The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (August 1895)

The Optical Magic Lantern Journal and Photographic Enlarger. 125 The following are a few articles which are, we think, worthy of consideration :— Who has not seen the burners of a star gas chandelier blocked up with soap and other substances so as to prevent the escape of gas when using one of the burners to obtain a supply of house gas for use with a blow-through jet, and after the entertainment was over seen someone ; struggling with a pin trying to clear the burner? | Why not then put up half-a-dozen of the rubber tubes, with a plug at one end, as shown, so that lanternists may have some at hand to slip over any burners when necessary. The usual method of packing limes in tins | which have a small rim round the top, in many | cases causes two or three limes to be broken | before one or more can be removed, to say nothing about the dirt caused by the lime dust in which they are packed. Bottles and metal tubes have been used, but oft times they are not again fas| tened up securely, and the result is that the moisture in the atmosphere soon renders the remaining limes useless. How much better it would be if they were put up singly in thin glass tubes and hermetically sealed after the manner of tubes of chlorate of gold. Many no doubt have seen the tin fan that is sold about the streets for attaching to the top of the chimney of a domestic oil lamp, and which goes twirling round by the ascending heat from the fame. It would not be a difficult matter to arrange this principle for turning the limes very slowly. With an arrangement of this sort the operator would be relieved of the necessity of turning his lime. This could likewise be done as in the olden days by spring and clock work, but why not make the ascending heat the motive power? A plug to screw into the valve of a gas cylinder is a handy thing to keep out dust and dirt, and many are in use, but when one wants anything of the kind he must get it made to order. How much better if he could go to any dealer in lantern apparatus and get one at once for a few pence. Several persons with whom we have come in contact say that they use a single instead of a bi-unial lantern because of the bulk of the latter. There is no adeassnasag reason why a biunial should not be made telescopic, so that when closed it will appear as though it were a single lantern. This can be very simply done, as will be seen from the rough sketch herewith. On both sides of the upper lantern are racks and pinions, as at A Bandc. When about to pack up, the front (p) of the upper lantern is removed and inserted inside, and the lantern telescoped by turning the knobs (c). It is generally acknowledged that the pinupon which a lime is set is often the cause of its splitting. Itis an easy matter to unscrew the insert in same screw a base containing three small spring clips, after the principle of domestic paraffin lamp, but where can such a thing be obtained unless one gets it made to order? Surely this is worth the attention of pin with its base or table, and i supporting the chimney of a dealers. :0.— WITHIN a few days a new Lantern Catalogue of 550 pages will be issued by Messrs. Joseph Levi & Co., cf Furnival Street, E.C., and will shortly be in the hands of all dealers. It will contain full particulars of Allen’s Patent Automatic Lantern which we described on page 96 of Tae OpticaL Macic Lantern Journat for June,