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Light Up Your Lamps At 9.16 on Thursday ; 9.15 on Friday ; 9.14 On Saturday; 9.13 on Monday; 9.12 on Tuesday; 9.12 on Wednesday.
A Box-lid Fastener.
[1643] " M.A.S." (Clerkenwell) writes :—" A lorry which I used to drive was fitted with duplicate ignitions : one, the ordinary H.-T. magneto, and the other, accumulator and coil. Each set was complete in itself, including the provision of a special sparking plug for each set.
"The accumulator box was carried on tbe fobtboards, and was quite O.K., except for the fattkiers, which were the ordinary brass hook and ev i as
are commonly used on household 1st
quite serviceable for the latter purpest:, were -lot much good on my wagon. They very ickly broae loose owing to the vibration.
" Eventually I obtained a piece of spring steel, about in. wide, drilled and bent it as in the sketch [we have had this redrawn.—En.], tempered it, and fitted it to the box. Under the clip, and on the edge of the lid„ I fitted a Strip of brass so as to prevent Undue wear of the timber. '
Workshop Hints.
[1644] " W.A.W." (Putney) writes :—" To render copper and brass soft and malleable it should be properly annealed. This can be effected by first of all heating the piece to a dull red heat, then plunging it into cold water. Be careful not to heat brass to too high a temperature, or it will fall to pieces. If the hammering process is a long one it may possibly be found that the material will require annealing occasionally while the work is in progress. It is surprising how few workmen know how to straighten a piece of copper wire. This may very quickly be effected by fastening one end of the wire in a vice, -taking 'hold. -ofthe otherendwith a pair of pliers, and drawing it taut with a jerk," Suggestions for a Parcelcar Design.
{1645] " H.M." (West Bromwich) writes :—" I think there• is . a great deal to be desired in the present type of.parcelcar.
" Most of these little vehicles are in the hands of small traders, and as a rule they are employed in making deliveries in town, involving a large number of stops. In such circumstances, the driver is faced with two alternatives: either to stop and restart his engine for each call, not a very nice thing for, say, a baker, or he must leave his engine running the whole time and waste half his petrol.
" Another fault is that these small machines arey as a rule, very easily set in motion if the engine in left-to run.
"I have often wondered whether a combination of a heavy oil engine, continuously running, could not be adopted. By some such arrangement the first drawback would be obviated, and if a self-locking switch were used for the electric circuit, so arranged that the driver removes the key as he cuts off the current, there would be no possibility of the machine being started by an unauthorized person."
A Roads:ie Radiator Repair.
D.6491 E.O.W." (Birmingham) writes :—" I was called: out to a breakdown the other day, and on arrival found that the fan belt had broken, wrapped itself it:Rind the fan, and had also managed to tear Several tubes from the radiator.
"To effect a repair I first of all cut the broken tubes off level with the tube plates, and, procuring frpm a licensed house close by some vent plugs, I discovered these to be almost a perfect fit for the internal diameter of the tubes, and was able, by using them, to stop up the tithe ends."