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Part 409

Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes · Gardner Dexter Hiscox — chapter 409 of 563 · ~1,003 words · public domain

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Upon the caoutchouc in a bottle pour the carbon disulphide, cork well, and let stand a few days, or until the caoutchouc has become thoroughly gelatinized or partly dissolved. Then add the petroleum, oil of lavender, and alcohol, next the shellac in fine powder, and heat it to about 120° F., taking care that as little as possible is lost by evaporation. When the substances are all dissolved and the liquid is tolerably clear, add the {635} lampblack, mix thoroughly, and fill at once into small bottles.

II.—A waterproof blacking which will give a fine polish without rubbing, and will not injure the leather:

Beeswax 18 parts Spermaceti 6 parts Turpentine oil 66 parts Asphalt varnish 5 parts Powdered borax 1 part Frankfort black 5 parts Prussian blue 2 parts Nitro-benzol 1 part

Melt the wax, add the powdered borax and stir till a kind of jelly has formed. In another pan melt the spermaceti, add the asphalt varnish, previously mixed with the oil of turpentine, stir well, and add to the wax. Lastly add the color previously rubbed smooth with a little of the mass. The nitro-benzol gives fragrance.

«Waterproof Varnish for Beach Shoes.»—

Yellow.—

Water 150 parts Borax 5 parts Glycerine 3 parts Spirit of ammonia 1 part White shellac 25 parts Yellow pigment, water soluble 1 part Formalin, a few drops.

Orange.—

Water 150 parts Borax 5 parts Glycerine 2 parts Spirit of ammonia 1 part Ruby shellac 22 parts Orange, water soluble 1 part Brown 0.3 parts Formalin 0.1 part

Pale Brown.—

Water 150 parts Borax 5 parts Glycerine 2 parts Spirit of ammonia 0.25 parts White shellac 25 parts Yellow, water soluble 8 parts Orange 0.3 parts Formalin 0.1 part

Stir the glycerine and the spirit of ammonia together in a special vessel before putting both into the kettle. It is also advisable, before the water boils, to pour a little of the nearly boiling water into a clean vessel and to dissolve the colors therein with good stirring, adding this solution to the kettle after the shellac has been dissolved.

White Shoe Dressing.—

I.—Cream of tartar 3 ounces Oxalic acid 1 ounce Alum 1 ounce Milk 3 pints

Mix and rub on the shoes. When they are thoroughly dry, rub them with a mixture of prepared chalk and magnesium carbonate.

II.—Water 136 parts Fine pipe clay 454 parts Shellac, bleached 136 parts Borax, powdered 68 parts Soft soap 8 parts Ultramarine blue 5 parts

Boil the shellac in the water, adding the borax, and keeping up the boiling until a perfect solution is obtained, then stir in the soap (5 or 6 parts of “ivory” soap, shaved up, and melted with 2 or 3 parts of water, is better than common soft soap), pipe clay, and ultramarine. Finally strain through a hair-cloth sieve. This preparation, it is said, leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. A good deal of stiffness may be imparted to the leather by it. The addition of a little glycerine would remedy this. The old application should be wiped away before a new one is put on. This preparation is suitable for military shoes, gloves, belts, and uniforms requiring a white dressing.

SHOES, WATERPROOFING: See Waterproofing.

SHIO LIAO: See Adhesives, under Cements.

SHIP COMPOSITIONS AND PAINTS: See Paints.

SHOW BOTTLES FOR DRUGGISTS: See Bottles.

«SHOW CASES.»

Dents in show cases and counters, and, indeed, almost all forms of “bruises” on shop and other furniture, may be removed by the exercise of a little patience, and proceeding as follows: Sponge the place with water as warm as can be borne by the hand. Take a piece of filtering or other bibulous paper large enough to fold 6 or 8 times and yet cover the bruise, wet in warm water and place over the spot. Take a warm (not hot) smoothing iron and hold it on the paper until the moisture is evaporated (renewing its heat, if necessary). If the bruise does not yield to the first trial, repeat the process. A dent as large as a {636} dollar and 1⁠/⁠4 inch deep in the center, in black walnut of tolerably close texture, was brought up smooth and level with the surrounding surface by two applications of the paper and iron as described. If the bruise be small, a sponge dipped in warm water placed upon it, renewing the warmth from time to time, will be all-sufficient. When the dent is removed and the wood dry, the polish can be restored by any of the usual processes. If the wood was originally finished in oil, rub with a little boiled linseed cut with acetic acid (oil, 8 parts; acid, 1 part). If it was “French polished,” apply an alcoholic solution of shellac, and let dry; repeat if necessary, and when completely dry proceed as follows: Rub the part covered with shellac, first with crocus cloth and a few drops of olive oil, until the ridges, where the new and old polish come together, disappear; wipe with a slightly greased but otherwise clean rag and finish with putz pomade.

SHOW-CASE SIGNS: See Lettering.

SHOW-CASES, TO PREVENT DIMMING OF: See Glass.

«Siccatives»

The oldest drier is probably litharge, a reddish-yellow powder, consisting of lead and oxygen. Formerly it was ground finely in oil, either pure or with admixture of white vitriol and added to the dark oil paints. Litharge and sugar of lead are used to-day only rarely as drying agents, having been displaced by the liquid manganese siccatives, which are easy to handle. E. Ebelin, however, is of the opinion that the neglect of the lead compounds has not been beneficial to decorative painting. Where these mediums were used in suitable quantities hard-drying coatings were almost always obtained. Ebelin believes that formerly there used to be less lamentation on account of tacky floors, pews, etc., than at the present time.

Doubtless a proposition to grind litharge into the oil again will not be favorably received, although some old master painters have by no means discarded this method.

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