Dripread - Book

into
the condition of active boiling, warm the thermometer gradually in the
steam and then plunge it into the water. If it indicates a fixed
temperature of two hundred and twelve degrees, the instrument is a good
one.

Indelible Ink.--An indelible ink that cannot be erased, even with acids,
can be obtained from the following recipe: To good gall ink add a strong
solution of Prussian blue dissolved in distilled water. This will form a
writing fluid which cannot be erased without destruction of the paper.
The ink will write greenish blue, but afterward will turn black.

To Get a Broken Cork Out of a Bottle.--If, in drawing a cork, it breaks,
and the lower part falls down into the liquid, tie a long loop in a bit
of twine, or small cord, and put it in, holding the bottle so as to
bring the piece of cork near to the lower part of the neck. Catch it in
the loop, so as to hold it stationary. You can then easily extract it
with a corkscrew.

A Wash for Cleaning Silver.--Mix together half an ounce of fine salt,
half an ounce of powdered alum, and half an ounce of cream of tartar.
Put them into a large white-ware pitcher, and pour on two ounces of
water, and stir them frequently, till entirely dissolved. Then transfer
the mixture to clean bottles and cork them closely. Before using it,
shake the bottles well. Pour some of the liquid into a bowl, and wash
the silver all over with it, using an old, soft, fine linen cloth. Let
it stand about ten minutes, and then rub it dry with a buckskin. It will
make the silver look like new.

To Remove the Odor from a Vial.--The odor of its last contents may be
removed from a vial by filling it with cold water, and letting it stand
in any airy place uncorked for three days, changing the water every day.

To Loosen a Glass Stopper.--The manner in which apothecaries loosen
glass stoppers when there is difficulty in getting them out is to press
the thumb of the right hand very hard against the lower part of the
stopper, and then give the stopper a twist the other way, with the thumb
and forefinger of the left hand, keeping the bottle stiff in a steady
position.

To Soften Boots and Shoes.--Kerosene will soften boots and shoes which
have been hardened by water, and render them as pliable as new.

To Remove Stains, Spots, and Mildew from Furniture.--Take half a pint of
ninety-eight per cent alcohol, a quarter of an ounce each of pulverized
resin and gum shellac, add half a pint of linseed oil, shake well and
apply with a brush or sponge. Sweet oil will remove finger marks from
varnished furniture, and kerosene from oiled furniture.

To Freshen Gilt Frames.--Gilt frames may be revived by carefully dusting
them, and then washing with one ounce of soda beaten up with the whites
of three eggs. Scraped patches should be touched up with gold paint.
Castile soap and water, with proper care, may be used to clean oil
paintings. Other methods should not be employed without some skill.

To Fill Cracks in Plaster.--Use vinegar instead of water to mix your
plaster of Paris. The resultant mass will be like putty, and will not
"set" for twenty or thirty minutes, whereas if you use water the plaster
will become hard almost immediately, before you have time to use it.
Push it into the cracks and smooth it off nicely with a table knife.

To Toughen Lamp Chimneys and Glassware.--Immerse the article in a pot
filled with cold water, to which some common salt has been added. Boil
the water well, then cool slowly. Glass treated in this way will resist
any sudden change of temperature.

To Remove Paint from Window-Glass.--Rub it well with hot, sharp vinegar.

To Clean Stovepipe.--A piece of zinc put on the live coals in the stove
will clean out the stovepipe.

To Brighten Carpets.--Carpets after the dust has been beaten out may be
brightened by scattering upon them cornmeal mixed with salt and then
sweeping it off. Mix salt and meal in equal proportions. Carpets should
be thoroughly beaten on the wrong side first and then on the right side,
after which spots may be removed by the use of ox-gall or ammonia and
water.

To Keep Flowers Fresh exclude them from the air. To do this wet them
thoroughly, put in a damp box, and cover with wet raw cotton or wet
newspaper, then place in a cool

The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing / A Manual of Ready Reference