y a reader who says that the
process will make the battery nearly as good as new if it is not
too far gone beforehand.

** Saving a Brush [367]

If a round brush spreads too much, slip a rubber band over the
upper part of the bristles.

** How to Make a Simple Burglar Alarm [368]

Take a piece of any wood about 6 by 8 in. for the base. This may
be finished in any way desired. For the contact points use brass
or any sheet metal

[Illustration: Simple Burglar Alarm]

which will be satisfactory. Take a piece about 2-1/2 or 3 in. in
length and bend the ends up about 1/2 in. in a vertical position
as shown. Fasten this to the top of the board using screws or
nails. Under this strip of metal fasten a copper wire which can be
connected to a binding-post on the board if desired. Take another
piece of metal about 4-1/2 in. in length and make a lever of it in
the shape shown in the diagram. Fasten this so that one end of it
will swing freely, but not loosely between the ends of the other
piece marked C-C. Near the end fasten a spiral spring, S, which
can be obtained almost anywhere. Fasten the end of this to the
screw marked X. Also fasten to this screw a copper wire leading to
the binding-post. In the lower end of the lever make a small hole
to fasten a string through.

This string may be fastened across a door or window and any
movement of it will pull it to the contact point on the right. If
the string is cut or broken the spring will pull the lever to the
contact point on the left and thus complete the circuit. If the
string is burned it will also act as a fire alarm.

** How to Fit Corks [368]

Occasionally odd-sized bottles are received in stores which
require corks cut to fit them. No matter how sharp a knife may be,
it will leave some sharp edges after cutting the cork, which will
cause leakage. The illustration shows three very effective methods
of reducing the size of corks. The one shown in Fig. 1 is made
from two pieces of 1/2-in. wood fastened together at one end with
a common hinge. Two or three grooves are cut cross-wise in sizes
desired. The cork is put into the groove and both pieces are
pressed together, which will make the cork smaller.

Rolling the cork between two flat

[Illustration: Three Methods for Reducing Size of Corks]

surfaces (Fig. 2) is simple and almost as good as pressing in the
grooves. A cork rolled on the floor (Fig. 3) is a quick and
effective way. A slower and e