Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes

Part 34

Chapter 344,112 wordsPublic domain

«Removal of Picric-Acid Stains.»—I.—Recent stains of picric acid may be removed readily if the stain is covered with a layer of magnesium carbonate, the carbonate moistened with a little water to form a paste, and the paste then rubbed over the spot.

II.—Apply a solution of Boric acid 4 parts Sodium benzoate 1 part Water 100 parts

III.—Dr. Prieur, of Besançon, recommends lithium carbonate for the removal of picric-acid stains from the skin or from linen. The method of using it is simply to lay a small pinch on the stain, and moisten the latter with water. Fresh stains disappear almost instantly, and old ones in a minute or two.

«To Remove Finger Marks from Books, etc.»—I.—Pour benzol (not benzine or gasoline, but Merck’s “c. p.” crystallizable) on calcined magnesia until it becomes a crumbling mass, and apply this to the spot, rubbing it in lightly, with the tip of the finger. When the benzol evaporates, brush off. Any dirt that remains can be removed by using a piece of soft rubber.

II.—If the foregoing fails (which it sometimes, though rarely, does), try the following: Make a hot solution of sodium hydrate in distilled water, of strength of from 3 per cent to 5 per cent, according to the age, etc., of the stain. Have prepared some bits of heavy blotting paper somewhat larger than the spot to be removed; also, a blotting pad, or several pieces of heavy blotting paper. Lay the soiled page face downward on the blotting pad, then, saturating one of the bits of blotter with the hot sodium hydrate solution, put it on the stain and go over it with a hot smoothing iron. If one application does not remove all the grease or stain, repeat the operation. Then saturate another bit of blotting paper with a 4 per cent or 5 per cent solution of hydrochloric acid in distilled water, apply it to the place, and pass the iron over it to neutralize the strong alkali. This process will instantly restore any faded writing or printing, and make the paper bright and fresh again.

«Glycerine as a Detergent.»—For certain kinds of obstinate spots (such as coffee and chocolate, for instance) there is no better detergent than glycerine, especially for fabrics with delicate colors. Apply the glycerine to the spot, with a sponge or otherwise, let stand a minute or so, then wash off with water or alcohol. Hot glycerine is even more efficient than cold.

«CLEANING SKINS AND LEATHER»: See also Leather.

«To Clean Colored Leather.»—Pour carbon bisulphide on non-vulcanized gutta-percha, and allow it to stand about 24 hours. After shaking actively add more gutta-percha gradually until the solution becomes of gelatinous consistency. This mixture is applied in suitable quantity to oil-stained, colored leather and allowed to dry two or three hours. The subsequent operation consists merely in removing the coat of gutta-percha from the surface of the leather—that is, rubbing it with the fingers, and rolling it off the surface.

The color is not injured in the least by the sulphuret of carbon; only those leathers on which a dressing containing starch has been used look a little lighter in color, but the better class of leathers are not so dressed. The dry gutta-percha can be redissolved in sulphuret of carbon and used over again.

«To Clean Skins Used for Polishing Purposes.»—First beat them thoroughly to get rid of dust, then go over the surface on both sides with a piece of good white soap and lay them in warm water in which has been put a little soda. Let them lie here for 2 hours, then wash them in plenty of tepid water, rubbing them vigorously until perfectly clean. This bath should also be made alkaline with soda. The skins are finally rinsed in warm water, and dried quickly. Cold water must be avoided at all stages of the cleansing process, as it has a tendency to shrink and harden the skins.

The best way to clean a chamois skin is to wash and rinse it out in clean water immediately after use, but this practice is apt to be neglected so that the skin becomes saturated with dirt and grime. To clean it, first thoroughly soak in clean, soft water. Then, after soaping it and rolling it into a compact wad, beat with a small round stick—a buggy spoke, say—turning the wad over repeatedly, and keeping it well wet and soaped. This should suffice to loosen the dirt. Then rinse in clean water until the skin {187} is clean. As wringing by hand is apt to injure the chamois skin, it is advisable to use a small clothes wringer. Before using the skin again rinse it in clear water to which a little pulverized alum has been added.

«STRAW-HAT RENOVATION:»

«To Renovate Straw Hats.»—I.—Hats made of natural (uncolored) straw, which have become soiled by wear, may be cleaned by thoroughly sponging with a weak solution of tartaric acid in water, followed by water alone. The hat after being so treated should be fastened by the rim to a board by means of pins, so that it will keep its shape in drying.

II.—Sponge the straw with a solution of

By weight Sodium hyposulphite 10 parts Glycerine 5 parts Alcohol 10 parts Water 75 parts

Lay aside in a damp place for 24 hours and then apply

By weight Citric acid 2 parts Alcohol 10 parts Water 90 parts

Press with a moderately hot iron, after stiffening with weak gum water, if necessary.

III.—If the hat has become much darkened in tint by wear the fumes of burning sulphur may be employed. The material should be first cleaned by thoroughly sponging with an aqueous solution of potassium carbonate, followed by a similar application of water, and it is then suspended over the sulphur fumes. These are generated by placing in a metal or earthen dish, so mounted as to keep the heat from setting fire to anything beneath, some brimstone (roll sulphur), and sprinkling over it some live coals to start combustion. The operation is conducted in a deep box or barrel, the dish of burning sulphur being placed at the bottom, and the article to be bleached being suspended from a string stretched across the top. A cover not fitting so tightly as to exclude all air is placed over it, and the apparatus allowed to stand for a few hours.

Hats so treated will require to be stiffened by the application of a little gum water, and pressed on a block with a hot iron to bring them back into shape.

«Waterproof Stiffening for Straw Hats.»—If a waterproof stiffening is required use one of the varnishes for which formulas follow:

I.—Copal 450 parts Sandarac 75 parts Venice turpentine 40 parts Castor oil 5 parts Alcohol 800 parts

II.—Shellac 500 parts Sandarac 175 parts Venice turpentine 50 parts Castor oil 15 parts Alcohol 2,000 parts

III.—Shellac 750 parts Rosin 150 parts Venice turpentine 150 parts Castor oil 20 parts Alcohol 2,500 parts

«How to Clean a Panama Hat.»—Scrub with castile soap and warm water, a nail brush being used as an aid to get the dirt away. The hat is then placed in the hot sun to dry and in the course of two or three hours is ready for use. It will not only be as clean as when new, but it will retain its shape admirably. The cleaned hat will be a trifle stiff at first, but will soon grow supple under wear.

A little glycerine added to the rinsing water entirely prevents the stiffness and brittleness acquired by some hats in drying, while a little ammonia in the washing water materially assists in the scrubbing process. Ivory, or, in fact, any good white soap, will answer as well as castile for the purpose. It is well to rinse a second time, adding the glycerine to the water used the second time. Immerse the hat completely in the rinse water, moving it about to get rid of traces of the dirty water. When the hat has been thoroughly rinsed, press out the surplus water, using a Turkish bath towel for the purpose, and let it rest on the towel when drying.

«PAINT, VARNISH, AND ENAMEL REMOVERS:»

«To Remove Old Oil, Paint, or Varnish Coats.»—I.—Apply a mixture of about 5 parts of potassium silicate (water glass, 36 per cent), about 1 part of soda lye (40 per cent), and 1 part of ammonia. The composition dissolves the old varnish coat, as well as the paint, down to the bottom. The varnish coatings which are to be removed may be brushed off or left for days in a hardened state. Upon being thoroughly moistened with water the old varnish may be readily washed off, the lacquer as well as the oil paint coming off completely. The ammonia otherwise employed dissolves the varnish, but not the paint. {188}

II.—Apply a mixture of 1 part oil of turpentine and 2 parts of ammonia. This is effective, even if the coatings withstand the strongest lye. The two liquids are shaken in a bottle until they mix like milk. The mixture is applied to the coating with a little oakum; after a few minutes the old paint can be wiped off.

«To Clean Brushes and Vessels of Dry Paint» (see also Brushes and Paints).—The cleaning of the brushes and vessels in which the varnish or oil paint had dried is usually done by boiling with soda solution. This frequently spoils the brushes or cracks the vessels if of glass; besides, the process is rather slow and dirty. A much more suitable remedy is amyl acetate, which is a liquid with a pleasant odor of fruit drops, used mainly for dissolving and cementing celluloid. If amyl acetate is poured over a paint brush the varnish or hardened paint dissolves almost immediately and the brush is again rendered serviceable at once. If necessary, the process is repeated. For cleaning vessels shake the liquid about in them, which softens the paint so that it can be readily removed with paper. In this manner much labor can be saved. The amyl acetate can be easily removed from the brushes, etc., by alcohol or oil of turpentine.

«Varnish and Paint Remover.»—Dissolve 20 parts of caustic soda (98 per cent) in 100 parts of water, mix the solution with 20 parts of mineral oil, and stir in a kettle provided with a mechanical stirrer, until the emulsion is complete. Now add, with stirring, 20 parts of sawdust and pass the whole through a paint mill to obtain a uniform intermixture. Apply the paste moist.

«To Remove Varnish from Metal.»—To remove old varnish from metals, it suffices to dip the articles in equal parts of ammonia and alcohol (95 per cent).

«To Remove Water Stains from Varnished Furniture.»—Pour olive oil into a dish and scrape a little white wax into it. This mixture should be heated until the wax melts and rubbed sparingly on the stains. Finally, rub the surface with a linen rag until it is restored to brilliancy.

«To Remove Paint, Varnish, etc., from Wood.»—Varnish, paint, etc., no matter how old and hard, may be softened in a few minutes so that they can be easily scraped off, by applying the following mixture:

Water glass 5 parts Soda lye, 40° B. (27 per cent) 1 part Ammonia water 1 part

Mix.

«Removing Varnish, etc.»—A patent has been taken out in England for a liquid for removing varnish, lacquer, tar, and paint. The composition is made by mixing 4 ounces of benzol, 3 ounces of fusel oil, and 1 ounce of alcohol. It is stated by the inventor that this mixture, if applied to a painted or varnished surface, will make the surface quite clean in less than 10 minutes, and that a paint-soaked brush “as hard as iron” can be made as soft and pliable as new by simply soaking for an hour or so in the mixture.

«To Remove Enamel and Tin Solder.»—Pour enough of oil of vitriol (concentrated sulphuric acid) over powdered fluorspar in an earthen or lead vessel, so as just to cover the parts whereby hydrofluoric acid is generated. For use, dip the article suspended on a wire into the liquid until the enamel or the tin is eaten away or dissolved, which does not injure the articles in any way. If heated, the liquid acts more rapidly. The work should always be conducted in the open air, and care should be taken not to inhale the fumes, which are highly injurious to the health, and not to get any liquid on the skin, as hydrofluoric acid is one of the most dangerous poisons. Hydrofluoric acid must be kept in earthen or leaden vessels, as it destroys glass.

«Removing Paint and Varnish from Wood.»—The following compound is given as one which will clean paint or varnish from wood or stone without injuring the material:

Flour or wood pulp 385 parts Hydrochloric acid 450 parts Bleaching powder 160 parts Turpentine 5 parts

This mixture is applied to the surface and left on for some time. It is then brushed off, and brings the paint away with it. It keeps moist quite long enough to be easily removed after it has acted.

«Paste for Removing Old Paint or Varnish Coats.»—

I.—Sodium hydrate 5 parts Soluble soda glass 3 parts Flour paste 6 parts Water 4 parts

II.—Soap 10 parts Potassium hydrate 7 parts Potassium silicate 2 parts

{189}

«To Remove Old Enamel.»—Lay the articles horizontally in a vessel containing a concentrated solution of alum and boil them. The solution should be just sufficient to cover the pieces. In 20 or 25 minutes the old enamel will fall into dust, and the article can be polished with emery. If narrow and deep vessels are used the operation will require more time.

«INK ERADICATORS:»

«Two-Solution Ink Remover.»—

I.—(_a_) Citric acid 1 part Concentrated solution of borax 2 parts Distilled water 16 parts

Dissolve the acid in the water, add the borax solution, and mix by agitation.

(_b_) Chloride of lime 3 parts Water 16 parts Concentrated borax solution 2 part

Add the chloride of lime to the water, shake well and set aside for a week, then decant the clear liquid and to it add the borax solution.

For use, saturate the spot with solution (_a_), apply a blotter to take off the excess of liquid, then apply solution (_b_). When the stain has disappeared, apply the blotter and wet the spot with clean water; finally dry between two sheets of blotting paper.

II.—(_a_) Mix, in equal parts, potassium chloride, potassium hypochlorite, and oil of peppermint. (_b_) Sodium chloride, hydrochloric acid and water, in equal parts.

Wet the spot with (_a_), let dry, then brush it over lightly with (_b_), and rinse in clear water.

A good single mixture which will answer for most inks is made by mixing citric acid and alum in equal parts. If desired to vend in a liquid form add an equal part of water. In use, the powder is spread well over the spot and (if on cloth or woven fabrics) well rubbed in with the fingers. A few drops of water are then added, and also rubbed in. A final rinsing with water completes the process.

«Ink Erasers.»—I.—Inks made with nutgalls and copperas can be removed by using a moderately concentrated solution of oxalic acid, followed by use of pure water and frequent drying with clean blotting paper. Most other black inks are erased by use of a weak solution of chlorinated lime, followed by dilute acetic acid and water, with frequent drying with blotters. Malachite green ink is bleached by ammonia water; silver inks by potassium cyanide or sodium hyposulphite. Some aniline colors are easily removed by alcohol, and nearly all by chlorinated lime, followed by diluted acetic acid or vinegar. In all cases apply the substances with camel’s-hair brushes or feathers, and allow them to remain no longer than necessary, after which rinse well with water and dry with blotting paper.

II.—Citric acid 1 part Water, distilled 10 parts Concentrated solution of borax 2 parts

Dissolve the citric acid in the water and add the borax. Apply to the paper with a delicate camel’s-hair pencil, removing any excess of water with a blotter. A mixture of oxalic, citric, and tartaric acids, in equal parts, dissolved in just enough water to give a clean solution, acts energetically on most inks.

«Erasing Powder or Pounce.»—Alum, 1 part; amber, 1 part; sulphur, 1 part; saltpeter, 1 part. Mix well together and keep in a glass bottle. If a little of this powder is placed on an ink spot or fresh writing, rubbing very lightly with a clean linen rag, the spot or the writing will disappear at once.

«Removing Ink Stains.»—I.—The material requiring treatment should first be soaked in clean, warm water, the superfluous moisture removed, and the fabric spread over a clean cloth. Now allow a few minims of liquor ammoniæ fortis, specific gravity 0.891, to drop on the ink spot, then saturate a tiny tuft of absorbent cotton-wool with acidum phosphoricum dilutum, B. P., and apply repeatedly and with firm pressure over the stain; repeat the procedure two or three times, and finally rinse well in warm water, afterwards drying in the sun, when every trace of ink will have vanished. This method is equally reliable for old and fresh ink stains, is rapid in action, and will not injure the most delicate fabric.

II.—To remove ink spots the fabric is soaked in warm water, then it is squeezed out and spread upon a clean piece of linen. Now apply a few drops of liquid ammonia of a specific gravity of 0.891 to the spot, and dab it next with a wad of cotton which has been saturated with dilute phosphoric acid. After repeating the process several times and drying the piece in the sun, the ink spot will have disappeared without leaving the slightest trace. {190}

III.—Ink spots may be removed by the following mixture:

Oxalic acid 10 parts Stannic chloride 2 parts Acetic acid 5 parts Water to make 500 parts

Mix.

IV.—The customary method of cleansing ink spots is to use oxalic acid. Thick blotting paper is soaked in a concentrated solution and dried. It is then laid immediately on the blot, and in many instances will take the latter out without leaving a trace behind. In more stubborn cases the cloth is dipped in boiling water and rubbed with crystals of oxalic acid, after which it is soaked in a weak solution of chloride of lime—say 1 ounce to a quart of water. Under such circumstances the linen should be thoroughly rinsed in several waters afterwards. Oxalic acid is undesirable for certain fabrics because it removes the color.

V.—Here is a more harmless method: Equal parts of cream of tartar and citric acid, powdered fine, and mixed together. This forms the “salts of lemon” sold by druggists. Procure a hot dinner plate, lay the part stained in the plate, and moisten with hot water; next rub in the above powder with the bowl of a spoon until the stains disappear; then rinse in clean water and dry.

«To Remove Red (Aniline) Ink.»—Stains of red anilines, except eosine, are at once removed by moistening with alcohol of 94 per cent, acidulated with acetic acid. Eosine does not disappear so easily. The amount of acetic acid to be used is ascertained by adding it, drop by drop, to the alcohol, testing the mixture from time to time, until when dropped on the stain, the latter at once disappears.

«CLEANING OF WALLS, CEILINGS, AND WALL PAPER:»