ounce of isinglass in warm water, and, finally, dissolve it in brandy
till it forms a thick jelly; mix the isinglass and gum-mastic together,
adding a quarter of an ounce of finely powdered gum-ammoniac;
put the whole into an earthen pipkin, and in a warm place, till they
are thoroughly incorporated together; pour it into a small vial, and
cork it down for use. In using it dissolve a small piece of the
cement in a silver teaspoon over a lighted candle. The broken
pieces of glass or china being warmed and touched with the now
liquid cement, join the parts neatly together and hold in their places
till the cement has set; then wipe away the cement adhering to the
edge of the joint, and leave it for twelve hours without touching it;
the joint will be as strong as the china itself, and if neatly done it
will show no joining.
It may be of some value to housekeepers who have marble-top
furniture to know that the common solution of gum-arabic is an ex-
cellent absorbent, and will remove dirt, etc., from marble.
The method of applying it is as follows: Brush the dust off the
piece to be cleaned, then apply with a brush a good coat of gum-
arabic, about the consistency of thick office mucilage, expose it to
the sun or dry wind, or both. In a short time it will crack and peel
off If all the gum should not peel off, wash it with clean water and
a clean cloth. Of course, if the first application does not have the
desired effect it should be applied again. Another method of clean-
ing marble is to make a paste with soft soap and whiting, wash the
marble with it and then leave a coat of paste upon it for two or three
days. Afterwards wash off with warm (not hot) water and soap.
To soften resin, melt the resin, and while in a state of fusion add
tar. The proper degree of hardness can be ascertained by dropping
a small portion of the melted mass into water.
To render pencil mai'ks indelible, take well-skimmed milk, and
dilute with an equal bulk of water. Wash the pencil marks, whether
writing or drawing, with this liquid, using a soft flat camel-hair
brush, and avoid all rubbing. Place upon a flat board to dry.
To remove grease from marble, take French chalk reduced to
562 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
powder, dust it over the spot, and then hold a hot flat-iron very near
to it. This will soften the grease, while the chalk will absorb it.
A few drops of oil of cloves, alcohol, or acid will preserve a quart
of the mucilage gum-arabic or gum-tragacanth from turning sour.
A small quantity of dissolved alum will preserve flour paste.
Use kerosene, or bath-brick, or powdered lime to scour iron, tin
or copper; wash in hot suds and polish with dry whiting.
Page 364
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
ounce of isinglass in warm water, and, finally, dissolve it in brandy till it forms a thick jelly; mix the isinglass and gum-mastic together, adding a quarter of an ounce of finely powdered gum-ammoniac; put the whole into an earthen pipkin, and in a warm place, till they are thoroughly incorporated together; pour it into a small vial, and cork it down for use. In using it dissolve a small piece of the cement in a silver teaspoon over a lighted candle. The broken pieces of glass or china being warmed and touched with the now liquid cement, join the parts neatly together and hold in their places till the cement has set; then wipe away the cement adhering to the edge of the joint, and leave it for twelve hours without touching it; the joint will be as strong as the china itself, and if neatly done it will show no joining.
It may be of some value to housekeepers who have marble-top furniture to know that the common solution of gum-arabic is an excellent absorbent, and will remove dirt, etc., from marble.
The method of applying it is as follows: Brush the dust off the piece to be cleaned, then apply with a brush a good coat of gumarabic, about the consistency of thick office mucilage, expose it to the sun or dry wind, or both. In a short time it will crack and peel off If all the gum should not peel off, wash it with clean water and a clean cloth. Of course, if the first application does not have the desired effect it should be applied again. Another method of cleaning marble is to make a paste with soft soap and whiting, wash the marble with it and then leave a coat of paste upon it for two or three days. Afterwards wash off with warm (not hot) water and soap.
To soften resin, melt the resin, and while in a state of fusion add tar. The proper degree of hardness can be ascertained by dropping a small portion of the melted mass into water.
To render pencil marks indelible, take well-skimmed milk, and dilute with an equal bulk of water. Wash the pencil marks, whether writing or drawing, with this liquid, using a soft flat camel-hair brush, and avoid all rubbing. Place upon a flat board to dry.
To remove grease from marble, take French chalk reduced to
562 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
powder, dust it over the spot, and then hold a hot flat-iron very near to it. This will soften the grease, while the chalk will absorb it.
A few drops of oil of cloves, alcohol, or acid will preserve a quart of the mucilage gum-arabic or gum-tragacanth from turning sour. A small quantity of dissolved alum will preserve flour paste.
Use kerosene, or bath-brick, or powdered lime to scour iron, tin or copper; wash in hot suds and polish with dry whiting.