HENLEY’S BOOK OF RECIPES (continued 6)

Spruce Beer.—I.—Sugar, 1 pound; essence of spruce, ¹/₂ ounce; boiling water, 1 gallon; mix well, and when nearly cold add of yeast ¹/₂ wineglassful; and the next day bottle like ginger beer.

II.—Essence of spruce, ¹/₂ pint; pimento and ginger (bruised), of each, 5 ounces; hops, ¹/₂ pound; water, 3 gallons; boil the whole for 10 minutes, then add of moist sugar, 12 pounds (or good molasses, 14 pounds); warm water, 11 gallons; mix well, and, when only lukewarm, further add of yeast, 1 pint; after the liquid has fermented for about 24 hours, bottle it.

This is diuretic and antiscorbutic. It is regarded as an agreeable summer drink, and often found useful during long sea voyages. When made with lump sugar it is called White Spruce Beer; when with moist sugar or treacle, Brown Spruce Beer. An inferior sort is made by using less sugar or more water.

Treacle Beer.—I.—From treacle or molasses, ³/₄ to 2 pounds per gallon (according to the desired strength); hops, ¹/₄ to ³/₄ ounce; yeast, a ta­ble­spoon­ful; water, q. s.; treated as below.

II.—Hops, 1 ¹/₂ pounds; corianders, 1 ounce; capsicum pods (cut small), ¹/₂ ounce; water, 8 gallons; boil for 10 or 15 minutes, and strain the liquor through a coarse sieve into a barrel containing treacle, 28 pounds; then throw back the hops, etc., into the copper and reboil them, for 10 minutes, with a second 8 gallons of water, which must be strained into the barrel, as before; next “rummage” the whole well with a stout stick, add of cold water 21 gallons (sufficient to make the whole measure 37 gallons), and, again after mixing, stir in ¹/₂ pint of good fresh yeast; lastly, let it remain for 24 hours in a moderately warm place, after which it may be put into the cellar, and in 2 or 3 days bottled or tapped on draught. In a week it will be fit to drink. For a stronger beer, 36 pounds, or even half a hundredweight of molasses may be used. It will then keep good for a twelvemonth. This is a wholesome drink, but apt to prove laxative when taken in large quantities.

Weiss Beer.—This differs from the ordinary lager beer in that it contains wheat malt. The proportions are ²/₃ wheat to ¹/₃ barley malt, 1 pound hops being used with a peck of the combined malt to each 20 gallons of water. A good deal depends on the yeast, which must be of a special kind, the best grades being imported from Germany.

Yellow Coloring For Beverages.—The coloring agents employed are fustic, saffron, turmeric, quercitron, and the various aniline dyes. Here are some formulas:

I.— Saffron 1 ounce

Deodorized alcohol 4 fluidounces

Distilled water 4 fluidounces

Mix alcohol and water, and then add the saffron. Allow the mixture to stand in a warm place for several days, shaking occasionally; then filter. The tincture thus prepared has a deep orange color, and when diluted or used in small quantities gives a beautiful yellow tint to syrups, etc.

II.— Ground fustic wood 1 ¹/₂ ounces

Deodorized alcohol 4 fluidounces

Distilled water 4 fluidounces

This color may be made in the same manner as the liquid saffron, and is a fine coloring for many purposes.

III.— Turmeric powder 2 ounces

Alcohol, dilute 16 ounces

Macerate for several days, agitating frequently, and filter. For some beverages the addition of this tincture is not to be recommended, as it possesses a very spicy taste.

The nonpoisonous aniline dyes recommended for coloring confectionery, beverages, liquors, essences, etc., yellow are those known as acid yellow R and tropæolin 000 (orange I).

BICYCLE-TIRE CEMENT: See Adhesives, under Rubber Cements.

BICYCLE VARNISHES: See Varnishes. {120}

BIDERY METAL: See Alloys.

BILLIARD BALLS: See Ivory and Casein.

BIRCH BALSAM: See Balsam.

BIRCH WATER: See Hair Preparations.

BIRD DISEASES AND THEIR REMEDIES: See Veterinary Formulas.

BIRD FOODS:

See also Veterinary Formulas.

Mixed Birdseed.—

Canary seed 6 parts

Rape seed 2 parts

Maw seed 1 part

Millet seed 2 parts

Mocking-bird Food.—

Cayenne pepper 2 ounces

Rape seed 8 ounces

Hemp seed 16 ounces

Corn meal 2 ounces

Rice 2 ounces

Cracker 8 ounces

Lard oil 2 ounces

Mix the solids, grinding to a coarse powder, and incorporate the oil.

Food For Redbirds.—

Sunflower seed 8 ounces

Hemp seed 16 ounces

Canary seed 10 ounces

Wheat 8 ounces

Rice 6 ounces

Mix and grind to coarse powder.

BIRD LIME: See Lime.

BIRD PASTE: See Canary-Bird Paste.

BISCHOFF: See Wines and Liquors.

BISCUIT, DOG: See Dog Biscuit.

BISMUTH ALLOYS: See Alloys.

BISMUTH, PURIFICATION OF: See Gold.

BITTERS: See Wines and Liquors.

BITTER WATER: See Waters.

BLACKING FOR HARNESS: See Leather.

BLACKING FOR SHOES: See Shoedressings.

BLACKING, STOVE: See Stove Blackings and Polishes.

BLACKBERRY CORDIAL AND BLACKBERRY MIXTURE AS A CHOLERA REMEDY: See Cholera Remedy.

BLACKBOARD PAINT AND VARNISH: See Paint and Varnish.

BLACKHEAD REMEDIES: See Cosmetics.

BLANKET WASHING: See Household Formulas.

BLASTING POWDER: See Explosives.

BLEACHING

Linen.

—Mix common bleaching powder in the proportion of 1 pound to a gallon of water; stir it occasionally for 3 days, let it settle, and pour it off clear. Then make a lye of 1 pound of soda to 1 gallon of boiling water, in which soak the linen for 12 hours, and boil it half an hour; next soak it in the bleaching liquor, made as above; and lastly, wash it in the usual manner. Discolored linen or muslin may be restored by putting a portion of bleaching liquor into the tub wherein the articles are soaking.

Straw.

—I.—Dip the straw in a solution of oxygenated muriatic acid, saturated with potash. (Oxygenated muriate of lime is much cheaper.) The straw is thus rendered very white, and its flexibility is increased.

II.—Straw is bleached by simply exposing it in a closed chamber to the fumes of burning sulphur. An old flour barrel is the apparatus most used for the purpose by milliners, a flat stone being laid on the ground, the sulphur ignited thereon, and the barrel containing the goods to be bleached turned over it. The goods should be previously washed in pure water.

Wool, Silk, Or Straw.

—Mix together 4 pounds of oxalic acid, 4 pounds of table salt, water 50 gallons. The goods are laid in this mixture for 1 hour; they are then generally well bleached, and only require to be thoroughly rinsed and worked. For bleaching straw it is best to soak the goods in caustic soda, and afterwards to make use of chloride of lime or Javelle water. The excess of

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chlorine is afterwards removed by hyposulphite of soda.

Feathers.

—Place the feathers from 3 to 4 hours in a tepid dilute solution of bichromate of potassa, to which, cautiously, some nitric acid has been added (a small quantity only). To remove a greenish hue induced by this solution, place them in a dilute solution of sulphuric acid, in water, whereby the feathers become perfectly white and bleached.

Bleaching Solution.

—Aluminum hypochloride, or Wilson’s bleaching liquid, is produced by adding to a clear solution of lime chloride a solution of aluminum sulphate (alumina, alum) as long as a precipitate keeps forming. By mutual decomposition aluminum chloride results, which remains in solution, and lime sulphate (gypsum), which separates out in the form of an insoluble salt.

BLIGHT REMEDIES.

I.— Soft soap 40 parts

Amyl alcohol 50 parts

Methylated spirit 20 parts

Water 1,000 parts

II.— Soft soap 30 parts

Sulphureted potash 2 parts

Amyl alcohol 32 parts

Water 1,000 parts

III.— Soft soap 15 parts

Sulphureted potash 29 parts

Water 1,000 parts

BLEACHING SOLUTIONS FOR THE LAUNDRY: See Laundry Preparations.

BLEACHING SOLUTION FOR PHOTOGRAPHS: See Photography.

BLEEDING, LOCAL: See Styptics.

BLISTER CURE: See Turpentine.

BLISTERS, FOR HORSES: See Veterinary Formulas.

BLOCK, HOLLOW CONCRETE BUILDING: See Stone, Artificial.

BLOCK FOR SOLDERING: See Soldering.

BLOTTING PAPER: See Paper.

BLUE FROM GREEN AT NIGHT, TO DISTINGUISH:

To distinguish blue from green at night, use either the light of a magnesium wire for this purpose or take a number of Swedish (parlor) matches, light them, and as soon as they flash up, observe the 2 colors, when the difference can be easily told.

BLUE (BALL): See Dyes.

BLUING: See Laundry Preparations.

BLUING OF STEEL: See Steel.

BLUE PRINTS, TO MAKE CHANGES AND CORRECTIONS ON:

Use a solution of sodium carbonate and water, with a little red ink mixed in. This gives a very pleasing pink color to the changes which, at the same time, is very noticeable. The amount of sodium carbonate used depends upon the surface of the blue-print paper, as some coarse-grained papers will look better if less soda is used and vice versa. However, the amount of powdered soda held on a small coin dissolved in a bottle of water gives good results.

BLUE-PRINT PAPER MAKING: See Photography.

BLUE PRINTS, TO TURN BROWN: See Photography, under Toning.

BOIL REMEDY.

Take a piece of soft linen or borated gauze, rub some vaseline upon one side of it, quickly pour upon it some chloroform, apply it to the unopened boil or carbuncle, and place a bandage over all. It smarts a little at first, but this is soon succeeded by a pleasing, cool sensation. The patient is given a bottle of the remedy, and directed to change the cloth often. In from 2 hours to 1 day the boil (no matter how indurated) softens and opens.

BOILER COMPOUNDS

There are three chemicals which are known to attack boiler scale. These are caustic soda, soda ash, and tannic-acid compounds, the last being derived from sumac, catechu, and the exhausted bark liquor from tanneries.

Caustic soda in large excess is injurious to boiler fittings, gaskets, valves, {122} etc. That it is injurious, in reasonable excess, to the boiler tubes themselves is yet to be proved. Foaming and priming may be caused through excess of caustic soda or soda ash, as is well known by every practical engineer. Tannic acid is to be condemned and the use of its salts is not to be recommended. It may unite with the organic matter, present in the form of albuminoids, and with calcium and magnesium carbonates. That it removes scale is an assured fact; that it removes iron with the scale is also assured, as tannic acid corrodes an iron surface rapidly.

Compounds of vegetable origin are widely advertised, but they often contain dextrine and gum, both of which are dangerous, as they coat the tubes with a compact scale, not permitting the water to reach the iron. Molasses is acid and should not be used in the boiler. Starch substances generally should be avoided. Kerosene must be dangerous, as it is very volatile and must soon leave the boiler and pass over and through the engine.

There are two materials the use of which in boilers is not prohibited through action upon the metal itself or on account of price. These are soda ash and caustic soda. Sodium triphosphate and sodium fluoride have both been used with success, but their cost is several hundred per cent greater than soda ash. If prescribed as per analysis, in slight excess, there should be no injurious results through the use of caustic soda and soda ash. It would be practicable to manufacture an intimate mixture of caustic soda and carbonate of soda, containing enough of each to soften the average water of a given district.

There is a great deal of fraud in connection with boiler compounds generally. The better class of venders advertise to prepare a special compound for special water. This is expensive, save on a large scale, in reference to a particular water, for it would mean a score or more of tanks with men to make up the mixtures. The less honest of the boiler-compound guild consign each sample of water to the sewer and send the regular goods. Others have a stock analysis which is sent to customers of a given locality, whether it contains iron, lime, or magnesium sulphates or carbonates.

Any expense for softening water in excess of 3 cents per 1,000 gallons is for the privilege of using a ready-made softener. Every superintendent in charge of a plant should insist that the compound used be pronounced by competent authority free from injurious materials, and that it be adapted to the water in use.

Boiler compounds should contain only such ingredients as will neutralize the scale-forming salts present. They should be used only by prescription, so many gallons per 1,000 gallons of feed water. A properly proportioned mixture of soda ought to answer the demands of all plants depending upon that method of softening water in limestone and shale regions.

The honest boiler compounds are, however, useful for small isolated plants, because of the simplicity of their action. For plants of from 75 to 150 horse power two 24-hour settling tanks will answer the purpose of a softening system. Each of these, capable of holding a day’s supply, provided with a soda tank in common, and with sludge valves, has paddles for stirring the contents. Large plants are operated on this principle, serving boilers of many thousand horse power. Such a system has an advantage over a continuous system, in that the exact amount of chemical solutions required for softening the particular water can be applied. For some variations of such a system, several companies have secured patents. The fundamental principles, however, have been used for many years and are not patentable.

Prevention Of Boiler Scale.

—The lime contained in the feed water, either as bicarbonate or as sulphate, is precipitated in the shape of a light mud, but the walls of the boiler remain perfectly bright without being attacked in any manner. While under ordinary atmospheric pressure calcium chromate in solution is precipitated by soda or Glauber’s salt as calcium carbonate or as calcium sulphate; the latter is separated under higher pressure by chromates as calcium chromate. An excess of chromates or chromic acid does not exercise any deleterious action upon the metal, nor upon the materials used for packing. By the slight admixture of chromates, two pounds are sufficient for a small boiler for weeks; no injurious ingredients are carried in by the wet steam, the injection water, on the contrary, having been found to be chemically pure.

Protecting Boiler Plates From Scale.—

I.—For a 5-horse-power boiler, fed with water which contains calcic sulphate, take catechu, 2 pounds; dextrine, 1 pound; crystallized soda, 2 pounds; potash, ¹/₂ pound; cane sugar, ¹/₂ pound; alum, ¹/₂ pound; gum arabic, ¹/₂ pound. {123}

II.—For a boiler of the same size, fed with water which contains lime: Turmeric, 2 pounds; dextrine, 1 pound; sodium bicarbonate, 2 pounds; potash, ¹/₂ pound; alum, ¹/₂ pound; molasses, ¹/₂ pound.

III.—For a boiler of the same size, fed with water which contains iron: Gamboge, 2 pounds; soda, 2 pounds; dextrine, 1 pound; potash, ¹/₂ pound; sugar, ¹/₂ pound; alum, ¹/₂ pound; gum arabic, ¹/₂ pound.

IV.—For a boiler of the same size, fed with sea water: Catechu, 2 pounds; Glauber’s salt, 2 pounds; dextrine, 2 pounds; alum, ¹/₂ pound; gum arabic, ¹/₂ pound.

When these preparations are used add 1 quart of water, and in ordinary cases charge the boiler every month; but if the incrustation is very bad, charge every two weeks.

V.—Place within the boiler of 100 horse power 1 bucketful of washing soda; put in 2 gallons of kerosene oil (after closing the blow-off cock), and fill the boiler with water. Feed in at least 1 quart of kerosene oil every day through a sight-feed oil cup attached to the feed pipe near the boiler—i. e., between the heater and the boiler—so that the oil is not entrapped within the heater. If it is inconvenient to open the boiler, then dissolve the washing soda in hot water and feed it in with the pump or through a tallow cock (attached between the ejector and the valve in the suction pipe) when the ejector is working.

VI.—A paint for protecting boiler plates from scale, and patented in Germany, is composed of 10 pounds each of train oil, horse fat, paraffine, and of finely ground zinc white. To this mixture is added 40 pounds of graphite and 10 pounds of soot made together into a paste with 1 ¹/₂ gallons of water, and about a pound of carbolic acid. The horse fat and the zinc oxide make a soap difficult to fuse, which adheres strongly to the plates, and binds the graphite and the soot. The paraffine prevents the water from penetrating the coats. The scale which forms on this application can be detached, it is said, with a wooden mallet, without injuring the paint.

VII.—M. E. Asselin, of Paris, recommends the use of glycerine as a preventive. It increases the solubility of combinations of lime, and especially of the sulphate. It forms with these combinations soluble compounds. When the quantity of lime becomes so great that it can no longer be dissolved, nor form soluble combinations, it is deposited in a gelatinous substance, which never adheres to the surface of the iron plates. The gelatinous substances thus formed are not carried with the steam into the cylinder of the engine. M. Asselin advises the employment of 1 pound of glycerine for every 300 pounds or 400 pounds of coal burnt.

Prevention Of Electrolysis.

—In order to prevent the eating away of the sheets and tubes by electrolytic action, it has long been the practice of marine engineers to suspend slabs of zinc in their boilers. The zinc, being more susceptible to the electrolytic action than the iron, is eaten away, while the iron remains unimpaired. The use of zinc in this way has been found also to reduce the trouble from boiler scale. Whether it be due to the formation of hydrogen bubbles between the heating surfaces and incipient scale, to the presence in the water of the zinc salts resulting from the dissolution of the zinc, or to whatever cause, it appears to be a general conclusion among those who have used it that the zinc helps the scale, as well as the corrosion. Nobody has ever claimed for it that it prevented the attachment of scale altogether, but the consensus of opinion is that it “helps some.”

Boiler Pressure.

It hardly pays to reduce pressure on boilers, except in very extreme cases, but if it can be done by throttling before the steam reaches the cylinder of the engine it would be an advantage, because this retains the heat units due to the higher pressure in the steam, and the throttling has a slight superheating effect. As a matter of fact, tests go to show that for light loads and high pressure a throttling engine may do better than an automatic cut-off. The ideal arrangement is to throttle the steam for light loads; for heavier loads, allow the variable cut-off to come into play. This practice has been carried into effect by the design of Mr. E. J. Armstrong, in which he arranges the shaft governor so that there is negative lead up to nearly one-quarter cut-off, after which the lead becomes positive, and this has the effect of throttling the steam for the earlier loads and undoubtedly gives better economy, in addition to making the engine run more quietly.

BONE BLACK:

Bone Or Ivory Black.

—All bones (and ivory is bone in a sense) consist of a framework of crystallized matter or bone earth, in the interstices of which organic matter is embedded. Hence if

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bones are heated red-hot in a closed vessel, the organic matter is destroyed, leaving carbon, in a finely divided state, lodged in the bony framework. If the heat is applied gradually the bone retains its shape, but is quite black and of much less weight than at first. This bone black or animal charcoal is a substance which has great power of absorbing coloring matter from liquids, so that it is largely used for bleaching such liquids. For example, in the vast industry of beet-sugar manufacture the solutions first made are very dark in color, but after filtration through animal charcoal will give colorless crystals on evaporation. Chemical trades require such large quantities of bone charcoal that its production is a large industry in itself. As in breaking up the charred bones a considerable amount of waste is produced, in the form of dust and small grains which cannot be used for bleaching purposes, this waste should be worked up into a pigment. This is done by dissolving out the mineral with hydrochloric acid, and then rinsing and drying the carbon.

The mineral basis of bones consists mainly of the phosphates of lime and magnesia, salts soluble in not too dilute hydrochloric acid. A vat is half filled with the above-mentioned waste, which is then just covered with a mixture of equal volumes of commercial hydrochloric acid and water. As the mineral matter also contains carbonates, a lively effervescence at once ensues, and small quantities of hydrofluoric acid are also formed from the decomposition of calcium fluoride in the bones. Now hydrofluoric acid is a very dangerous substance, as air containing even traces of it is very injurious to the lungs. Hence the addition of hydrochloric acid should be done in the open air, and the vat should be left by itself until the evolution of fumes ceases. A plug is then pulled out at the bottom and the carbon is thoroughly drained. It is then stirred up with water and again drained, when it has fully settled to the bottom. This rinsing with clear water is repeated till all the hydrochloric acid is washed away and only pure carbon remains in the vat. As for pigment-making purposes it is essential that the carbon should be as finely divided as possible, it is as well to grind the washed carbon in an ordinary color mill. Very little power is required for this purpose, as when once the bone earth is removed the carbon particles have little cohesion. The properly ground mass forms a deep-black mud, which can be left to dry or be dried by artificial heat. When dry, the purified bone black is of a pure black and makes a most excellent pigment.

Bone black is put upon the market under all sorts of names, such as ivory black, ebur ustum, Frankfort black, neutral black, etc. All these consist of finely ground bone black purified from mineral matter. If leather scraps or dried blood are to be worked up, iron tubes are employed, closed at one end, and with a well-fitting lid with a small hole in it at the other. As these bodies give off large volumes of combustible gas during the charring, it is a good plan to lead the vapors from the hole by a bent tube so that they can be burnt and help to supply the heat required and so save fuel. Leather or blood gives a charcoal which hardly requires treatment with hydrochloric acid, for the amount of mineral salts present is so small that its removal appears superfluous.

BONES, A TEST FOR BROKEN.

Place a stethoscope on one side of the supposed fracture, and a tuning fork on the other. When the latter is vibrated, and there is no breakage, the sound will be heard distinctly through bone and stethoscope. Should any doubt exist, comparison should be made with the same bone on the other side of the body. This test shows the difference in the power of conducting sound possessed by bone and soft tissue.

BONE BLEACHES: See Ivory.

BONE FAT: See Fats.

BONE FAT, PURIFICATION AND BLEACHING OF: See Soap.

BONE POLISHES: See Polishes.

BONE FERTILIZERS: See Fertilizers.

BONES, TREATMENT OF, IN MANUFACTURING GLUE: See Adhesives.

BONE, UNITING GLASS WITH: See Adhesives.

BOOKS, THEIR HANDLING AND PRESERVATION:

The Preservation Of Books In Hot Climates.

—Books in hot climates quickly deteriorate unless carefully guarded. There are three destructive agencies: (1) damp, (2) a small black insect, (3) cockroaches.

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(1) Books which are kept in a damp atmosphere deteriorate on account of molds and fungi that grow rapidly when the conditions are favorable. Books are best kept on open, airy, well-lighted shelves. When there has been a prolonged spell of moist weather their covers should be wiped, and they should be placed in the sun or before a fire for a few hours. Damp also causes the bindings and leaves of some books to separate.

(2) A small black insect, one-eighth of an inch long and a sixteenth of an inch broad, somewhat resembling a beetle, is very destructive, and books will be found, if left untouched, after a few months to have numerous holes in the covers and leaves. If this insect be allowed plenty of time for its ravages it will make so many holes that bindings originally strong can be easily torn to pieces. All damage may be prevented by coating the covers of books with the varnish described under (3). When books are found to contain the insects they should be well wrapped and placed in the sun before varnishing.

(3) The appearance of a fine binding may be destroyed in a single night by cockroaches. The lettering of the binding may, in two or three days, be completely obliterated.

The following varnishes have been found to prevent effectually the ravages of cockroaches and of all insects that feed upon books:

I.— Dammar resin 2 ounces

Mastic 2 ounces

Canada balsam 1 ounce

Creosote ¹/₂ ounce

Spirit of wine 20 fl. ounces

Macerate with occasional shaking for a few days if wanted at once, but for a longer time when possible, as a better varnish will result after a maceration of several months.

II.—Corrosive sublimate, 1 ounce; carbolic acid, 1 ounce; methylated or rum spirit, 1 quart.

Where it is necessary to keep books or paper of any description in boxes, cupboards, or closed bookcases, some naphthalene balls or camphor should be always present with them. If camphor be used it is best to wrap it in paper, otherwise it volatilizes more quickly than is necessary. In dry weather the doors of closed bookcases should be left open occasionally, as a damp, still atmosphere is most favorable for deterioration.

How To Open A Book.

—Never force the back of the book. Hold the book with its back on a smooth or covered table; let the front board down, then the other, holding the leaves in one hand while you open a few leaves at the back, then a few at the front, and so on, alternately opening back and front, gently pressing open the sections till you reach the center of the volume. Do this two or three times and you will obtain the best results. Open the volume violently or carelessly in any one place and you will probably break the back or cause a start in the leaves.

BOOK DISINFECTANT: See Disinfectants.

BOOKS, TO REMOVE FINGER-MARKS FROM: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

BOOKBINDERS’ VARNISH: See Varnishes.

BOOKWORMS: See Insecticides.

BOOT DRESSINGS: See Shoe Dressings.

BOOT LUBRICANT: See Lubricant.

BOOTS, WATERPROOFING: See Waterproofing.

BORAX FOR SPRINKLING.

I.—Sprinkling borax is not only cheaper, but also dissolves less in soldering than pure borax.

The borax is heated in a metal vessel until it has lost its water of crystallization and mixed with calcined cooking salt and potash—borax, 8 parts; cooking salt, 3 parts; potash, 3 parts. Next it is pounded in a mortar into a fine powder, constituting the sprinkling borax.

II.—Another kind of sprinkling borax is prepared by substituting glass-gall for the potash. Glass-gall is the froth floating on the melted glass, which can be skimmed off.

The borax is either dusted on in powder form from a sprinkling box or stirred with water before use into a thin paste.

BORAX AND BORIC ACID IN FOOD: See Food.

BORDEAUX MIXTURE: See Insecticides.

BOROTONIC: See Dentifrices. {126}

BOTTLE-CAP LACQUER: See Lacquer.

BOTTLE CLEANERS: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods, under Miscellaneous Methods.

BOTTLE STOPPERS: See Stoppers.

BOTTLE VARNISH: See Varnishes.

BOTTLE WAX: See Photography.

BOUILLON: See Beverages.

BOURBON METALS: See Alloys.

BOWLS OF FIRE TRICK: See Pyrotechnics.

BOX GLUE: See Adhesives.

BRAGA: See Beverages.

BRAN, SAWDUST IN.

For the detection of sawdust in bran use a solution of 1 part of phloroglucin in 15 parts of alcohol, 15 parts of water, and 10 parts of syrupy phosphoric acid. Place 2 parts of the solution in a small porcelain dish, add a knifepointful of the bran and heat moderately. Sawdust is dyed red while bran parts only seldom acquire a faint red color. By a microscopic examination of the reddish parts, sawdust will be readily recognized.

BOTTLES

Magic Bottles.—

The mystery of the “wonderful bottle,” from which can be poured in succession port wine, sherry, claret, water, champagne, or ink, at the will of the operator, is easily explained. The materials consist of an ordinary dark-colored pint wine bottle, seven wine glasses of different patterns, and the chemicals described below:

Solution A: A mixture of tincture of ferric chloride, drachms vi; hydrochloric acid, drachms ii.

Solution B: Saturated solution of ammonium sulphocyanide, drachm i.

Solution C: Strong solution of ferric chloride, drachm i.

Solution D: A weak solution of ammonium sulphocyanide.

Solution E: Concentrated solution of lead acetate.

Solution F: Solution of ammonium sulphide, drachm i; or pyrogallic acid, drachm i.

Package G: Pulverized potassium bicarbonate, drachm iss.

Having poured two teaspoonfuls of solution A into the wine bottle, treat the wine glasses with the different solutions, noting and remembering into which glasses the several solutions are placed. Into No. 1 wine glass pour one or two drops of solution B; into No. 2 glass pour one or two drops of solution C; into No. 3 one or two drops of Solution D; leave No. 4 glass empty; into No. 5 glass pour a few drops of Solution E; into No. 6 glass place a few grains of Package G; into No. 7 glass pour a little of solution F.

Request some one to bring you some cold drinking water, and to guarantee that it is pure show that your wine bottle is (practically) empty. Fill it up from the carafe, and having asked the audience whether you shall produce wine or water, milk or ink, etc., you may obtain any of these by pouring a little of the water from the bottle into the prepared glass. Thus No. 1 glass gives a port-wine color; No. 2 gives a sherry color; No. 3 gives a claret color; No. 4 is left empty to prove that the solution in the bottle is colorless; No. 5 produces milk; No. 6, effervescing champagne; No. 7, ink.

Bottle-capping Mixtures.—

I.—Soak 7 pounds of good gelatin in 10 ounces of glycerine and 60 ounces of water, and heat over a water bath until dissolved, and add any desired color. Pigments may be used, and various tints can be obtained by the use of aniline colors. The resulting compound should be stored in jars. To apply liquefy the mass and dip the cork and portion of the neck of the bottle into the liquid; it sets very quickly.

II.— Gelatin 1 ounce

Gum arabic 1 ounce

Boric acid 20 grains

Starch 1 ounce

Water 16 fluidounces

Mix the gelatin, gum arabic, and boric acid with 14 fluidounces of cold water, stir occasionally until the gum is dissolved, heat the mixture to boiling, remove the scum, and strain. Also mix the starch intimately with the remainder of the water, and stir this mixture into the hot gelatin mixture until a uniform product results. As noted above, the composition may be tinted with any suitable dye. Before using, it must be softened by the application of heat. {127}

III.— Shellac 3 ounces

Venice turpentine 1 ¹/₂ ounces

Boric acid 72 grains

Powdered talcum 3 ounces

Ether 6 fluidrams

Alcohol 12 ¹/₂ fluidounces

Dissolve the shellac, turpentine, and boric acid in the mixed alcohol and ether, color with a spirit-soluble dye, and add the talcum. During use the mixture must be agitated frequently.

Show Bottles.—

I.—Place in a cylindrical bottle the following liquids in the order named:

First, sulphuric acid, tinted blue with indigo; second, chloroform; third, glycerine, slightly tinted with caramel; fourth, castor oil, colored with alkanet root; fifth, 40-per-cent alcohol, slightly tinted with aniline green; sixth, cod-liver oil, containing 1 per cent of oil of turpentine. The liquids are held in place by force of gravity, and alternate with fluids which are not miscible, so that the strata of layers are clearly defined and do not mingle by diffusion.

II.— Chromic acid 1 drachm

Commercial “muriatic” acid 2 ounces

Nitric acid 2 ounces

Water, enough to make 3 gallons

The color is magenta.

The following makes a fine pink for show carboys:

III.— Cobalt oxide 2 parts

Nitric acid, c. p. 1 part

Hydrochloric acid 1 part

Mix and dissolve, and to the solution add:

Strongest water of ammonia 6 parts

Sulphuric acid 1 part

Water, distilled, q. s. to make 400 parts

This should be left standing in a dark, cool place for at least a month before putting in the window.

IV.—Green.—Copper sulphate, 300 parts, by weight; hydrochloric acid, 450 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 4,500 parts, by weight.

V.—Blue.—Copper sulphate, 480 parts, by weight; sulphuric acid, 60 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 450 parts, by weight.

VI.—Yellowish Brown.—Potassium dichromate, 120 parts, by weight; nitric acid, 150 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 4,500 parts, by weight.

VII.—Yellow.—Potassium dichromate, 30 parts, by weight; sodium bicarbonate, 225 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 4,500 parts, by weight.

VIII.—Red.—Liquid ferric chloride, officinal, 60 parts, by weight; concentrated ammonium-acetate solution, 120 parts, by weight; acetic acid, 30 per cent, 30 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 9,000 parts, by weight.

IX.—Crimson.—Potassium iodide, 7.5 parts, by weight; iodine, 7.5 parts, by weight; hydrochloric acid, 60 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 4,500 parts, by weight.

All the solutions IV to IX should be filtered. If distilled water be used these solutions should keep for five to ten years. In order to prevent them from freezing, either add 10 per cent of alcohol, or reduce the quantity of water by 10 per cent.

A Cheap And Excellent Warming Bottle.

—Mix sodium acetate and sodium hyposulphate in the proportion of 1 part of the former to 9 parts of the latter, and with the mixture fill an earthenware bottle about three-quarters full. Close the vessel well with a cork and place it either in hot water or in the oven, and let remain until the salts within melt. For at least a half day the jug will radiate its heat, and need only be well shaken from time to time to renew its heat-giving energy.

Bottle Deodorizer.

—Powdered black mustard seed is successfully employed. Pour a little of it with some lukewarm water into the receptacle, rinsing it afterwards with water. If necessary, repeat the process.

BRANDY AND BRANDY BITTERS See Wines and Liquors.

BRASS

Formulas for the making of Brass will be found under Alloys.

Colors For Polished Brass.

—The brass objects are put into boiling solutions composed of different salts, and the intensity of the shade obtained is dependent upon the duration of the immersion. With a solution composed of

Sulphate of copper 120 grains

Hydrochlorate of ammonia 30 grains

Water 1 quart

greenish shades are obtained. With the following solution all the shades of brown from orange brown to cinnamon are obtained: {128}

Chlorate of potash 150 grains

Sulphate of copper 150 grains

Water 1 quart

The following solution gives the brass first a rosy tint and then colors it violet and blue:

Sulphate of copper 435 grains

Hyposulphite of soda 300 grains

Cream of tartar 150 grains

Water 1 pint

Upon adding to the last solution

Ammoniacal sulphate of iron 300 grains

Hyposulphite of soda 300 grains

there are obtained, according to the duration of the immersion, yellowish, orange, rosy, then bluish shades. Upon polarizing the ebullition the blue tint gives way to yellow, and finally to a pretty gray. Silver, under the same circumstances, becomes very beautifully colored. After a long ebullition in the following solution we obtain a yellow-brown shade, and then a remarkable fire red:

Chlorate of potash 75 grains

Carbonate of nickel 30 grains

Salt of nickel 75 grains

Water 16 ounces

The following solution gives a beautiful, dark-brown color:

Chlorate of potash 75 grains

Salt of nickel 150 grains

Water 10 ounces

The following gives, in the first place, a red, which passes to blue, then to pale lilac, and finally to white:

Orpiment 75 grains

Crystallized sal sodæ 150 grains

Water 10 ounces

The following gives a yellow brown:

Salt of nickel 75 grains

Sulphate of copper 75 grains

Chlorate of potash 75 grains

Water 10 ounces

On mixing the following solutions, sulphur separates and the brass becomes covered with iridescent crystallizations:

I.— Cream of tartar 75 grains

Sulphate of copper 75 grains

Water 10 ounces

II.— Hyposulphite of soda 225 grains

Water 5 ounces

Upon leaving the brass objects immersed in the following mixture contained in corked vessels they at length acquire a very beautiful blue color:

Hepar of sulphur 15 grains

Ammonia 75 grains

Water 4 ounces

Miscellaneous Coloring Of Brass.

—Yellow to bright red: Dissolve 2 parts native copper carbonate with 1 part caustic soda in 10 parts water. Dip for a few minutes into the liquor, the various shades desired being obtained according to the length of time of the immersion. Green: Dissolve 1 part copper acetate (verdigris), 1 part blue vitriol, and 1 part alum in 10 parts of water and boil the articles therein. Black: For optical articles, photographic apparatus, plates, rings, screws, etc., dissolve 45 parts of malachite (native copper carbonate) in 1,000 parts of sal ammoniac. For use clean and remove the grease from the article by pickling and dip it into the bath until the coating is strong enough. The bath operates better and quicker if heated. Should the oxidation be a failure it should be removed by dipping into the brass pickle.

A verdigris color on brass is produced by treating the articles with dilute acids, acetic acid, or sulphuric acid, and drying.

Brown in all varieties of shades is obtained by immersing the metal in solutions of nitrates or ferric chloride after it has been corroded with dilute nitric acid, cleaned with sand and water, and dried. The strength of the solutions governs the deepness of the resulting color.

Violet is caused by immersing the thoroughly cleaned objects in a solution of ammonium chloride.

Chocolate color results if red ferric oxide is strewn on and burned off, followed by polishing with a small quantity of galena.

Olive green is produced by blackening the surface with a solution of iron in hydrochloric acid, polishing with galena, and coating hot with a lacquer composed of 1 part varnish, 4 parts cincuma, and 1 part gamboge.

A steel-blue coloring is obtained by means of a dilute boiling solution of chloride of arsenic, and a blue one by a treatment with strong hyposulphite of soda. Another formula for bluing brass is: Dissolve 10 parts of antimony chloride in 200 parts of water, and add 30 parts of pure hydrochloric acid. Dip the article until it is well blued, then wash and dry in sawdust.

Black is much used for optical brass articles and is produced by coating with a solution of platinum or auric chloride mixed with nitrate of tin.

Coloring Unpolished Brass.

—A yellow color of handsome effect is obtained on

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unpolished brass by means of antimony-chloride solution. This is produced by finely powdering gray antimony and boiling it with hydrochloric acid. With formation of hydrogen sulphide a solution of antimony results, which must not be diluted with water, since a white precipitate of antimony oxychloride is immediately formed upon admixture of water. For dilution, completely saturated cooking-salt solution is employed, using for 1 part of antimony chloride 2 parts of salt solution.

Coloring Fluid For Brass.

—Caustic soda, 33 parts; water, 24 parts; hydrated carbonate of copper, 5.5 parts.

Dissolve the salt in water and dip the metal in the solution obtained. The intensity of the color will be proportional to the time of immersion. After removing the object from the liquid, rinse with water and dry in sawdust.

Black Color On Brass.

—A black or oxidized surface on brass is produced by a solution of carbonate of copper in ammonia. The work is immersed and allowed to remain until the required tint is observed. The carbonate of copper is best used in a plastic condition, as it is then much more easily dissolved. Plastic carbonate of copper may be mixed as follows: Make a solution of blue vitriol (sulphate of copper) in hot water, and add a strong solution of common washing soda to it as long as any precipitate forms. The precipitate is allowed to settle, and the clear liquid is poured off. Hot water is added, and the mass stirred and again allowed to settle. This operation is repeated six or eight times to remove the impurities. After the water has been removed during the last pouring, and nothing is left but an emulsion of the thick plastic carbonate in a small quantity of water, liquid ammonia is added until everything is dissolved and a clear, deep-blue liquid is produced. If too strong, water may be added, but a strong solution is better than a weak one. If it is desired to make the solution from commercial plastic carbonate of copper the following directions may be followed: Dissolve 1 pound of the plastic carbonate of copper in 2 gallons of strong ammonia. This gives the required strength of solution.

The brass which it is desired to blacken is first boiled in a strong potash solution to remove grease and oil, then well rinsed and dipped in the copper solution, which has previously been heated to from 150° to 175° F. This solution, if heated too hot, gives off all the ammonia. The brass is left in the solution until the required tint is produced. The color produced is uniform, black, and tenacious. The brass is rinsed and dried in sawdust. A great variety of effects may be produced by first finishing the brass before blackening, as the oxidizing process does not injure the texture of the metal. A satisfactory finish is produced by first rendering the surface of the brass matt, either by scratch-brush or similar methods, as the black finish thus produced by the copper solution is dead—one of the most pleasing effects of an oxidized surface. Various effects may also be produced by coloring the entire article and then buffing the exposed portions.

The best results in the use of this solution are obtained by the use of the so-called red metals—i. e., those in which the copper predominates. The reason for this is obvious. Ordinary sheet brass consists of about 2 parts of copper and 1 part of zinc, so that the large quantity of the latter somewhat hinders the production of a deep-black surface. Yellow brass is colored black by the solution, but it is well to use some metal having a reddish tint, indicating the presence of a large amount of copper. The varieties of sheet brass known as gilding or bronze work well. Copper also gives excellent results. Where the best results are desired on yellow brass a very light electroplate of copper before the oxidizing works well and gives an excellent black. With the usual articles made of yellow brass this is rarely done, but the oxidation carried out directly.

Black Finish For Brass.

—I.—A handsome black finish may be put on brass by the following process: Dissolve in 1,000 parts of ammonia water 45 parts of natural malachite, and in the solution put the object to be blackened, after first having carefully and thoroughly cleaned the same. After letting it stand a short time gradually warm the mixture, examining the article from time to time to ascertain if the color is deep enough. Rinse and let dry.

II.—The blacking of brass may be accomplished by immersing it in the following solution and then heating over a Bunsen burner or a spirit flame: Add a saturated solution of ammonium carbonate to a saturated copper-sulphate solution, until the precipitate resulting in the beginning has almost entirely dissolved. The immersion and heating are repeated until the brass turns dark; then it is brushed and dipped in negative varnish or dull varnish. {130}

To Give A Brown Color To Brass.

—I.—In 1,000 parts of rain or distilled water dissolve 5 parts each of verdigris (copper acetate) and ammonium chloride. Let the solution stand 4 hours, then add 1,500 parts of water. Remove the brass to be browned from its attachment to the fixtures and make the surface perfectly bright and smooth and free from grease. Place it over a charcoal fire and heat until it “sizzes” when touched with the dampened finger. The solution is then painted over the surface with a brush or swabbed on with a rag. If one swabbing does not produce a sufficient depth of color, repeat the heating and the application of the liquid until a fine durable brown is produced. For door plates, knobs, and ornamental fixtures generally, this is one of the handsomest as well as the most durable surfaces, and is easily applied.

II.—A very handsome brown may be produced on brass castings by immersing the thoroughly cleaned and dried articles in a warm solution of 15 parts of sodium hydrate and 5 parts of cupric carbonate in 100 parts of water. The metal turns dark yellow, light brown, and finally dark brown, with a greenish shimmer, and, when the desired shade is reached, is taken out of the bath, rinsed, and dried.

III.—Paint the cleaned and dried surface uniformly with a dilute solution of ammonium sulphide. When this coating is dry, it is rubbed over, and then painted with a dilute ammoniacal solution of arsenic sulphide, until the required depth of color is attained. If the results are not satisfactory the painting can be repeated after washing over with ammonia. Prolonged immersion in the second solution produces a grayish-green film, which looks well, and acquires luster when polished with a cloth.

Refinishing Gas Fixtures.

—Gas fixtures which have become dirty or tarnished from use may be improved in appearance by painting with bronze paint and then, if a still better finish is required, varnishing after the paint is thoroughly dry with some light-colored varnish that will give a hard and brilliant coating.

If the bronze paint is made up with ordinary varnish it is liable to become discolored from acid which may be present in the varnish. One method proposed for obviating this is to mix the varnish with about five times its volume of spirit of turpentine, add to the mixture dried slaked lime in the proportion of about 40 grains to the pint, agitate well, repeating the agitation several times, and finally allowing the suspended matter to settle and decanting the clear liquid. The object of this is to neutralize any acid which may be present. To determine how effectively this has been done the varnish may be chemically tested.

Steel Blue And Old Silver On Brass.

—For the former dissolve 100 parts of carbonic carbonate in 750 parts of ammonia and dilute this solution with distilled water, whereupon the cleaned articles are dipped into the liquid by means of a brass wire. After two to three minutes take them out, rinse in clean water, and dry in sawdust. Old silver on brass is produced as follows: The articles are first silvered and next painted with a thin paste consisting of graphite, 6 parts; pulverized hematite, 1 part; and turpentine. Use a soft brush and dry well; then brush off the powder. Oxidized silver is obtained by dipping the silvered goods into a heated solution of liver of sulphur, 5 parts; ammonia carbonate, 10 parts; and water, 10,000 parts. Only substantially silvered objects are suited for oxidation, as a weak silvering is taken off by this solution. Unsatisfactory coloring is removed with potassium-cyanide solution. It is advisable to lay the articles in hydrogen sulphide-ammonia solution diluted with water,wherein they acquire a blue to a deep-black shade.

Tombac Color On Brass.

—This is produced by immersion in a mixture of copper carbonate, 10 parts; caustic soda, 30 parts; water, 200 parts. This layer will only endure wiping with a cloth, not vigorous scouring with sand.

Graining Of Brass.

—Brass parts of timepieces are frequently provided with a dead grained surface. For this purpose they are fastened with flat-headed pins on cork disks and brushed with a paste of water and finest powdered pumice stone. Next they are thoroughly washed and placed in a solution of 10 quarts of water, 30 grains of mercuric nitrate, and 60 grains of sulphuric acid. In this amalgamating solution the objects become at once covered with a layer of mercury, which forms an amalgam with the copper, while the zinc passes into solution. After the articles have again been washed they are treated with graining powder, which consists of silver powder, tartar, and cooking salt. These substances must be pure, dry, and very finely pulverized. The mixing is done with moderate heat. According

{131}

to whether a coarser or finer grain is desired, more cooking salt or more tartar must be contained in the powder. The ordinary proportions are:

Silver powder 28 28 28 parts

Tartar 283 110–140 85 parts

Cooking salt 900 370 900 parts

This powder is moistened with water and applied to the object. Place the article with the cork support in a flat dish and rub on the paste with a stiff brush while turning the dish incessantly. Gradually fresh portions of graining powder are put on until the desired grain is obtained. These turn out the rounder the more the dish and brush are turned. When the right grain is attained, rinse off with water, and treat the object with a scratch brush, with employment of a decoction of saponaria. The brushes must be moved around in a circle in brushing with the pumice stone, as well as in rubbing on the graining powder and in using the scratch brush. The required silver powder is produced by precipitating a diluted solution of silver nitrate with some strips of sheet copper. The precipitated silver powder is washed out on a paper filter and dried at moderate heat.

The Dead, Or Matt, Dip For Brass.

—The dead dip is used to impart a satiny or crystalline finish to the surface. The bright dip gives a smooth, shiny, and perfectly even surface, but the dead dip is the most pleasing of any dip finish, and can be used as a base for many secondary finishes.

The dead dip is a mixture of oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid) and aqua fortis (nitric acid) in which there is enough sulphate of zinc (white vitriol) to saturate the solution. It is in the presence of the sulphate of zinc that the essential difference between the bright and the dead dip exists. Without it the dead or matt surface cannot be obtained.

The method generally practiced is to add the sulphate of zinc to the mixed acids (sulphuric and nitric), so that some remains undissolved in the bottom of the vessel. It is found that the sulphate of zinc occurs in small crystals having the appearance of very coarse granulated sugar. These crystals readily settle to the bottom of the vessel and do not do the work of matting properly. If they are finely pulverized the dip is slightly improved, but it is impossible to pulverize such material to a fineness that will do the desired work. The use of sulphate of zinc, then, leaves much to be desired.

The most modern method of making up the dead dip is to produce the sulphate of zinc directly in the solution and in the precipitated form. It is well known that the most finely divided materials are those which are produced by precipitation, and in the dead dip it is very important that the sulphate of zinc shall be finely divided so that it will not immediately settle to the bottom. Therefore it should be precipitated so that when it is mixed with the acids it will not settle immediately. The method of making the sulphate of zinc directly in the solution is as follows:

Take 1 gallon of yellow aqua fortis (38° F.) and place in a stone crock which is surrounded with cold water. The cold water is to keep the heat, formed by the reaction, from evaporating the acid. Add metallic zinc in small pieces until the acid will dissolve no more. The zinc may be in any convenient form—sheet clippings, lumps, granulated, etc., that may be added little by little. If all is added at once it will boil over. When the acid will dissolve no more zinc it will be found that some of the acid has evaporated by the heat, and it will be necessary to add enough fresh acid to make up to the original gallon. When this is done add 1 gallon of strong oil of vitriol. The mixture should be stirred with a wooden paddle while the oil of vitriol is being added.

As the sulphuric acid is being added the solution begins to grow milky, and finally the whole has the consistency of thick cream. This is caused by the sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) precipitating out the sulphate of zinc. Thus the very finely divided precipitate of sulphate of zinc is formed. If one desires to use known quantities of acid and zinc the following amounts may be taken: Oil of vitriol, 1 gallon; aqua fortis (38° F.), 1 gallon; metallic zinc, 6 ounces.

In dissolving the zinc in the aqua fortis it is necessary to be sure that none remains undissolved in the bottom.

The dead or matt dip is used hot, and, therefore, is kept in a stone crock surrounded with hot water. The articles to be matted are polished and cleaned, and the dip thoroughly stirred with a wooden paddle, so as to bring up the sulphate of zinc which has settled. Dip the work in the solution and allow it to remain until the matt is obtained. This is a point which can be learned only by experience. When the brass article is first introduced there is a rapid action on the surface, but in a few seconds this slows down. Remove the article and rinse and immediately dip into the usual bright dip. This {132} is necessary for the reason that the dead dip produces a dark coating upon the surface, which, were it left on, would not show the real effect or the color of the metal. The bright dip, however, removes this and exposes the true dead surface.

The usual rule for making up the dead dip is to use equal parts of oil of vitriol and aqua fortis; but these may be altered to suit the case. More oil of vitriol gives a finer matt, while a larger quantity of aqua fortis will give a coarser matt. When the dip becomes old it is unnecessary to add more zinc, as a little goes into the solution each time anything is dipped. After a while, however, the solution becomes loaded with copper salts, and should be thrown away.

A new dip does not work well, and will not give good results when used at once. It is usual to allow it to remain over night, when it will be found to be in a better working condition in the morning. A new dip will frequently refuse to work, and the addition of a little water will often start it. The water must be used sparingly, however, and only when necessary. Water, as a usual thing, spoils a dead dip, and must be avoided. After a while it may be necessary to add a little more aqua fortis, and this may be introduced as desired. Much care is needed in working the dead dip, and it requires constant watching and experience. The chief difficulty in working the dead dip is to match a given article. The only way that it can be done is to “cut and try,” and add aqua fortis or oil of vitriol as the case requires.

The dead or matt dip can be obtained only upon brass or German silver; in other words, only on alloys which contain zinc. The best results are obtained upon yellow brass high in zinc.

To Improve Deadened Brass Parts.

—Clock parts matted with oilstone and oil, such as the hour wheels, minute wheels, etc., obtain, by mere grinding, a somewhat dull appearance, with a sensitive surface which readily takes spots. This may be improved by preparing the following powder, rubbing a little of it on a buff stick, and treating the deadened parts, which have been cleansed with benzine, by rubbing with slight pressure on cork. This imparts to the articles a handsome, permanent, metallic matt luster. The smoothing powder consists of 2 parts of jewelers’ red and 8 parts of lime carbonate, levigated in water, and well dried. Jewelers’ red alone may be employed, but this requires some practice and care, especially in the treatment of wheels, because rays are liable to form from the teeth toward the center.

Pickle For Brass.

—Stir 10 parts (by weight) of shining soot or snuff, 10 parts of cooking salt, and 10 parts of red tartar with 250 parts of nitric acid, and afterwards add 250 parts of sulphuric acid; or else mix 7 parts of aqua fortis (nitric acid) with 10 parts of English sulphuric acid. For the mixing ratio of the acid, the kind and alloy of the metal should be the guidance, and it is best found out by practical trials. The better the alloy and the less the percentage of zinc or lead, the handsomer will be the color. Genuine bronze, for instance, acquires a golden shade. In order to give brass the appearance of handsome gilding it is often coated with gold varnish by applying same thinly with a brush or sponge and immediately heating the metal over a coal fire.

Pickling Brass To Look Like Gold.

—To pickle brass so as to make it resemble gold allow a mixture of 6 parts of chemically pure nitric acid and 1 part of English sulphuric acid to act for some hours upon the surface of the brass; then wash with a warm solution, 20 parts of tartar in 50 parts of water, and rub off neatly with dry sawdust. Then coat the article with the proper varnish.

Pickle For Dipping Brass.

—To improve the appearance of brass, tombac, and copper goods, they are usually dipped. For this purpose they are first immersed in diluted oil of vitriol (brown sulphuric acid), proportion, 1 to 10; next in a mixture of 10 parts of red tartar; 10 parts of cooking salt; 250 parts of English sulphuric acid, as well as 250 parts of aqua fortis (only for a moment), rinsing off well in water and drying in sawdust. For obtaining a handsome matt gold color

1

/

20

part of zinc vitriol (zinc sulphate) is still added to the pickle.

Restoration Of Brass Articles.

—The brass articles are first freed from adhering dirt by the use of hot soda lye; if bronzed they are dipped in a highly dilute solution of sulphuric acid and rinsed in clean water. Next they are yellowed in a mixture of nitric acid, 75 parts; sulphuric acid, 100 parts; shining lampblack, 2 parts; cooking salt, 1 part; then rinsed and polished and, to prevent oxidation, coated with a colorless spirit varnish, a celluloid varnish being best for this purpose.

Tempering Brass.

—If hammered too brittle brass can be tempered and made

{133}

of a more even hardness throughout by warming it, as in tempering steel; but the heat must not be nearly so great. Brass, heated to the blue heat of steel, is almost soft again. To soften brass, heat it nearly to a dull red and allow it to cool, or, if time is an object, it may be cooled by plunging into water.

Drawing Temper From Brass.

—Brass is rendered hard by hammering or rolling, therefore when a brass object requires to be tempered the material must be prepared before the article is shaped. Temper may be drawn from brass by heating it to a cherry red and then simply plunging it into water, the same as though steel were to be tempered.

BRASS, FASTENING PORCELAIN TO: See Adhesives.

BRASS POLISHES: See Polishes.

BRASS SOLDERS: See Solders.

BRASS BRONZING: See Plating.

BRASS CLEANERS: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

BRASS PLATINIZING: See Plating.

BRASS, SAND HOLES IN: See Castings.

BRASSING: See Plating.

BREAD, DOG: See Dog Biscuit.

BREATH PERFUMES:

See also Dentifrices.

Remedies For Fetid Breath.

—Fetid breath may be due to the expelled air (i. e., to disease of the respirational tract), to gases thrown off from the digestive tract, or to a diseased mouth. In the first two cases medication must be directed to the causative diseases, with the last, antisepsis principally and the neutralization of the saliva, also the removal of all residual food of dental caries.

I.— Potassium permanganate 1 part

Distilled water 10 parts

Mix and dissolve. Add from 5 to 8 drops of this solution to a glass of water and with it gargle the mouth.

II.— Infusion of salvia 250 parts

Glycerine 30 parts

Tincture of myrrh 12 parts

Tincture of lavender 12 parts

Labarraque’s solution 30 parts

Mix. Rinse the mouth frequently with this mixture.

III.— Decoction of chamomile 30 parts

Glycerine 80 parts

Chlorinated water 15 parts

Mix. Use as a gargle and mouth wash.

IV.— Peppermint water 500 parts

Cherry-laurel water 60 parts

Borax 25 parts

Mix and dissolve. Use as gargle and mouth wash.

V.— Thymol 3 parts

Spirit of cochlearia 300 parts

Tincture of rhatany 100 parts

Oil of peppermint 15 parts

Oil of cloves 10 parts

Mix. Gargle and wash mouth well with 10 drops in a glass of water.

VI.— Salol 5 parts

Alcohol 1,000 parts

Tincture of white canella 30 parts

Oil of peppermint 1 part

Mix. Use as a dentifrice.

VII.— Hydrogen peroxide 25 parts

Distilled water 100 parts

Mix. Gargle the mouth twice daily with 2 ta­ble­spoon­fuls of the mixture in a glass of water.

VIII.— Sodium bicarbonate 2 parts

Distilled water 70 parts

Spirit of cochlearia 30 parts

Mix a half-teaspoonful in a wineglassful of water. Wash mouth two or three times daily.

BRICK STAIN.

To stain brick flat the color of brownstone, add black to Venetian red until the desired shade is obtained. If color ground in oil is used, thin with turpentine, using a little japan as a drier. If necessary to get the desired shade add yellow ocher to the mixture of red and black. If the work is part old and part new, rub the wall down, using a brick {134} for a rubber, until the surface is uniform, and keep it well wet while rubbing with cement water, made by stirring Portland cement into water until the water looks the color of the cement. This operation fills the pores of the brick and makes a smooth, uniform surface to paint on. Tinge the wash with a little dry Venetian red and lampblack. This will help bring the brick to a uniform color, so that an even color can be obtained with one coat of stain.

BRICKS: See Ceramics.

BRICKS OF SAND-LIME: See Stone, Artificial.

BRICK POLISHES: See Polishes.

BRICK WALLS, TO CLEAN: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods and Household Formulas.

BRICK WATERPROOFING: See Waterproofing.

BRICKMAKERS’ NOTES: See Ceramics.

BRIDGE PAINT: See Paint.

BRILLIANTINE: See Hair Preparations.

BRIMSTONE (BURNING): See Pyrotechnics.

BRIONY ROOTS: THEIR PRESERVATION: See Roots.

BRITANNIA METAL: See Alloys.

BRITANNIA METAL, TO CLEAN: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

BRITANNIA, SILVERPLATING: See Plating.

BROMINE, ANTISEPTIC: See Antiseptics.

BROMOFORM.

Bromoform is insoluble in dilute alcohol, but may be dissolved by the aid of glycerine. The following formula has been devised:

Bromoform 1 part

Alcohol 2 parts

Compound tincture of cardamon 2 parts

Glycerine 1 ¹/₂ parts

Some other formulas are:

Syrup Of Bromoform.

—Bromoform, 5 parts; alcohol (95 per cent), 45 parts; glycerine, 150 parts; syrup, 800 parts. Mix in the order given and place the container in warm water until the syrup becomes perfectly clear.

Emulsion Of Bromoform.

—Add 3 parts of bromoform to 20 parts of expressed oil of almond; emulsify this mixture in the usual manner with 2 parts of powdered tragacanth, 4 parts of powdered acacia, and sufficient water, using for the completed emulsion a total of 120 parts of water, and add, finally, 4 parts of cherry-laurel water.

Bromoform Rum.

—Bromoform, 1.2 parts; chloroform, 0.8 parts; rum, sufficient to make 120 parts. Claimed to be an effective remedy in the treatment of whooping cough.

BRONZES: See Alloys.

BRONZE CASTING: See Casting.

BRONZE, IMITATION: See Plaster.

BRONZE POLISHES: See Polishes.

BRONZE, RENOVATION OF: See Cleaning Compounds.

BRONZE POWDERS, LIQUID BRONZES, BRONZE SUBSTITUTES, AND BRONZING

Bronze Powders.

Gold bronze is a mixture of equal parts of oxide of tin and sulphur, which are heated for some time in an earthen retort. Silver bronze is a mixture of equal parts of bismuth, tin, and mercury, which are fused in a crucible, adding the mercury only when the tin and the bismuth are in fusion. Next reduce to a very fine powder. To apply these bronzes, white of egg, gum arabic, or varnish is used. It is preferable to apply them dry upon one of the above-named mediums serving as size, than to mix them with the liquids themselves, for in the latter case their luster is impaired.

Simple Coloring Of Bronze Powder.—In order to impart different colors to {135} bronze powders, such as pale yellow, dark yellow to copper red, the powder is heated with constant stirring in flat iron pans until through the oxidation of the copper—the bronzes consist of the brass powder of an alloy from which the so-called Dutch gold is produced—the desired shade of color is reached. As a rule a very small quantity of fat, wax, or even paraffine is added in this operation. The bronze powders are employed to produce coatings or certain finishes on metals themselves or to give articles of wood, stone, pasteboard, etc., a metallic appearance.

General Directions For Bronzing.—The choice of bronze powders is determined by the degree of brilliancy to be obtained. The powder is mixed with strong gum water or isinglass, and laid on with a brush or pencil, almost but not absolutely dry. A piece of soft leather, wrapped around the finger, is dipped into the powder and rubbed over the work; when all this has been covered with the bronze it must be left to dry, and the loose powder is then cleared away with a hair pencil.

Liquid Bronzes.

Liquid Bronzes.—I.—For the production of liquid bronze, acid-free varnish should be used, as bronze ground with ordinary varnish will form verdigris. For the deacidification of dammar rosin pour 1,000 parts of petroleum benzine over 350 parts of finely ground dammar rosin, and dissolve by repeated shaking. Next add to the solution 250 parts of a 10-per-cent aqueous solution of caustic soda and shake up well for 10 minutes. After standing for a short time two strata will have formed, the upper one consisting of benzine-rosin solution and the lower, aqueous one containing the resinic acid dissolved as soda salts. Pour off the benzine layers and agitate again assiduously with 250 parts of the 10-per-cent caustic-soda solution. Now set aside for a complete classification and separation of the two liquids. The dammar solution siphoned off will be perfectly free from acid. To obtain gold-bronze varnish add to the deacidified dammar solution about 250 parts of bronze or brocade per liter.

II.—Or else carefully mix 100 parts of finely ground dammar rosin with 30 parts of calcined soda and heat to fusion, in which state it is maintained 2 or 3 hours with frequent stirring. Let cool, grind the turbid mass obtained, and pour a little coal benzine or petroleum benzine over it in a flask. By repeated shaking of the flask the soluble portion of the molten mass is dissolved; filter after allowing to settle; into the filtrate put 300 to 400 parts of bronze powder of any desired shade, the brocades being especially well adapted for this purpose. If the metallic powder remains distributed over the mass for a long time it is of the right consistency; if it deposits quickly it is too thin and a part of the solvent must be evaporated before stirring in the bronze powder.

III.—A liquid bronze, which, while it contains no metallic constituent, yet possesses a metallic luster and a bronze appearance, and answers excellently for many purposes, is made as follows: Dissolve by the aid of gentle heat 10 parts of aniline red and 5 parts of aniline purple in 100 parts of alcohol. When solution is complete, add 5 parts of benzoic acid, raise the heat, and let boil from 5 to 10 minutes, or until the greenish color of the mixture passes over to a clear bronze brown. For “marbling” or bronzing paper articles, this answers particularly well.

Incombustible Bronze Tincture.—Finely pulverize 5 parts, by weight, of prime Dammar rosin and 1.5 parts of ammonia soda. Heat gently, and stir frequently, until no more carbonic acid bubbles up. Cool and pulverize again. Put the powder into a glass carboy, and pour over it 50 parts of carbon tetrachloride; let this stand for 2 days, stirring frequently. Then filter. Ten parts of the fluid are mixed with 5 parts of metallic bronze of any desired shade, and put into bottles. Shake well before using.

General Formulas For Bronzing Preparations.—I.—Take 240 parts subacetate of copper, 120 parts oxide of zinc in powder form, 60 parts borax, 60 parts saltpeter, and 3.5 parts corrosive sublimate. Prepare a paste from it with oil, stir together, and continue working with boiled linseed oil and turpentine.

II.—Dissolve 120 parts sulphate of copper and add 120 parts chipping of tin; stir well and gather the precipitating copper. After complete drying, grind very finely in boiled linseed oil and turpentine.

III.—Melt in a crucible 60 parts sulphur and 60 parts stannic acid; stir with a clay tube until the mixture takes on the appearance of Dutch gold and pour out. When cold mix the color with boiled linseed oil and turpentine, adding a small quantity of drier. These three bronzes must be covered with a pale, resistant {136} lacquer, otherwise they will soon tarnish in rooms where gas is burned.

Florentine Bronzes.—I.—To produce a Florentine bronzing, apply to the articles, which must have previously been dipped, a varnish composed of cherry gum lac dissolved in alcohol. This varnish is put on with a brush, and after that the bronzed piece is passed through the stove.

II.—If the article is of brass it must be given a coat of copper by means of the battery. Next dip a brush in olive oil and brush the piece uniformly; let dry for 5 or 6 hours and place in sawdust. Then heat the article on a moderate charcoal dust fire.

Preparation Of French Bronze.—French bronze may be prepared by reducing to a powder hematite, 5 parts, and plumbago, 8 parts, and mixing into a paste with spirit of wine. Apply the composition with a soft brush to the article to be bronzed and set it aside for some hours. By polishing with a tolerably hard brush the article will assume the beautiful appearance of real bronze. The desired tint may be regulated by the proportions of the ingredients.

How To Bronze Metals.—Prepare a solution of 1 ¹/₂ ounces of sodium hyposulphite in 1 pint of water and add to the same a solution of 1 ¹/₂ ounces of lead acetate dissolved in 1 pint of water.

If, instead of lead acetate, an equal weight of sulphuric acid (1 ¹/₂ ounces) is added to the sodium hyposulphite and the process carried on as before, the brass becomes coated with a very beautiful red, which changes to green, and finally a splendid brown with a green and red iridescence. This last is a very durable coating and may be especially recommended. It is very difficult to obtain exact shades by this process without some experience. The thorough cleansing of all articles from grease by boiling in potash is absolutely necessary to success. By substituting other metal salts for the lead acetate many changes in tints and quality of the coatings can also be effected.

When this mixture is heated to a temperature a little below the boiling point it precipitates sulphide of lead in a state of fine division. If some metal is present some of the lead is precipitated on the surface and, according to the thickness of the layer, different colors are produced. To produce an even color the articles must be evenly heated. By immersion of brass articles for 5 minutes the same may be coated with colors varying from gold to copper red, then to carmine, dark red, and from light blue to blue white, and at last a reddish white, depending on the time the metal remains in the solution and the temperature used. Iron objects treated in this solution take a steel-blue color, zinc a brown color. In the case of copper objects a golden yellow cannot be obtained.

New Bronzing Liquid.—Dissolve 10 parts of fuchsine and 5 parts of aniline purple in 100 parts of alcohol (95 per cent) and add to the solution 5 parts of benzoic acid. Boil the whole for 10 minutes until the color turns bronze brown. This liquid can be applied to all metals and dries quickly.

A Bronze For Brass.—Immerse the articles, freed from dirt and grease, in a cold solution of 10 parts of potassium permanganate, 50 parts of iron sulphate, 5 parts of hydrochloric acid in 1,000 parts of water. Let remain 30 seconds, then withdraw, rinse, and let dry in fine, soft sawdust. If the articles have become too dark, or if a reddish-brown color be desired, immerse for about 1 minute in a warm (140° F.) solution of chromic acid, 10 parts; hydrochloric acid, 10 parts; potassium permanganate, 10 parts; iron sulphate, 50 parts; water, 1,000 parts. Treat as before. If the latter solution alone be used the product will be a brighter dark-yellow or reddish-brown color. By heating in a drying oven the tone of the colors is improved.

To Bronze Copper.—This process is analogous to the one practiced at the Mint of Paris for bronzing medals.

Spread on the copper object a solution composed of:

Acetate or chlorhydrate of ammonia 30 parts

Sea salt 10 parts

Cream of tartar 10 parts

Acetate of copper 10 parts

Diluted acetic acid 100 parts

Let dry for 24 to 48 hours at an ordinary temperature. The surface of the metal will become covered with a series of varying tints. Brush with a waxed brush. The green portions soaked with chlorhydrate of ammonia will assume a blue coloring, and those treated with carbonate will be thick and darkened.

Bronzing And Patinizing Of Small Zinc Articles.—Coatings of bronze tones and patina shades may be produced on zinc by means of various liquids, but the {137} articles, before being worked upon, should be rubbed down with very fine glass or emery paper, to make them not only perfectly metallic, but also somewhat rough, as a consequence of which the bronze or patina coatings will adhere much better. The best bronze or patina effects on bronze are obtained by electroplating the article with a fairly thick deposit of brass rich in copper and then treating it like genuine bronze. The solutions used, however, must always be highly diluted, otherwise they may eat entirely through the thin metallic coating.

Bronzing Of Zinc.—Mix thoroughly 30 parts of sal ammoniac, 10 parts of oxalate of potash, and 1,000 parts of vinegar. Apply with a brush or a rag several times, until the desired tint is produced.

Bronze Gilding On Smooth Moldings.—A perfect substitute for dead gilding cannot be obtained by bronzing, because of the radically different reflection of the light, for the matt gilding presents to the light a perfectly smooth surface, while in bronzing every little scale of bronze reflects the light in a different direction. In consequence of this diffusion of light, all bronzing, even the best executed, is somewhat darker and dimmer than leaf gilding. This dimness, it is true, extends over the whole surface, and therefore is not perceptible to the layman, and cannot be called an evil, as the genuine leaf gold is so spotted that a bronzed surface is cleaner than a gilt one. The following process is the best known at present: Choose only the best bronze, which is first prepared thick with pure spirit. Next add a quantity of water and stir again. After the precipitation, which occurs promptly, the water is poured off and renewed repeatedly by fresh water. When the spirit has been washed out again in this manner, the remaining deposit, i. e., the bronze, is thinned with clean, good gold size. The bronze must be thin enough just to cover. The moldings are coated twice, the second time commencing at the opposite end. Under no circumstances should the dry, dead gilding give off color when grasping it firmly. If it does that, either the size is inferior or the solution too weak or the mixture too thick.

Incombustible Bronze Tincture.—Five parts of prime dammar rosin and 1.5 parts of ammonia soda, very finely pulverized. Heat gently, with frequent stirring, until the evolution of carbonic acid ceases. Then take from the fire, and when cool pulverize again. Put the powder into a glass carboy, and pour over it 50 parts of carbon tetrachloride; let this stand for 2 days, stirring frequently, then filter. Ten parts of the fluid are to be mixed with each 5 parts of metallic bronze of any desired shade, and put into bottles. Shake the tincture well before using.

Bronzing Engraved Ornaments.—Take bronze and stir with it pale copal varnish diluted one-half with turpentine. With this paint the ornaments neatly. In ¹/₂ hour the bronze will have dried. The places from which the bronze is to be removed, i. e., where the bronze has overrun the polished surface, are dabbed with a small rag soaked with kerosene, taking care that it is not too wet, so as to prevent the kerosene from running into the ornament. After a short while the bronze will have dissolved and can be wiped off with a soft rag. If this does not remove it entirely, dab and wipe again. Finally finish wiping with an especially soft, clean rag. Kerosene does not attack polish on wood. The bronze must become dull and yet adhere firmly, under which condition it has a hardened color. If it does not become dull the varnish is too strong and should be diluted with turpentine.

Durable Bronze On Banners.—To render bronzes durable on banners, etc., the ground must be primed with gum arabic and a little glycerine. Then apply the bronze solution, prepared with dammar and one-tenth varnish. Instead of gum arabic with glycerine, gelatine glue may also be employed as an underlay.

Bronze Substitutes.

The following recipe is used in making imitation gold bronzes:

Sandarac 50 parts

Mastic 10 parts

Venice turpentine 5 parts

Alcohol 135 parts

In the above dissolve:

Metanil yellow and gold orange 0.4 parts

and add

Aluminum, finely powdered 20 parts

and shake.

If a deeper shade is desired it is well to use ethyl orange and gold orange in the same proportion, instead of the dyes.

For the production of imitation copper bronze take the above-mentioned rosin mixture and dissolve therein only gold {138} orange 0.8 parts, and add aluminum 20 parts, whereby a handsome copper color is produced. Metanil yellow 0.4 parts without gold orange gives with the same amount of lacquer a greenish tone of bronze. The pigments must not be made use of in larger quantities, because the luster of the bronze is materially affected. Only pigments of certain properties, such as solubility in alcohol, relative constancy to reductive agents, are suitable; unsuitable are, for instance, naphthol yellow, phenylene-diamin, etc. Likewise only a lacquer of certain composition is fit for use, other lacquers of commerce, such as zapon (celluloid) lacquer being unsuitable. The bronzes prepared in this manner excel in luster and color effect; the cost is very low. They are suitable for bronzing low-priced articles, as tinware, toys, etc. Under the action of sun and moisture the articles lose some of their luster, but objects kept indoors such as figures of plaster of Paris, inkstands, wooden boxes, etc., retain their brilliancy for years.

Some use powdered aluminum and yellow organic dyestuffs, such as gold orange. These are employed together with a varnish of certain composition, which imparts the necessary gloss to the mixture.

Bronze Coloring:

To Color Bronze.—Bronze articles acquire handsome tempering colors by heating. In order to impart an old appearance to new objects of bronze, they may be heated over a flame and rubbed with a woolen rag dipped in finely powdered graphite, until the desired shade is attained. Or else a paste is applied on the article, consisting of graphite 5 parts and bloodstone 15 parts, with a sufficient quantity of alcohol. After 24 hours brush off the dry powder. A hot solution composed of sal ammoniac 4 parts, sorrel salt 1 part, vinegar 200 parts, may also be brushed on. Another way is to dip the pieces into a boiling solution of cupric acetate 20 parts, and sal ammoniac 10 parts, dissolved in 60 to 100 parts of vinegar.

Patent bronzes (products colored by means of aniline dyes) have hitherto been used in the manufacture of toys and de luxe or fancy paper, but makers of wall or stained paper have recently given their attention to these products. Wall—or moiré—paper prepared with these dyes furnishes covers or prints of silken gloss with a peculiar double-color effect in which the metallic brilliancy characteristic of bronze combines with the shades of the tar pigments used. Very beautiful reliefs, giving rise to the most charming play of colors in perpendicular or laterally reflected light, are produced by pressing the paper lengths or web painted with aniline-bronze dyes. The brass brocade and tin bronzes serve as bases for the aniline dyes; of the tar pigments only basic aniline dyes soluble in alcohol are used. In coloring the pulverized bronze care must be taken that the latter is as free as possible from organic fats. Tar dyes should be dissolved in as concentrated a form as possible in alcohol and stirred with the bronze, the pigment being then fixed on the vehicle with an alcoholic solution of tannin. The patent bronze is then dried by allowing the alcohol to evaporate. This method of coloring is purely mechanical, as the tar dyes do not combine with the metallic bronze, as is the case with pigments in which hydrate of alumina is used. A coating of aniline bronze of this kind is therefore very sensitive to moisture, unless spread over the paper surface with a suitable protective binding medium, or protected by a transparent coat of varnish, which of course must not interfere with the special color effect.

Pickle For Bronzes.—Sulphuric acid, 1,000 parts; nitric acid, 500 parts; soot, 10 parts; sea salt, 5 parts.

Imitation Japanese Bronze.—When the copper or coppered article is perfectly dry and the copper or copper coating made brilliant, which is produced by rubbing with a soft brush, put graphite over the piece to be bronzed so that the copper is simply dyed. Wipe off the raised portions with a damp cloth, so that the copper makes its appearance. Next put on a thin coat of Japanese varnish; wipe the relief again and let dry. Apply 1 or 2 coats after the first is perfectly dry. Handsome smoked hues may be obtained by holding the bronze either over the dust of lighted peat or powdered rosin thrown on lighted coal, so as to obtain a smoke which will change the color of the varnish employed. The varnish must be liquid enough to be worked easily, for this style of bronzing is only applicable to brass.

Green Bronze On Iron.—Abietate of silver, 1 part; essence of lavender, 19 parts. Dissolve the abietate of silver in the essence of lavender. After the articles have been well pickled apply the abietate-of-silver solution with a brush; next place the objects in a stove and let the temperature attain about 150° C.

Blue Bronze.—Blue bronze is {139} produced by the wet process by coloring white bronze (silver composition) with aniline blue. A blue-bronze color can be produced in the ordinary way from white-bronze color, the product of pure English tin, and with an alum solution consisting of 20 parts of alum in 4,500 parts of water boiled for 5 hours and washed clean and dried. The bronze prepared in this manner is placed in a porcelain dish, mixed with a solution of 15 parts of aniline blue in 1,500 parts of alcohol, stirring the bronze powder and liquid until the alcohol has evaporated entirely and the bronze color becomes dry. This manipulation must be repeated 6 or 8 times, until the desired blue shade is reached. When the bronze is dark enough it is washed out in warm water, and before entirely dry 1 ta­ble­spoon­ful of petroleum is poured on 2 pounds of bronze, which is intimately mixed and spread out into a thin layer, exposed to the air, whereby the smell is caused to disappear in a few days.

Bronzing With Soluble Glass.—To bronze wood, porcelain, glass, and metal by means of a water-glass solution, coat the article with potash water-glass of 30° Bé. and sprinkle on the respective bronze powder.

Brown Oxidation On Bronze.—Genuine bronze can be beautifully oxidized by painting it with a solution of 4 parts of sal ammoniac and 1 part of oxalium (oxalate of potash) in 200 parts of vinegar, allowing it to dry, and repeating the operation several times. These articles, protected against rain, soon lose the unpleasant glaring metallic luster and assume instead a soft brown tint, which bronze articles otherwise acquire only after several years’ exposure to the atmosphere. A beautiful bronze color which will remain unaffected by heat can be imparted to bronze articles by the following process: The object is first washed in a solution of 1 part of crystallized verdigris and 2 parts of sal ammoniac in 260 parts of water, and then dried before an open fire till the green color begins to disappear. The operation is repeated 10 to 20 times, but with a solution of 1 part of verdigris crystals and 2 parts of sal ammoniac in 600 parts of water. The color of the article, olive green at first, gradually turns to brown, which will remain unaltered even when exposed to strong heat.

Bronze Powders:

See also Plating for general methods of bronzing, and Varnishes.

Gold And Silver Bronze Powders.—Genuine gold bronze is produced from the waste and parings obtained in gold beating. The parings, etc., are ground with honey or a gum solution, upon a glass plate or under hard granite stones, into a very fine powder, which is repeatedly washed out with water and dried. There are various shades of gold bronze, viz., red, reddish, deep yellow, pale yellow, as well as greenish. These tints are caused by the various percentages of gold or the various mixtures of the gold with silver and copper.

By the use of various salt solutions or acidulated substances other shades can be imparted to bronze. In water containing sulphuric acid, nitric acid, or hydrochloric acid, it turns a bright yellow; by treatment with a solution of crystallized verdigris or blue vitriol in water it assumes more of a reddish hue; other tints are obtained with the aid of cooking salt, tartar, green vitriol, or saltpeter in water.

Gold bronze is also obtained by dissolving gold in aqua regia and mixing with a solution of green vitriol in water, whereupon the gold falls down as a metallic powder which may be treated in different ways. The green vitriol, however, must be dissolved in boiling water and mixed in a glass, drop by drop, with sulphuric acid and stirred until the basic iron sulphate separating in flakes has redissolved. Another way of producing gold bronze is by dissolving gold in aqua regia and evaporating the solution in a porcelain dish. When it is almost dry add a little pure hydrochloric acid and repeat this to drive out all the free chlorine and to produce a pure hydrochlorate of gold. The gold salt is dissolved in distilled water, taking ¹/₂ liter per ducat (3 ¹/₂ grams fine gold); into this solution drop, while stirring by means of a glass rod, an 8° solution (by Beaumé) of antimony chloride, as long as a precipitate forms. This deposit is gold bronze, which, dried after removal of all liquids, is chiefly employed in painting, for bronzing, and for china and glass decoration.

Metallic gold powder is, furthermore, obtained by dissolving pure and alloyed gold in aqua regia and precipitating it again by an electro-positive metal, such as iron or zinc, which is placed in the liquid in the form of rods. The gold is completely separated thereby. The rods must be perfectly clean and polished bright. The color of the gold bronze depends upon the proportions of the gold. In order to further increase the brilliancy the dried substance may still be ground. {140}

Mosaic Gold.—Mosaic gold, generally a compound of tin, 64.63 parts, and sulphur, 35.37 parts, is odorless and tasteless, and dissolves only in chlorine solution, aqua regia, and boiling potash lye. It is employed principally for bronzing plaster-of-Paris figures, copper, and brass, by mixing it with 6 parts of bone ashes, rubbing it on wet, or applying it with varnish or white of egg in the preparation of gold paper or for gilding cardboard and wood. Mosaic gold of golden-yellow color is produced by heating 6 parts of sulphur and 16 parts of tin amalgam with equal parts of mercury and 4 parts of sulphur; 8 parts of precipitate from stannic muriate (stannic acid) and 4 parts of sulphur also give a handsome mosaic gold.

The handsomest, purest, and most gold-like mosaic gold is obtained by melting 12 parts of pure tin, free from lead, and mixing with 6 parts of mercury to an amalgam. This is mixed with 7 parts of flowers of sulphur and 6 parts of sal ammoniac, whereupon the mass is subjected for several hours to a heat which at first does not attain redness, but eventually when no more fumes are generated is increased to dark-red heat. This operation is conducted either in a glass retort or in an earthenware crucible. The sal ammoniac escapes first on heating, next vermilion sublimates and some stannic chloride, while the mosaic gold remains on the bottom, the upper layer, consisting of lustrous, golden, delicately translucent leaflets, being the handsomest mosaic gold.

Genuine Silver Bronze.—This is obtained by the finely ground waste from beating leaf silver or by dissolving silver in aqua fortis. This solution is then diluted with water and brightly scoured copper plates are put in, whereby the silver precipitates as a metallic powder.

Imitation Silver Bronze.—This is obtained through the waste in beating imitation leaf silver, which, finely ground, is then washed and dried. In order to increase the luster it is ground again in a dry condition.

Mosaic Silver.—Mosaic silver is an amalgam of equal parts of mercury, bismuth, and tin. One may also melt 50 parts of good tin in a crucible, and as soon as it becomes liquid add 50 parts of bismuth, stirring all with an iron wire until the bismuth is fused as well. As soon as this occurs the crucible must be removed from the fire; then stir in, as long as the contents are still liquid, 25 parts of mercury and mix the whole mass evenly until it can be ground on a stone slab.

BRONZE VARNISHES: See Varnishes.

BRONZING SOLUTIONS FOR PAINTS: See Paints.

BRONZING OF WOOD: See Wood.

BROOCHES, PHOTOGRAPHS ON: See Photography.

BROWN OINTMENT: See Ointments.

BROWNING OF STEEL: See Plating.

BROWNSTONE, IMITATION: See Brick Stain.

BRUNETTE POWDER: See Cosmetics.

BRUSHES

How to Take Care of Paint And Varnish Brushes.

It is a good plan to fill the varnish brush before putting it in the keeper.

Whitewash or kalsomine brushes should not be put into newly slaked lime or hot kalsomine.

Cement-set brushes should never be put in any alcohol mixture, such as shelacs and spirit stains.

Varnish brushes should be selected with a view to their possessing the following qualities: 1st, excellence of material; 2d, excellence of make, which includes fullness of hair or bristles and permanency of binding; 3d, life and spring, or elasticity sufficient to enable the varnisher to spread the varnish without reducing it with turpentine; and 4th, springing, when in use, to a true chisel edge.

Temperature For Brushes.—The bristles of every brush are held in place by the handle. It passes through the shank of the brush and is kiln-dried to fit perfectly. If it shrinks, however, its outward tension is lost and the bristles loosened. For this reason the first principle in brush care is to keep the tool, when it is new or not soaking, in a cool place, out of hot rooms, and any temperature that would tend to shrink the wood of the handle.

Cleaning Paint Brushes.—No new brush should be dipped in the paint and put to work without first being {141} cleaned. By working it with a brisk movement back and forth through the hand most of the dust and loose hairs will be taken out. A paint brush, when thus thoroughly dry cleaned, should be placed in water for a few minutes, not long enough to soak or swell it, but only until wet through, and then swung and shaken dry. It is then ready to dip in the paint, and although some of the hairs may still be loose, most of them will come out in the first few minutes’ working and can be easily picked from the surface.

Cleaning Varnish Brushes.—Varnish brushes, and brushes used in varnish stain, buggy paint, and all color in varnish require different handling than paint brushes. They should be more thoroughly dry cleaned, in order that all loose hairs may be worked out. After working them through the hand it is a good thing to pass the brush back and forth over a sheet of sandpaper. This rough surface will pull out the loose bristles and smooth down the rough ends of the chisel point. The brush should then be washed by working it for a few minutes in clean turpentine and swinging it dry. It should never be put in water. For carriage work and fine varnishing the brush should be broken in on the rubbing coat in order to work out all the dust particles before it is used on the finishing coats.

Setting The Paint-brush Bristles.—For the first 2 or 3 days new brushes require special care while at rest. They should be dipped in raw oil or the paint itself and smoothed out carefully, then laid on their sides over night. The chisel-pointed brushes should be set at an incline, the handle supported just enough to allow the brush to lie along the point. This is done to prevent twisting of the bristles, and to keep the shape of the brush. It is necessary to do this only 2 or 3 times before the shape becomes set.