Leveling up a Line Shaft

How can I level up a line shaft to get a uniform weight on all the bearings?—R. L. W.

In the accompanying sketch is shown at device for leveling shafting, which has been found to give satisfaction. The hangers, A, are made of wood and are cut at an angle of 45° at the top end, so that they will fit different sized shafts, and a slot is cut at a to receive the straight edge C. The hangers are placed on the shaft to be tried, at any convenient place as near the bearings as possible, and the straight edge placed in the slots, in which it should fit tight. Then by placing the spirit level, D, on the parallel part of the straight edge, it will be seen whether the shaft is level or not. It is best if the hangers be made of hard wood.

ID

DEVICE FOR LEVELING SHAFTING.

Electric Arc Welding

Will you please explain the process of electric arc welding?—T. J.

The electric arc welding system, sometimes called the Benardo's System, after a Russian, Benardo, who perfected it, is operated by a plant of low tension, direct current. A flexible lead goes from the generator, G, to a carbon pencil held in an insulated holder as shown in the

To Remove Ink From Linen

How can I remove ink stains from table linen?-H. G. T.

The material requiring treatment should first be soaked in clean, warm water, the superfluous moisture removed, and the fabric spread over a clean cloth. Now allow a few minims of liquor ammoniae fortis, specific gravity 0.891, to drop on the ink spot, then saturate a tiny tuft of absorbent cottonwool with acidum phosphoricum dilutum, B. P., and apply repeatedly and with firm pressure over the stain; repeat the procedure two or three times, and finally rinse well in warm water, afterwards drying in the sun, when every trace of ink will have vanished. This method is equally reliable for old and fresh ink stains, is rapid in action, and will not injure the most delicate fabric.

To remove ink spots the fabric is soaked in warm water, then it is squeezed out and spread upon a clean piece of linen. Now apply a few drops of liquid ammonia of a specific gravity of 0.891 to the spot, and dab it next with a wad of cotton which has been saturated with dilute phosphoric acid. After repeating the process several times and drying the piece in the sun, the ink spot will have disappeared without leaving the slightest

trace.

.500 parts

Thick

The customary method of cleansing ink spots is to use oxalic acid. blotting paper is soaked in a concentrated solution and dried. It is then laid

immediately on the blot, and in many instances will take the latter out without leaving a trace behind. In more stubborn cases the cloth is dipped in boiling water and rubbed with crystals of oxalic acid, after which it is soaked in a weak solution of chloride of lime-say one ounce to a quart of water. Under such circumstances the linen should be thoroughly rinsed in several waters after⚫ wards. Oxalic acid is undesirable for certain fabrics because it removes the color.

Here is a more harmless method: Equal parts of cream of tartar and citric acid, powdered fine, and mixed together. This forms the "salts of lemon" sold by druggists. Procure a hot dinner plate, lay the part stained in the plate, and moisten with hot water; next rub in the above powder with the bowl of a spoon until the stains disappear; then rinse in clean water and dry.

the rails. Over the rope is a slot in which travels a flat arm of steel connecting the grip car with the grip which grasps the cable. The flat arm is in three pieces, the two outer ones constituting a frame which carries the lower jaw of the grip with grooved rollers, RR, at each end of it over which the cable runs when the grip is not in action. The upper jaw A is carried by the middle piece which slides within the outer frame and can be depressed by a lever pressing the cable first on the rollers and then on the lower jaw until it is firmly held. The speed of the cable is thus imparted to the car gradually and without a jerk. Due to the weight and slack in the cable, it is necessary to have pulleys in the vault on which the cable rests. The bottom part of the grip of which the rollers, RR, are the lowest points, clears the tops of these pulleys, thus the rope only rests on the pulleys in the vault when there is no car above it.

nickel especially is this the case, as traces of oxide will cause it to show dark streaks. Finger marks will in any event render the deposit liable to peel off.

Cleansing is generally accomplished either by boiling in strong solution of potassium hydrate, or, when possible, by heating to redness in a blow-pipe flame, or by burning off any adhesive grease, and then soaking in a pickle of dilute sulphuric acid to remove any oxide formed during the heating. In either case it is necessary to subject the article to a process of scratch brushing afterwards; that is, long continued friction with wire brushes under water, which not only removes any still adhering oxide, but renders the surface bright.

To certain metals, as iron, nickel, and zinc, metallic deposits do not readily adhere. This difficulty is overcome by first coating them with copper in a bath composed as follows:

all the copper acetate being converted into carbonate, add the sodium bisulphite, dissolved in another 20 parts of water; lastly, add the potassium cyanide, dissolved in the remainder of the water. The finished product should be a colorless liquid.

If a dynamo is not available for the production of a current, a Daniell's battery is to be recommended, and the "tank" for a small operation may be a glass jar. The jar is crossed by copper rods in connection with the battery; the metal to be deposited is suspended from the rod in connection with the positive pole, and is called the anode. The articles to be coated are suspended by thin copper wires from the rod in connection with the negative pole; these form the cathode. The worker should bear in mind that it is very difficult to apply a thick coating of nickel without its peeling.

Automatic Gas Lighting

Please describe the automatic electric gas lighting system with diagram.—A. M.

Gas lighting by electricity is accomplished by means of a hot electric spark at the burner. The automatic burners are those in which the gas is turned on by an electro-magnet at the same time the spark is caused at the burner. This burner has two platinum pointed brass pins which are driven into the gas plug extension and a brass base. A foundation for the connecting screws is furnished by a small rubber insulating block. As the ratchet wheel revolves, connection is made with the brass pins. in the gas plug extension by two German silver flat springs attached to the block. The magnet has two coils, as may be

II. Potassium cyanide

2 parts

Copper acetate, in crystals..

2 parts

Sodium carbonate, in crys

tals ..

2 parts

Sodium bisulphite

2 parts

Water

...100 parts

Moisten the copper acetate with a small quantity of water and add the sodium carbonate dissolved in 20 parts. of water. When reaction is complete,

Spark Coil

Hill Local Battery

DIAGRAM OF AUTOMATIC GAS LIGHTING. FIG. 1.

nected in series with the double push button as shown in the illustration. The leads should be number 18 B. & S. G. rubber covered wire with number 22 B. & S. G. triple covered wire on the gas fixtures.

Run a wire from the zinc pole of the battery to one of the spark coil binding posts. From the other binding post on the coil run a wire to the nearest convenient gas pipe. File the pipe clean and wrap about three feet of the uncovered wire firmly around the pipe and solder it. fast for a ground connection. Be sure that the ground is a water or gas service pipe, as a waste pipe for instance may not connect with the ground. It is sometimes necessary to bridge over the meter, as the metallic connection between the pipe and meter may be poor. Run a wire

from the left-hand spring of the push button to the turning off wire of the burner and one from the right-hand spring to the lighting wire of the burner. Run another wire from the center strip of the push button to the carbon pole of the battery. This will complete the circuit as shown in figure number 2 and the gas may be lighted or extinguished by pressing the light or dark buttons.

In order to prevent trouble from a continued short circuit between the battery wire and the gas pipe, the following plan is often used. A small local battery is connected in series with the bell and a small soft armature is fastened on the end of the spark coil so that when the connection in the lighting circuit is complete, the current flowing through the spark coil energizes the magnet and completes the connection at A as shown in figure 1. This would cause the bell to ring and attract attention. Of course, the alarm bell will ring every time the gas is lighted or extinguished, so the bell should be placed where it will not be annoying.

To connect the same automatic burner with more than one button, run wires from the switch board to the central brass strip of each button. Run wires from each wire in the burner to the farthest button and connect as in the single button at white with the lighting and at black with the shutting off wire. Branch wires should be run to the other buttons in the same way.

To light more than one burner from the same button plate, two buttons are required for a single burner, four for two burners, six for three, etc. Run a wire from the battery to the brass button and connect it with all the center strips on the back of the plate. Run separate wires from the black and white buttons in the first set and connect with burner, number 1, as with the single automatic. Run separate wires from both brass buttons in the second set and connect in the same manner with burner number 2, and so on with all the other sets.

An eight or ten inch spark coil is sufficient to light coal gas. A switch near the battery can be turned off in case of trouble and the battery saved from running down.