Part 8

To those boys living in the country, and having a wide, extended landscape stretched out before their windows, the “darkened room” is a very interesting feature. It simply requires a room which can be made perfectly dark. At the window (if there are more than one) commanding the broadest prospect have a perfectly tight, opaque screen fitted, with a small hole cut in the lower part for the insertion of the lens. Over this fasten a small mirror to receive the image, at such an angle as will throw the reflection down upon a stand placed two or three feet from the window, and thus make it possible for the spectator to view the scene in its normal condition. Should you be desirous of having the whole sweep of the horizon at your command in the darkened room, a simply constructed frame-work is necessary for the accommodation of the movable mirror, and also for the lens; this would further necessitate the cutting of a larger hole in the curtain. Fig. 5 represents this arrangement; _a_ being the movable lens, which can be readily taken from its socket if desired; _b_, the hole in the bottom of the bracket, which should correspond to a larger hole in the shelf _d_, upon which the bracket rests, and can be easily turned in any direction desired. This hole should be large enough to allow the passage of all the diverging rays, and _c_, a small mirror, fitted like the one for the sketching camera just described, to receive the image and reflect it down through _b_ upon the stand, or a sheet placed upon the floor for the screen. The height of the shelf _d_ from the floor is determined by the focal length of the lens, and must be decided by experiment before the hole is cut in the shade. It is fastened in place by strings attached to small screw-eyes at its corners, and tied upon tacks driven into the window-frame. The arrangement shown in Fig. 5 can be moved on the shelf, so as to face the lens toward any portion of the view commanded by the window.

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PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING.

If all boys are not so fortunate as to possess a camera, there is no reason why they should be debarred from all the pleasures of photography; and as there is much entertainment to be derived from this simple amusement, it is advisable for every boy throughout the land who is old enough to give it a fair trial. The first thing needed is a frame for holding the print while it is being exposed. This can be made by an ingenious boy, but as it is a rather troublesome job, it is better to buy a small transparent slate for five or ten cents, and discarding the copies, use the frame and glass for your work. The sensitized paper should next be prepared. This can be bought at any place where photographers’ supplies are to be found; many boys, however, are too far away from our great cities to have access to such stores, and even those who have will find more delight in making it for themselves. There is a great satisfaction in the feeling of perfect independence, and the more we can do for ourselves without aid or hinderance from the world at large, the nearer we come to the ideal state. So, presuming that every boy has this independent spirit well ingrained in his nature, I will give two formulas for this kind of paper, and leave it to the reader to decide for himself which he will use. The first produces a negative impression; that is, one in which all the parts that are dark in the copy come out light in the print, and _vice versâ_; and the second makes a positive print, or one in which all the shadings remain the same as in the original.

FIRST PROCESS.

Paper by this process is very easily prepared as follows: Make two solutions:

1st.—Water, 1 ounce. Prussiate of potash, 60 grains.

2d.—Water, 1 ounce. Ammonia citrate of iron, 70 grains.

When these are dissolved, mix them together, and pour them through a piece of filter-paper into a tumbler, and then into a clean glass bottle. If filter-paper cannot be had, nice clean cotton wool answers the purpose nearly as well. This solution should be kept and also used in a dark room. To sensitize the paper, pour out a little of the liquid into a saucer; then having cut note-paper into rectangular pieces, a trifle smaller than the glass in your frame, take one of these pieces at a time, and place it evenly upon the surface of the liquid; let it lie in this position until it is flat and not inclined to curl. Now take it out by one corner, and thrusting a pin through this point, drive it lightly into the edge of a shelf in your dark room, and leave it to dry. It is now ready for use; should any be left after printing, roll it up and place it in a tin box which has a cover, to keep it from the light and dampness. To print on this paper, place your glass in the frame, and next to it any engraving you may fancy, provided it is printed on thin paper and has no type on its back. If a copy is desired precisely like the original, place the engraving face downward on the glass, but if a reverse is wished, that is, one in which all the objects in the original are turned about, and its left side is to correspond to the right in your print, then place it with its face toward you in the frame. When this is adjusted to your satisfaction, take the frame to your dark closet, and put in your sensitized paper, being careful to cover it closely with the back of the frame well fastened in place before bringing it to the light. Place the frame, glass side upward, on a window-ledge, or in any place where it will be exposed to the free rays of the sun, and let it remain until it is printed to the desired depth. It will be noticed that at first the light changes the portions exposed to a bluish color; the operation, however, is not finished at this stage, but must be continued long enough to turn these portions a deep metallic gray. Care must be exercised in examining the print, that the paper is not moved from its position relative to the copy to be printed; with the above frame this will be a very delicate matter, and it is doubtful if it can be successfully done. A better way would be to make one or two prints, without caring for accuracy of form, but simply with a view of obtaining a good color, and time the operation; this would form a sort of basis from which to work. If some subsequent engraving was upon thicker paper, it would take a somewhat longer time to print it, and if on thinner paper, the time required would be proportionately shorter. It would be a great source of convenience if the back could be cut in two equal parts, and a piece of canton flannel be pasted over both, joining them as they were at first. This with the soft side outward will keep the paper from slipping, and act as a hinge to either half. Now instead of one fastening, two will be required, one on either half of the cover; if then you wish to examine your print, you have only to open one end of your frame, and carefully lift up the edge of the paper, while the other end, remaining firmly closed, holds the whole thing in place.

After your print has reached the proper degree of color, take it out and immerse it in clean water, when it will become a rich blue, except those parts which are to remain white. Change the water once or twice, or until every part comes out distinctly; then take it from the bath and dry between sheets of blotting-paper.

The second way to prepare paper consists in washing good letter-paper with the following solution:

Bichromate of potash, 10 grains. Sulphurate of copper, 20 grains. Water, 1 ounce.

Papers prepared with this are of a pale yellow color; they may be kept any length of time in a tin box, and are always ready for use. For copying engravings, the wings of dragon-flies, or of cicadas, the beautiful skeletonized leaves or delicate ferns, arranged in tiny bouquets on the inner surface of the ground glass, this paper is excellent.

After it has been exposed to the influence of the sunshine, take the frame to your dark closet, and after removing the print, wash it over with a solution of nitrate of silver of moderate strength. As soon as this is done, a very vivid positive picture makes its appearance, and all the “fixing” it requires is well washing in pure water.

The dark closet spoken of above is necessary in all kinds of photography, as light let in upon the sensitized paper would darken the whole surface. To make a “dark room,” stop the upper part of the window with any opaque substance, and pin a large sheet of dark orange paper over the lower sash. The yellow paper used in making envelopes is excellent for this, but if it cannot be found, four sheets of tissue-paper, two red and two yellow, placed over each other, answer the purpose very well.

A friend of the writer utilizes an old disused chicken-house for his dark room, and it answers its purpose capitally, while it was at the window of this little room I first saw the tissue-paper successfully used.

The prints used for copy might be rendered more translucent by rubbing them over with a little linseed oil mixed with turpentine. This, of course, should be thoroughly dried before it is used in connection with the sensitized paper.

A great number of graceful, pretty things can be photographed in this manner; the delicate maiden-hair fern, so common in several parts of our country; the fine, feathery leaves of many of our wild flowers, some of the finer flowers themselves, and many of the beautiful mosses and sea-weeds after they are pressed, make exquisite little photographs, worthy of a place in any collection.

A dozen or more of these prints carefully taken, pressed, and trimmed, would make a pretty Christmas present to a dear friend. The cover could be of plain paper, with the name of the person for whom it was intended neatly written upon the top, an appropriate sentiment on the middle, and the donor’s name with the date upon the lower part of the page.

The stencils, for the making of which full directions are given in another part of this book, make very line subjects for photographs. If intended for this purpose, however, they should be of a slender, delicate pattern, small in size, and cut with extreme care. A snow-flake caught upon a black surface, and examined in a cold room, will furnish many suggestions for stencils designed for copy.

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THE TOY PANORAMA.

The modern stereopticon has almost entirely superseded the old-fashioned panorama, so popular a quarter of a century ago.

Your parents will probably remember with what delight those itinerant exhibitions were greeted by the young people of those days; how the very handbills, those wonderful precursors of so many entertaining spectacles, were studied and commented upon, and when the happy day came, how we all rejoiced to see the manager enter the school-house door, and after a few words with the teacher, address the school, and offer to us children an afternoon exhibition, for the trifling sum of ten cents apiece, if enough could be induced to attend.

The panoramas the writer remembers most vividly occurred during the war of the Rebellion, and as the subjects of the paintings were of a very patriotic character, we had little difficulty in urging our parents to permit us to go; and the afternoon session of the school was gladly sacrificed for so good a cause.

The battle of the _Monitor_ and _Merrimac_, was a favorite subject, and, as the vessels moved to and fro, and sent forth from their tiny port-holes volleys of real fire and smoke, while a big drum, out of sight, gave forth the answering boom, the scene was very impressive, and struck a kind of fascinating terror to our childish hearts.

After the many accounts and fine illustrations which subsequent readings have given, at the simple mention of that famous battle, my mind instantly wanders back to the darkened hall, filled with boys and girls, all intently gazing at the sham battle in progress before them; while far back in the rear end of the hall stood the two brass field-pieces, captured from Burgoyne at the battle of Saratoga, nearly a hundred years before, grim and awful, and silently waiting for the time when they should be called to take their place in the mighty conflict then so fiercely raging in our land.[1]

Footnote 1:

This building was erected for an armory, but served the purpose of town-hall as well.

But finally the war ceased; and after all, the only part the old cannon played was to thunder forth resoundings of joy, which shook our old town to its very foundations, when peace was again restored.

Although children’s hearts will never again be gladdened by these great, clumsy shows, there is no reason why the little toy panorama should also be banished from among us. The mere delight of making it is sufficient reason for its existence, and when it is once finished it will continue to be a source of enjoyment to each little member of the household in turn.

The simplest form this can have is represented in Fig. 1, the foundation being a small soap-box, the rollers, sections of a broomstick, with small wooden pins glued into each end, which extend through holes made in the box for that purpose. The pictures, taken from any illustrated paper, are all cut the same width, about an inch narrower than the length of the rollers, and pasted together at their ends, the only limit to the length of this strip being the capacity of the box.

When the paste is dry, attach an end to each roller. It is necessary that the upper peg of each roller be also fitted with a strong crank, as an even motion is requisite for the proper display of the pictures; and this crank can be made in two ways: first, like Fig. 2, where a piece of wood is nicely fitted and glued on the pin, or like Fig. 3, which is the better arrangement, where a stiff wire is bent into the shape _a_, and then passed through two holes pierced through the crank-pin as shown at _b_; this arrangement securing the needful firmness, the projecting ends of the wire are then bent, the upper one upward, the lower downward, so completing the crank.

After the mechanical part of the panorama is finished so that it runs smoothly, two strips of stiff pasteboard can be fastened over the front, corresponding to the dotted lines _a_ and _b_ in Fig. 1, which will hide the rollers and give a neater appearance to the whole. If liked, a second piece of the pasteboard can be cut, in length corresponding to the width of the box, and wide enough to cover the cranks, and extend down to the top of the pictures.

When exhibiting the pictures, place the box on a table with its front well lighted, turned toward the audience, and turn the pictures slowly, by an even motion of the cranks, pausing slightly at each scene, at the same time giving, if possible, a brief description of the thing illustrated, as this will add considerably to the enjoyment of the little folks. I forgot to add, in its proper place, that for a final finish the whole thing should be covered with any pretty paper at hand. Nice wall-paper or even common brown wrapping-paper gives it a neat appearance.

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A MORE ELABORATE PANORAMA.

Having thoroughly mastered the construction of the simpler form of the panorama, a more elaborate one can be made by simply devoting to it considerably more time and attention; but as this is greatly superior to the other in every respect, it is well worth the extra trouble.

This will necessarily require a much larger box than the one previously described. For convenience in description, suppose we have a soap-box two feet long, twelve inches high, and eighteen inches wide. We shall first take away both top and bottom, then standing it upon its side, we have the frame-work of our structure, which is still two feet long, but now eighteen inches high, and twelve inches deep, that is from front to back; next, we cut from the discarded top a false bottom, or shelf, like Fig. 2, which, if your box is of seven-eighths inch material, will measure twenty-two and a quarter, by eight inches. Mark the point _a_, four inches from one side of the board, and equidistant from the ends; through this draw the line _b c_, five inches long on each side of _a_, or ten inches in all; mark at three and one-half inches from the ends of the board the points _d_ and _e_, and draw the lines _b d_ and _c e_; then cut out the piece thus marked off.

The holes at the bottom for the rollers are four and one-half inches from the back _f g_, in order to insure that the line of pictures when in motion shall not fall back from the line _b c_, and are equidistant from the ends of the board and the oblique lines _b d_ and _c e_, to secure as much room as possible for the roll. Make corresponding holes in the top of the box, taking particular care that they are exactly above those in the shelf, when that is in position. The rollers are made from sections of broomstick, with holes bored in the ends, and the wooden pins glued firmly in place. Remember that the upper set of pins are to be much longer than the lower to allow for the insertion of the crank. These rollers are about eleven and one-half inches long, and when the glue has thoroughly dried, should be put in place and kept there by inserting the shelf, and fastening it in place by nails driven through the sides as at _i i_, in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 represents what is called a horizontal section; that is, the work is supposed to be cut across from front to back, a little way above the shelf just mentioned, and the observer is supposed to be looking downward at it. Fig. 4 represents the work in an upright position, and the observer sees the front of it.

From the top of the shelf to the lower outside edge of the box should be just five and one-half inches. Next come the two uprights, _a b_, _c d_, Fig. 3, and _A A_, Fig. 4. They may be made from the bottom of the box, which was taken out, it will be remembered, and let their width correspond to _a b_ and _c d_, Fig. 3. Round off the edges at _a_ and _c_, and smooth it with sand-paper, as it would soon tear the pictures if left in a rough state; place these two boards in position, and secure them by nails at the top and bottom. Now cut two oblong pieces from stiff cardboard, as long as these wooden uprights, and wide enough to cover the spaces left at _e b_ and _d f_, and tack these in position; they are shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4.

From a thin board cut two other strips to cover the spaces _g h_, but leave the placing of these till the work is nearly finished. A board two feet long and about three inches high is also necessary for the lower edge of the front, and should be put on after the other parts are in position, to hide the flame of the foot-lights (consisting of a row of short candles) from the spectator. The two pieces like Fig. 5 are made of pasteboard and are designed to furnish the upper and lower portions of the frame for the pictures. Their position is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. As it is somewhat difficult to arrive at the exact proportions of these irregular pieces, without the actual box before one, it will be easier to leave this to the maker, as it is simply necessary to take a stiff piece of paper and place it in the position desired; then crease the lines so that they shall meet the proper points on the uprights; the lower piece comes up to the top of the shelf, and the upper piece comes down just below the top of the picture. After fitting this paper, it is an easy matter to trace the form on the pasteboard, taking care that all the lines are perfectly straight. The curtain should be next adjusted, and a piece of dark blue or green cambric is best suited for this purpose.

Cut (do not tear) from your cloth a piece of the required size, making sure that the sides are at right angles to each other, and prepare another roller from your broomstick twenty-one and one-half inches long. This roller is seen between _e_ and _f_ in Fig. 3. Paste or glue one of the ends of the cloth, which corresponds to the length of the roller, smoothly around it; now letting this roll just touch the floor, draw the other end up evenly, and tack it along the under-side of the top of the box, on a line three inches from the edge. In order that the curtain may roll up smoothly, it is best to mark straight lines with a pencil and ruler, on both roller and box, and adjust its edges carefully to these lines.

Just in front of this line, and at two inches from either end, tack to the box the ends of two pieces of fish-line, and, carrying the strings down the front of the curtain, bring them under the roller, up on the other side, and through two small holes bored for the purpose in the top of the box, about three and one-half inches from the ends; next bring the two strings together, and pass them through a screw-eye placed at the middle and back edge of the top to receive them. At one side of the back, in any convenient place, drive a small nail to wind the strings upon when the curtain is up. By simply undoing this, the curtain can at any moment be made to fall. It is also well to tie the two strings together, and fasten a button to them just back of the point where they pass through the screw-eye, when the curtain is down, and they are evenly drawn, as this prevents an extra play of the cord, and obviates entirely the danger of their slipping. Before the curtain is nailed on, it is best to paper the whole beveled surface picture frame with some neat plain paper; very dark red or green “velvet” house-paper being preferable to all others.

After the curtain is in a good working condition, fasten on the two uprights, _g_ and _h_, indicated in Fig. 3, and the long piece across the front which you have already prepared; make a fancy design for the top out of stiff cardboard, taking especial care that it is wide enough to cover the cranks on the top, while at the same time it extends low enough to cover the upper edges of the curtain and the rough unfinished wood in front.

Cover the outside and edges of the box with fancy wall-paper, letting it extend well over on the inside, wherever there is the slightest danger of that surface being exposed to view; and lastly, fasten the long strip of pictures on the rollers, and nothing is wanting but posters and tickets, to insure a first-class show, of the best approved, old-fashioned style.

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REPOUSSÉ WORK FOR BOYS.

The term Repoussé is applied to any sheet-metal in which a pattern is hammered out or left in relief, by means of a hammer and common nail, or a regular tool made for the purpose. It does not simply refer to brass-work, but applies equally to work of like character either on silver or gold.

If you have friends who have made the voyage of the Nile, you have probably seen the beautiful silver bracelets bought by them of the Nubian workmen as souvenirs of their Eastern travels. These bracelets are made, I was told, by the natives of the interior, with simply a nail and a stone, but the effect is very artistic and pretty. So, if ignorant Nubians can make these beautiful things with such primitive tools, certainly an intelligent American lad can do equally good work, with a little instruction and better materials.

REPOUSSÉ, OR HAMMERED BRASS.

This work is chiefly produced by means of a punch and hammer. An ordinary tack-hammer can be used, but that generally in use by most workers is of rather peculiar shape, like that in Fig. 1.