HINTS FROM C.D. PREWITT

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I notice that under "Feedback on Buying Used Pickups" (MOTHER NO. 17), Robert Stewart says that he uses a piece of emery cloth to brighten the contacts of his storage battery and give it longer life. He could also use a "male-female" wire brush made for this purpose and obtainable from auto suppliers. The stainless steel kind are best, since the others rust out rather quickly. To prevent corrosion of the terminals, grease (preferably not thickened oil) can be applied.

Since Ohm's law says E=IR, it's good practice to keep the contacts of dry cells clean, and I lengthen the life of my flashlight batteries by the same method . . . only I prefer steel wool for this job.

Another trick with flashlight cells: If you're in a tight spot for light and your batteries have just run down, try heating them . . . not too hot! You should be able to pick them up and give them some additional mileage. (I believe the heat drives away some hydrogen which is polarizing them.)

And here's another: a way to charge flashlight batteries. With the aid of a short length of wire as a connector, hold your cells across a storage battery so as to join them positive to positive and negative to negative. (The battery is six-volt, of course, unless you're trying to charge four flashlight cells.) If you hold the connection for a minute or so—until you feel the cells getting just a bit warm—they will again give a fairly bright light. It won't last long, but it may be enough to get you out of a tricky situation . . . as it has done for me.

And still another: If you want a bright flashlight in a small package, go to the dime store and buy a $1.00 two-cell model (that uses "D" batteries). Change the bulb to about a five-volt type . . . I like a PR-13 (4.75 volts) best because it lasts very well and will outlive several batteries. Then, instead of the regular two "D" cells, put in four "1/2 D". Those I've seen (by Eveready) are alkaline, and at least the equivalent of the carbon-zinc "D" kind. You can get these little wonders from Bill Boatman, Bainbridge, Ohiq 45621 . . . or your dealer can order them for you.

Now you really have a light in your pocket!

* * *

Insulating the home can pay big dividends. Of course, if you've just bought a house, it's likely that you've found many other things to do . . . and if you're short of bread, a conventional insulating job can sound expensive. But a lot of heat conservation can often be improvised.

Many of your household items—bookcases for instance—can work for you if you place them along the outside walls. Six or eight inches of books make good insulation. And, if you cover your bookcases with plastic so that it hangs down in front, you'll be making a dead air cell as well as keeping dust off your collection of reading matter.

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