The Boy Mechanic, Volume 1: 700 Things for Boys to Do · Chapter 6Homemade Life Preserver
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Fig. 1, Fig. 2—Inner Tube and Cover
Procure an inner tube of a bicycle tire, the closed-end kind, and fold it in four alternate sections, as shown in Fig. 1. Cut or tear a piece of cloth into strips about 1/2 in. wide, and knot them together. Fasten this long strip of cloth to the folded tube and weave it alternately in and out, having each run of the cloth about 4 in. apart, until it is bound as shown in Fig. 1. Make a case of canvas that will snugly fit the folded tube when inflated. The straps that hold the preserver to the body may be made of old suspender straps. They are sewed to the case at one end and fastened at the other with clasps such as used on overall straps. The tube can be easily inflated by blowing into the valve, at the same time holding the valve stem down with the teeth. The finished preserver is shown in Fig. 2.