MANY INVENTIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1933, Page 8

MANY INVENTIONS

AN INTERESTING EXHIBITION

CLEANS OF MAKING LIFE EASY

LONDON, November 8

It’ is always interesting to. .visit the annual exhibition of , inventions, and to examine the new contrivances which have been designed for the greater convenience or pleasure of the human race. There may. be seen inventions which are already on the market, but the greater number are those awaiting commercial development.

Of these latter there are , so many this year that the majority are represented only by drawings and specifications. Hence from the point of view of the general, public the exhibition is not so interesting as on previous occasons, but doubtless just as useful to manufacturers seeking for laboursaving or money-saving devices.

A walk round the trade section reveals a new' fire lighter retailed at 9d. In appearance, it is much like other fire lighters, but it is made of a hard, brck-like substance' perforated like sponge rubber, It is kept in a jar of kerosene, and when taken out, lighted, and applied to a .fire it ignites the coal direct without paper or wood. The handy cream maker is also to be seen - . In this there as a reversal of processes, for butter is mixed with milk, and the resulting cream is pumped out through a thin spout. For the man or worn an . who does not Wake up naturally there is a clock designed as a lampstand base. The alarm is set to go off at a certain time, but when it goes off the electric lamp is lighted as well, and" if required, the power comes into action in an electric kettle.

Strange noises are heard throughout the hall. These emanate from a new musical instrument which makes use of wireless oscillating notes. The pitch of the note is determined by the distance of the hand from an antenna rod, and the volume of sound is con"trolcd by a foot pedal. When the hand is hear the rod the notes are high, and when a. few feet away they are very deep, and seven octaves may be obtained. For practice, headphones may be substituted for the. loud-speak-er, and only the operator need hear the notes lie regulates. The convenience of the artist is considered as well as the convenience of the musician, for w’ater colour paints may now be obtained in pencil form. They are genuine cedar wood coloured pencils, not crayons, and soluble in water. A small portion of the design is moistened with a brush dipped in Water, and with the colours are applied. When the painting is done on fabric it may be “fixed” by a special material. For sketching on paper the colour is applied dry, and tlien spread* with a brush dipped ’in water.

More than one inventor lias produced an aluminium solder, and one firm'is’selling a solder in tubes. The substance comes out in the form of a paste, and can be applied direct to any metal without heat. In a few minutes the substance solidifies and ensures a remarkable join.. Another fluid, may be used for tinning aluminium utensils. An ingenious razor strop, made of vulcanite, is in the form of a segment of a cylinder. The safety razor blade is lightly rubbed on a rough surface of the curve, and then on a- smooth surface, and it is claimed that a blade will last for a year. There is always something to improve a teapot this time it is a strainer to fit on the end of the spout.

Among the machinery improvements there is a bicycle which may be made a free-wheeler or a fixed wheeler, as desired; a motor-bicycle, handlebar control, providing a means of clutch release, gear-change, and clutch engagement. with the movement of one hand; a shock-absorbing motor wheel; and a six-cylinder duplex two-stroke internal combustion engine. A particularly useful invention is a new type of furnace grate, which enables the maximum draft to enter the furnace, and pi'ovides a very full amount of combustion. The miscellaneous section includes the equivalent of pneumatic tyres for the pedestrian—under-shoes which look like roller skates, except that each stands on four tennis balls. A bathing eostume may be removed in an upward direction, enabling the wearer, “without taking cover, to draw on a dry costume or other garment waist high and remove the wet eostume upwards.” A substitute for the back collar-stud consists of two tags of stiff fabric attached to the shirt. Another ingenious invention is a rubber knee-boot with a pad behind the heel to improve' the fit. The pad must be inflated with a cycle pump. Emergency, showerproof garments, of proofed paper, are intended for sale at football matches when a rainstorm comes.

, Many domestic labour-saving devices are shown. A four-legged table has one pair of legs pivoted to adapt themselves to an uneven floor. A deck-chair has wheels for easy transport. A cake of soap has fabric embedded in it, so that it may be hung up; a thimble has a thread-cutter attached, together with a clip for pulling the needle through obstinate material ; and a head-rest for the bath is made of rubber, which sticks to the bath by suction. There is a device to record telephone calls automatically; it acts like a typewriter, and is commended as a check on the telephone account. One invention turns the headlights of a motorcar to the right or left in unison with the front wheels. Another causes a rear light to shine and a horn to sound when the reverse' gear lever is put intp.mesh; the herjj may he cut