To Clean Coral. — Soak it in soda and water for some hours.
Then make a lather of soap, and with a soft hair-brush rub the coral
lightly, letting the brush enter all the interstices. Pour off the water
and replenish it with clean constantly, and then let the coral dry in
the sun.
Enamelling on Wood. — For enamelling on wood in black for
parlor-organ stops, door-knobs and the like, take of seed-lac and
pale resin, each two ounces ; alcohol, one pint. Warm the wood in
an oven, apply the varnish quickly and evenly ; let dry ; give another
coat, and when dry rub down with pumice-stone. For a black body,
dissolve four ounces shellac in one pint of alcohol, and mix up to
color with ivory-black in impalpable powder ; give the work one or
more flowing coats of this, and heat in an oven (gradually) to about
400° Fahrenheit, for half an hour. After cooling somewhat give a
flowing coat of pale spirit-opal varnish, harden again in the oven, and
polish with felt and tripoli, finishing with a trace of oil. For white
ground mix washed flake white with one-sixth its weight of starch,
grind very finely, and temper with mastic varnish. Harden by heat, and
lay on five coats of the following: Seed-lac, two ounces; gum anime,
three ; coarsely powder, dissolve in one quart of alcohol, and strain.
Harden and polish as before, using putty powder.
For Cleaning Silver or silver-plated ware, it is affirmed that a
solution of hyposulphite of soda is one of the simplest and best ap-.
plications. The solution may be applied with a rag or soft brush.
This method is free from the objection attending the use of powders,
as there is no filling up of the fine lines or other ornamental work.
But most housekeepers think that there is nothing better to clean
silver with than alcohol and ammonia ; after rubbing with this take a
little whiting or a soft cloth and pol'ish in this way; even frosted
silver, which is so difficult to clean, may be easily made clear and
bright.
MICELLANEOUS HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. 5/5
How TO Mend China. — One of the best receipts for mending china
is the following, and it really is admirable : Take a very thick solu-
tion of gum-arabic in water, and stir it into plaster of Paris until the
mixture becomes a viscous paste. Apply it with a brush to the
fractured edges, and stick them together. In three days the article
cannot be broken in the same place. The whiteness of the cement
renders it doubly valuable.
To Set a Color. — One tablespoonful of ox-gall in a pint of water
is sufficient. It is immaterial whether cotton, silk, or woollen fabric.
To Cleanse Barrels. — Merely scrubbing out a barrel with ashes
is not sufficient to sweeten it. The lye must penetrate the wood.
Throw in a peck of ashes, then fill up with clean water ; let it stand a
couple of days ; rinse and fill up with clean water a couple of times
to soak out the lye. Jars and jugs can be sweetened by the same
process.
Recipe for Making Candles. — Very hard and durable candles
are made in this way : Melt together ten ounces of mutton tallow, a
quarter of an ounce of camphor, four ounces of beeswax, and two
ounces of alum✪ Recipe for Making Candles. Candles made of these materials burn with a strong,
clear light.
Page 373 · 2 recipe records on this page
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
To Clean Coral. — Soak it in soda and water for some hours. Then make a lather of soap, and with a soft hair-brush rub the coral lightly, letting the brush enter all the interstices. Pour off the water and replenish it with clean constantly, and then let the coral dry in the sun.
Enamelling on Wood. — For enamelling on wood in black for parlor-organ stops, door-knobs and the like, take of seed-lac and pale resin, each two ounces ; alcohol, one pint. Warm the wood in an oven, apply the varnish quickly and evenly ; let dry ; give another coat, and when dry rub down with pumice-stone. For a black body, dissolve four ounces shellac in one pint of alcohol, and mix up to color with ivory-black in impalpable powder ; give the work one or more flowing coats of this, and heat in an oven (gradually) to about 400° Fahrenheit, for half an hour. After cooling somewhat give a flowing coat of pale spirit-opal varnish, harden again in the oven, and polish with felt and tripoli, finishing with a trace of oil. For white ground mix washed flake white with one-sixth its weight of starch, grind very finely, and temper with mastic varnish. Harden by heat, and lay on five coats of the following: Seed-lac, two ounces; gum anime, three ; coarsely powder, dissolve in one quart of alcohol, and strain. Harden and polish as before, using putty powder.
For Cleaning Silver or silver-plated ware, it is affirmed that a solution of hyposulphite of soda is one of the simplest and best ap-. plications. The solution may be applied with a rag or soft brush. This method is free from the objection attending the use of powders, as there is no filling up of the fine lines or other ornamental work. But most housekeepers think that there is nothing better to clean silver with than alcohol and ammonia ; after rubbing with this take a little whiting or a soft cloth and polish in this way; even frosted silver, which is so difficult to clean, may be easily made clear and bright.
How TO Mend China. — One of the best receipts for mending china is the following, and it really is admirable : Take a very thick solution of gum-arabic in water, and stir it into plaster of Paris until the mixture becomes a viscous paste. Apply it with a brush to the fractured edges, and stick them together. In three days the article cannot be broken in the same place. The whiteness of the cement renders it doubly valuable.
To Set a Color. — One tablespoonful of ox-gall in a pint of water is sufficient. It is immaterial whether cotton, silk, or woollen fabric.
To Cleanse Barrels. — Merely scrubbing out a barrel with ashes is not sufficient to sweeten it. The lye must penetrate the wood. Throw in a peck of ashes, then fill up with clean water ; let it stand a couple of days ; rinse and fill up with clean water a couple of times to soak out the lye. Jars and jugs can be sweetened by the same process.
Recipe for Making Candles. — Very hard and durable candles are made in this way : Melt together ten ounces of mutton tallow, a quarter of an ounce of camphor, four ounces of beeswax, and two ounces of alum. Candles made of these materials burn with a strong, clear light.
Records on this page
Recipe for Making CandlesMaking Candles