Part 120

Hats so treated will require to be stiffened by the application of a little gum water, and pressed on a block with a hot iron to bring them back into shape.

«Waterproof Stiffening for Straw Hats.»—If a waterproof stiffening is required use one of the varnishes for which formulas follow:

I.—Copal 450 parts Sandarac 75 parts Venice turpentine 40 parts Castor oil 5 parts Alcohol 800 parts

II.—Shellac 500 parts Sandarac 175 parts Venice turpentine 50 parts Castor oil 15 parts Alcohol 2,000 parts

III.—Shellac 750 parts Rosin 150 parts Venice turpentine 150 parts Castor oil 20 parts Alcohol 2,500 parts

«How to Clean a Panama Hat.»—Scrub with castile soap and warm water, a nail brush being used as an aid to get the dirt away. The hat is then placed in the hot sun to dry and in the course of two or three hours is ready for use. It will not only be as clean as when new, but it will retain its shape admirably. The cleaned hat will be a trifle stiff at first, but will soon grow supple under wear.

A little glycerine added to the rinsing water entirely prevents the stiffness and brittleness acquired by some hats in drying, while a little ammonia in the washing water materially assists in the scrubbing process. Ivory, or, in fact, any good white soap, will answer as well as castile for the purpose. It is well to rinse a second time, adding the glycerine to the water used the second time. Immerse the hat completely in the rinse water, moving it about to get rid of traces of the dirty water. When the hat has been thoroughly rinsed, press out the surplus water, using a Turkish bath towel for the purpose, and let it rest on the towel when drying.

«PAINT, VARNISH, AND ENAMEL REMOVERS:»

«To Remove Old Oil, Paint, or Varnish Coats.»—I.—Apply a mixture of about 5 parts of potassium silicate (water glass, 36 per cent), about 1 part of soda lye (40 per cent), and 1 part of ammonia. The composition dissolves the old varnish coat, as well as the paint, down to the bottom. The varnish coatings which are to be removed may be brushed off or left for days in a hardened state. Upon being thoroughly moistened with water the old varnish may be readily washed off, the lacquer as well as the oil paint coming off completely. The ammonia otherwise employed dissolves the varnish, but not the paint. {188}

II.—Apply a mixture of 1 part oil of turpentine and 2 parts of ammonia. This is effective, even if the coatings withstand the strongest lye. The two liquids are shaken in a bottle until they mix like milk. The mixture is applied to the coating with a little oakum; after a few minutes the old paint can be wiped off.

«To Clean Brushes and Vessels of Dry Paint» (see also Brushes and Paints).—The cleaning of the brushes and vessels in which the varnish or oil paint had dried is usually done by boiling with soda solution. This frequently spoils the brushes or cracks the vessels if of glass; besides, the process is rather slow and dirty. A much more suitable remedy is amyl acetate, which is a liquid with a pleasant odor of fruit drops, used mainly for dissolving and cementing celluloid. If amyl acetate is poured over a paint brush the varnish or hardened paint dissolves almost immediately and the brush is again rendered serviceable at once. If necessary, the process is repeated. For cleaning vessels shake the liquid about in them, which softens the paint so that it can be readily removed with paper. In this manner much labor can be saved. The amyl acetate can be easily removed from the brushes, etc., by alcohol or oil of turpentine.

«Varnish and Paint Remover.»—Dissolve 20 parts of caustic soda (98 per cent) in 100 parts of water, mix the solution with 20 parts of mineral oil, and stir in a kettle provided with a mechanical stirrer, until the emulsion is complete. Now add, with stirring, 20 parts of sawdust and pass the whole through a paint mill to obtain a uniform intermixture. Apply the paste moist.

«To Remove Varnish from Metal.»—To remove old varnish from metals, it suffices to dip the articles in equal parts of ammonia and alcohol (95 per cent).

«To Remove Water Stains from Varnished Furniture.»—Pour olive oil into a dish and scrape a little white wax into it. This mixture should be heated until the wax melts and rubbed sparingly on the stains. Finally, rub the surface with a linen rag until it is restored to brilliancy.

«To Remove Paint, Varnish, etc., from Wood.»—Varnish, paint, etc., no matter how old and hard, may be softened in a few minutes so that they can be easily scraped off, by applying the following mixture:

Water glass 5 parts Soda lye, 40° B. (27 per cent) 1 part Ammonia water 1 part

Mix.

«Removing Varnish, etc.»—A patent has been taken out in England for a liquid for removing varnish, lacquer, tar, and paint. The composition is made by mixing 4 ounces of benzol, 3 ounces of fusel oil, and 1 ounce of alcohol. It is stated by the inventor that this mixture, if applied to a painted or varnished surface, will make the surface quite clean in less than 10 minutes, and that a paint-soaked brush “as hard as iron” can be made as soft and pliable as new by simply soaking for an hour or so in the mixture.

«To Remove Enamel and Tin Solder.»—Pour enough of oil of vitriol (concentrated sulphuric acid) over powdered fluorspar in an earthen or lead vessel, so as just to cover the parts whereby hydrofluoric acid is generated. For use, dip the article suspended on a wire into the liquid until the enamel or the tin is eaten away or dissolved, which does not injure the articles in any way. If heated, the liquid acts more rapidly. The work should always be conducted in the open air, and care should be taken not to inhale the fumes, which are highly injurious to the health, and not to get any liquid on the skin, as hydrofluoric acid is one of the most dangerous poisons. Hydrofluoric acid must be kept in earthen or leaden vessels, as it destroys glass.

«Removing Paint and Varnish from Wood.»—The following compound is given as one which will clean paint or varnish from wood or stone without injuring the material:

Flour or wood pulp 385 parts Hydrochloric acid 450 parts Bleaching powder 160 parts Turpentine 5 parts

This mixture is applied to the surface and left on for some time. It is then brushed off, and brings the paint away with it. It keeps moist quite long enough to be easily removed after it has acted.

«Paste for Removing Old Paint or Varnish Coats.»—

I.—Sodium hydrate 5 parts Soluble soda glass 3 parts Flour paste 6 parts Water 4 parts

II.—Soap 10 parts Potassium hydrate 7 parts Potassium silicate 2 parts

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«To Remove Old Enamel.»—Lay the articles horizontally in a vessel containing a concentrated solution of alum and boil them. The solution should be just sufficient to cover the pieces. In 20 or 25 minutes the old enamel will fall into dust, and the article can be polished with emery. If narrow and deep vessels are used the operation will require more time.

«INK ERADICATORS:»