Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 275, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1914 — How to Mend Garden Hose. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

How to Mend Garden Hose.

As the garden hose gets a little old, and begins to swell, it soon gets out of commission altogether if not attended to. A simple way to mend it is to wrap the hose with ordinary twine, which will make it last a few more seasons. As it .s no easy matter to wind this cord by hand and. get it even and under uniform tension, the writer has for many years used the simple contrivance shown in the accompanying ir lustration. It consists of an ordinary tin can with a lid, into which is put the ball of twine. In the center of the bottom make a small hole, through which pass the loose end of the cord. Thence let it run down the side of the can through a tension device and to the hose. To the cover of the can is sob dered a small piece of tin, bent to a ringle angle and forming a guide for the hose. - The tension device consists of a short piece of metal, with its

Device for Wrapping Garden Hose, upper end bent outward, forming a fulcrum for a short spring-compressed lever. The latter at its lower end has a small hole therein through which the cord is passed. A short stove bolt serves' to regulate the tension on. the lever, it will be observed that the cord is pressed against the can by the lever. The whole device is now soldered to the tin can. In use, the can is turned around the hose, and with the tension properly adjusted, the twine will wind .around the hose very closely, and it will feed the can forward automatically. It will make the hose slightly smaller, and thus close all the small punctures, through which the water percoates, between the several layers of the canvas. By giving the cord a coat or two of some waterproofing, It will be found that the hose will last as long again; besides it will stand a great deal more pressure than be-fore.—-Scientific American.