a cold room is thebest.

When thoroughly dry,the print should be ironed(from the back). It willthen be ready for framing.

If, after this treatment,the print is too white, itmay be toned dovin a littleby sponging strong coffeeover it.

Preserving FlowersCAN you state the in-

gredients of anysubstance into which Icould dip flowers, thusleaving them coated witha thin preserving trans-parent coat ? If amylacetate is suggested,how could it be tinted ?-R. Vincent(Lymington).

MHERE is no really satisfactory substance forA the purpose you mention. In nearly every

case, despite the transparent coating which may be laid onthe flower, its stem and leaves, the whole structuregradually loses water and contracts, so that a progressiveshrivelling takes place.

A simple coating liquid consists of a solution ofhard white wax in petrol. This must be used verythinly, otherwise the coating will be white and opaque.

Another solution may be made by dissolving clearscrap celluloid, in a mixture of approximately equalparts of acetone and amyl acetate. This is painted onto the flowers and leaves. The solution must notbe too thick, the more delicate flowers and leafstructures requiring a thinner solution than the thickerstructures.

Perhaps the best solution of all is collodion, whichis made by dissolving nitrocellulose (" gun cotton ")in a mixture of about equal proportions of alcohol(rectified spirit) and ether. Collodion is a commercialarticle and no doubt your local druggist may have aquantity for sale.

Collodion may be tinted by dissolving a trace of aspirit -soluble dye in it.

The celluloid solution may be tinted by adding to ita small proportion (about 2 per cent.) of a solutionof a spirit -soluble dye in rectified spirit.

Re -enamelling a BathCOULD you please tell me how to recondition

the surface of a cast-iron bath of the" painted " variety ? The existing surface,which is a good quality enamel, refuses to washclean and is now chipping in several places. Italso lost its gloss after being used only a few times.-J. A. Brotherton (Lancaster).WE are surprised to learn that the good quality

enamel which you applied to your cast-ironbath has not proved satisfactory. Did you give it asufficient time to harden ? Also, did you well cleanand degrease the surface to which it was applied ?

However, your best plan now is to remove as muchof the enamel and underlying paint as possible. Thisis best done by dissolving s lb. of caustic soda(purchasable from your local branch of Boots theChemists) in a bucket of water, and, with the aid of along -handled scrubbing brush, by vigorously scrubbingthe surface of the bath with this caustic liquid. Thepaint will be removed fairly readily, after which itshould be well washed away.

To the resulting clean surface (which should bemade as even as possible) apply two thin coats ofordinary white paint, allowing the first coat to drybefore applying the second. Finally, apply two coatsof a high-grade gloss bath enamel, again allowing thefirst coat to dry before putting on the second. Givethe second coat plenty of time to dry (a week or more)before using the bath.

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April, 1947 THE CYCLIST 49

VOL. XV APRIL, 1947 No. 302

Continents of the Month

All letters should be addressed tothe Editor, "THE CYCLIST,"George Newnes, Ltd., Tower House,Southampton Street, Strand, London,

W.C.2.Phone : Temple Bar 4363

Telegrams : Newnes, Rand, London

Damaged BicyclesTHE transport of bicycles by rail in this

country is nothing short of a nationalscandal, and efforts have been made

by the national bodies to persuade the railwaycompanies to provide hooks so that bicyclesmay be suspended in luggage vans. Thisidea is, of course, practised in France andBelgium, and the International TouringAlliance has asked that all Europeancountries should follow suit.

Th.r Minister of Transport, however, hasturned the idea down, and this has evokedthe following letter, signed by the chairmanof the National Committee on Cycling withthe approval of the C.T.C., the NationalAssociation of Cycle Traders, the NationalClarion Cycling Club, the National Cyclists'Union and the Road Time Trials Council:

" The Minister of Transport states thatBritish railways do not consider they wouldbe justified in providing hooks for hangingup bicycles in luggage vans.

" The idea, as Mr. John Parker, M.P.,told the Minister, has already been adoptedin France and Belgium, and the Inter-national Touring Alliance asks that allEuropean countries should follow suit. Theneed for the device will be obvious. Atpresent, bicycles are so jammed into luggagevans that the damage done to them runsinto thousands of pounds a year.

" The fact was not denied by representa-tives of all the British railways with whomthe National Committee on Cycling dis-cussed the question last September ; norcould they deny that the carriage of bicyclesby passenger train in Great Britain is theworst, and its cost the highest, of any countryin Europe.

" The railways may feel that they are' justified ' in continuing to damage theproperty of cyclists. But this is more thana cyclists' grievance: damaged bicyclesmust be repaired, and the wanton wasteof replacement parts, at present in shortsupply, is not defensible. Nor should thequestion of attracting touring cyclists fromEurope be ignored. The numbers of themhave never been impressive, even comparedwith the flow from this country to theContinent before the war ; and, should theynow be persuaded to come to Britain, theywill certainly not come back when they findtheir bicycles treated like old iron."

The Paris -London Road Race

1-3,A PROPOSAL was made to run a Paris -

London road race which was to be backedby a leading London morning newspaper.This proposal had the approval of the U.C.I.and of the N.C.U., which is the only bodyin this country recognised by the U.C.I.Now the R.T.T.C., which controls roadsport over here, has no international status,but it has a working arrangement with the

N.C.U., which has no power over roadsport.

The fantastic and almost Gilbertiansituation arose in that the R.T.T.C. wouldnot approve the running of the English partof the race unless it was run under theirrules.

The R.T.T.C. issued the following state-ment on the subject:

" Early in the year the News -ChronicleApplied to the R.T.T.C., as the con-trolling body for time trial sport, for permis-sion for the English section of a race fromParis to London --this section to be run ontime trial lines. The Council gave permis-sion for the event, adding, as it was com-pelled to do, that this permission must be`subject to the observance of the Council'srules and regulations, which have been foundessential to the continuance of time trialsport in this country. The permission wasgiven after very careful thought, for in thepast permission to promote time trials hasbeen given only to cycling organisations, andnot to commercial concerns.

" After due consideration, the News -Chronicle decided that very little purposewould be served by pursuing the matter anyfurther. The Council feel that if the News -Chronicle were unable to sponsor anevent in accordance with the Council's rulesand regulations, they acted properly inabandoning their plan, rather than followa course which would have a disruptive effecton the sport.

" We are now informed by the NationalCyclists' Union that they have made appli-cation to the U.C.I. for a permit for aninter -country road race. By Clause 2 ofthe agreement between the N.C.U. and theCouncil ' the N.C.U. recognise the Councilas the controlling body for time trial sporton the roads in the area administered by theCouncil,' and therefore the N.C.U. are stillbound to ensure the observance of ourrules and regulations in any time trial heldin this country. So far we have had noconfirmation from the N.C.U. that theseconditions will be observed. We have in-formed the N.C.U. that if the event is to berun in accordance with the Council's rulesand regulations we will give the fullestco-operation.

" While it is understandable that a com-mercial body might, for publicity reasons,wish to depart from the unobtrusive methodsprevailing in our sport, such considerationscannot apply to the N.C.U. if, as they claim,the promotion is necessary to provide apurely sporting purpose. In this connectionit should be pointed out that both theworld's championship and Olympic roadevents are to be held on closed circuits, sothat they do not resemble either of the sec-tions of the proposed inter -country event.

" Since its inception, the Council's policyhas been aimed at ensuring the goodwill of

By F. J. C.

the authorities towards our sport by avoid-ing any possible interference with the publicamenities. Any promotion which ignoresthis principle may have serious consequencesfor all concerned.

" The Council reiterate that there is noreason why the proposed event should nottake place providing that the Council's rulesand regulations are observed."

B.L.R.C. as Controlling .Body?AFTER further consultation between the

R.T.T.0 and the N.C.U., certain con-ditions were considered which, if accepted,would allow the English Section of the raceto be held under R.T.T.C. rules and inaccord with the joint R.T.T.C./N.C.U.agreement.

The prestige of the National Cyclists'Unicm has, of course, fallen to a very lowebb in international circles, for it is felt thatits attitude towards the race has been decidedby its attitude towards the B.L.R.C. Theysuffered a severe setback at the U.C.I. whenthe B.L.R.C. made application for recogni-tion as the controlling body for cycle roadracing in Great Britain.

In passing, has not the R.T.T.C. beenremiss in not making application itself yearsago ? The B.L.R.C. application was cor-rectly submitted to the U.C.I. on July 15th,1946. On January 2nd, 1947, Victor Breyer,the secretary general, wrote that the applica-tion had been too late for inclusion on theAgenda. A protest was made against thisexcuse that was too transparent to be takenseriously.

When the election of the secretary on theU.C.I. came up at the 74th Congress manycomplaints were voiced in criticism of V.Breyer. After a full discussion, when thematter was put to the vote, Breyer wasdefeated and R. Chesal was elected thenew secretary, the voting being 58 to 16,which indicates the feeling of the meeting.

Immediately following the overthrow ofBreyer the president raised the question ofthe B.L.R.C., and the delegates promptlyagreed that a commission be appointed toexamine the League's claim, such commis-sion to consist of representatives of Den-mark, France and Holland.

Considerable concern was expressed by thedelegates present at the unsatisfactory stateof British cycling affairs, evidenced by thereport to the Congress that the R.T.T.C.,which is internationally unrecognised, hadvetoed the approval of the body which isrecognised, namely the N.C.U., for theParis to London race.

Naturally, this has caused the N.C.U.to lose considerable prestige, and it hasadvanced the cause of the B.L.R.C.

The Government cannot, of course, frameany Act banning massed start racing unlessit also bans time trials. If time trialsare, therefore, banned, as -well as massedstart, cyclists can blame the N.C.U. for it.

50 THE CYCLIS I April, 1947

1.

r coott,ont

II)araralA Good SignSINCE the reorganisation meeting of the Doncaster

Clarion Cycling Club the membership of theClub has been trebled. This club, with DoncasterWheelers and other local clubs, are receiving goodsupport, and members are showing a keen interest inclub activities.

No Paint, No Garage?DURING a discussion at the meeting of Brigg

(Lincs) Urban Council Housing and TownPlanning Committee, reference was made to the erectionof garages and cycle sheds for private houses. Theplanning authority has stipulated that a garage forwhich plans have been passed must be painted green,which led a member of the committee to enquirewhether a man is prevented from putting up his shedor garage if he cannot get the proper colour of paint.

Late StarterMR. JOHN THOMAS, of Immingham, Lincs,

who has.just celebrated his 94th birthday, didnot become a cyclist until he had given the matter verycareful consideration. He first learned to ride when hewas 7o: For many years he worked at Immingham as astationary engine driver, but when he was 7o he wastransferred to Waltham and he got himself a cycle sothat he could ride the tz miles or so to his work.

Road Safety ExperimentsHOLLAND (Lincs) County Council is in touch

with the Ministry of Transport, and plans tocarry out experiments with " cats' eyes " on 16 milesof main road in the Lincolnshire Fen country. If theMinistry agrees, the experimental " cats' eyes " will beplaced on selected stretches of the Boston -Spaldingand Sutterton-Sutton Bridge roads which have recentlybeen re -surfaced.

Taking No ChancesSEEING a large red glow moving along the road

near Stowmarket, Suffolk, a police inspectordecided to investigate. He found that a conscientiouscyclist whose rear light had failed had borrowed ared road warning lamp and had fixed it to his machine.where it was, according to the inspector, " showingred to the front, the side and the rear." The cyclistwas later charged at Stowmarket Police Court with thetheft of the lamp, but the charge was dismissed on hisexplaining that, because it was such a foggy night, hemerely borrowed the lamp to avoid being run into fromthe rear.

More Worh for PoliceAT its first meeting at Spalding, Lincs, the

Holland Road. Safety Council resolved that theMinistry of Transport should be asked to see thatlegislation was brought in to force all cyclists to haveefficient brakes and to keep their machines in road-worthy condition. The council also protested stronglyagainst the danger to other road -users caused bymotorists who do not dip their headlights, and by theindiscriminate use of glaring spotlights on cars. Thecouncil will ask the Ministry that lighting regulationsshould be tightened up to provide uniformity in thesetting and dipping of headlights and the distance ofthe beam.

New Peterborough TrophyTN a speech at the annual meceting of the Peter-

borough Cycling Club the president, Mr. C.Slater, announced his decision to present to the cluba special trophy to commemorate the safe return fromthe Forces of his three sons. Having successfully

....

\t,/ End .

Tx P,:ve,- Gad.pict.resque sett,9 net.Hancl HerninteaCt

tiers

weathered the war years, theclub now has a member-ship of 80. The hon. T.T.secretary reported that1946 was a peak year incompetitive cycling and hehoped that some first-classspeed riders would be foundamong the new clubmembers.

St. Neots Club Pro-gresses

GOOD progress during1946 was reported by

the secretary, Mr. C. H.Paget, at the annual meetingof the St. Neots (Hunts)and District Cycling Club,which nosy has an activemembership of 48., Mr.Paget has regretfully de-cided that, after havingserved the club as racingsecretary for to years andhaving held other officesduring the war years, hewill be unable to continueduring 1947, owing topressure of other work.The new secretary is Mr.T. Garton.

whose death took placesuddenly at Barton -on -

Humber, Lincs, had spent the whole of his businesslife, with the exception of his service in the 1914-18war and the last war, in the cycle and motor trade.For some time he was area representative for the Elswick-Hopper Co., Ltd., of Barton -on -Humber, and he waswell known in trade circles throughout the country.

Lifetime in CycleTrade

MR. ALFRED FURNISS,

Changes in Doncaster WheelersMR. F. J. FLINTOFF, general secretary of Don-

caster Wheelers, and Mr. R. R. Annis, racingsecretary, who have done good work since they wereappointed in the early days of the war, have now resigned.The new general secretary and treasurer is Mr. W.Smedley, with Mr. N. Kinsey as racing secretary.

Not That Sort !AFIRM of manufacturers, in Leicestershire,

who wrote to a Government department, enclos-ing a form of application for a licence to purchase" six to h.p. motors, 440 volts, three-phase cycles,"received the reply : " Licence enclosed. Applicationmust be made on a separate form fur the cycles."

Canadian WeddingMR. A. J. H. CAUSTON, of Huntingdon, well

known in the town and district for his cyclingactivities, has gone to Canada for his wedding with thegirl he met while he was serving in Canada with theR.A.F., during the war.

Still ThrivingPETERBOROUGH Cycling Club, which was

founded in t874, and claims to be the oldestactive cycling club in England, has just celebrated itsseventy-second birthday. About So club membersand their friends were present at a dinner held at theBell Hotel, Deeping St. James, Lines. Following thedinner there was the usual distribution of prizes.

Humber Bridge to WaitAT a conference between the Ferry Committee

of the Ministry of Transport and representativesof Hull Corporation and Lindsey County Council,it was stated that the towns on the Lincolnshire andYorkshire sides of the Humber will have to wait sometime yet before the existing ferry service is replacedby a bridge or tunnel. The Ferry Committee admittedthat the ferry service across the Humber could do withsome improvement and this is to " receive consideration."

Those Fast GirlsAT the annual dinner of the Central District Ladies'

Cycling Association, which covers Grantham,Nottinghamshire, Leicester and Derby, Mr. JackO'Conner, well known in Grantham and district as aracing cyclist, said the days when men could leavethe girls behind on fast rides were over. The girlsare now as good as the men riders, he said, adding thaton a training ride he himself was once left behind byMiss Marion Spiby, a fine all-round gill champion.

Any Takers?THE Rev. George Thomas Allpress, who now lives

at Stratford, E., and was formerly in the Peter-borough district, will be 89 next October, and claims thathe is not an old man yet but could easily cycle so milesunder normal conditions in a single day. He has issueda challenge to the whole world " to find a man whodrinks beer at my age to race me, thanks to the advantageof tot'l abstinence from alcoholic drinks."

Indoor Races PlannedAT their annual meeting held in February, members of

Grantham Road Club considered the possibilityof arranging an indoor open cycle -racing competitionon rollers and it was agreed that such a competitionshould be part of the club's programme. The club isalso drawing up a scheme to attract new members.

Midland Sports PlansCOUNCILLOR F. W. MORGAN, Mayor of

Tamworth, has made good progress with hisscheme for establishing a Midlands sports centre inthe town. 'f'he council have approved plans for a six -acre arena below the castle, with accommodation forabout t8,000. Stands and dressing -rooms will beerected when the building situation permits, but in themeantime there are to be laid down a cycle track and acinder running circuit. Leamington Cycling Club,which is well supported in the town and district, hasplans for a similar sports centre.

St. Neots Club DinnerAMONG the many guests prominent in the cycling

world who were present at the annual dinnerof the St. Neots and District Cycling Club, held atSt. Neots, Hunts, were Bert James, of- the VegetarianCycling and Athletic Club, and Jack Simpson, ofHemsworth Wheelers. Mr. C. H. Paget, who hasbeen associated with the club for many years and hasheld every office at one time or another, emphasisedthe need of the club for publicity to enable it to continueto prosper. The club president, Mr. E. J. Bass, pre-sided. Mr. Bass joined the club in /893 and duringhis racing career has been the winner of over 300prizes.

Healthy Bedfordshire ClubAMEMBERSHIP of z 53 was reported at the twenty-

fourth annual meeting of the Bedfordshire RoadCycling Club, held under the chairmanship of thepresident, Mr. W. Haylock. The " Old Timers'Association " of the club was formed during 1946 inorder to retain the help of long-standing members,whose experience is of value to the club. For sometime a club hut has been one of the club's ambitions.and this has at last been obtained and will be readyfor use in the racing season of 1947.

Chance for the GirlsLADY members of Kettering Amateur Cycling

Club will be eligible to compete in a road timetrial event of five or ten miles, to be held this year fora silver cup which, when won, will become thepermanent property of the winner. The cup was lastpresented at a meeting held in 1938, at WicksteedPark, near Kettering.

A Fast Woman !MRS. ANNIE J. ROWE, whose death has taken

place in a Bedford nursing home at the age of 8z,was the first woman ever to be seen riding a cycle inLeighton Buzzard, her home town. The fact that awoman on a cycle was, in those clays, considered asmuch of a spectacle as a circus procession did nottrouble her in the least and she retained her interest incycling for many years.

Back To The BicycleQPEEDWAY riders who were present at the Grimsby,) Motor Club's dance held at Grimsby Town Halltook part in a " race " on the dance door on a varietyof bicycles, some without handlebars, some withoutpedals, some tiny models and some outsize. There werea few spills and the riders failed to reach their usualspeeds, but there was plenty of fun and the event wasone of the most popular of the evening.

Disgraceful, Sir !OLD fox-hunting men must have turned in their

graves when two racing cyclists led the hunt atthe first meet held at Neath, South Wales, since beforethe war. The last straw would have been the soundingof the " Gone Away " on a bicycle bell, but apparentlythis enormity was not committed.

CongratulationsMR. G. P. MAIN, of Park -road, Loughborough,

Leics, who has just celebrated his diamondwedding anniversary, has taken a considerable part inthe development of cycling in the town and district.Many years ago he opened his first cycle agency andrepair shop in Loughborough, and several of the cycleshe built could be seen on the road up to a year or twoago. Later he became commercial manager of theLoughborough Cycle Company and then entered thewholesale side of the trade. For over seven years he wasagent for the Standard Roller. Bearing Company,Philadelphia, and represented the company in England,France, Belgium and Germany. Mr. Main has anumber of patents to his credit, among them being anextension pedal which was purchased by a Birminghamfirm, and -a combined stand and luggage carrier whichcould be fitted to any cycle. Many thousands of thesestands were sold throughout the country and the WarOffice ordered 5,000 pairs for fitting to the front andrear of cycles used during the South African War.As his business developed, Mr. Main opened branchesin Leamington, Warwick and Leicester, in which lattercity he carried on business for 35 years. His brother,Mr. Tom Main, has been in charge of the branch atLeamington for some so years. Mr. Main and his wifeare now both 81 years of age.


Around the Wheelworld

The Ealing Comes of AgeAL THOUGH it came at the tail end of the

social season the coming -of -age celebra-tion of the Ealing C.C. was none the less alustrous affair. This club which in the spaceof 21 years has done so much to promote a newspirit in cycling circles, and whose strengthis measured by the amount of opposition to it,,ranks high in clubdom, chiefly due to theunremitting endeavours of Jimmy Kain. Atthe 21st annual dinner, prize distributionand concert, held on February 27th at thePark Hotel, Greenford, many celebrities werepresent including the Mayor of Ealing andthe Mayoress (who presented the prizes),S. M. Vanheems, former secretary of theR.R.A., the President of the Ealing Chamberof Commerce, the Chairman of the EalingYouth Organisations, W. J. Mills, andF. J. Camm. Jimmy Kain, President, was inthe chair.

A special feature of the evening was a filmshow of club activities, including shots of theinternational Dover to London Road Race,1946, as well as the Classic Brighton to GlasgowSix -day Road Race. The commentatorwas Mike Peers of the Manchester CoureursRoad Club. There was an excellent musicalprogramme including some splendid singingby Brenda Gayle.

Mr. F. J. Camm in responding to the toastof the club said that it bore the brand ofKain, a hallmark in cycling circles. Hereferred also to the National Shinwell Union-people who remain in office but do notdeliver the goods. He went on to criticisethe subterranean underhand methods adoptedby certain opponents of massed start racingand referred to the discreditable efforts inthe same direction of some who were notassociated with national bodies but whowere linking up with them. It was amost successful evening.

S.R.R.A. Annual DinnerTHE annual dinner of the S.R.R.A. was

held at the Café Royal, Croydon, onFebruary zoth, when the President of theAssociation, Mr. J. Dudley Daymond, was inthe chair. The annual dinner of this associa-tion, which does not, of course, promoteevents, but exists to homologate records madeon its territory, is the only occasion on whichits members can meet and it is always a livelyaffair. This was no exception to the rule.Almost too members and guests sat down todinner. The toast of the Association wasproposed by Albert Lusty of the MidlandR.R.A., and he dealt at some length with the-foundation and history of the S.R.R.A. Theresponse came from Percy A. Huggett, thehon. sec. and treasurer who took over fromArthur Whinnett. Bearing in mind the manyyears' service Whinnett gave to the associationit is likely that a presentation will be madeto him in the near future although he was anotable absentee on this occasion. Therecord breakers were toasted by George A.Reeder, with responses from Frank Southalland Charles B. Roberts. The chairman wastoasted by Mr. F. J. Camm.

A plaque and certificate was presented toC. B. Roberts (Addiscombe C.C.) for breakingthe 12 -hour bicycle record with a mileage of2421 (previous holder L. Kain).

Bidlake Memorial TrustTHE Bidlake Memorial Plaque for 1946

has been awarded to Albert E. G.Derbyshire for his outstanding series of road

By ICARUS

rides during 1946 at 5o miles, TOO miles and12 hours, which gained for him among otherhonours four national championships.

S.C.C.U. Good Friday Meeting

AT the S.C.C.U. Good Friday meeting thefollowing amateur riders will compete :

Cor Bijster, National Sprint Champion ofHolland, the rider who knocked Reg Harrisout of the world's championship at Zurich.

Ray Pauwels, National Sprint Champion ofBelgium. He has also beaten Harris duringthe winter season, and also every other sprinterof note, including Oskar Plattner, the world'schampion ; is, in fact, the most improvedrider since the world's championship.

Ric Van Kerckhove, National RoadChampion of Belgium, who was also third inthe world's championship.

Jan Gieseler, 19 -year -old boy wonder, whohas beaten all corners in pursuit races thiswinter, including the world's champion,Rioland. He is the new flying Dutchman anda great favourite on the Continent. Is no

1947 Handbook and Dates List : The 1947Handbook will be available from March 1st,and will be distributed only through Cluband District Council Secretaries. TheHandbook will contain the current Rules,Regulations, etc. Dates of all open andsemi -open events held under the Council'sRegulations, and those of the S.A.C.A.In addition to details of past champions andbest all-rounders, the winners and timesof 1946 events are given.

Club secretaries are invited to send theirorders, together with the necessary remittance(is. per copy), to S. Amey, " Wynfrith,"Inwood Avenue, Old Coulsdon, Surrey.

The " Cycling Record"

CONGRATULATIONSto the B.L.R.C.

in producing its own journal, the" Cycling Record." It is of newspaperformat, and costs 6d. a month. That thisnew go-ahead' body should have done thismust cause the national bodies a great amountof chagrin.

Guests at the S.R.R.A. Annual Dinner.

sprinter, but rides flat-out and gives all hehas got, with a big smile, all the time.

Both Van Kerckhove and Gieseler arecontemplating riding in an English time trialduring the Easter holidays. At the meetingthey are both riding in a to min. pursuit raceagainst six of our fastest road riders, and alsoin the B.S.A. Gold Column 5 Mile Race.

R.T.T.C. News

AT a meeting of the National Committee,A. E. Armstrong was unanimously

re-elected Chairman of the Committee andS. Amey reappointed National Secretary.

The following sub -committees and delegateswere appointed for 1947

Finance : Messrs. A. E. Armstrong, A. V.Jenner and M. C. Newton.

B.B.A.R. Competition : Messrs. B. W.Best, A. V. Jenner, F. Slemen and W.Townsend.

N.C.U./R.T.T.C. Joint CommitteeMessrs. B. W. Best and W. Townsend.

Central Council for Physical Recreation :Mr. J. W. Rossiter.

National Committee on Cycling : Mr. B.W. Best.

Levy : "The levy was fixed at 3d. perentry for 1947.

An Invitation from ShropshireIT came the other day . . . a letter from an

old cycling friend who would like me tojoin him, this summer, on a little tour inSalop . . . county well known to me, and muchbeloved. County of the fine Clee Hills andof fair Ludlow, proud of that ancient andornate inn " The Feathers " ; county mademore widely known by the charming writingsof Mary Webb .. . who gave us those exquisitenovels " Precious Bane," " Gone to Earth,"and " The Armour wherein he trusted."I should like to cycle again in Shropshire . . .

although I had thought of a tour in Dorset. . . with the delights of Corfe Castle and theHardy country as special lures. But the callof Shropshire is strong, and, maybe, on amorning in July I shall head for the border -country and see again the quaint streets andhouses of Shrewsbury town. . . .

WIRE AND WIRE GAUGESBy F. J. CAMM. 3/6, or by post 3/9 from

George Newnes, Ltd., Tower House,Southampton Street, London,

52

It

itfit

so

Ill

THE CYCLIST

WaysideThoughts

By

F. J. URRY

..r.),

Falkland Palace

the home of dames VI,and waited many limes byMani .queen of Scats

The Coming TimeWE are past winter and are now looking forward to

the Easter break, that beautiful holiday time ofcreamy blossom and shy hedgerow decorations promisingso many fine things to follow. As the seasons roll byI seem to think each in its time of coming is the best,but always there is the promise in spring, the certaintyof some golden days, even in a summer like re46 whenthe sunshine never made us seek the shade, and indeedscarcely brought a film of dampness to my brow. Thechances arc we shall enjoy an improvement this year ofgrace, and even if it happened, as some pessimists aver,that we are slowly slipping back to an ice -age, I'm goingto make the best of the interregnum " twixt now andthe final freeze-up." 'faking all things into con-sideration I've had a fairly comfortable winter eventhough my journeys have never been of long duration,for week -ends. in mid -winter and with a fuel shortagein being, to say nothing of sparse feeding, are not likelyto be recommended unless you know the warmth of thedomestic hearth will match the welcome. On severaloccasions I have had a hasty lunch in unwarmed shelter,and the experience is not quite comfortable, for in theselatter days I like my cycling adventures to possesssomething of the old amenities, and a fire to warm myfeet is among them.

Whither Away ?'THERE was talk at home of making the Isle of Wight

4. headquarters for a family holiday at Easter, if theisland folk will take us. That would stlit me admirably,for it must be a decade since I was ashore on that littleisle and crossed " old Ashey Down to see the Solent'sflashing blue." Wight is a very good place as a centrefor cycling, for everywhere on the island is within easyreach of a day's ride out and home. Nevertheless thejourneys can be made quite strenuous if you go delvingamong the roads and tracks that climb and fiercely fallamong the downlands. As Wight is the land of myfathers I suppose it is natural I should feel an affinityfor that plot of earth, though you can take it from methat if I do go my time will not be spent in looking uprelatives for the purpose of staring at each other andwondering what line of conversation to start.

A Real Gale'THERE are many ways for me to ride to Wight, 'A and which I shall take depends on the time at my

disposal and to some extent the weather. In any caseI shall not be in a hurry, for the time when I madeSouthampton in a day and came home with the sunsetat Sandman or Shanklin has departed. I like to seethings on the way, to sit occasionally, smoke and con -

'template the scene, and perhaps to spend an hour inWinchester's fair before making the last leg of thejourney. It was not ever thus, but as you grow older youif discover the spirit of contemplation is very comfortingand adds another charm to the pleasant pastime ofcycling. I remember riding to Southampton on theFriday of Easter week, 1899, on the wings of a north

gale, the kind of wind itwould have been almostimpossible to ride against.We were a party of fouryoung men, a tandem andtwo singles, and the gale wasso fierce that long beforewe reached Oxford we hadtwice tightened our chainsfor fear the crank end shouldpick up the slack and cause anasty accident either to therider or the bicycle, or both.Remember in those daysthere were no free -wheels,and that we youngstersscorned the old spoon brake,so we were dependent onback-pedalling to checkspeed, and with that galebehind us the job was harderthan the forward travel. Wewent over the ridge of theEdge Hills to:the ChippingNorton plain at a speed Ihave never equalled since,except i n a car, and werein Southampton long beforeour schedule, for that gallantgale levelled the hills andmade the going so rapid thatwe tired of pedalling, theonly time I remember beingweary of the circular whirlof my feet without a touchof tiredness in the propulsivemuscles. That was a rideto remember : but I wouldnot like to wish for myselfsuch a helping gale if I goto Wight this Easter, for thesake of the people whowould be going north.

Not so GoodT HAD thought that on my

work and home journeysI had detected a happierrelationship betweenmotorists and other roadusers. For many weeks thathad been my reaction, andI was happy about it,particularly in view of the -

fact that the steady increasein traffic was filling the roads

faster than I had expected. 'Then came a week ofdisillusionment. On a dozen occasions or more Isaved myself from peril by the instinct that the manbehind me meant coming through whatever the risk.I gave way to save my skin, and, like most people,who are the victims of vulgarity, felt, very cross aboutit. Another aspect of exceedingly bad manners Imet in the period under review was the reckless waysome motorists pass the cyclist, and in the spaceof 20 yards or less pull up dead in front ofhim- causing the necessity for quick retardation-which may mean skidding on a wet road-or riskswinging into the oncoming ttaffic stream. Onlyrarely has one the chance of a word with the peoplewho practise this form of thrusting, and, curiouslyenough, when it does occur they are surprised at thesuggestion that their manners are at complete variancewith the highway code. Once I stopped at a crossingto allow a rather perturbed old lady to pass over in.safety. A lorryman was close behind me at the time,and, presumably because he had to pull up, put hishead out of the window and wanted to know why acouple of adjectival old fools were holding up the citytraffic. Yes, that was rather a bad week, and at the endof it I was in sympathy with the stricter conditions Iunderstand are to be im-posed on driving tests. Yetit seemed to me then, andsubsequent thought hasrather confirmed theopinion, that it isn't drivingtests we need so much as acourse of good manners, inwhich consideration for theother fellow is dominant.

Crude But SoundI NOTICE there arepatterns of chain wheels

and cranks on the marketrejecting the old and triedvalues of the cotter -pinfastening, and very neat andattractive they are. I havenot had the opportunity oftesting the inventions, butno doubt that will come indue course when newbicycles embodying severalminor improvementsbecome available. For along time many riders havewondered why the cotter -pin fastening has held itsown, for it is rather crudeand ugly when comparedwith most other bicyclerefinements. Years ago wehad the Rudge cotterlesscrank and special axle, and itwas good, for I rode an Aero

U

April, 1947

Special so fitted with a fin. pitch chain many thousandsof miles and it served me well. But if it did go wrongit was a problem to fix a roadside repair until one couldcontact a fudge agent, and even then the proper,adjustment or replacing took time and cost quite a -Iof money. It is true that the crank anchorage to a.so widely practised is not ideal ; cranks work loose, `,

and far too frequently owners of such bicycles are a'either too lazy or too ignorant to tap the cotter home'and tighten the nut. Listen for the regular creak.of the loose crank on the way home any night of theweek and you will surely hear it rounding the cutkeyway on the axle, and in time-and not a very long 4time either-making a perfect adjustment impossible.I have just changed a very neat cotter fitting flushwith the crank side, because it would not drive home anyfarther to make a perfect fit. This was a case wherethe expediency of neatness did not obtain the desiredresults, except for a comparatively short time; and I'mrather afraid some of the cotterless crank fastenings Ihave seen recently may fail in this important matterof stability and sound construction. Neatness can bebought at too great a risk to the efficiency, and it seemsto me a long test is necessary before pronouncing onthese inventions.

What Else ?DURING those days when floods were abounding I

went out one Sunday morning to see how thecountryside was faring. It was a horrible morningaccording to common opinion, for it rained in volumeand with that steady persistence that made the fowls ofthe air wear a sad and subdued look. Enveloped indecent macs I rode thirty miles in three and a halfhours, and except for the edges of my coat and dampfeet. due to paddling through a flooded lane (whichought to have ridden but could not guess its depthbecause of the muddy water) was as dry as a bonewhen I arrived home for lunch. And I ask, what elsecould I have done on such a morning in the way ofexercise and recreation ? That is another value ofcycling, you can make experiments with such weatherand thoroughly enjoy it, rather remarkably discoveringthat rain is more unpleasant to the inside than theoutside people. We have no big rivers adjacent toBirmingham, but many little tributaries scarcely noticedin normal times as the wanderer passes over them. Thatmorning they were torrents singing the peen of theirimportance as they rushed the bridges or overflowedthe roads, and one so seldom sees our tiny rivulets ina raging mood that I thoroughly enjoyed my littlejourney. Some cyclists I know hate rain and eschewthe game when the skies are weeping ; I don't blamethem, for they are merely following a public conventionthat dislikes the damp day but on occasions will bendthe knee and pray for rain, which should remind themof its dire necessity.

Style !T WAS reading an ancient volume the other day onA " The Art of Cycling," by Lacy Hillier andA. J. Wilson, champion riders of their time but name'salmost unknown to the present generation, even though '

they were heroes of my boyhood. And one chapterwas devoted to ankling, which these authorities on theordinary and the tricycle tell us is the most importantof the muscular flexities concerned with the pastime,and adds one -fifth to the propulsive power of theindividual who excels in the action. The authorsarrived at this 20 per cent. increase in power by acomplicated system of diagrams and calculations belovedof the early eighties, and while I cannot vouch for theaccuracy of their figures I do know the flick of theankle before and after the main pressure of the downstroke of the pedal makes the stylist, whether he usesthe correctly acquired action for case or speed. Thethruster should note these remarks, for ankling addsso much to the joy of pleasure cycling under all con-ditions, and to the speed of the would-be racing man,that its perfection is worth the trouble of acquisition.

_ -

GLos. A stop by the famous Arline/km Row

f:;)

April, .1947 THE CYCLIST 53

THE " FLUXITE QUINS"AT WORK

Cried 00, "I'll give FLUXITEits due,

This motor is now good as new.But I'm sure all this vigourIs too much for my figure !

Switch off 1 Oh, hurry ! Please do I "

For all SOLDERING work-you need FLUXITE-the paste flux-with which even dirty metals are soldered and " tinned." Forthe jointing of lead-without solder ; and the " running " of whitemetal bearings-without " tinning " the bearing. It is suitablefor ALL METALS-excepting ALUMINIUM-and can be usedwith safety on ELECTRICAL and other sensitive apparatus.

Fluxite joints can be "wiped"successfully that are impossible

by any other methodUsed for over 30 years in Government works and by leadingengineers and manufacturers. Of all Ironmongers-in tins,10d., 1/6 and 3/-. Ask to see the FLUXITE POCKET BLOWLAMP, price 2/6d.aft TO CYCLISTS! Your wheels willIV NOT keep round and true unless thespokes are tied with fine wire at the crossingsAND SOLDERED. This makes a muchstronger wheel. It's simple-with FLUXITE

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THE " FLUXITEGUN puts "FLUX-ITE " where youwant it by a simple

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Write for Book on the ART OF "SOFT" SOLDERING and for Leaflets onCASE -HARDENING STEEL and TEMPERING TOOLS with FLUXITE.

Also on " WIPED JOINTS." Price Id. Each.FLUXITE LTD., Dept. P.M., Bermondsey Street, S.E.I

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repaired.By the AUTOTHERM methodthe damage is sealed, reinforcedand vulcanized in a few minutesat the roadside or elsewhere.It's simple, scientific and inter-esting. Young cyclists are fas-cinated ; their elders delighted.

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54 THE CYCLIST

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CYCLORAMA H NAYELEY

World in WhiteFROM my study window, in mid -February,

I looked out . . . on to a lawn mantledin snow ; so hard was the weather that sea-gulls swooped to the bird -table where, in morenormal times, only the starlings, and sparrows,and finches and robins pick the crumbs ;the dark green of the yew -tree was in sharpcontrast to the white everywhere around.Winter indeed ! And in the village men weretoiling to clear a way over the fields for thefloat which takes the milk to the cross-roads,there to be collected by the giant lorry whichtakes it to the station . . . en route for Londonand the bottling plant. No weather for cycling,but ideal weather for musing upon past toursand trips and for mapping out the route forthat first tour of the Spring.

So We Wait for the Show !A FTER announcements that there would be.C1 a Cycle Show in this year of grace andfuel shortage, we learn that the industry hasdecided to postpone it . . . with hopes that itmay be staged in the autumn of 1948. Probablythe decision is a wise one, for difficulties aremany and great, and it is no use having a showunless it can be up to standard and worthyof our great cycle industry. So we must bepatient and trust that next year will see usclear of many a problem and many a shortage.Meanwhile, let us turn out the bikes !

Statues and MemorialsJUST before the recent arctic spell set in,

I had a pleasant ride into Buckingham-shire and enjoyed the beauty of the laneswhere, in spring -time, the mighty beechesgive shade. I love the country . . . and whenriding along its by -ways always people itwith the good spirits of the past . . . thosegentle spirits like Cowper, and Gray, andWilliam Penn ; and in a little inn nestlingunder the Chilterns I talked with two cyclists,and somehow our conversation got on to thetopic of statues and memorials to famous men.And we chatted about Kirkpatrick Macmillan,

; the inventor of the bicycle. Of course, weknew of the plaque which was placed on hisbirth -place in Scotland, but it was the view of

, my companions in the inn that a great nationalmemorial should be erected to this benefactor

- of the human race. And I must say that Iagreed with this view-all too little has beendone in this respect. The bicycle standsunique as a boon conferred upon us all, andit is but fitting that some worthy and suitablememorial should be erected. What does theNational Committee on Cycling think about it ?

In the lovely .,!Idor rit

EdInqi-om ,

vItit"sh(r=

The clunen any cilke mo,tIke county encredin9 n, ds proetnnons

same of our smaller tetkraals 0.3.41is church a onashlinn.nn.e. ,157.

II onnairo {me O.cogt .

Cycle TyresEVERY cyclist is grateful that they are in

more plentiful supply . . . but it is not yetpossible to purchase many of the well-knownand trusted " named brands " which were sofamiliar before the war. We have to wait forthese, and it is natural and obvious that the tyremanufacturers have many post-war problemsstill to face But the ardentrider always had his own particular preferencefor a given named tyre . . . and naturally hewill welcome their return.

Do Dealers Lack " Display Sense"?FOR my own part, I fear that many of them

do. I was in a cycle dealer's shop theother day, buyingsome trifling item ofequipment, and Iwas struck by the" higgledy-piggledy "way in which thevarious goods wereset out. It was acycle -cum -radio -cum -gramophoneshop, and there wasa fair stock of goods.But they were notdisplayed with anysense of salesmanship.Difficult to get atfrom the shopkeeper'spoint of view;difficult for the pur-chaser to see andselect. It is soimportant . . . thisquestion of shop dis-play. There is needfor the education ofdealers in this matter,and the NationalAssociation mightwell consider" courses " or lecturesfor the better de-velopment of thisvital side of the busi-ness. The purchaseris affected, as wellas the dealer-andin the strenuous daysto come, when realcompetition will again

'40"/*//,

'74

/1/A7i41-11114

IA!qri

Urte1.1..

1.00k1M1C3 towards the greenActshoes of Lox 45I itfrompall,'

way t Ranmore .

be the order of the day, we shall need to beefficient in every branch of retail business.

A Picture from the Past

I'M always fascinated by old photographs,and miss no opportunity of looking

through albums in efforts to discover pictureswhich will send me racing back along theyears to more pleasant and peaceful times thanwe now enjoy. A few days ago, browsingamong some old books, I came across a pageevidently torn from some old bicycle catalogue. . . and I saw a picture of King Edwardthe Seventh, standing beside a bike. Under-neath was the legend " His Majesty with hisBeeston-Humber bicycle ! " What a " flash-back ! " What memories it conjured upof quiet Edwardian days-of sunlit lawnswhere croquet was played with quiet decorum ;of women's quaint cycling costumes ; ofmusic -hall nights, when all the stars twinkledat the Tivoli and Oxford. Just a fadedphotograph, hut the gateway to a gay andcare -free period .. . before the gods of war hadshown us just how destructive they could be !A " Beeston-Humber "-a noted machine,and a name that will live long in the annalsof cycling.

Cycle Oil is Not RationedBUT one might think that it was-from

the sparing use of it by some cyclists,who seem to love squeaks and groans fromtheir mounts, in preference to smooth silkyrunning. Not a bad idea, now that the roadsmake riding very difficult, to give the old bikea thorough overhaul, and use a spot of oil. . . and thoroughly clean that chain, andgo round the tyres . . . and use the pump.Nothing like being properly prepared for thespring, when the sun beckons you out againon to the highroad, the birds greet you fromthe hedgerows, and the trees display theirnew green buds.

S

56 THE CYCLIST

My Point of View

.t0.17, ;

/12

By "WAYFARER

...

-""..-e

National ShortcomingsTHE efforts which are being made by a rather elaborate

body of expensive gentlemen to create a greatervolume of " tourism " in this country, and to attractforeign visitors, are rather pathettc-or, perhaps,amusing. On economic grounds such visitors areurgently desired ; on aesthetic grounds the plan is agood one, because we have so much of beauty, if inminiature, to show foreigners. But there are draw-backs. From the holiday -maker's point of view, wepossess a desperately unreliable climate. From theaccommodation point of view, our system leaves muchto be desired. From the supply point of view, well,what have we to offer visitors so long as rationingendures and the tin-opener flourishes ? Cubes of bully -beef, drowned in warm gravy and provided with aFrench name, deceive nobody-except the mentallydeficient !

As to our hospitality system the Mayor of West-minster has just (at the time of writing) dwelt on "theneed for more politeness in this country, especiallyin hotels, if we wish to encourage tourists. We mustraise our standards of politeness." In my opinion, morethan politeness is required. We need geniality ; we needto .get rid of our cold -shoulder policy ; we shouldexorcise our off -handed methods-our take -it -or -leave-.it ideas. And even more than that is desired. Weneed efficiency. Here is a current example of what islacking in this respect : On a recent Friday afternoon Itelephoned to a first-class country hotel some 6omiles away from home, in order to book night accommo-dation in connection with a forthcoming businessjourney. The reply was that a reservation could notbe made because the Manageress was out, and would Iwrite. I wrote at once, and to days later I am stillawaiting a reply I Needless to say, I have since madeother arrangements, and that first-class hotel knowsnow exactly what I think of it and its methods.

Remembered PlacesHERE is an extract froth a review of a new book

called " Mountain Prospect " : " Stone wallsdo not a prison make, nor barbed wire a cage, whenthe mind can travel unfettered to remembered places.Such was the solace found by Mr. Scott Russell duringthree years of captivity in Japanese hands." I discoveredthe same joy in remembrance during the first WorldWar, when a savage wound confined me to bed forexactly half a year. What a delight it was to transportmyself to those " remembered places " which thebicycle had shown me in days gone by

This reminds me that the other day I called on acycling pal who was recently overtaken by an illnessso serious that the possibility of his never being ableto ride again must be faced. He was very cheerfulabout his unenviable condition. " You have yourmemories," I suggested, and he agreed, whereupon wefell to talking of our exploits along the road and aboutparticular touring districts, and it was good to a'e hisface light up at the mention of familiar names. I cameaway from his house feeling that the mere thought ofthose " remembered places " makes cycling worthwhile for anybody. In point of fact, they are but anadded joy to all the other delights and advantages of ourpastime.

The Dog MenaceTHERE are really only two dangers of the road

which cause me the slightest perturbation.They are both completely. unnecessary and avoidable;they both arise from selfishness and thoughtlessness.

I

Winter HillBerkshire .

the well keowo.beeoty rixtbdweeii. Marlow and Cookkaat..Looking strati titclo Elie first stores of tat Claltttat.

One of those dangers-I am not going to discuss iton the present occasion-is in connection with theoff -side door of motor -cars, so often flung open, withoutwarning, by people who must rank as social pests.The other danger relates to the menace set up by thelicence to wander which is automatically grantedto dogs.

I have said before, and I now repeat a truth which isindisputable, that there is no room in the modernscheme of things for dogs which are allowed to runwild on the public highway, particularly in built-upareas. Many people who profess an affection for thecanine race (an affection which I share) show theirfeelings in a curious way-by allowing their dogs towander at will, and uncontrolled, in the maelstromof traffic. I hate to see a dog killed or maimed ; I hate,far more, to see a brother cyclist thrown from hismachine, or even jeopardised, by these imponderablecanines. I am not personally interested in this aspectof the matter, but the damage done to motor -car tyres,through the sudden necessity of furious braking inorder to avoid hitting a dog, is a point for the concernof many road -users. That is a form of waste-to put '

the thing at its lowest-which ought to be prevented.As a- cyclist, however, I am becoming, increasinglynervous in connection with the dog menace. Beingthrown violently on to the roadway is no longer abobby of mine, and the possibility of damage to one'sclothing in these couponed days is quite serious.

Full Head of SteamTHE girl cyclist who sat near me at lunch the other

Sunday was furiously voluble on the subjectof rear -lights, mainly because of the poor qualityof the batteries She had been buying. On the previousevening, she said, she had been let down, the batteryin position failing her, and two spares providing asimilar negative performance. She characterised thesale of such rubbish as an act of obtaining money byfalse pretences and I fancy that she felt better whenshe had finished blowing off steam. Personally, Ihave had my share of battery trouble, but feel that thequality. of the goods supplied has improved withinrecent months, though it still falls short of perfection.

I am now hoping to obtain longer life, and fewerfailures, through a slight alteration in my technique.My bicycles are stored in a rather cold place, and myimpression is that batteries prefer a warmer climate.After a ride, therefore, I unship the essential part of thecontainer and lodge the battery on a shelf in theback -kitchen, where the always -burning fire providesa certain amount of heat. It is also my impressionthat a battery is all the better for being kept out of itscontainer. I do not know where that idea came from,but, in case there is anything in it, I make a point ofkeeping the two units apart.

Asking the WayTHE frequency, with which one finds, on asking the

way, that ' I'm a stranger here " is notorious.In my experience there are two equally helpful variantsto be expected. The first is the doddery old gentlemanwho tells you that the place you want is just a mileahead, and, as he is going in that direction, he willshow you the way. So you settle down to dawdlealong at a mile an hour-unless you are strong mindedand suddenly discover that you are in a tremendoushurry. The second variant is that the man fromwhom you seek information stammers badly-poorchap !-and you have to exercise all the patience youpossess while he tells you what you desire to know.

April, 1947

A new experience came to me one day recently whenI was looking for a house I wanted in the country. Thewoman who was unloading information on to me mayhave known what I required: she certainly lacked theskill to give it to me. At last I tried to tie her down thus :" When I reach the main road at the end of this lane,which way do I turn-left or right?" She ansveered" Yes "-and I disappeared over the horizon as fast asmy wheels would carry me !

DisserviceARECENT issue of this periodical contained a

paragraph relating to the recalcitrant attitude ofcertain Loughborough cyclists who apparently persistin the belief that they are immune from the rules andregulations regarding the use of one-way streets. Ifsuch inimunity were a fact, then cyclists-in Lough-borough and everywhere else-would be equally freeto ignore pedestrian crossings, halt signs and automaticsignals, thus reducing to chaos all measures for thecontrol of traffic and the safety of road -users. It needhardly be said-however unnecessary it may be to sayit-that cyclists are not accorded any special privilegesin the respects indicated above, and a moment's thoughtwould reveal the utter absurdity of any suggestion tothe contrary. Moreover, the deliberate flouting of theseregulations by a small minority of cyclists constitutes aprofound disservice to the cycling movement as a whole,and I,- for my part, would welcome-and encourage-police action to put an end to such reprehensible andinexcusable behaviour on the part of a few members ofthe pedalling brigade.

FinancialON meeting a friend one evening just before Christmas

I mildly criticised the price of as. which had beencharged on a Sunday club -run for a poor specimen ofan eighteenpenny tea. He disarmed me, momentarily,by saying that he had ordered for 14, while only seventurned up, and he thought that something should bedone, financially, to compensate the caterer. I said nomore, but it struck me later that the position was ratherridiculous, the clubmen who supported the fixturebeing penalised on account of those who stayed away !While the cash involved was quite immaterial, theprinciple is important and, if carried out on a large scale,might tend to destroy club life.

The remedy is a simple one and is observed by anumber of clubs through the medium of a fund which isset up and fed by a penny levy at all fixtures. Thusmoney is always available to compensate a caterer onthose occasions when there is a serious shortage in theattendance on a run due to " bad " weather, or otherwise.This seems to me to be a wise plan and to remove thepossibility of an awkwardthe same time it should be borne in mind that a pay-ment, in respect of absentees, of something less than thenormal charge is called for, seeing that the catererremains in possession of the food which would otherwisehave been consumed. Nevertheless, it is better to erron the side of generosity, thus recognising that thecaterer has been given some trouble to no purpose.

The Quickest WayAN . early December day produced for us in the

Midlands one of the worst fogs I remember. Ihappened not to be cycling-it was a mid -week affairwhen .I was busily engaged in my office-but a couple ofdays later I was talking to two friends who had beenawheel, if only to the extent of riding home from work.One of them-an old racing cyclist-said that he hadgone to business in his car that morning, but was notprepared to return by the same method. Not having abicycle available at the works, he " got one together "and rode it home, making very good time. The otherfriend said that he had cycled home, as usual, and thatthe journey took him only a very few minutes longerthan the usual time required. So, you see, the bicycleoccasionally represents the quickest way of travel, andthe most convenient.

The UnexpectedPARADOXICAL

though it may appear, theunexpected is actually among the things which

may be expected to happen to cyclists from timeto time ! One Sunday morning last summer I wasen route for my usual country rendezvous for lunch.In a busy suburban road I observed a boy amusinghimself by jumping between the road and the kerb-stone. As a precaution, and because there was notroom to manoeuvre, I tinkled' my bell, and the ladleaped to the sidewalk. Failing to secure his balance,however, he fell back to the road in an upright positionjust as I was passing, and my left pedal caught himon the calf of the leg, fortunately without bringing ratedown.

That very evening, as I was quietly making myhome through secluded lanes, I was suddenly struelton the top of the head by a fair-sized pebble. Inquiriesshowed that one of the village lads made a habit ofroaming the fields and lobbing stones on to the road.Seeing red, in various intense shades, I went in searchof this human menace, and-fortunately I-failed tpfind him. I saw his mother, however, and she promisedthat his father would deal faithfully with the miscreanton his return, though corporal punishment had so farfailed to break a very unpleasant and dangerous habit.

On another occasion-a Saturday afternoon-Idecided to get out of town by a quiet route which would

- enable me to avoid the traffic. Vain hope I Rounding acurve, I came upon two boys who were manipulating aplank on wheels. As I passed, they turned the con-traption into me, causing me to hit Birmingham for six.In fact, when the matter was investigated, it was foundthat I had collected no fewer than t3 wounds (unluckynumber, 13), while my jacket was ruined and my handle-

- bar was bent.

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