Part 112

V.—Five parts of hydraulic lime, 0.3 parts of tar, 0.3 parts of rosin, 1 part of horn water (the decoction resulting from boiling horn in water and decanting the latter). The materials are to be mixed and boiled. After cooling, the putty is ready for use. This is an excellent cement for glass, and may be used also for reservoirs and any vessels for holding water, to cement the cracks; also for many other purposes. It will not give way, and is equally good for glass, wood, and metal.

VI.—This is especially recommended for boiler leaks: Mix well together 6 parts of powdered graphite, 3 parts of slaked lime, 8 parts of heavy spar (barytes), and 8 parts of thick linseed-oil varnish, and apply in the ordinary way to the spots.

PUTTY FOR ATTACHING SIGN-LETTERS TO GLASS: See Adhesives, under Sign-Letter Cements.

PUTTY, TO REMOVE: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

PUTZ POMADE: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

PYROGALLIC ACID: See Photography.

PYROGALLIC ACID STAINS, TO REMOVE, FROM THE SKIN: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods and Photography.

PYROCATECHIN DEVELOPER: See Photography.

«Pyrotechnics»

«FIREWORKS.»

The chief chemical process is, of course, oxidation. Oxidation may be produced by the atmosphere, but in many cases this is not enough, and then the pyrotechnist must employ his knowledge of chemistry in selecting oxidizing agents.

The chief of these oxidizing agents are chlorates and nitrates, the effect of which is to promote the continuance of combustion when it is once started. They are specially useful, owing to their solid non-hygroscopic nature. Then ingredients are needed to prevent the too speedy action of the oxidizing agents, to regulate the process of combustion, such as calomel, sand, and sulphate of potash. Thirdly, there are the active ingredients that produce the desired effect, prominent among which are substances that in contact with flame impart some special color to it. Brilliancy and brightness are imparted by steel, zinc, and copper {609} filings. Other substances employed are lampblack with gunpowder, and, for theatre purposes, lycopodium.

Fireworks may be classified under four heads, viz.:

1. Single fireworks.

2. Terrestrial fireworks, which are placed upon the ground and the fire issues direct from the surface.

3. Atmospheric fireworks, which begin their display in the air.

4. Aquatic fireworks, in which oxidation is so intense that they produce a flame under water.

«Rockets.»—First and foremost among atmospheric fireworks are rockets, made in different sizes, each requiring a slightly different percentage composition. A good formula is

Sulphur 1 part Carbon, wood 2 parts Niter 4 parts Meal powder 1 part

Meal powder is a fine black or brown dust, which acts as a diluent.

«Roman Candles.»—Roman candles are somewhat after the same principle. An average formula is:

Sulphur 4 parts Carbon 3 parts Niter 8 parts

«Pin Wheels.»—These are also similar in composition to the preceding. The formula for the basis is

Sulphur 5 parts Niter 9 parts Meal powder 15 parts Color as desired.

«Bengal Lights.»—Bengal lights have the disadvantage of being poisonous. A typical preparation can be made according to this formula:

Realgar 1 part Black antimony 5 parts Red lead 1 part Sulphur 3 parts Niter 14 parts

«COLORED FIRES.»

The compounds should be ignited in a small pill box resting on a plate. All the ingredients must be dried and powdered separately, and then lightly mixed on a sheet of paper. Always bear in mind that sulphur and chlorate of potassium explode violently if rubbed together.

«Smokeless Vari-Colored Fire.»—First take barytes or strontium, and bring to a glowing heat in a suitable dish, remove from the fire, and add the shellac. The latter (unpowdered) will melt at once, and can then be intimately mixed with the barytes or strontium by means of a spatula. After cooling, pulverize. One may also add about 2 1⁠/⁠2 per cent of powdered magnesium to increase the effect. Take for instance 4 parts of barytes or strontium and 1 part of shellac.

The following salts, if finely powdered and burned in an iron ladle with a little spirits, will communicate to the flame their peculiar colors.

Potassium nitrate or sodium chlorate, yellow.

Potassium chlorate, violet.

Calcium chloride, orange.

Strontium nitrate, red.

Barium nitrate, apple green.

Copper nitrate, emerald green.

Borax, green.

Lithium chloride, purple.

The colored fires are used largely in the production of various theatrical effects.

«Blue Fire.»—

I.—Ter-sulphuret of antimony 1 part Sulphur 2 parts Nitrate of potassium 6 parts

II.—Sulphur 15 parts Potassium sulphate 15 parts Ammonio-cupric sulphate 15 parts Potassium nitrate 27 parts Potassium chlorate 28 parts

III.—Chlorate of potash 8 parts Calomel 4 parts Copper sulphate 5 parts Shellac 3 parts

IV.—Ore pigment 2 parts Charcoal 3 parts Potassium chloride 5 parts Sulphur 13 parts Potassium nitrate 77 parts

V.—Potassium chlorate 10 parts Copper chlorate 20 parts Alcohol 20 parts Water 100 parts

VI.—Copper chlorate 100 parts Copper nitrate 50 parts Barium chlorate 25 parts Potassium chlorate 100 parts Alcohol 500 parts Water 1,000 parts

«Green.»—

I.—Barium chlorate 20 parts Alcohol 20 parts Water 100 parts

II.—Barium nitrate 10 parts Potassium chlorate 10 parts Alcohol 20 parts Water 100 parts

{610}

III.—Shellac 5 parts Barium nitrate 1 1⁠/⁠4 parts

Pound after cooling, and add Barium chlorate, 2 to 5 per cent.

«Red.»—

I.—Shellac 5 parts Strontium nitrate 1 to 1.2 parts

Preparation as in green fare. In damp weather add 2 to 4 per cent of potassium chlorate to the red flame; the latter causes a little more smoke.

II.—Strontium nitrate 20 parts Potassium chlorate 10 parts Alcohol 20 parts Water 100 parts

«Yellow.»—

I.—Sulphur 16 parts Dried carbonate of soda 23 parts Chlorate of potassium 61 parts

II.—Sodium chlorate 20 parts Potassium oxalate 10 parts Alcohol 20 parts Water 100 parts

«Violet.»—

I.—Strontium chlorate 15 parts Copper chlorate 15 parts Potassium chlorate 15 parts Alcohol 50 parts Water 100 parts

II.—Potassium chlorate 20 parts Strontium chlorate 20 parts Copper chlorate 10 parts Alcohol 50 parts Water 100 parts

«Lilac.»—

Potassium chlorate 20 parts Copper chlorate 10 parts Strontium chloride 10 parts Alcohol 50 parts Water 100 parts

«Mauve.»—

Chlorate of potash 28 parts Calomel 12 parts Shellac 4 parts Strontium nitrate 4 parts Cupric sulphate 2 parts Fat 1 part

«Purple.»—

Copper sulphide 8 parts Calomel 7 parts Sulphur 2 parts Chlorate of potash 16 parts

«White.»—

I.—Gunpowder 15 parts Sulphur 22 parts Nitrate of potassium 64 parts

II.—Potassium nitrate 30 parts Sulphur 10 parts Antimony sulphide (black) 5 parts Flour 3 parts Powdered camphor 2 parts

III.—Charcoal 1 part Sulphur 11 parts Potassium sulphide 38 parts

IV.—Stearine 1 part Barium carbonate 1 part Milk sugar 4 parts Potassium nitrate 4 parts Potassium chlorate 12 parts

As a general rule, a corresponding quantity of shellac may be taken instead of the sulphur for inside fireworks.

The directions for using these solutions are simply to imbibe bibulous papers in them, then carefully dry and roll tightly into rolls of suitable length, according to the length of time they are to burn.

«Fuses.»—For fuses or igniting papers, the following is used:

Potassium nitrate 2 parts Lead acetate 40 parts Water 100 parts

Mix and dissolve, and in the solution place unsized paper; raise to nearly a boil and keep at this temperature for 20 minutes. If the paper is to be “slow,” it may now be taken out, dried, cut into strips, and rolled. If to be “faster,” the heat is to be continued longer, according to the quickness desired. Care must be taken to avoid boiling, which might disintegrate the paper.

In preparing these papers, every precaution against fire should be taken, and their preparation in the shop or house should not be thought of. In making the solutions, etc., where heat is necessary, the water bath should invariably be used.

«PYROTECHNIC MAGIC.»

[Caution.—When about to place any lighted material in the mouth be sure that the mouth is well coated with saliva, and that you are exhaling _the breath continuously_, with greater or less force, _according to the amount of heat you can bear_.

If the lighted material shows a tendency to burn the mouth, _do not attempt to drag it out quickly_, but simply shut the lips tight, and breathe through the nose, and the fire must go out instantly.

In the Human Gas Trick, where a flame 10 to 15 inches long is blown from the mouth, be careful after lighting the {611} gas, _to continue to exhale the breath_. When you desire the gas to go out, simply shut the lips tight and hold the breath for a few seconds. In this trick, until the gas is well out, any inhalation is likely to be attended with the most serious results.

The several cautions above given may be examined with a lighted match, first removing, after lighting the match, any brimstone or phosphorus from its end.]

«To Fire Paper, etc., by Breathing on it.»—This secret seems little known to conjurers. Pay particular attention to the caution concerning phosphorus at the head of this article, and the caution respecting the dangerous nature of the prepared fluid given.

Half fill a half-ounce bottle with carbon disulphide, and drop in 1 or 2 fragments of phosphorus, each the size of a pea, which will quickly dissolve. Shake up the liquid, and pour out a small teaspoonful onto a piece of blotting paper. The carbon disulphide will quickly evaporate, leaving a film of phosphorus on the paper, which will quickly emit fumes and burst into flame. The once-popular term Fenian fire was derived from the supposed use of this liquid by the Fenians for the purpose of setting fire to houses by throwing a bottle down a chimney or through a window, the bottle to break and its contents to speedily set fire to the place.

For the purpose of experiment this liquid should only be prepared in small quantities as above, and any left over should be poured away onto the soil in the open air, so as to obviate the risk of fire. Thin paper may be fired in a similar manner with the acid bulbs and powder already mentioned. The powder should be formed into a paste, laid on the paper, and allowed to dry. Then the acid bulb is pasted over the powder.

«Burning Brimstone.»—Wrap cotton around two small pieces of brimstone and wet it with gasoline; take between the fingers, squeezing the surplus liquid out, light it with a candle, throw back the head well, and put it on the tongue blazing. Blow fire from mouth, and observe that a freshly blown-out candle may be lighted from the flame, which makes it more effective. After lighting candle chew up brimstone and pretend to swallow.

«Blazing Sponge Trick.»—Take 2 or 3 small sponges, place them in a ladle; pour just enough oil or gasoline over them to wet them. Be very careful not to have enough oil on them to cause them to drip. Set fire to the sponges and take one of them up with the tongs, and throw the head back and drop the blazing sponge in the mouth, expelling the breath all the time. Now close your mouth quickly; this cuts off the air from the flame and it immediately goes out. Be careful not to drop the sponge on the face or chin. Remove sponge under cover of a handkerchief before placing the second one in the mouth.

«Burning Sealing Wax.»—Take a stick of common sealing wax in one hand and a candle in the other, melt the wax over the candle, and put on your tongue while blazing. The moisture of the mouth cools it almost instantly. Care should be taken not to get any on the lips, chin, or hands.

«Demon Bowls of Fire.»—The performer has three 6 1⁠/⁠2-inch brass bowls on a table, and openly pours ordinary clean water (may be drunk) into bowls, until each is about half full. Then by simply passing the hand over bowls they each take fire and produce a flame 12 to 20 inches high.

Each bowl contains about 2 teaspoonfuls of ether, upon which is placed a small piece of the metal potassium, about the size of a pea. If the ether be pure the potassium will not be acted upon. When the water is poured into the bowl the ether and potassium float up, the latter acting vigorously on the water, evolving hydrogen and setting fire thereto, and to the ether as well.

The water may be poured into the bowl and lighted at command. In this case the potassium and ether are kept separated in the bowl, the former in a little cup on one side, and the latter in the body of the bowl. The water is poured in, and on rocking the bowl it is caused to wash into the little cup, the potassium floats up, and the fire is produced.

N. B.—The above tricks are not safe in any but specially made bowls, i. e., bowls with the wide flange round edge to prevent the accidental spilling of any portion of the burning ether.

«The Burning Banana.»—Place some alcohol in a ladle and set fire to it. Dip a banana in the blazing alcohol and eat it while it is blazing. As soon as it is placed in the mouth the fire goes out.

«Sparks from the Finger Tips.»—Take a small piece of tin about 1⁠/⁠2 inch wide and 1 1⁠/⁠2 inches long. Bend this in the shape of a ring. To the center of this piece solder another small piece of tin bent in the shape of a letter U; between the {612} ends of this U place a small piece of wax tape about 1⁠/⁠2 inch long. Take a piece of small rubber tubing about 2 feet in length and to one end of this attach a hollow rubber ball, which you must partly fill with iron filings. Place the rubber ball containing the iron filings under the arm and pass the rubber tube down through the sleeve of the coat to the palm of the hand; now place the tin ring upon the middle finger, with the wax taper inside of the hand. Light this taper. By pressing the arm down sharply on the rubber ball, the force of the air will drive some of the iron filings through the rubber tube and out through the flame of the burning taper, when they will ignite and cause a beautiful shower of sparks to appear to rain from the finger tips.

«To Take Boiling Lead in the Mouth.»—The metal used, while not unlike lead in appearance, is not the ordinary metal, but is really an alloy composed of the following substances:

Bismuth 8 parts Lead 5 parts Tin 2 parts

To prepare it, first melt the lead in a crucible, then add the bismuth and finally the tin, and stir well together with a piece of tobacco pipe stem. This “fusible metal” will melt in boiling water, and a teaspoon cast from the alloy will melt if very hot water be poured into it, or if boiling water be stirred with it. If the water be not quite boiling, as is pretty sure to be the case if tea from a teapot is used, in all probability the heat will be insufficient to melt the spoon. But by melting the alloy and adding to it a small quantity of quicksilver a compound will be produced, which, though solid at the ordinary temperature, will melt in water _very much below the boiling point_. Another variety of easily fusible alloy is made by melting together

Bismuth 7 to 8 parts Lead 4 parts Tin 2 parts Cadmium 1 to 2 parts

This mixture melts at 158°, that given above at 208° F.

Either one of the several alloys above given will contain considerably less heat than lead, and in consequence be the more suitable for the purposes of a “Fire King.”

When a body is melted it is raised to a certain temperature and then gets no hotter, not even if the fire be increased—all the extra heat goes to melt the remainder of the substance.

_Second Method._—This is done with a ladle constructed similarly to the tin cup in a previous trick. The lead, genuine in this case, is, apparently, drunk from the ladle, which is then tilted, that it may be seen to be empty. The lead is concealed in the secret interior of the ladle, and a solid piece of lead is in conclusion dropped from the mouth, as congealed metal.

«To Eat Burning Coals.»—In the first place make a good charcoal fire in the furnace. Just before commencing the act throw in three or four pieces of soft pine. When burnt to a coal one cannot tell the difference between this and charcoal, except by sticking a fork into it. This will not burn in the least, while the genuine charcoal will. You can stick your fork into these coals without any difficulty, but the charcoal is brittle and hard; it breaks before the fork goes into it.

«Chain of Fire.»—Take a piece of candle wick 8 or 10 inches long, saturated with kerosene oil, squeeze out surplus oil. Take hold of one end with your fire tongs, light by furnace, throw back your head, and lower it into your mouth _while exhaling the breath freely_. When all in, close your lips and remove in handkerchief.

NOTE.—Have a good hold of the end with the tongs, for if it should fall it would probably inflict a serious burn; for this reason also no burning oil must drop from the cotton.

«Biting Off Red-Hot Iron.»—Take a piece of hoop iron about 2 feet long, place it in a vise and bend it backwards and forwards, about an inch from the end, until it is nearly broken off. Put this in a furnace until it becomes red hot, then take it in your right hand, grasp the broken end in your teeth, being careful not to let it touch your lips or your tongue, make a “face” as though it was terribly hard to bite off, and let the broken end drop from between your teeth into a pail of water (which you should always have at hand in case of fire), when the hissing will induce the belief that the portion bitten off is still “red hot”—it may be, for that matter, if the iron be nearly broken off in the first place and if you have good teeth and are not afraid to injure them.

«Water Stirred Yellow, Scarlet, and Colorless.»—Obtain a glass tube with one end hermetically sealed and drawn into a fine point that will break easily. Into an ale glass put a solution of mercury {613} bichloride (corrosive sublimate, a deadly poison) and into the tube a strong solution of potassium iodide so adjusted in strength that it will redissolve the scarlet precipitate formed by the union of the two liquids. While stirring the solution in the glass the bottom of the tube (apparently a glass rod) is broken and a small portion of its contents allowed to escape, which produces a beautiful scarlet. The balance of the fluid in the tube is retained there by simply keeping the thumb on the open top end. Continue the stirring, allowing the balance of the contents of the tube to escape, and the scarlet fluid again becomes colorless. Before the scarlet appears the liquid is yellow.

To heighten the effect, another ale glass, containing only clean water and a solid glass stirring-rod, may be handed to one of the company, with instructions to do the same as the performer; the result is amusing.

QUICK-WATER: See Alloys.

QUILTS, TO CLEAN: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

QUINCE EXTRACT: See Essences and Extracts.

RAGS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

RASPBERRYADE POWDER: See Salts, Effervescent.

RASPBERRY SYRUP: See Essences and Extracts.

«Rat Poisons»

(See also Turpentine.)

Poisons for rats may be divided into two classes, quick and slow. Potassium cyanide and strychnine belong to the first, and phosphorus and arsenic to the second. Both should be kept away from children, dogs, and cats, and this is best done by putting them in places too narrow for anything larger than a rat to squeeze into. If the poison is too quick, the effect of it is visible to the same rats which saw the cause, and those which have not eaten of the bait will leave it alone. On the other hand, if it is too slow, the poisoned rat may spread it to edible things in the pantry, by vomiting. Slow poisons generally cause the rat to seek water, and when they are used water should not be left about promiscuously.

The substances most useful as rat poisons, and which are without danger to the larger domestic animals, are plaster of Paris and fresh squills. Less dangerous than strychnine and arsenic are the baryta preparations, of which the most valuable is barium carbonate. Like plaster of Paris, this substance, when used for the purpose, must be mixed with sugar and meal, or flour, and as a decoy some strong-smelling cheese should be added. In closed places there should be left vessels containing water easily accessible to the creatures.

One advantage over these substances possessed by the squill is that it is greedily eaten by rats and mice. When it is used, however, the same precaution as to water, noted above, is necessary, a circumstance too frequently forgotten. In preparing the squill for this purpose, by the addition of bacon, or fat meat of any kind, the use of a decoy like cheese is unnecessary, as the fats are sufficiently appetizing to the rodents. It is to be noted that only fresh squills should be used for this purpose, as in keeping the bulb the poisonous principle is destroyed, or, at least, is so modified as to seriously injure its value.

«Squill Poisons.»—The preparation of the squill as a rat poison can be effected in several different ways. Usually, after the removal of the outer peel, the bulb is cut up into little slices and mixed with milk and flour; these are stirred into a dough or paste, which, with bits of bacon rind, is put into the oven and baked. Another plan is to grate the squill on a grater and mingle the gratings with mashed, boiled, or roasted potato. This method of preparing them necessitates the immediate use of the poison. The following is, however, a stable preparation that keeps well:

I.—Hog’s lard 500 grams Acid salicylic 5 grams Squill 1 bulb Beef suet 50 to 100 grams Barium carbonate 500 grams Solution of ammonium copper acetate, 20 per cent 50 grams