cent, added to starch, 1/2 pound, and boiled with it for 2 or 3
minutes, will add greatly to the beauty of linen, to which it may be
applied.
«To Make Loose Nails in Walls Rigid.»—As soon as a nail driven in the
wall becomes loose and the plastering begins to break, it can be made
solid and firm by the following process: Saturate a bit of wadding with
thick dextrin or glue; wrap as much of it around the nail as possible
and reinsert the latter in the hole, pressing it home as strongly as
possible. Remove the excess of glue or dextrin, wiping it cleanly off
with a rag dipped in clean water; then let dry. The nail will then be
firmly fastened in place. If the loose plastering be touched with the
glue and replaced, it will adhere and remain firm.
«How to Keep Lamp Burners in Order.»—In the combustion of coal oil a
carbonaceous residue is left, which attaches itself very firmly to the
metal along the edge of the burner next the flame. This is especially
true of round burners, where the heat of the flame is more intense than
in flat ones, and the deposit of carbon, where not frequently removed,
soon gets sufficiently heavy to interfere seriously with the movement
of the wick up or down. The deposit may be scraped off with a knife
blade, but a much more satisfactory process of getting rid of it is as
follows: Dissolve sodium carbonate, 1 part, in 5 or 6 parts of water,
and in this boil the burner for 5 minutes or so. When taken out the
burner will look like a new one, and acts like one, provided that the
apparatus for raising and lowering the wick has not previously been
bent and twisted by attempting to force the wick past rough deposits.
«To Remove the Odor from Pasteboard.»—Draw the pasteboard through
a 3 per cent solution of viscose in water. The pasteboard must be
calendered after drying.
«To Remove Woody Odor.»—To get rid of that frequently disagreeable
smell in old chests, drawers, etc., paint the surface over with the
following mixture:
Acetic ether 100 parts
Formaldehyde 6 parts
Acid, carbolic 4 parts
Tincture of eucalyptus leaves 60 parts
Mix. After applying the mixture expose the article to the open air in
the sunlight.
«To Keep Flies Out of a House.»—Never allow a speck of food to remain
uncovered in dining room or pantry any length of time after meals.
Never leave remnants of food exposed that you intend for cat or hens.
Feed at once or cover their food up a distance from the house. Let
nothing decay near the house. Keep your dining room and pantry windows
open a few inches most of the time. Darken your room and pantry when
not in use. If there should be any flies they will go to the window
when the room is darkened, where they are easily caught, killed, or
brushed out.
«An Easy Way to Wash a Heavy Comfortable.»—Examine the comfortable, and
if you find soiled spots soap them and scrub with a small brush. Hang
the comfortable on a strong line and turn the hose on. When one side is
washed turn and wash the other. The water forces its way through cotton
and covering, making the comfortable as light and fluffy as when new.
Squeeze the corners and ends as dry as possible.
«Preservation of Carpets.»—Lay sheets of brown paper under the carpet.
This gives a soft feeling to the foot, and by diminishing the wear adds
longer life to the carpet; at the same time it tends to keep away the
air and renders the apartments warm.
«To Do Away with Wiping Dishes.»—Make a rack by putting a shelf over
the kitchen sink, slanting it so that the water {400} will drain off
into the sink. Put a lattice railing about 6 inches high at the front
and ends of the shelf so that dishes can be set against it on their
edges without falling out. Have 2 pans of hot water. Wash the dishes in
one and rinse them in the other. Set them on edge in the rack and leave
until dry.
«A Convenient Table.»—
Ten common-sized eggs weigh 1 pound.
Soft butter, the size of an egg, weighs 1 ounce.
One pint of coffee and of sugar weighs 12 ounces.
One quart of sifted flour (well heaped) weighs 1 pound.
One pint of best brown sugar weighs 12 ounces.
«How to Make a Cellar Waterproof.»—The old wall surface should be
roughened and perfectly cleaned before plastering is commenced. It may
be advisable to put the first coat on not thicker than 1/4 inch, and
after this has set it may be cut and roughened by a pointing trowel.
Then apply a second 1/4-inch coat and finish this to an even and
smooth surface. Proportion of plaster: One-half part slaked lime, 1
part Portland cement, part fine, sharp sand, to be mixed well and
applied instantly.
«Removing Old Wall Paper.»—Some paper hangers remove old paper from
walls by first dampening it with water in which a little baking soda
has been dissolved, the surface being then gone over with a “scraper”
or other tool. However, the principle object of any method is to soften
the old paste. This may be readily accomplished by first wetting a
section of the old paper with cold or tepid water, using a brush,
repeating the wetting until the paper and paste are soaked through,
when the paper may easily be pulled off, or, if too tender, may be
scraped with any instrument of a chisel form shoved between the paper
and the wall. The wall should then be washed with clean water, this
operation being materially assisted by wetting the wall ahead of the
washing.
«Stained Ceilings.»—Take unslaked white lime, dilute with alcohol, and
paint the spots with it. When the spots are dry—which will be soon,
as the alcohol evaporates and the lime forms a sort of insulating
layer—one can proceed painting with size color, and the spots will not
show through again.
«To Overcome Odors in Freshly Papered Rooms.»—After the windows and
doors of such rooms have been closed, bring in red-hot coal and strew
on this several handfuls of juniper berries. About 12 hours later open
all windows and doors, so as to admit fresh air, and it will be found
that the bad smell has entirely disappeared.
«Treatment of Damp Walls.»—I.—A good and simple remedy to obviate
this evil is caoutchouc glue, which is prepared from rubber hose. The
walls to be laid dry are first to be thoroughly cleaned by brushing
and rubbing off; then the caoutchouc size, which has been previously
made liquid by heating, is applied with a broad brush in a uniform
layer—about 8 to 12 inches higher than the wall appears damp—and
finally paper is pasted over the glue when the latter is still sticky.
The paper will at once adhere very firmly. Or else, apply the liquefied
glue in a uniform layer upon paper (wall paper, caoutchouc paper,
etc.). Upon this, size paint may be applied, or it may be covered with
wall paper or plaster.
If the caoutchouc size is put on with the necessary care—i. e., if all
damp spots are covered with it—the wall is laid dry for the future, and
no peeling off of the paint or the wall paper needs to be apprehended.
In cellars, protection from dampness can be had in a like manner, as
the caoutchouc glue adheres equally well to all surfaces, whether
stone, glass, metal, or wood.
II.—The walls must be well cleaned before painting. If the plaster
should be worn and permeated with saltpeter in places it should be
renewed and smoothed. These clean surfaces are coated twice with a
water-glass solution, 1.1, using a brush and allowed to dry well. Then
they are painted 3 times with the following mixture: Dissolve 100
parts, by weight, of mastic in 10 parts of absolute alcohol; pour 1,000
parts of water over 200 parts of isinglass; allow to soak for 6 hours;
heat to solution and add 100 parts of alcohol (50 per cent). Into
this mixture pour a hot solution of 50 parts of ammonia in 250 parts
of alcohol (50 per cent), stir well, and subsequently add the mastic
solution and stand aside warm, stirring diligently. After 5 minutes
take away from the fire and painting may be commenced. Before a fresh
application, however, the solution should be removed.
When this coating has dried completely it is covered with oil or
varnish paint, preferably the latter. In the same manner the exudation
of so-called saltpeter {401} in fresh masonry or on the exterior
of façades, etc., may be prevented, size paint or lime paint being
employed instead of the oil-varnish paint. New walls which are to be
painted will give off no more saltpeter after 2 or 3 applications of
the isinglass solution, so that the colors of the wall paper will not
be injured either. Stains caused by smoke, soot, etc., on ceilings of
rooms, kitchens, or corridors which are difficult to cover up with size
paint, may also be completely isolated by applying the warm isinglass
solution 2 or 3 times. The size paint is, of course, put on only after
complete drying of the ceilings.
«To Protect Papered Walls from Vermin.»—It is not infrequent that when
the wall paper becomes defective or loose in papered rooms, vermin, bed
bugs, ants, etc., will breed behind it. In order to prevent this evil a
little colocynth powder should be added to the paste used for hanging
the paper, in the proportion of 50 or 60 parts for 3,000 parts.
«Care of Refrigerators.»—See that the sides or walls of all
refrigerators are occasionally scoured with soap, or soap and slaked
lime.
«Dust Preventers.»—Against the beneficial effects to be observed in the
use of most preparations we must place the following bad effects: The
great smoothness and slipperiness of the boards during the first few
days after every application of the dressing, which forbids the use of
the latter on steps, floors of gymnasia, dancing floors, etc. The fact
that the oil or grease penetrates the soles of the boots or shoes, the
hems of ladies’ dresses, and things accidentally falling to the floor
are soiled and spotted. Besides these there is, especially during the
first few days after application, the dirty dark coloration which the
boards take on after protracted use of the oils. Finally, there is the
considerable cost of any process, especially for smaller rooms and
apartments. In schoolrooms and railroad waiting rooms and other places
much frequented by children and others wearing shoes set with iron, the
boards soon become smooth from wear, and for such places the process is
not suited.
According to other sources of information, these evil tendencies of
the application vanish altogether, or are reduced to a minimum, if (1)
entirely fresh, or at least, not rancid oils be used; (2) if, after
each oiling, a few days be allowed to elapse before using the chamber
or hall, and finally (3), if resort is not had to costly foreign
special preparations, but German goods, procurable at wholesale in any
quantity, and at very low figures.
The last advice (to use low-priced preparations) seems sensible since
according to recent experiments, none of the oils experimented upon
possess any especial advantages over the others.
An overwhelming majority of the laboratories for examination have given
a verdict in favor of oil as a dust-suppressing application for floors,
and have expressed a desire to see it in universal use. The following
is a suggestion put forth for the use of various preparations:
This dust-absorbing agent has for its object to take up the dust in
sweeping floors, etc., and to prevent its development. The production
is as follows: Mix in an intimate manner 12 parts, by weight, of
mineral sperm oil with 88 parts, by weight, of Roman or Portland
cement, adding a few drops of mirbane oil. Upon stirring a uniform
paste forms at first, which then passes into a greasy, sandy mass. This
mass is sprinkled upon the surface to be swept and cleaned of dust,
next going over it with a broom or similar object in the customary
manner, at which operation the dust will mix with the mass. The
preparation can be used repeatedly.
HUNYADI WATER: See Water.
HYDROCHINON DEVELOPER: See Photography.
HYDROGEN, AMALGAMS AS A SOURCE OF NASCENT: See Amalgams.
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AS A PRESERVATIVE: See Preserving.
«HYDROMETER AND ITS USE.»
Fill the tall cylinder or test glass with the spirit to be tested
and see that it is of the proper temperature (60° F.). Should the
thermometer indicate a higher temperature wrap the cylinder in cloths
which have been dipped in cold water until the temperature falls to the
required degree. If too low a temperature is indicated, reverse the
process, using warm instead of cold applications. When 60° is reached
note the specific gravity on the floating hydrometer. Have the cylinder
filled to the top and look across the top of the liquid at the mark
on the hydrometer. This is to preclude an {402} incorrect reading by
possible refraction in the glass cylinder.
«HYGROMETERS AND HYGROSCOPES:»
«Paper Hygrometers.»—Paper hygrometers are made by saturating white
blotting paper with the following liquid and then hanging up to dry:
Cobalt chloride 1 ounce
Sodium chloride 1/2 ounce
Calcium chloride 75 grains
Acacia 1/4 ounce
Water 3 ounces
The amount of moisture in the atmosphere is roughly indicated by the
changing color of the papers, as follows:
Rose red rain
Pale red very moist
Bluish red moist
Lavender blue nearly dry
Blue very dry
«Colored Hygroscopes.»—These instruments are often composed of a
flower or a figure, of light muslin or paper, immersed in one of the
following solutions:
I.—Cobalt chloride 1 part
Gelatin 10 parts
Water 100 parts
The normal coloring is pink; this color changes into violet in medium
humid weather and into blue in very dry weather.
II.—Cupric chloride 1 part
Gelatin 10 parts
Water 100 parts
The color is yellow in dry weather.
III.—Cobalt chloride 1 part
Gelatin 20 parts
Nickel oxide 75 parts
Cupric chloride 25 parts
Water 200 parts
The color is green in dry weather.
HYOSCYAMUS, ANTIDOTE TO: See Atropine.
«ICE:»
See also Refrigeration.
«Measuring the Weight of Ice.»—A close estimate of the weight of
ice can be reached by multiplying together the length, breadth, and
thickness of the block in inches, and dividing the product by 30.
This will be very closely the weight in pounds. Thus, if a block is
10 x 10 x 9, the product is 900, and this divided by 30 gives 30
pounds as correct weight. A block 10 x 10 x 6 weighs 20 pounds. This
simple method can be easily applied, and it may serve to remove unjust
suspicions, or to detect short weight.
«To Keep Ice in Small Quantities.»—To keep ice from melting, attention
is called to an old preserving method. The ice is cracked with a
hammer between 2 layers of a strong cloth. Tie over a common unglazed
flower-pot, holding about 2 to 4 quarts and placed upon a porcelain
dish, a piece of white flannel in such a manner that it is turned down
funnel-like into the interior of the pot without touching the bottom.
Placed in this flannel funnel the cracked ice keeps for days.
«ICE FLOWERS.»
Make a 2 per cent solution of the best clear gelatin in distilled
water, filter, and flood the filtrate over any surface which it
is desired to ornament. Drain off slightly, and if the weather is
sufficiently cold, put the plate, as nearly level as possible, out
into the cold air to freeze. In freezing, water is abstracted from the
colloidal portion, which latter then assumes an efflorescent form,
little flowers, with exuberant, graceful curves of crystals, showing up
as foliage, from all over the surface. To preserve in permanent form
all that is necessary is to flood them with absolute alcohol. This
treatment removes the ice, thus leaving a lasting framework of gelatin
which may be preserved indefinitely. In order to do this, as soon as
the gelatin has become quite dry it should be either varnished, flowed
with an alcoholic solution of clear shellac, or the gelatin may be
rendered insoluble by contact, for a few moments, with a solution of
potassium bichromate, and subsequent exposure to sunlight.
IMOGEN DEVELOPER: See Photography.
INCENSE: See Fumigants.
INCRUSTATION, PREVENTION OF: See Boiler Compounds.
INDIGO: See Dyes.
INFANT FOODS: See Foods.
INFLUENZA IN CATTLE: See Veterinary Formulas. {403}
INK ERADICATORS: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.
«IGNITING COMPOSITION.»
Eight parts of powdered manganese, 10 parts of amorphous phosphorus,
and 5 parts of glue. The glue is soaked in water, dissolved in the
heat, and the manganese and the phosphorus stirred in, so that a thinly
liquid paste results, which is applied by means of a brush. Allow to
dry well. This, being free from sulphur, can be applied on match-boxes.
«Inks»
«BLUEPRINT INKS.»
I.—For red-writing fluids for blueprints, take a piece of common
washing soda the size of an ordinary bean, and dissolve it in 4
tablespoonfuls of ordinary red-writing ink, to make a red fluid. To
keep it from spreading too much, use a fine pen to apply it with, and
write fast so as not to allow too much of the fluid to get on the
paper, for it will continue eating until it is dry.
II.—For red and white solutions for writing on blueprints, dissolve a
crystal of oxalate of potash about the size of a pea in an ink-bottle
full of water. This will give white lines on blueprints; other potash
solutions are yellowish. If this shows a tendency to run, owing to too
great strength, add more water and thicken slightly with mucilage. Mix
this with red or any other colored ink about half and half, and writing
may be done on the blueprints in colors corresponding to the inks used.
III.—Add to a small bottle of water enough washing soda to make a clear
white line, then add enough gum arabic to it to prevent spreading and
making ragged lines. To make red lines dip the pen in red ink and then
add a little of the solution by means of the quill.
IV.—For white ink, grind zinc oxide fine on marble and incorporate with
it a mucilage made with gum tragacanth. Thin a little for use. Add a
little oil of cloves to prevent mold, and shake from time to time.
V.—A fluid which is as good as any for writing white on blueprints is
made of equal parts of sal soda and water.
VI.—Mix equal parts of borax and water.
Both these fluids, V and VI, must be used with a fine-pointed pen; a
pen with a blunt point will not work well.
«DRAWING INKS:»
«Blue Ruling Ink.»—Good vitriol, 4 ounces; indigo, 1 ounce. Pulverize
the indigo, add it to the vitriol, and let it stand exposed to the air
for 6 days, or until dissolved; then fill the pots with chalk, add
fresh gall, 1/2 gill, boiling it before use.
«Black Ruling Ink.»—Take good black ink, and add gall as for blue. Do
not cork it, as this prevents it from turning black.
«Carbon Ink.»—Dissolve real India ink in common black ink, or add a
small quantity of lampblack previously heated to redness, and ground
perfectly smooth, with a small portion of the ink.
«Carmine.»—The ordinary solution of carmine in ammonia water, after a
short time in contact with steel, becomes blackish red, but an ink may
be made that will retain its brilliant carmine color to the last by the
following process, given by Dingler: Triturate 1 part of pure carmine
with 15 parts of acetate of ammonia solution, with an equal quantity
of distilled water in a porcelain mortar, and allow the whole to stand
for some time. In this way, a portion of the alumina, which is combined
with the carmine dye, is taken up by the acetic acid of the ammonia
salt, and separates as a precipitate, while the pure pigment of the
cochineal remains dissolved in the half-saturated ammonia. It is now
filtered and a few drops of pure white sugar syrup added to thicken it.
A solution of gum arabic cannot be used to thicken it, since the ink
still contains some acetic acid, which would coagulate the bassorine,
one of the constituents of the gum.
«Liquid Indelible Drawing Ink.»—Dissolve, by boiling, 2 parts of blond
(golden yellow) shellac in 1.6 parts, by weight, of sal ammoniac, 16°,
with 10 parts, by weight, of distilled water, and filter the solution
through a woolen cloth. Now dissolve or grind 0.5 parts, by weight,
of shellac solution with 0.01 part, by weight, of carbon black. Also
dissolve .03 parts of nigrosin in 0.4 parts of distilled water and pour
both solutions together. The mixture is allowed to settle for 2 days
and the ready ink is drawn off from the sediment.
«GLASS, CELLULOID, AND METAL INKS:»
See also Etching.
Most inks for glass will also write on celluloid and the metals. The
following {404} I and II are the most widely known recipes:
I.—In 500 parts of water dissolve 36 parts of sodium fluoride and 7
parts of sodium sulphate. In another vessel dissolve in the same amount
of water 14 parts of zinc chloride and to the solution add 56 parts
of concentrated hydrochloric acid. To use, mix equal volumes of the
two solutions and add a little India ink; or, in the absence of this,
rub up a little lampblack with it. It is scarcely necessary to say
that the mixture should not be put in glass containers, unless they
are well coated internally with paraffine, wax, gutta-percha, or some
similar material. To avoid the inconvenience of keeping the solutions
in separate bottles, mix them and preserve in a rubber bottle. A quill
pen is best to use in writing with this preparation, but metallic pens
may be used, if quite clean and new.
II.—In 150 parts of alcohol dissolve 20 parts of rosin, and add to
this, drop by drop, stirring continuously, a solution of 35 parts of
borax in 250 parts of water. This being accomplished, dissolve in the
solution sufficient methylene blue to give it the desired tint.
«Ink for Writing on Glazed Cardboard.»—The following are especially
recommended for use on celluloid:
I.—Dissolve 4 drachms of brown shellac in 4 ounces of alcohol. Dissolve
7 drachms of borax in 6 ounces of distilled water. Pour the first
solution slowly into the second and carefully mix them, after which add
12 grains of aniline dye of the desired color. Violet, blue, green,
red, yellow, orange, or black aniline dyes can be used.
Such inks may be used for writing on bottles, and the glass may be
cleaned with water without the inscription being impaired.
II.—Ferric chloride 10 parts
Tannin 15 parts
Acetone 100 parts
Dissolve the ferric chloride in a portion of the acetone and the tannin
in the residue, and mix the solutions.
III.—Dissolve a tar dyestuff of the desired color in anhydrous acetic
acid.
«Indelible Inks for Glass or Metal.»—Schobel recommends the following
inks for marking articles of glass, glass slips for microscopy, reagent
flasks, etc., in black:
I.—Sodium silicate 1 to 2 parts
Liquid India ink 1 part
For white:
II.—Sodium water glass 3 to 4 parts
Chinese white 1 part
Instead of Chinese white, a sufficient amount of the so-called
permanent white (barium sulphate) may be used. The containers for
these inks should be kept air-tight. The writing in either case is not
attacked by any reagent used in microscopical technique but may be
readily scraped away with a knife. The slips or other articles should
be as near chemically clean as possible, before attempting to write on
them.
According to Schuh, a mixture of a shellac solution and whiting or
precipitated chalk answers very well for marking glass. Any color
may be mixed with the chalk. If the glass is thoroughly cleaned with
alcohol or ether, either a quill pen or a camel’s-hair pencil (or a
fresh, clean steel pen) may be used.
«Ink on Marble.»—Ink marks on marble may be removed with a paste made
by dissolving an ounce of oxalic acid and half an ounce of butter of
antimony in a pint of rain water, and adding sufficient flour to form a
thin paste. Apply this to the stains with a brush; allow it to remain
on 3 or 4 days and then wash it off. Make a second application, if
necessary.
«Perpetual Ink.»—I.—Pitch, 3 pounds; melt over the fire, and add of
lampblack, 3/4 pound; mix well.
II.—Trinidad asphaltum and oil of turpentine, equal parts. Used in
a melted state to fill in the letters on tombstones, marbles, etc.
Without actual violence, it will endure as long as the stone itself.
«Ink for Steel Tools.»—Have a rubber stamp made with white letters on a
black ground. Make up an ink to use with this stamp, as follows: