How? or, Spare Hours Made Profitable for Boys and Girls
Part 1
How?
HOW?
OR
Spare Hours Made Profitable
For Boys & Girls
By Kennedy Holbrook.
Illustrated.
New York:
Worthington Co., 747 Broadway.
1887.
Copyright, 1886, By WORTHINGTON CO.
PREFACE.
Although this book is ostensibly a “boy’s book,” many things which it contains are equally useful to girls; and have been tried by the latter with entirely satisfactory results. In fact, it was to afford amusement and occupation, on rainy Saturdays and during the long vacation, to the children of both sexes in my own family, that the book was first written; and it was only an afterthought which led me to give it to the public.
Everything it contains has been deduced from my own experience or that of some trustworthy friend. While it has been my aim to meet the wants of children of all ages and in every condition of life, I have studiously avoided every subject which might be a source of anxiety to the most careful parent.
It is with the hope that this little work may fulfill its mission in other families where it may be received, as happily as it has done in mine, that I send it on its way.
THE AUTHOR.
OCTOBER, 1886.
INDEX.
Æolian harp, the, 68
Air, earth, or the sea?, 244
Alum, crystals, methods of coloring, 25
Amusing experiment with tooth-picks, 17
Animated fire, 26
Annealing (repoussé), 180
Antiques and horribles, 230
Aquarium, the, 186; the author’s freshwater aquarium, 189; trouble of keeping a gold fish globe, 190; plants for fresh-water aquarium, _ib._; artificial aeration, 191; salt-water aquarium, 191; preparing rock-work for, 192; minnows, 191; sticklebacks, 195; nest of stickleback, 197; hermit crabs, 198; snails, 199; medusæ, sea-anemones, 200; serpulæ, 203
Arithmetical curiosity, an, 274
Arithmetical trick, an, 37
Baby, a box-sled for, 44
Basket, a hanging, 118
Balancing doll, the, 20
Balancing pin, the, 44
Ball, a good, 16
Bangle bracelet, a, 184
Barometer, a boy’s, 18
Barometer, an infallible, 19
Battledore and Shuttlecock, 251
Birds, Japanese paper, 78
Blow-pipe, how to make a, 27
Boats, paper, 83
Boats, papier-maché, 90
Book, how to make a, 11
Boomerang, the, 20
Boot puzzle, the, 57
Boston clapper, the, 71
Bottles, to cut the top from, 18
Bottle imp, the, 107
Bottle, the obedient, 281
Boxes, paper, 119
Box-sled for baby, 44
Boy’s barometer, a, 18
Boy’s solar microscope, a, 216
Bracelet, a bangle, 184
Brackets, an idea for, 115
Brass, hammered, or repoussé, 175
Bridge, the triple, 283
Bubbles, soap, 31
Bubbles, resin, 32
Burning the center from a handkerchief, 304
Button-hole, to pull a string through a, 314
Camera obscura, 144-154; principle of camera, 145; camera with horizontal screen, 146; a simpler form, 149; the sketching camera, 150; the darkened room, 152
Camping-out cooking-stove, a, 308
Captain S’s peg puzzle, 238
Cars, a set of, 47
Cards, the three magical, 33
Card-receiver, papier-maché, 75
Card-receiver, repoussé, 179
Checkers, 256
Chickens, the musical, 235
Chinese rope feat, 312
Christmas presents, 113, 318; the ornamental egg, 113; trinket-holder, 114; an idea for brackets, 115; cone and twig bracket, 116; pebble vase, 117; cone and twig hanging-basket, 118; shaving-case, 123; puzzles, 318, 321
Circle, how to make a, 268
Circus, the magnetic, 269
Clapper, the Boston, 71
Coin, how to palm a, 287
Coin, how to pass a, 288
Compass, a home-made, 265
Cone and twig bracket, 116
Cone and twig hanging-basket, 118
Cooking-stove, a camping-out, 308
Corn-stalk fiddle, 64
Counter puzzle, the, 38
Countenance, necessity of a sober, 311
Cross puzzle, the, 320
Crystallize grass, seed-vessels, etc., how to, 24
Crystals, how to color alum, 25
Crystal vase, the, 317
Curiosity, an arithmetical, 274
Dancer, the pith, 280
Danger of repetition, 291
Darkened room, the, 152
Dart, the self-rectifying, 43
Days in a month, number of, one way to find, 274
Dispatcher, the magic, 297
Divided square puzzle, 14
Doll, the balancing, 20
Easy proof for sums in multiplication, an, 41
Egg, the ornamental, 113
Egg, the perambulating, 295
Egg, the tumbling, 82
Egg, to produce raised figures on, 273
Electrical experiments, 275
Electrophorus, the, 276
Electrophorus, a simple, 277
Electrophorus ebonite, 279
Experiment with electricity, 275
Experiment with flower-seeds, 141
Experiment with tooth-picks, 17
Experiment with two pieces of glass, 15
Face, the grimacing, 15
Fan, from Nagasaki, a, 323
Feat, Chinese rope, 312
Fiddle, corn-stalk, 64
Fire, animated, 26
Fire, a new way to kindle a, 263
Flower-seeds, experiment with, 141
Flying whirligig, the, 10
Fountain, a simple, 322
Foxing, 179
Frame for impressions of plants, 87
Frame for a plaque, 185
Freight train, a, 51
Friction, light produced by, under water, 138
Game, an optical, 37
Garden, a winter, 54
Garden, a mineral, 316
Glass, experiment with two pieces of, 15
Glass, how to blow, 27
Good ball, a, 16
Grimacing face, the, 15
Grasses, how to crystallize, 24
Half-dollar, how to melt and re-coin, 301
Halos, the three, 82
Hammered brass, or repoussé, 175
Handkerchief, burning center from, 304
Hanging-basket, a, 118
Harp, æolian, 68
Hat, the inexhaustible, 291
Hat trick, another, 294
Home-made compass, a, 265
Hour of the day, how to tell the, by the left hand, 128
How to blow glass, 27
How to break a string, 63
How to crystallize grasses, seed-vessels, etc., 24
How to cut the tops from glass bottles, 18
How to make a book, 11
How to make a blow-pipe, 27
How to make a circle, 268
How to melt and re-coin a half-dollar, 301
How to melt stones, 31
How to palm a coin, 287
How to pass a coin, 288
How to pull a string through a button-hole, 324
How to rob Peter and pay Paul, 289
How to skeletonize leaves, 141
How to take impressions of plants, 86
How to take portraits, 60
How to tell the hour of the day by the left hand, 128
Idea for brackets, an, 115
Imp, the bottle, 107
Impressions of plants, how to take, 86
Impressions of plants, frame for, 87
Inertia, illustration of, 284
Inexhaustible hat, the, 291
Infallible barometer, an, 19
Japanese paper bird, 78
Jew’s-harp, the spirit, 261
Leather work, 123-128; in Russia, 124; “Cuir Bouilli,” 125; a panel of leather work, 126-128
Leaves, how to skeletonize, 141
Left hand, to tell the hour of the day by, 128
Leyden jar, a, 279
Light produced by friction under water, 138
Locomotive, the toy, 48
Lot of paper windmills, a, 52
Magical cards, the three, 33
Magic dispatcher, the, 297
Magic rope, the, 307
Magic telescope, 22
Magnetic circus, the, 269
Melt and re-coin a half-dollar, how to, 301
Melt stones, how to, 31
Method of coloring alum crystals, 25
Microscope, a boy’s solar, 216
Mineral garden, a, 316
Miniature yacht and how to rig her, 331
Month, one way to find the number of days in a, 274
More elaborate panorama, a, 165
Multiplication, an easy proof for sums in, 41
Musical chickens, the, 235
Nagasaki, a fan from, 323
Necessity of a sober countenance, 311
New way to kindle the fire, a, 263
Number thought of by a person, to tell the, 37
Numbers, two or more, to tell, 40
Obedient bottle, the, 281
Objects, some, for solar microscope, 225
Octagon puzzle, the, 318
One way to find the number of days in a month, 274
Optical game, an, 37
Ornamental egg, the, 113
Ornament for boys to make, 26
Palm a coin, how to, 287
Panel of leather work, a, 126
Panorama, the toy, 160-172; panorama of former generation, 161-162; simplest form of toy panorama, 163-165; a more elaborate panorama, 165-172.
Paper bird, the Japanese, 78-81; paper boats, 83-86; paper boxes, 119-122; a lot of paper windmills, 52-54; a fan from Nagasaki, 323
Papier-maché, 73; materials for, 74; process of working, 74-75; card-receiver, 75; umbrella-holder, 76; vase, _ib._; papier-maché flowers, 77; papier-maché boats, 90-92
Pass a coin, how to, 288
Pebble vase, the, 117
Peg puzzle, Captain S’s, 238
Perambulating egg, the, 295
Photographic printing, 154
Pin, the balancing, 44
Pith dancer, the, 280
Plaque, frame for, 185
Plants, how to take impressions of, 86
Plants, frames for impressions of, 87
Portraits, how to take, 60
Presents, Christmas, 113, 318
Proof, an easy, for sums in multiplication, 41
Puppet, the windmill, 7
Puzzle, the boot, 57
Puzzle, the counter, 38
Puzzle, the cross, 320
Puzzle, the octagon, 318
Puzzle, peg, Captain S’s, 238
Puzzle, the square, 321
Puzzle, the divided square, 14
Raised figures on an egg, to produce, 273
Re-coin a half dollar, how to, 301
Regatta windmill, 215
Repetition, danger of, 291
Repoussé work for boys, 172-184; Nubian bracelets, 172; hammer for repoussé work, 175; other tools for repoussé work, 176; marking the design, _ib._; plaque in hammered brass, 177; composition for deep work, 178; card receiver, 179; foxing, _ib._; annealing, 180; a salver in repoussé, 181; a silver bangle for a bracelet, 182; a bangle bracelet, 184
Resin bubbles, 32
Ring toss, 255
Ring trick, the Turkish, 299
Rob Peter and pay Paul, how to, 289
Room, the darkened, 152
Rope, the magic, 307
Rope feat, the Chinese, 312
Salver in repoussé, 181
Schooner yacht, a, 345
Screw-propeller windmill, the, 210
Sea-mosses, 226-230; where found, _ib._; how, 227; how to arrange on paper, 227-229; more elaborate arrangements, 229-230
Self-rectifying dart, the, 43
Set of cars, a, 47
Shaving-case, a, 123
Side-wheeler windmill, the, 211
Simple form of camera, a, 149
Simple electrophorus, a, 277
Simple fountain, a, 322
Siphon, a, 28
Skeletonize leaves, how to, 141
Sketching camera, the, 150
Slate games for children, 243
Sloop yacht, 336
Snake, the, 13
Soap bubbles, 31
Sober countenance, necessity of, 311
Solar microscope, a boy’s, 216
Solitaire, 249
Some electrical experiments, 275
Spirit jew’s-harp, the, 261
Square puzzle, the divided, 14
Square puzzle, the, 321
Steam-boat, the toy, 93
Stencils, 130-137; method of making, 133; collection of stencils in book-form, 135; color decoration with stencils, 136-137
Stones, to melt, 31
String, how to break a, 63
String, how to put a string through a button-hole, 314
String, how to unite a parted, 314
Sums in multiplication, an easy proof for, 41
Telescope, the magic, 22
Telescope, a, which a boy can make, 110
Tit-tat-to, 243
Thirty-one, 246
Three halos, the, 82
Tooth-picks, an amusing experiment with, 17
Toy panorama, the, 160
Toy steam-boat, the, 93
Train, a freight, 51
Trick, an arithmetical, 47
Trick, Turkish ring, 299
Trick, another hat, 294
Trinket-holder, 114
Tumbling egg, the, 82
Turks and Russians, 245
Twig and cone bracket, 116
Two pieces of glass, experiment with, 15
Vase, the crystal, 317
Vase, the pebble, 117
Vase, a papier-maché, 76
Windmills, 204-216; the wooden windmill, 206-209; mode of mounting the windmill, 210; the screw-propeller, 210-211; the side-wheeler, 212-214; the regatta windmill, 215
Winter garden, a, 54
Whirligig, the flying, 10
Xylophone, the, 65
Yacht, the miniature, and how to rig her, 331-352; miniature yacht regattas, 334; model of yacht, 335; making the hull, 336-337; how to cast and attach a lead keel, 337-338; the deck, 338; bowsprit and rudder, 339; mast and other spars, 340; standing rigging, 341-342; sails, 343; running rigging, 344-345; a schooner yacht, 345; spars and stays for a schooner yacht, 346-349; belaying, bolt ropes, reef-points, 350; painting the miniature yacht, 350-351; flags, 352
HOW?
OR,
SPARE HOURS MADE PROFITABLE.
―――――◀▶―――――
THE WINDMILL PUPPET.
This amusing little puppet is very easily constructed, and, like several other mechanical toys in this book, furnishes much entertainment for the little folks. Even the baby will sit in her high chair, half-hours together, watching the little man turning his crank, while she claps her tiny hands and crows at so delightful an exhibition of untiring energy.
Cut from cardboard a disc like Fig. 2, which shall measure about six inches across; then by means of a ruler draw the lines _a b c d_; half-way between these points make four others, corresponding to _e f g h_; and lastly, between all these, still another set of lines. Make the circle, _m_, one-and-a-half inches in diameter, and with a pair of sharp scissors cut through all these lines, to the edge of the smaller ring. Bend one edge of each of these triangular pieces slightly upward, as indicated by the shading, and the opposite edge downward; also bend a piece of wire a foot long, so as to form the crank indicated in the illustration.
Next make a frame-work for the figure to rest upon: this should consist of a three-cornered piece of wood, six inches long for the bottom, a stick six or seven inches long for the upright, and lastly, the support for the upper part of the wire, with a small hole in one end for the latter to pass through. Fasten these pieces together with small brad-nails, and secure the upright to the bottom piece by a screw or nail passing up from below. The wire, having the crank already bent in the proper place, may now be passed up through the hole, and the other end sunk down into another, bored a short distance into the bottom board, directly below the upper one. Then the wire may be fastened to the windmill, by passing it through a little one side, then back again through on the other side of the center; twisting the end once or twice about the main stem beneath the windmill; it now turns with the windmill, and it is needless to say that the friction in the holes should be as slight as possible.
The figure is to be cut from a piece of cardboard and is made in five pieces. The lower half, which comprises the box, legs, and body up to the dotted line, is in one piece; the head and body to the lower edge of the belt, consists of two pieces, cut precisely alike, and lapping on either side of the lower part of the body over the dotted line, to give strength to the image. A pin passed through the belt, and bent down on the other side, will hold it in place, and allow sufficient play to the figure. There are two arms, cut from the same pattern, and pivoted at the shoulders with another pin. The hands are finally brought together, with the crank between them, and lightly secured on either side with two or three stitches.
To impart life to this creation, it is placed over a furnace register through which the hot air is briskly rising. If the machine works easily, the current of air above a stove may suffice.
―――――◀▶―――――
THE FLYING WHIRLIGIG.
This amusing toy consists of an empty spool with two pins driven into its head, as seen in the figure. With a pair of pliers break off the heads of the pins before driving them in position, then take a piece of soft wood and make a spindle, like that represented in the figure at _A_, and drive another headless pin into the small end. Lastly, cut from a piece of cardboard a figure like the one marked _B_, making three holes, _a a a_, with the point of a darning-needle, corresponding to the two pins in the spool and the one in the spindle.
Bend the edges marked _x_ and _y_ in opposite directions.
Now place the spool on the spindle and wind a piece of twine around the spool; then place the piece of pasteboard upon the top, letting the pins pass up through the row of holes in its center.
Holding the machine upright in the left hand, with a quick movement of the right, jerk the string from the spool, and the cardboard will fly through the air with a very graceful motion.
If stripes of color are added to the ends, as seen in the cut, a much prettier effect is produced while the whirligig is in operation. These stripes can be painted in red, white, and blue water colors, or may be formed by pasting on narrow strips of bright-colored paper.
If the first trial does not succeed, wind the string in the other direction, or put on the “card flyer,” with the other side next the spool. The same causes which make it soar away in the one case will hold it yet more firmly to the spool in the other.
―――――◀▶―――――
HOW TO MAKE A BOOK.
Do any of my boy readers know how to make a book? Not the fine volumes turned out by the thousand in our great publishing houses, but the little individual books made by boys and girls, and needing for their construction only an old used-up ledger, a small tin pan of paste, and scraps cut from newspapers or books. These bits may consist simply of poems, or they may be “a little of all sorts.”
I recently saw a very nice book of this kind made by a boy of twelve, which was composed entirely of humorous pictures and jokes, culled from several illustrated and daily papers, one or two almanacs, and various other chance publications, which he had collected during the year. Whenever he found any bright or witty thing, he would carefully preserve the clipping by putting it in a large paper box he kept in a convenient place for that purpose.
He reserved the pasting for rainy days and winter evenings, and as he took much pains with the arrangement and neat appearance of his book, this operation was necessarily slow, and formed a pleasant occupation for many hours which would otherwise have been wasted.
In making such a book, do not try to complete it in a week or even a month, but let it, like my boy friend’s, furnish amusement for a year.
Get your father and mother interested, and ask them to save any scraps they may see, and think appropriate for the purpose.
A handsomely bound scrap-book, specially designed for this use, would certainly be the most desirable thing to have; but if such a book cannot be obtained, an old ledger does very nicely in its place, and if, after it is completed, you cover it carefully with a piece of smooth brown paper and print its title neatly on the back, it will look very well on any table where you may wish to keep it.
If the latter is used, cut from it every other two leaves, reserving the third, through the book. Next be careful to trim all your clippings neatly, leaving no extra paper beyond the edges. Fit the different slips nicely on the pages, filling the little spaces left from the longer articles with any little jokes or bits of poetry you may have. Frequently a whole piece of newspaper poetry is hardly worth preserving, but some one of its stanzas may be very pretty and just the thing to fill up a place you may have left.
It is well to collect all these little things you can find, for they always come in nicely when pasting, and your book looks much better when finished if the original surface is entirely covered.
―――――◀▶―――――
THE SNAKE.
Cut from a piece of Bristol board, or stiff paper, a circle measuring four inches in diameter; then with a pencil mark it like Fig. _A_. With your paints and pencil make its head as nearly like a snake’s as possible; and mark the body with stripes or checks, as your fancy may dictate. Cut through the deep black line, put a pin through the dot on the tail, and drive it into a slender stick of wood, which must be held or caught over the stove or register. The rising current of heated air causes the snake to revolve and apparently writhe, in a very natural manner. This little toy, so simple in its construction, affords an endless amount of entertainment to the little folks of the family, and is well worth the trouble and time you may spend in making it.
The hot air from a lamp or gas jet will also impart activity to this mimic reptile.
―――――◀▶―――――
THE DIVIDED SQUARE PUZZLE.
Take a square of paper or cardboard, and cut it into four pieces, as shown in the engraving. Now try to put them back in the form of a square. This seemingly simple puzzle, has kept our young people busy a whole evening, and was only accomplished at last by marking each piece before it was cut apart.
―――――◀▶―――――
EXPERIMENT WITH TWO PIECES OF GLASS.
Procure two pieces of glass about six inches square, join any two of their sides, and separate the opposite sides with a piece of wax, so that their surfaces may be at a slight angle; immerse this apparatus about an inch in a basin of water, and the water will rise between the plates and form a beautiful geometrical figure called a hyperbola.
―――――◀▶―――――
THE GRIMACING FACE.
Take a card one-and-one-half inches wide, and fold around it a piece of unruled note paper, so that the card can easily slide up and down; then paste this case on the under side. Now cut three holes in the paper for the eyes and mouth, as seen in _A_; place the strip of card within this and mark the points for the eyes and root of tongue; then slipping it out once more, the eyes can be carefully finished, and the tongue cut to fit in the mouth, and to extend some distance down on the chin, see Fig. _B_. Then by putting the two pieces together, pulling the tongue in its place through the opening, very amusing expressions can be produced, by simply moving the pasteboard up and down in the paper. Fig. _C_ represents the two parts put together.
―――――◀▶―――――
A GOOD BALL.
Take a round, well shaped orange; cut it evenly into quarters, numbering them at one end to aid in putting the parts together again. Next cut out of kid four pieces exactly like the four pieces of orange peel; then, with strong linen thread, sew over and over three seams, thus joining the four pieces, but leaving one seam open. In putting together be careful to place 1 next to 2, and so on, just as they were in the orange. Ravel out an old yarn stocking, or cut into narrow strips an old cashmere one, and after making a little round ball of any soft woolen material, commence winding it evenly with the raveled yarn, trying occasionally if it is near the size of the kid covering. When nearly large enough wind it in such a way that it shall just fit the cavity, and then carefully sew up the remaining side.
Great care should be exercised in forming the inner ball, and in cutting the kid. The wrists of old kid gloves make capital coverings. An old rubber overshoe cut in very fine strips and wound carefully, forms a nice center, but it is better to use the soft wool yarn next the cover, as it is more pliable and makes a better shaped ball.
Prepare this ball during your leisure moments in the long winter evenings; and it will then be ready for the first game, when the bright spring sunshine reminds you of summer sports once more.
―――――◀▶―――――
AMUSING EXPERIMENT WITH TOOTH-PICKS.
Take five tooth-picks, weave them together, as seen in the illustration, which perhaps is easiest done by holding the three diverging ones between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand at the point _a_, and insert the other two successively, first _b_, then _c_. Now lay the figure upon any flat surface, letting the end c extend a short distance beyond the edge. If you touch a lighted match to _c_, in a moment each stick will leap into the air as if suddenly endowed with life and animation, quite unusual in such inert objects.
―――――◀▶―――――
HOW TO CUT TOPS FROM GLASS BOTTLES.