Chapter I: II III (12)

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

Cut or grate the squill into very small pieces, and fry it in the lard and suet until it has acquired a dark-brown color and {614} the fats have taken up the characteristic squill odor; then to the mess add the other substances, and stir well together.

II.—Squill, bruised 4 ounces
Bacon, chopped fine 6 ounces
Flour or meal, enough.
Water, enough.

Make into a stiff mass, divide into small cakes, and bake.

«Phosphorus Poisons.»—Next to the squill in value as a poison comes phosphorus in the shape of an electuary, or in pills. For readily preparing the electuary, when needed or ordered, it is a good plan to keep on hand a phosphorated syrup made as follows:

To 200 parts of simple syrup, in a strong flask, add 50 parts of phosphorus and 10 parts of talc powder; place the container in a suitable vessel and surround it with water heated to 120° to 130° F., and let it stand until the phosphorus is melted. Now, cork the flask well, tie down the cork, and agitate until the mixture is completely cold. As a measure of precaution, the flask should be wrapped with a cloth.

To make the poison take 50 parts of rye flour and mix with it 10 parts of powdered sugar. To the mixture add about 40 parts of water and from 30 to 40 parts of the phosphorated syrup, and mix the mass thoroughly.

While it is best to make the phosphorated syrup fresh every time that it is required, a stable syrup can be made as follows:

Heat together very carefully in a water bath 5 parts of phosphorus, 3 parts of sublimed sulphur, and 30 parts of water, until the phosphorus is completely melted and taken up; then add 30 parts of wheat flour and 6 parts of ground mustard seed, and work up, with the addition of warm water from time to time, if necessary, into a stiff paste, finally adding and working in from 1 to 2 parts of oil of anise.

Borax in powder, it may be noticed, is also useful as a preservative of phosphorated paste or the electuary.

Mühsam gives the following formula for an electuary of phosphorus for this purpose:

I.—Phosphorus, granulated 1 part
Rye flour 30 parts
Simple syrup 10 parts
Mustard seed, powdered 1 part
Sublimed sulphur 1 part
Water 10 parts

Proceed as indicated above.

Hager’s formula for “Phosphorus globules” is as follows:

II.—Phosphorus, amorphous 10 parts
Glycerine 20 parts
Linseed, powdered 100 parts
Meat extract 15 parts
Quark, recently coagulated, quantity sufficient.

Mix, and make a mass, and divide into 200 globules, weighing about 15 grains each. Roll in wheat flour, in which a little powdered sugar has been mixed.

Phosphorus electuary, made as indicated above, may be smeared upon bits of fried bacon, which should be tacked firmly to a bit of board or to the floor. It is essential that either flour or sugar, or both, be strewn over the surface of the phosphorus.

The most convenient in practice, on the whole, are the phosphorus globules, either made after Hager’s formula, or, more readily, by adding rye flour and sugar to the electuary and working up to a pill mass, or barium carbonate and plaster may be added.

«Arsenical Poisons.»—The following are some of the formulas given by Hager for preparing globules, or pills, of arsenic:

I.—Arsenic, white, powdered 100 parts
Soot from the kitchen 5 parts
Oil of anise 1 part
Lard, sufficient.
Wheat flour, sufficient.

Make into 400 globules.

II.—Beef suet 500 parts
Rye flour 500 parts
Arsenic, white, powdered 50 parts
Ultramarine 10 parts
Oil of anise 1 part

Melt the suet, and add to the flour, mix in the other ingredients, and work up while hot, beating the mass with a roller. Make 1,000 globules.

«Strychnine Poisons.»—The strychnine preparations are also valuable in the destruction of rats and mice. The first of these in point of usefulness is strychnine-wheat, or strychnine-oats (Strychninweizen or Strychninhafer), in the proportion of 1 part of strychnine to 100 or 150 parts of wheat or oat flour, prepared by dissolving 1 part of strychnine in 40 to 50 parts of hot water, mixing well up with the flour, and drying in the water {615} bath. Strychnine may also be used on fresh or salted meat, sausage, etc., by insertion of the powder, or the heads of fried fish are opened and the powder strewn on the inside. The latter is an especially deadly method, since the odor of the fish acts as a powerful lure, as also do the bits of bacon or other fats used in frying fish. Strong cheese is also a good vehicle for strychnine, acting as a powerful lure for the rodents.

Strychnine sulph 1 drachm Sugar milk 3 drachms Prussian blue 5 grains Sugar 1/2 ounce Oat flour 1/2 ounce

«Nux Vomica Poison.»—

Oatmeal 1 pound Powdered nux vomica 1 ounce Oil of anise 5 drops Tincture of asafetida 5 drops

«Barium Poison.»—

Barium carbonate 4 ounces Sugar 6 ounces Oatmeal 6 ounces Oil of anise 4 drops Oil of caraway 4 drops

RAZOR PAPER: See Paper.

«RAZOR PASTES:»

See also Pastes.

The razor pastes, razor creams, etc., on the market, have for their cutting, or sharpening, agent jewelers’ rouge, or rouge and emery. When emery is used it should be ground to an impalpable powder and levigated.

I.—The simplest formula is a mixture in equal parts of rouge and emery powder, rubbed up with spermaceti ointment. Coke is also used as a cutting agent. Suet, prepared lard, in fact, any greasy or soapy substance, will answer for the vehicle.

II.—Melt 1,000 parts of beef tallow and pour 250 parts of oil to it. To this mixture, which is uniformly combined by thorough stirring, add in the same manner 150 parts of washed emery, 100 parts of tin ashes, and 50 parts of iron oxide. The stirring of these ingredients must be continued until the mass is cool, as otherwise they would be unevenly distributed. The leather of the strop should be rubbed with this grease, applying only small quantities at a time. This renders it possible to produce a very uniform coating, since little quantities penetrate the fibers of the leather more easily.

III.—Tin putty (tin ashes) 2 parts
Colcothar 2 parts
Forged iron scales or filings 1 part
Pure levantine honing stone finely powdered 7 parts
Beef suet 3 parts

All the ingredients with the exception of the suet should be finely powdered. The suet is melted, the ingredients poured in, and the whole thoroughly mixed to form a doughy mass.

IV.—Colcothar 1 1/2 parts
Pumice stone 1 1/2 parts
Graphite 4 1/2 parts
Bloodstone (red hematite) 2 parts
Iron filings 1 part

These ingredients are finely powdered, washed, and mixed with the following:

Grafting wax 2 parts Soap 2 parts Lard 2 parts Olive oil 2 parts

Naturally the fatty ingredients are to be heated before the solid substances are commingled with them.

The side of the blade to be polished should be treated with the following compositions:

_a._ Tin ashes (tin putty) rubbed down to a fine powder on a honing stone and mixed with axle grease.

_b._ Washed graphite mingled with olive oil.

REDUCERS: See Photography.

REDUCING PHOTOGRAPHS, SCALE FOR: See Photography.

REFLECTOR METAL: See Alloys.

«REFRIGERANTS.»

I.—Potassium nitrate 2 pounds
Ammonium chloride 2 pounds
Water 5 pints

II.—Potassium nitrate 2 1/2 pounds
Ammonium chloride 2 1/2 pounds
Sodium sulphate 4 pounds
Water 9 pints

III.—Ammonia nitrate 4 pounds
Water 4 pints

IV.—Sodium sulphate 8 parts
Dilute hydrochloric acid 5 parts

{616}

V.—Snow 1 part
Water 1 part
Sulphuric acid 4 parts

VI.—Snow 3 parts
Calcium chloride 4 parts

«Refrigeration»

If water to be frozen is placed in a tin bucket or other receptacle it can be readily congealed by putting it in a pail containing a weak dilution of sulphuric acid and water. Into this throw a handful of common Glauber salts, and the resulting cold is so great that water immersed in the mixture will be frozen solid in a few minutes, and ice cream or ices may be quickly and easily prepared. The cost is only a few cents. The same process in an ice-cream freezer will do the trick for ice cream.

«Home-Made Refrigerators.»—I.—Partly fill with water a shallow granite-ware pan. Place it in an open, shady window where there is a good draught of air. In this put bottles of water, milk, and cream (sealed), wrapped with wet cloths reaching into the water. Put butter in an earthen dish deep enough to prevent water getting in. Over this turn an earthen flower-pot wrapped with a wet cloth reaching into the water. The pan should be fixed every morning and evening. With several of these pans one can keep house very comfortably without ice.

II.—Procure a wire meat-safe—that is, a box covered by wire netting on three sides, with a fly-proof door. On top place a deep pan filled with water. Take a piece of burlap the height of the pan and safe, and of sufficient length to reach around the entire safe. Tack it fast where the door opens and closes. Tuck the upper edge in the water. Place it where there is a draught and where the dripping will do no damage. This constitutes a well-ventilated refrigerator that costs nothing but water to maintain.

III.—Take a store box, any convenient size, and place in this a smaller box, having the bottom and space around the sides packed with sawdust. Have a galvanized iron pan made, the size of the inside box and half as deep, to hold the ice. Have the pan made with a spout 6 inches long to drain off the water as the ice melts. Bore a hole the size of the spout through the double bottom and sawdust packing to admit the spout. Short legs may be nailed on the sides of the box and a vessel set underneath to catch the drippings. Put on a tight board cover. A shelf may be placed in the box above the ice. This box will keep ice for three days.

IV.—Select a large cracker box with a hinged cover. Knock out the bottom and cut windows in each side, leaving a 3-inch frame, over which tack wire gauze. In the coolest part of the cellar dig away the earth to a level depth of 3 inches and fit the box into the space.

Mix plaster of Paris to a consistency of thick cream and pour into the box for a 1/2-inch thick bottom. Twenty-four hours will harden it sufficiently. Put a hook and catch on the lid. A box of this sort can be cleaned easily, and insects cannot penetrate it.

«To Drain a Refrigerator.»—I.—Have a stout tin funnel made, 7 inches in diameter at the top. The tube portion should be at least 8 inches long and of uniform diameter. Bore a hole through the floor directly under the drain-pipe of the refrigerator; insert the funnel, then force a piece of rubber tubing (a tight fit) over the funnel from the cellar side. Pass the tubing through a hole cut in the screen frame of a cellar window, and drain into any convenient place. This avoids the necessity of continually emptying the drain-pan, and prevents the overflow that frequently occurs when it is forgotten.

II.—This simple device saves the inconvenience of having a drip-pan under the refrigerator: If the refrigerator is placed near the outer wall get a piece of rubber hose long enough to reach from the waste pipe to the outside of the wall. Bore a hole through the wall under the refrigerator, where baseboard and floor meet. Attach the hose to the waste-pipe and pass through the hole in the wall. A small trough outside should carry the water away from the house.

REFRIGERATORS, THEIR CARE: See Household Formulas.

REPLATING: See Plating.

RESILVERING OF MIRRORS: See Mirrors.

REVOLVER LUBRICANTS: See Lubricants.

RHUBARB AS A REMEDY FOR CHOLERA: See Cholera Remedies. {617}

RIBBONS FOR TYPEWRITERS: See Typewriter Ribbons.

RICE PASTE: See Adhesives.

RICE POWDER: See Cosmetics.

RIFLE LUBRICANTS: See Lubricants.

RING, HOW TO SOLDER A JEWELED: See Solders.

RINGS ON METAL, PRODUCING COLORED: See Plating.

ROACH EXTERMINATORS: See Insecticides.

ROBURITE: See Explosives.

RODINAL DEVELOPER: See Photography.

«ROLLER COMPOSITIONS FOR PRINTERS.»

Rollers for transferring ink to types have to possess special properties, which have reference both to the nature of the ink and that of the types to which it is to be transferred. They must be as little liable as possible to changes of temperature. They must be sticky, but only just sticky enough, and must have elasticity enough to exert a uniform pressure over the varying surface with which they meet in the form. Originally, the composition was one of glue and molasses in varying proportions, and the only practical improvement that has been made is the addition of glycerine. This being slightly hygroscopic, helps to keep the roller at the right degree of softness, and being practically unfreezable, it is a great assistance in keeping the rollers from hardening in cold weather.

The recipes given in technical works for printing roller compositions are numerous and very different. All contain glue and molasses, and it is the practice to put a larger proportion of glue in rollers to be used in the summer than in those intended for winter use. The following is a selection of recipes:

I.—Soak 8 pounds of glue in as much water as it will absorb. When there is no visible water, treat the glue till melted, and add 7 pounds of hot molasses.

II.—Glue (summer) 8 pounds
Glue (winter) 4 pounds
Molasses 1 gallon

III.—Molasses 12 pounds
Glue 4 pounds

IV.—Molasses 24 pounds
Glue 16 pounds
Paris white 2 pounds

V.—Glue or gelatin 64 pounds
Water 48 pounds
Linseed oil 96 pounds
Molasses or sugar 64 to 96 pounds
Chloride of calcium 3 pounds
Powdered rosin 8 pounds

Soak the glue in the water and then liquefy by heat. Then stir in the oil, first heated to 150° F. Then add the molasses and the chloride of calcium, and finally the fused rosin. The latter ingredient is only to be added when very tough rollers are required. This recipe is interesting from the inclusion in it of the hygroscopic salt, chloride of calcium, the object of which is obviously to keep the rollers moist.

ROOFS, HOW TO LAY GALVANIZED: See Household Formulas.

ROOFS, PREVENTION OF LEAKAGE: See Household Formulas.

ROOF PAINTS: See Paint.

ROOM DEODORIZER: See Household Formulas.

«ROPES.»

To protect ropes, cordage, and cloths made of flax and hemp against rot, it has been recommended to leave them for 4 days in a solution of copper sulphate, 20 parts by weight to a liter, then allow them to dry, and then, to prevent the copper sulphate being washed away by the water, place in tar or a solution of soap—1 to 10. In the latter case an insoluble copper soap is formed. To secure the same result with twine, the following process has been recommended: Place the string for an hour in a solution of glue, then allow to dry, and place in a solution of tannin. After removal from the tannin, again dry, and soak in oil. The process first described has been shown by experience to be very effective; but to prevent the washing away of the copper sulphate, it is advisable to use the solution of soap in preference to the tar, as articles steeped in the latter substance are apt to become stiff, and consequently brittle. The {618} treatment with glue and tannin in the second process has the drawback that it tends to make the string too stiff and inflexible, and thus impair its usefulness.

ROPE LUBRICANTS: See Lubricant.

ROPES, WATERPROOFING: See Waterproofing.

ROSE CORDIAL: See Wines and Liquors.

ROSEWOOD: See Wood.

ROSE POWDERS: See Cosmetics.

ROSIN, TESTS FOR, IN EXTRACTS: See Foods.

ROSIN OIL: See Oil.

ROSIN STICKS: See Depilatories.

«ROT:»

«Remedies for Dry Rot.»—A good remedy for dry rot is petroleum. The sick parts of the wood are painted with it, which causes the fungi to die, turn black, and finally drop off. The best preventive of dry rot is plenty of draught. If the portions are already affected so badly that they must be removed and renewed, the freshly inserted wood is coated with “carbolineum” to prevent a fresh appearance of dry rot. Another remedy is ordinary salt, which is known to have a highly hygroscopic action. It absorbs the moisture of the wood, whereby it is itself dissolved, thus gradually impregnating the planks, etc. In order to combat dry rot with salt, proceed as follows: Throw salt into boiling water until a perfectly saturated solution is obtained. With this repeatedly wash the wood and masonry afflicted with dry rot. Wherever practicable the salt may be sprinkled direct upon the affected place.

ROUGE: See Cosmetics.

«ROUGE FOR BUFF WHEELS.»

The rouge employed by machinists, watchmakers, and jewelers, is obtained by directly subjecting crystals of sulphate of iron or copperas to a high heat by which the sulphuric acid is expelled and the oxide of iron remains. Those portions least calcined, when ground, are used for polishing gold and silver. These are of bright crimson color. The darker and more calcined portions are known as “crocus,” and are used for polishing brass and steel. Others prefer for the production of rouge the peroxide of iron precipitated by ammonia from a dilute solution of sulphate of iron, which is washed, compressed until dry, then exposed to a low red heat and ground to powder. Of course, there are other substances besides rouge which are employed in polishing, as powdered emery, kieselguhr, carborundum, rotten stone, etc.

ROUGE POWDER: See Polishes.

ROUGH STUFF: See Wood.

ROUP CURES: See Veterinary Formulas.

«Rubber»

«ARTIFICIAL RUBBER.»

Austin G. Day tried hundreds of experiments and took out many patents for rubber substitutes. He was in a measure successful, his “Kerite” compound proving of great value and being a result of his seeking for something that would wholly supplant rubber. As far back as 1866 he made public the results of some of his work, giving as formulas for rubber substitutes the following compounds:

I.—Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 2 pounds
Raw turpentine 2 pounds
Sulphur 2 pounds

Boil 2 hours.

II.—Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 1 pound
Raw turpentine 2 pounds
Castor oil 1 pound
Sulphur 2 pounds

Boil 1/2 hour.

III.—Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 1 pound
Raw turpentine 1/2 pound
Liquid coal tar 3 pounds
Peanut oil 1 pound
Spirits turpentine 1 pound
Sulphur 4 pounds

Boil 35 minutes.

IV.—Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 2 pounds
Raw turpentine 1/2 pound
Liquid coal tar 2 pounds {619}
Spirits turpentine 1 pound
Rubber [ ] pound
Sulphur 2 pounds

Boil 1 hour.

In 1871 Mr. Day had brought his experimenting down to the following formula:

V.—Cottonseed oil 14 pounds
Linseed oil 14 pounds
Asphaltum 8 pounds
Coal tar 8 pounds
Sulphur 10 pounds
Camphor 1/2 pound

In this the tar and asphaltum were first mixed with the cottonseed oil, after which was added the linseed oil and camphor, and, last of all, the sulphur, when the temperature was about 270° F.

A substitute designed to be used in rubber compounding in place, say, of reclaimed rubber, was made as follows:

VI.—Cottonseed oil 27 pounds
Coal tar 30 pounds
Earthy matter 5 pounds

To be mixed and heated to 300° F., and then strained and cooled to 200° F. Then were added 27 pounds linseed oil, the heat raised to 220° F., and 15 to 18 pounds of sulphur added, the heat being continually raised until the mass was sulphurized. When the heat reached 240° F., 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of nitric acid were added, and at 270° to 280° F., from 1 to 3 ounces camphor were added to help the sulphurization. The resultant compound was used on the following basis:

VII.—Para rubber 20 pounds
Litharge 5 pounds
Sulphur 1 pound
Above compound 20 to 40 pounds

Mr. Day did not insist on the compound quoted, but advised that the proportions be varied as widely as the exigencies of the case might demand. Whiting, barytes, infusorial earth, white lead, blacks, in fact almost any of the oxides, carbonates, or earthy materials commonly used in compounding, were used in connection with his substitute, as also were any grades of crude rubber. Among other ingredients that he found of use in making his substitutes were vegetable and animal waxes, together with ozokerite and paraffine. These were only used in small quantities, and always in connection with the linseed and cottonseed oils, and generally asphaltum or coal tar. One of his compounds also called for a quantity of golden sulphuret of antimony, presumably to assist in the sulphurization, and a small amount of tannic acid.

Another line of experimenting that is interesting, and that will yet produce good results, although so far it has not amounted to much, is in the use of cellulose. A very simple formula is of French origin and calls for the treating of cellulose with sulphuric acid, washing, drying, granulating, treating with resinate of soda—which is afterwards precipitated by sulphate of alumina—then drying and molding under pressure. As a matter of fact, the resultant mass would not be mistaken for rubber. An English formula is more like it. This consists of

VIII.—Cellulose 15 pounds
Pitch 25 pounds
Asphalt 20 pounds
Silica 20 pounds
Mastic 5 pounds
Bitumen 5 pounds
Rosin 10 pounds
Coal tar 12 pounds

This makes a thick gummy varnish which is of little use except as for its waterproof qualities. Allen’s formula for a cellulose substitute might have a value if it were carried further. It is made up of 100 pounds of rosinous wood pulp treated with animal gelatin, 100 pounds asphalt, and 10 pounds asphalt oil, all heated and molded.

The Greening process, which is English, is more elaborate than Allen’s, but seems a bit laborious and costly. This process calls for the treatment of the cellulose by a mixture of sulphuric acid and nitrate of potash, and, after drying, a treatment to a bath of liquid carbonic acid. When dry again, it is mixed in a retort with refined rosin, gum benzoin, castor oil, and methylated alcohol. The distillate from this is dried by redistilling over anhydrous lime.

Another curious line of substitutes is that based upon the use of glue and glycerine. Some of these have uses, while others, that look very attractive, are of no use at all, for the simple reason that they will absorb water almost as readily as a dry sponge. The first of these is more than 30 years old and is said to be of French origin. The formula is:

IX.—Glue 4 pounds
Glycerine 8 ounces
Nutgall 3 ounces
Acetic acid, 1 pound in 5 pounds of water.

Ten years later this was approached by an English formula in which in place of {620} the nutgall and acetic acid, chromic and tannic acids were substituted, and a modicum of ground cork was added as a cheapener probably. Some four years later an ingenious Prussian gave out a formula in which to the glue and glycerine and tannic acid were added Marseilles soap and linseed oil. None of the above have ever had a commercial value, the nearest approach being the glue and glycerine compound used as a cover for gas tubing.

The substitutes that have really come into use generally are made either from linseed, cottonseed, or maize oil. Scores of these have been produced and thousands of dollars have been spent by promoters and owners in trying to make these gums do just what crude rubber will. A German formula which was partially successful is

X.—Linseed oil, in solution 80 pounds Lime-hardened rosin, in solution 50 pounds

Add to above

Sulphur 8 pounds Linseed oil 42 pounds

Add 20 pounds sulphur and heat to 375° F.

«Rubber and Rubber Articles.»—As regards the action of coal gas on rubber tubes, it has been observed that it is weakest on ordinary gray rubber which withstands it the longest, and gives off no odor. Red rubber is more readily affected, and the black kind still more so.

To prevent rubber tubes from drying up and becoming brittle, they should be coated with a 3 per cent aqueous solution of carbolic acid, which preserves them. If they have already turned stiff and brittle, they can be rendered soft and pliant again by being placed in ammonia which has been made liquid with double the amount of water.

In France rubber tubes are used as a core for casting pipes from cement and sand. In order to construct a connected pipe conduit in the ground, a groove is dug and a layer of cement mortar spread out. Upon this the rubber tube is laid, which is wrapped up in canvas and inflated. The remaining portion of the channel is then filled up with cement mortar, and as soon as it has set, the air is let out of the rubber hose and the latter is pulled out and used as before.

To cover cloth with rubber, there are chiefly employed for dissolving the rubber, naphtha, alcohol, and benzol. They are mixed with purified solid paraffine, and ground together.

Rubber boots and shoes are rendered waterproof by melting 4 parts of spermaceti and 1 part of rubber on a moderate fire, adding tallow or fat, 10 parts, and lastly 5 parts of copal varnish or amber varnish. This mixture is applied on the shoes with a brush. It should be stated that the rubber used for this purpose must be cut up very small and allowed 4 to 5 hours to dissolve.

To rid rubber articles of unpleasant odor, cover both sides with a layer of animal charcoal and heat to about 140° F.

To prevent gas from escaping through rubber hose, cover it with a mixture prepared as follows: Dissolve 5 parts of gum arabic and 3 parts of molasses in 15 parts of white wine and add, with constant stirring, 6 parts of alcohol in small quantities. Stirring is necessary to prevent the alcohol from precipitating the gum arabic.

«Repairing Rubber Goods.»—First, clean off all adherent matter, and dry thoroughly. Varnish or lacquer, as for instance on rubber shoes, may be removed with sand or emery paper, or even with a file, in the absence of one of these. The surface thus produced is then rubbed with benzine. A solution of Para rubber in benzine is then painted over the surface around the break or tear, and a strip of natural rubber fitted over it. Then prepare a vulcanizing solution as follows:

Sulphur chloride 18 parts Benzine 400 parts Carbon disulphide 300 parts

This is applied to the edges of the joint by means of a pledget of cotton wrapped on the end of a little stick, and press the jointed parts well together.

One may repair rubber bulbs by the following method: Put some pure gum in three times its bulk of benzine, and cork tightly. Let stand several days. Get some rubber in sheet form; it will be better if it is backed with cloth. To make a patch, dampen some little distance around the hole to be mended with benzine. After a moment, scrape with a knife; repeat the process several times till the site to be patched is thoroughly clean. Cut a patch from sheet of rubber a little larger than the hole to be mended, and apply to its surface several coats of the benzine solution. Then apply a good coat of the solution to both patch and about the hole, and press the patch firmly in place. Again apply the solution to make coating over the patch, and allow to dry till it will not stick to the finger. Do not use for several days.

Cracked rubber goods may be {621} successfully mended in the following manner: Before patching, the cracked surfaces to unite well must be dried, entirely freed from all dirt and dust and greased well, otherwise the surfaces will not combine. In case of a cover, waterproof coat, or rubber boots, etc., take a moderately thick piece of india rubber, suited to size of the object, cut off the edges obliquely with a sharp knife moistened in water, coat the defective places as well as the cut pieces of rubber with oil of turpentine, lay the coated parts together and subject them for 24 hours to a moderate pressure. The mended portions will be just as waterproof as the whole one. Rubber cushions or articles containing air are repaired in a very simple manner, after being cleaned as aforesaid. Then take colophony, dissolve it in alcohol (90 per cent) so that a thick paste forms, smear up the holes, allow all to harden well, and the rubber article, pillow, ball, knee caps, etc., may be used again.

«Softening Rubber.»—The hardening of gum articles is generally referable to these having been kept for a long time in some warm, dry place, though keeping them in the cold will produce the same effect. Hardness and brittleness, under any reasonable care and conditions, are usually signs of an inferior article of goods. Articles of Para rubber, of good workmanship, usually maintain their elasticity for a very long time. Before attempting to soften hollow rubber ware, such as flasks, water bags, or bottles, etc., they should be well scrubbed with a wire brush (bottle cleaner) and warm water, so as to remove all dirt and dust. This scrubbing should be continued until the wash water comes away clean and bright. For softening, the best agent is dilute water of ammonia, prepared by mixing pharmacopœial ammonia water, 1 part, and water, 2 parts. There should be enough of this to cover the articles, inside and out. Let them remain in the mixture until the ammonia has evaporated. Warm water works better than cold. From 1 to 2 hours will be long enough, as a usual thing. Thick and massive articles such as large rubber tubing, require more energetic treatment, and the journal recommends for the treatment of these that they be filled nearly full with the ammonia mixture, corked at both ends, and coiled up in a kettle, or other vessel, of sufficient size, warm water poured in sufficient to cover the coil completely, and lightly boiled for from 1 to 2 hours. The water lost by evaporation should be replaced from time to time, and the vessel should never be allowed to boil violently. When the proper time has arrived (and this must be learned, it appears, by experience, as the article quoted gives no directions save those translated), remove from the fire, and allow to cool gradually.

Glycerine has been also recommended, and it may be used with advantage in certain cases. The articles must first be cleaned with the brush and warm water, as above detailed. Heat them in water and rub them with a wad of cotton soaked in glycerine, drawing the wad over them, backwards and forwards. This wad should be wrapped with good stout wire, the ends of which are prolonged, to serve as a handle. Where possible the articles should be stricken with the glycerine inside and out, the article being, naturally, held out of the boiling water, sufficiently, at least, to make bare the part being rubbed at the time. Let rest for 24 hours, and repeat this process. With goods kept in stock, that show a tendency to grow brittle, this treatment should be repeated every 6 months or oftener. Never put away tubing, etc., treated in this manner until every particle of moisture has drained off or evaporated.

Another authority, Zeigler, has the following on this subject: Tubing, bands, and other articles of vulcanized caoutchouc that have become brittle and useless, may be restored to usefulness, indeed, to their pristine elasticity, by treating them as follows: First, put them in a hot aqueous solution of tannic acid and tartar emetic. Next, transfer them to a cold aqueous solution of tannic acid and calcium sulphate. Mix the two solutions and heat to about the boiling point, and transfer the articles to the hot solution. This treatment should be maintained from 1 day to 3 or 4, according to the nature and condition of the articles.

To restore rubber stoppers that have become too hard for usefulness, digest them in 5 per cent soda lye for about 10 days at 86° to 104° F., replacing the lye repeatedly. Next, wash the stoppers in water and scrape off the softened outer layer with a knife, until no more can be removed. The stoppers (which have become quite soft and elastic again) are next rinsed in warm water to remove the caustic soda. If it is desired to trim them it should be done with a knife moistened with soap spirit.

«Treatment and Utilization of Rubber Scraps.»—The scraps, assorted according {622} to their composition, are first cleaned by boiling to remove the adhering dirt, absorbed and adhering acids, salts, etc., as well as to eliminate the free sulphur. Next, the waste is ground between rollers and reduced to powder in emery grinders with automatic feeding. In many cases the material obtained may be added at once dry to the mixture, but generally it first receives a chemical treatment. This is carried out by boiling in caustic soda solution, or sulphuric or hydrochloric acid respectively, and steaming for about 20 hours with 4 atmospheres pressure.

According to another method, the ground scraps are steamed with soda lye under pressure, washed twice thoroughly for the elimination of the lye, and dried in the vacuum. Subsequently mix between cold rollers with 5 to 10 per cent of benzol or mineral oil and steam for some hours under hydraulic pressure at 4 atmospheres. The product thus obtained is rolled in plates and added to the mixture. The finely ground dry waste must not be stored for a long time in large quantities, as it hardens very easily and takes fire.

Old articles of vulcanized rubber are first “devulcanized” by grinding, boiling with caustic soda, and washing thoroughly. After drying, the scraps are heated to 302° F. with linseed oil in a kettle provided with stirring mechanism which is kept in continual motion. When the rubber has dissolved, a quantity of natural or coal-tar asphalt is added, and as soon as the contents of the kettle have become well mixed, the temperature is raised so high that dense fumes begin to rise and air is forced through the mass until a cooled sample shows the desired consistence. This composition being very tough and flexible, forms an excellent covering for electric cables. It finds many other uses, the proportions of rubber, asphalt, and oil being varied in accordance with the purpose for which it is designed.

«Vulcanization.»—Besides the Goodyear, Mason, and other patented processes, the process now usually followed in vulcanizing rubber stamps and similar small objects of rubber, is as follows:

Sulphur chloride is dissolved in carbon disulphide in various proportions, according to the degree of hardness the vulcanized object is to receive; the rubber cast is plunged in the solution and left there from 60 to 70 seconds. On removing, it is placed in a box or space warmed to 80° F., and left long enough for the carbon disulphide to evaporate, or about 90 to 100 seconds. It is then washed in a weakly alkaline bath of water, and dried.

Another method (recommended by Gerard) depends upon letting the rubber lie in a solution of potassium _ter_ or _penta_ sulphide, of 25° Bé., heated to about 280° F. for 3 hours.

«Testing Rubber Gloves.»—In testing rubber gloves it is best to inflate them with air, and then put them under water. Thus one may discover many small holes in new ones which otherwise would have been impossible to find.

«Dissolving Old Rubber.»—The material is shredded finely and then heated, under pressure, for several hours, with a strong solution of caustic soda. All cloth, paint, glue, fillers, etc., in the rubber are disintegrated, but the rubber is not affected. The mass is then washed repeatedly with water, to remove all alkali, and the resultant pure rubber may then be formed into sheets.

«Rubber Stamps.»—Set up the desired name and address in common type, oil the type and place a guard about 1/2 inch high around the form. Mix plaster of Paris to the proper consistence, pour in and allow it to set. Have the vulcanized rubber all ready, as made in long strips 3 inches wide and 1/8 of an inch thick, cut off the size of the intended stamp, remove the plaster cast from the type, and place both the cast and the rubber in a screw press, applying sufficient heat to thoroughly soften the rubber. Then turn down the screw hard and let it remain until the rubber receives the exact impression of the cast and becomes cold, when it is removed, neatly trimmed with a sharp knife, and cemented to the handle ready for use.

RUBBER CEMENTS: See Adhesives.

RUBBER GLOVES, SUBSTITUTE FOR: See Antiseptics.

RUBBER, ITS PROPERTIES AND USES IN WATERPROOFING: See Waterproofing.

RUBBER VARNISHES: See Varnishes.

RUBY SETTINGS: See Watchmakers’ Formulas.

RUOLTZ METAL: See Alloys.

RUM, BAY: See Bay Rum. {623}