Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 June 1887 — INDUSTRIAL. [ARTICLE]

INDUSTRIAL.

An extremely useful cement for experimental use is made, from equal quantities of gutta percha and white j pine pitch melted together. The ccm- ! pound should be without lumps- It improves by remelting, and softens at : about the temperature of* boiling : water. j The census of 18S0 reported the cap- ; ital invested in agriculture in Massa^ I chuset.t3 was $164,000,000, against $22,000,000 in the manufacture of boot and shoes, $20,0?)0,000 in the j manufacture of woollen goods ah-d , $72,000,000 in the manufacture of cotton goods. > That German who has invented a simple method of deadening the sound I of the piano deserves a monument of j solid gold. The contrivance consists j merely of the application of fine i flannel to the frame between the : strings and hammer of an upright ! piano. The sound can be graduated 1 at will without injuriug the quality of I the tone— .—.— "t >. jJ:.. A fruit drier has been patented. | Combined with apartments open at; j both ends are horizontal partitions | with transverse slots and rearward and ■ upwardly bent flanges, with drawers | having upwardly bent front ends, for drying fruit, preferably by hot water, and also by steam, drying it quickly, evenly, and so that it will retain all that is possible of its fresh flavor. To coat small articles with bronze, by dipping: Make a bronze dip by mixing bronze powder with thin varnish. Thin any ordinary varnish with turpentine, and keep it thoroughly stirred while dipping. A better and brighter bronzing is made by dipping in very thin varnish and allowing it to partially dry, then brushing the work with the dry powder on a fur brush. An end gate for wagons has been patented. It is so made that it may be applied to either or both ends, will act either as an end gate, scoop board, or dump gate, may be held or placed at any desired angle, is capable of being removed or applied at will, will prevent the sides of the wagon from spreading, and also prevents the contents of the wagon from spilling out. An improved plow jointer, for cutting off the edge of the furrow slice and depositing it in the previous furrow, has been patented. The invention covers a simple construction, whereby it is intended that the draught of the plow shall not be sensibly increased, and the jointer will act substantially in the ordinary form, and it is so made that it can be' used as an attachment for any form of plow. Blankets manufactured by the Navajo Indian women of Arizona are sought as curiosities by tourists. The squaws card the wool, spin the yarn, and weave the blankets with aid of sharp pointed sticks. It requires, according to the size of the blanket, from thirty days to four months’ time to make one. Hence, they are very valuable. 8o skillfully and firmly are the blankets made that they will shed water twenty-four hours before they will leak. . ■ . - Mechanical News describes an ingenioui means of repairing a break in a steam pipe: The break is bound with wood strips, laid close together, and well served around with stout cord or rope. Endwise separation is prevented by more rope crossing the break diagonally, and tied so as to draw the broken parts together. "When the wood and the cord get wet with the steam, the joint is even tighter than before, for the wood swells and- the cords shorten. A new discovery in mechanics was investigated recently by a party of New Y'orkers. The result accomplished by the discovery is the pulverization or grinding of the hardest substances by the action of air set in motion resembling that of a cyclone. The air is confined in an iron chamber not larger than an ordinary house furnace. At a test given in a paint factory, where the machine has been in operation for six months past, nails, slag* and flint rock were reduced to an impalpable powder, while the operation was equally effective with phosphates, mica, asbestos, rice hulls, .and other pulpy or sos te substances. The device is very inexpensive, and so far as the investigation showed accomplished results so important as to poTnUto a revolution in pulverizing and grinding operations in numerous departments of trade. .. f* - ' ~ ■ .' v L