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Suggestions for the Workshop- October 7, 1911

Ingenious Expedients of Resourceful Mechanics


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Handy Mans Medicine Chest To the Editor of the Workshop Department: In looking over Handy Mans Medicine Chest, in the issue of September 9th, I notice that the collodion dressing with aristol or iodoform added calls for 50 grams to the ounce. I intended this to re ad GO grains. This amount would do more harm, but .as there are only 31.1 grammes to the ounce, by using 50 grammes of aristol you have. more aristol than collodion, which I fear would be an almost useless mixture. The mistake of reading grams for grains is often made by druggists, and for this reason I believe that when grammes is intended, it should be written out in full (grammes). William R. Inghram, M.D. Dangers of Gasoline Vapor Cleaning To the Editor of the Workshop Department: The. description of an automobile cleaning device published among the Suggestions for the Workshop on page 276 of September 23d issue, is of considerable interest from an insurance point of view, from the fact that the vapor from one pint of gasoline will make 200 cubic feet of air explosive. The device seems to be an excellent gas generator; a flame some distance away will ignite the vapor, and the operator of the cleaner will never know what hit him. Would it not be well to caution your readers against the use of such a dangerous machine? P. D. C. Steward.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 105 Issue 15This article was originally published with the title “Suggestions for the Workshop” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 105 No. 15 (), p. 317
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican10071911-317