sick parts of the wood are painted with it, which causes the fungi to
die, turn black, and finally drop off. The best preventive of dry rot
is plenty of draught. If the portions are already affected so badly
that they must be removed and renewed, the freshly inserted wood is
coated with “carbolineum” to prevent a fresh appearance of dry rot.
Another remedy is ordinary salt, which is known to have a highly
hygroscopic action. It absorbs the moisture of the wood, whereby it
is itself dissolved, thus gradually impregnating the planks, etc. In
order to combat dry rot with salt, proceed as follows: Throw salt
into boiling water until a perfectly saturated solution is obtained.
With this repeatedly wash the wood and masonry afflicted with dry
rot. Wherever practicable the salt may be sprinkled direct upon the
affected place.
ROUGE: See Cosmetics.
«ROUGE FOR BUFF WHEELS.»
The rouge employed by machinists, watchmakers, and jewelers, is
obtained by directly subjecting crystals of sulphate of iron or
copperas to a high heat by which the sulphuric acid is expelled and the
oxide of iron remains. Those portions least calcined, when ground, are
used for polishing gold and silver. These are of bright crimson color.
The darker and more calcined portions are known as “crocus,” and are
used for polishing brass and steel. Others prefer for the production
of rouge the peroxide of iron precipitated by ammonia from a dilute
solution of sulphate of iron, which is washed, compressed until dry,
then exposed to a low red heat and ground to powder. Of course, there
are other substances besides rouge which are employed in polishing, as
powdered emery, kieselguhr, carborundum, rotten stone, etc.
ROUGE POWDER: See Polishes.
ROUGH STUFF: See Wood.
ROUP CURES: See Veterinary Formulas.
«Rubber»
«ARTIFICIAL RUBBER.»
Austin G. Day tried hundreds of experiments and took out many patents
for rubber substitutes. He was in a measure successful, his “Kerite”
compound proving of great value and being a result of his seeking for
something that would wholly supplant rubber. As far back as 1866 he
made public the results of some of his work, giving as formulas for
rubber substitutes the following compounds:
I.—Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 2 pounds
Raw turpentine 2 pounds
Sulphur 2 pounds
Boil 2 hours.
II.—Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 1 pound
Raw turpentine 2 pounds
Castor oil 1 pound
Sulphur 2 pounds
Boil 1/2 hour.
III.—Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 1 pound
Raw turpentine 1/2 pound
Liquid coal tar 3 pounds
Peanut oil 1 pound
Spirits turpentine 1 pound
Sulphur 4 pounds
Boil 35 minutes.
IV.—Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 2 pounds
Raw turpentine 1/2 pound
Liquid coal tar 2 pounds {619}
Spirits turpentine 1 pound
Rubber [ ] pound
Sulphur 2 pounds
Boil 1 hour.
In 1871 Mr. Day had brought his experimenting down to the following
formula:
V.—Cottonseed oil 14 pounds
Linseed oil 14 pounds
Asphaltum 8 pounds
Coal tar 8 pounds
Sulphur 10 pounds
Camphor 1/2 pound
In this the tar and asphaltum were first mixed with the cottonseed oil,
after which was added the linseed oil and camphor, and, last of all,
the sulphur, when the temperature was about 270° F.
A substitute designed to be used in rubber compounding in place, say,
of reclaimed rubber, was made as follows:
VI.—Cottonseed oil 27 pounds
Coal tar 30 pounds
Earthy matter 5 pounds
To be mixed and heated to 300° F., and then strained and cooled
to 200° F. Then were added 27 pounds linseed oil, the heat raised
to 220° F., and 15 to 18 pounds of sulphur added, the heat being
continually raised until the mass was sulphurized. When the heat
reached 240° F., 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of nitric acid were added, and
at 270° to 280° F., from 1 to 3 ounces camphor were added to help the
sulphurization. The resultant compound was used on the following basis:
VII.—Para rubber 20 pounds
Litharge 5 pounds
Sulphur 1 pound
Above compound 20 to 40 pounds
Mr. Day did not insist on the compound quoted, but advised that the
proportions be varied as widely as the exigencies of the case might
demand. Whiting, barytes, infusorial earth, white lead, blacks, in fact
almost any of the oxides, carbonates, or earthy materials commonly
used in compounding, were used in connection with his substitute, as
also were any grades of crude rubber. Among other ingredients that he
found of use in making his substitutes were vegetable and animal waxes,
together with ozokerite and paraffine. These were only used in small
quantities, and always in connection with the linseed and cottonseed
oils, and generally asphaltum or coal tar. One of his compounds also
called for a quantity of golden sulphuret of antimony, presumably to
assist in the sulphurization, and a small amount of tannic acid.
Another line of experimenting that is interesting, and that will yet
produce good results, although so far it has not amounted to much, is
in the use of cellulose. A very simple formula is of French origin
and calls for the treating of cellulose with sulphuric acid, washing,
drying, granulating, treating with resinate of soda—which is afterwards
precipitated by sulphate of alumina—then drying and molding under
pressure. As a matter of fact, the resultant mass would not be mistaken
for rubber. An English formula is more like it. This consists of
VIII.—Cellulose 15 pounds
Pitch 25 pounds
Asphalt 20 pounds
Silica 20 pounds
Mastic 5 pounds
Bitumen 5 pounds
Rosin 10 pounds
Coal tar 12 pounds
This makes a thick gummy varnish which is of little use except as for
its waterproof qualities. Allen’s formula for a cellulose substitute
might have a value if it were carried further. It is made up of 100
pounds of rosinous wood pulp treated with animal gelatin, 100 pounds
asphalt, and 10 pounds asphalt oil, all heated and molded.
The Greening process, which is English, is more elaborate than Allen’s,
but seems a bit laborious and costly. This process calls for the
treatment of the cellulose by a mixture of sulphuric acid and nitrate
of potash, and, after drying, a treatment to a bath of liquid carbonic
acid. When dry again, it is mixed in a retort with refined rosin, gum
benzoin, castor oil, and methylated alcohol. The distillate from this
is dried by redistilling over anhydrous lime.
Another curious line of substitutes is that based upon the use of glue
and glycerine. Some of these have uses, while others, that look very
attractive, are of no use at all, for the simple reason that they will
absorb water almost as readily as a dry sponge. The first of these is
more than 30 years old and is said to be of French origin. The formula
is:
IX.—Glue 4 pounds
Glycerine 8 ounces
Nutgall 3 ounces
Acetic acid, 1 pound in 5 pounds of water.
Ten years later this was approached by an English formula in which
in place of {620} the nutgall and acetic acid, chromic and tannic
acids were substituted, and a modicum of ground cork was added as a
cheapener probably. Some four years later an ingenious Prussian gave
out a formula in which to the glue and glycerine and tannic acid were
added Marseilles soap and linseed oil. None of the above have ever had
a commercial value, the nearest approach being the glue and glycerine
compound used as a cover for gas tubing.
The substitutes that have really come into use generally are made
either from linseed, cottonseed, or maize oil. Scores of these have
been produced and thousands of dollars have been spent by promoters and
owners in trying to make these gums do just what crude rubber will. A
German formula which was partially successful is
X.—Linseed oil, in solution 80 pounds Lime-hardened rosin, in solution
50 pounds
Add to above
Sulphur 8 pounds
Linseed oil 42 pounds
Add 20 pounds sulphur and heat to 375° F.
«Rubber and Rubber Articles.»—As regards the action of coal gas on
rubber tubes, it has been observed that it is weakest on ordinary gray
rubber which withstands it the longest, and gives off no odor. Red
rubber is more readily affected, and the black kind still more so.
To prevent rubber tubes from drying up and becoming brittle, they
should be coated with a 3 per cent aqueous solution of carbolic acid,
which preserves them. If they have already turned stiff and brittle,
they can be rendered soft and pliant again by being placed in ammonia
which has been made liquid with double the amount of water.
In France rubber tubes are used as a core for casting pipes from cement
and sand. In order to construct a connected pipe conduit in the ground,
a groove is dug and a layer of cement mortar spread out. Upon this the
rubber tube is laid, which is wrapped up in canvas and inflated. The
remaining portion of the channel is then filled up with cement mortar,
and as soon as it has set, the air is let out of the rubber hose and
the latter is pulled out and used as before.
To cover cloth with rubber, there are chiefly employed for dissolving
the rubber, naphtha, alcohol, and benzol. They are mixed with purified
solid paraffine, and ground together.
Rubber boots and shoes are rendered waterproof by melting 4 parts of
spermaceti and 1 part of rubber on a moderate fire, adding tallow or
fat, 10 parts, and lastly 5 parts of copal varnish or amber varnish.
This mixture is applied on the shoes with a brush. It should be stated
that the rubber used for this purpose must be cut up very small and
allowed 4 to 5 hours to dissolve.
To rid rubber articles of unpleasant odor, cover both sides with a
layer of animal charcoal and heat to about 140° F.
To prevent gas from escaping through rubber hose, cover it with a
mixture prepared as follows: Dissolve 5 parts of gum arabic and 3 parts
of molasses in 15 parts of white wine and add, with constant stirring,
6 parts of alcohol in small quantities. Stirring is necessary to
prevent the alcohol from precipitating the gum arabic.
«Repairing Rubber Goods.»—First, clean off all adherent matter, and dry
thoroughly. Varnish or lacquer, as for instance on rubber shoes, may be
removed with sand or emery paper, or even with a file, in the absence
of one of these. The surface thus produced is then rubbed with benzine.
A solution of Para rubber in benzine is then painted over the surface
around the break or tear, and a strip of natural rubber fitted over it.
Then prepare a vulcanizing solution as follows:
Sulphur chloride 18 parts
Benzine 400 parts
Carbon disulphide 300 parts
This is applied to the edges of the joint by means of a pledget of
cotton wrapped on the end of a little stick, and press the jointed
parts well together.
One may repair rubber bulbs by the following method: Put some pure
gum in three times its bulk of benzine, and cork tightly. Let stand
several days. Get some rubber in sheet form; it will be better if it is
backed with cloth. To make a patch, dampen some little distance around
the hole to be mended with benzine. After a moment, scrape with a
knife; repeat the process several times till the site to be patched is
thoroughly clean. Cut a patch from sheet of rubber a little larger than
the hole to be mended, and apply to its surface several coats of the
benzine solution. Then apply a good coat of the solution to both patch
and about the hole, and press the patch firmly in place. Again apply
the solution to make coating over the patch, and allow to dry till it
will not stick to the finger. Do not use for several days.
Cracked rubber goods may be {621} successfully mended in the following
manner: Before patching, the cracked surfaces to unite well must
be dried, entirely freed from all dirt and dust and greased well,
otherwise the surfaces will not combine. In case of a cover, waterproof
coat, or rubber boots, etc., take a moderately thick piece of india
rubber, suited to size of the object, cut off the edges obliquely with
a sharp knife moistened in water, coat the defective places as well as
the cut pieces of rubber with oil of turpentine, lay the coated parts
together and subject them for 24 hours to a moderate pressure. The
mended portions will be just as waterproof as the whole one. Rubber
cushions or articles containing air are repaired in a very simple
manner, after being cleaned as aforesaid. Then take colophony, dissolve
it in alcohol (90 per cent) so that a thick paste forms, smear up the
holes, allow all to harden well, and the rubber article, pillow, ball,
knee caps, etc., may be used again.
«Softening Rubber.»—The hardening of gum articles is generally
referable to these having been kept for a long time in some warm, dry
place, though keeping them in the cold will produce the same effect.
Hardness and brittleness, under any reasonable care and conditions,
are usually signs of an inferior article of goods. Articles of Para
rubber, of good workmanship, usually maintain their elasticity for a
very long time. Before attempting to soften hollow rubber ware, such
as flasks, water bags, or bottles, etc., they should be well scrubbed
with a wire brush (bottle cleaner) and warm water, so as to remove all
dirt and dust. This scrubbing should be continued until the wash water
comes away clean and bright. For softening, the best agent is dilute
water of ammonia, prepared by mixing pharmacopœial ammonia water, 1
part, and water, 2 parts. There should be enough of this to cover the
articles, inside and out. Let them remain in the mixture until the
ammonia has evaporated. Warm water works better than cold. From 1 to 2
hours will be long enough, as a usual thing. Thick and massive articles
such as large rubber tubing, require more energetic treatment, and
the journal recommends for the treatment of these that they be filled
nearly full with the ammonia mixture, corked at both ends, and coiled
up in a kettle, or other vessel, of sufficient size, warm water poured
in sufficient to cover the coil completely, and lightly boiled for from
1 to 2 hours. The water lost by evaporation should be replaced from
time to time, and the vessel should never be allowed to boil violently.
When the proper time has arrived (and this must be learned, it appears,
by experience, as the article quoted gives no directions save those
translated), remove from the fire, and allow to cool gradually.
Glycerine has been also recommended, and it may be used with advantage
in certain cases. The articles must first be cleaned with the brush and
warm water, as above detailed. Heat them in water and rub them with a
wad of cotton soaked in glycerine, drawing the wad over them, backwards
and forwards. This wad should be wrapped with good stout wire, the
ends of which are prolonged, to serve as a handle. Where possible the
articles should be stricken with the glycerine inside and out, the
article being, naturally, held out of the boiling water, sufficiently,
at least, to make bare the part being rubbed at the time. Let rest for
24 hours, and repeat this process. With goods kept in stock, that show
a tendency to grow brittle, this treatment should be repeated every 6
months or oftener. Never put away tubing, etc., treated in this manner
until every particle of moisture has drained off or evaporated.
Another authority, Zeigler, has the following on this subject: Tubing,
bands, and other articles of vulcanized caoutchouc that have become
brittle and useless, may be restored to usefulness, indeed, to their
pristine elasticity, by treating them as follows: First, put them in a
hot aqueous solution of tannic acid and tartar emetic. Next, transfer
them to a cold aqueous solution of tannic acid and calcium sulphate.
Mix the two solutions and heat to about the boiling point, and transfer
the articles to the hot solution. This treatment should be maintained
from 1 day to 3 or 4, according to the nature and condition of the
articles.
To restore rubber stoppers that have become too hard for usefulness,
digest them in 5 per cent soda lye for about 10 days at 86° to 104° F.,
replacing the lye repeatedly. Next, wash the stoppers in water and
scrape off the softened outer layer with a knife, until no more can be
removed. The stoppers (which have become quite soft and elastic again)
are next rinsed in warm water to remove the caustic soda. If it is
desired to trim them it should be done with a knife moistened with soap
spirit.
«Treatment and Utilization of Rubber Scraps.»—The scraps, assorted
according {622} to their composition, are first cleaned by boiling to
remove the adhering dirt, absorbed and adhering acids, salts, etc.,
as well as to eliminate the free sulphur. Next, the waste is ground
between rollers and reduced to powder in emery grinders with automatic
feeding. In many cases the material obtained may be added at once dry
to the mixture, but generally it first receives a chemical treatment.
This is carried out by boiling in caustic soda solution, or sulphuric
or hydrochloric acid respectively, and steaming for about 20 hours with
4 atmospheres pressure.
According to another method, the ground scraps are steamed with soda
lye under pressure, washed twice thoroughly for the elimination of the
lye, and dried in the vacuum. Subsequently mix between cold rollers
with 5 to 10 per cent of benzol or mineral oil and steam for some hours
under hydraulic pressure at 4 atmospheres. The product thus obtained is
rolled in plates and added to the mixture. The finely ground dry waste
must not be stored for a long time in large quantities, as it hardens
very easily and takes fire.
Old articles of vulcanized rubber are first “devulcanized” by grinding,
boiling with caustic soda, and washing thoroughly. After drying, the
scraps are heated to 302° F. with linseed oil in a kettle provided with
stirring mechanism which is kept in continual motion. When the rubber
has dissolved, a quantity of natural or coal-tar asphalt is added,
and as soon as the contents of the kettle have become well mixed, the
temperature is raised so high that dense fumes begin to rise and air
is forced through the mass until a cooled sample shows the desired
consistence. This composition being very tough and flexible, forms an
excellent covering for electric cables. It finds many other uses, the
proportions of rubber, asphalt, and oil being varied in accordance with
the purpose for which it is designed.
«Vulcanization.»—Besides the Goodyear, Mason, and other patented
processes, the process now usually followed in vulcanizing rubber
stamps and similar small objects of rubber, is as follows:
Sulphur chloride is dissolved in carbon disulphide in various
proportions, according to the degree of hardness the vulcanized object
is to receive; the rubber cast is plunged in the solution and left
there from 60 to 70 seconds. On removing, it is placed in a box or
space warmed to 80° F., and left long enough for the carbon disulphide
to evaporate, or about 90 to 100 seconds. It is then washed in a weakly
alkaline bath of water, and dried.
Another method (recommended by Gerard) depends upon letting the rubber
lie in a solution of potassium _ter_ or _penta_ sulphide, of 25° Bé.,
heated to about 280° F. for 3 hours.
«Testing Rubber Gloves.»—In testing rubber gloves it is best to inflate
them with air, and then put them under water. Thus one may discover
many small holes in new ones which otherwise would have been impossible
to find.
«Dissolving Old Rubber.»—The material is shredded finely and then
heated, under pressure, for several hours, with a strong solution of
caustic soda. All cloth, paint, glue, fillers, etc., in the rubber are
disintegrated, but the rubber is not affected. The mass is then washed
repeatedly with water, to remove all alkali, and the resultant pure
rubber may then be formed into sheets.
«Rubber Stamps.»—Set up the desired name and address in common type,
oil the type and place a guard about 1/2 inch high around the form.
Mix plaster of Paris to the proper consistence, pour in and allow it
to set. Have the vulcanized rubber all ready, as made in long strips
3 inches wide and 1/8 of an inch thick, cut off the size of the
intended stamp, remove the plaster cast from the type, and place both
the cast and the rubber in a screw press, applying sufficient heat to
thoroughly soften the rubber. Then turn down the screw hard and let it
remain until the rubber receives the exact impression of the cast and
becomes cold, when it is removed, neatly trimmed with a sharp knife,
and cemented to the handle ready for use.
RUBBER CEMENTS: See Adhesives.
RUBBER GLOVES, SUBSTITUTE FOR: See Antiseptics.
RUBBER, ITS PROPERTIES AND USES IN WATERPROOFING: See Waterproofing.
RUBBER VARNISHES: See Varnishes.
RUBY SETTINGS: See Watchmakers’ Formulas.
RUOLTZ METAL: See Alloys.
RUM, BAY: See Bay Rum. {623}
«Rust Preventives»
(See also Enamels, Glazes, Paints, Varnishes, Waterproofing.)
In spite of the numerous endeavors to protect metal objects from
oxidation, a thoroughly satisfactory process has not yet been found,
and we still have to resort to coatings and embrocations.
By covering the metals with a pale, colorless linseed-oil varnish,
a fat or spirit lacquer, an unfailing protection against oxidation
is obtained. This method, though frequently employed, however, is
too laborious and expensive to admit of general use, and instead
we frequently see employed ordinary or specially composed greases,
especially for scythes, straw-knives, and many other bright iron
goods. These greases are not suited to retard oxidation, for they are
without exception acid-reacting bodies, which absorb oxygen in the
air and under the action of light, thus rather assisting oxidation
than retarding it. A covering of wax dissolved in oil of turpentine
would be more recommendable, because wax is an impervious body, and
a firm and rather hard layer remains after evaporation of the oil of
turpentine, which excludes the air. If the treatment with the wax
salve is carefully attended to no other objection can be urged against
this preserving agent than that it is likewise comparatively expensive
if used in large quantities. As regards the greases, and treatment
with petroleum or vaseline, the easy attrition of these substances is
another drawback, which makes a lasting protection impossible.
According to Shedlok, cast-iron articles are treated with acids, then
exposed to the action of steam, hot or cold water, and dried. The
receptacle is exhausted of air and a solution of pitch, rosin, rubber,
or caoutchouc, applied under pressure. Objects prepared in this manner
are said to be impervious even to weak acids.
The inoxidizing process of Ward is founded on the simultaneous
employment of silicates and heat. The cast iron or wrought iron are
coated with a siliceous mass by means of a brush or by immersion. This
covering dries quickly, becomes liquid when the articles are exposed
to a suitable heat, and soaks into the pores of the metal, forming a
dense and uniform coat of dull black color after cooling, which is
not changed by long-continued influence of the atmosphere, and which
neither scales nor peels from the object. By the admixture of glass
coloring matters to the siliceous mass, decorated surfaces may be
produced.
Another inoxidation process for cast iron is the following: The
cast-iron objects, such as whole gas chandeliers, water pipes,
ornaments, balcony railings, cooking vessels, etc., are laid upon
an iron sliding carriage 3.5 meters long and are exposed in a flame
furnace of special construction first 15 minutes to the influence of
gas generators with oxidizing action, then 20 minutes to such with
reducing action. After being drawn out and cooled off the inoxidized
pieces take on a uniform slate-blue shade of color, but can be enameled
and ornamented in any manner desired. In applying the enamel the
corroding with acid is obviated, for which reason the enamel stands
exceedingly well.