Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The Olden Days
There's an interesting set of books out - reprints actually. They're Popular Mechanics Shop Notes from 1905 to 1930. Not only do they have a lot of nifty information and hints that are still good, but they offer an interesting view into pre-war (the war-to-end-all-wars war, not the following ones) life in America.
Driving was an adventure. The books are full of hints about how to fix your automobile and get it back home. Things like filling your flat with sand (lots of flats back then). Repair your car spring using a 2x4 and saddle straps scrounged from a local farmer. And don't forget those hints about keeping your acetylene head lights working brightly. One article was about predicting gas mileage. If you drive a one cylinder auto figure 30 mph, two cylinders, 20 mph, four cylinders, 15 mph and the big six banger getting 10 mph.
There's lots of short articles about guys building their own water heaters for the bath and how to make a transom ice-box for winter use. There weren't two or three prong outlets and plugs back then. Instead, you could use modify a lamp base to plug your electric item in. There was one obviously impractical way to build a vacuum cleaner using a big box and regular fan.
These are available from Lee Valley tools - which just happens to be a great company to deal with.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=42563&cat=1,46096,46100
