Paper and Printing Recipes Part 2

PASTE FOR LABELS.

For adhesive labels dissolve 1-1/2 ozs. common glue, which has laid a day in cold water, with some candy sugar, and 3/4 oz. gum arabic, in 6 ounces hot water, stirring constantly till the whole is h.o.m.ogeneous. If this paste is applied to labels with a brush and allowed to dry, they will then be ready for use by merely moistening with the tongue.

HOW TO PRODUCE ENGRAVINGS OR TYPES FOR PRINTING BY PHOTOGRAPHY

The process of producing engravings or types for printing by photography consists first, in making a sharp negative of the picture to be engraved; second, in the photographic printing of a sheet of sensitized gelatine by means of the negative; third, the development of the printed lines upon the surface of the gelatine by water; and fourth, the casting of a copy of the developed gelatine sheet in metal, the metal so produced being used for printing on the press in the ordinary manner. All this is very simple, and in the hands of experienced and skilled persons very beautiful examples of printing plates, having all the fineness and artistic effect of superior hand engraved work, may be produced.

HOW TO SPLIT A SHEET OF PAPER.

Get a piece of plate gla.s.s and place on it a sheet of paper; then let the paper be thoroughly soaked. With care and a little dexterity the sheet can be split by the top surface being removed. But the best plan is to paste a piece of cloth or strong paper on each side of the sheet to be split. When dry, violently and without hesitation pull the two pieces asunder, when part of the sheet will be found to have adhered to one and part to the other. Soften the paste in water and the pieces can be easily removed from the cloth. The process is generally demonstrated as a matter of curiosity, yet it can be utilized in various ways. If we want to paste in a sc.r.a.p book a newspaper article printed on both sides of the paper, and possess only one copy, it is very convenient to know how to detach the one side from the other. The paper, when split, as may be imagined, is more transparent than it was before being subjected to the operation, and the printing ink is somewhat duller; otherwise the two pieces present the appearance of the original if again brought together.

ANILINE INK PAPER.

To make aniline ink paper thick filtering paper is soaked in a very concentrated solution of an aniline dye and allowed to dry; it may then be soaked again to make it absorb more color. With a little attention it will not be difficult to prepare the paper so as to have a known quant.i.ty of coloring matter in a square of a given size. Paper prepared as above is very convenient to have when traveling; when one wishes to write, it is only necessary to tear off a small piece of the paper and let it soak in a little water. Aniline blue paper may also be employed conveniently for bluing in washing.

TO MAKE INCOMBUSTIBLE WRITING AND PRINTING PAPER.

To make incombustible writing and printing paper, asbestos of the best quality is treated with pota.s.sium permanganate and then with sulphuric acid. About ninety-five per cent of such asbestos is mixed with five per cent of wood pulp in water containing borax and glue. A fire proof ink is made of platinous chloride and oil of lavender, mixed for writing with India ink and gum, and for printing with lampblack and varnish.

HOW TO TAKE PRINTERS' INK OUT OF SILK.

To take printer's ink out of silk without damaging the goods:--Put the stained parts of the fabric into a quant.i.ty of benzine, then use a fine, rather stiff brush, with fresh benzine. Dry and rub bright with warm water and curd soap. The benzine will not injure the fabric or dye.

TO REMOVE RULING INK STAINS FROM FINGERS.

Wash in chloride of lime and then rinse hands in a spoonful of alcohol.

The operation should be done quickly, as the lime, of course, eats into the flesh. The alcohol renders the hands smooth again, and takes away the disagreeable odor.

TO PREVENT WINDOW STEAMING.

A remedy against window steaming is composed of methylated spirit at about 63 per cent over-proof, glycerine and any of the essential oils, and in some cases amber dissolved in spirit, according to the state of the atmosphere.

About eight ounces of glycerine to about one gallon of spirit, the quant.i.ty of essential oil depending upon the nature of the same; but it will be understood that these proportions may be varied. Instead of methylated spirit, spirit of wine may be employed, but methylated spirit is preferable as being the cheaper. In combining the above-named ingredients, the essential is destroyed by being mixed with the methylated spirit or with the spirit of wine, and the liquid is then incorporated with the glycerine. The combination is affected at the ordinary temperature, the employment of heat being unnecessary. This liquid composition is applied to the internal surface of the pane of gla.s.s or the lens, either by rubbing it on with felt or with cotton-waste, or by spreading it thereon with a camel's hair brush, or with other suitable appliances, and thus the dull and dimmed appearance of gla.s.s usually produced by condensation--known as steaming or sweating--is avoided.

TO RENDER PAPER SOFT AND FLEXIBLE.

To render paper soft and flexible, heat it with a solution of acetate of soda, or of potash dissolved in four to ten times its weight of water. For permanent paper, to twenty parts of this solution one part of starch or dextrine is added. If the paper has to be made transparent, a little of a solution containing one part soluble gla.s.s in four to eight parts water is added. To render the paper fit for copying without being made wet, to the acetate solution chromic acid or ferro-cyanide of pota.s.sium is added.

TO REMOVE INK SPOTS.

First moisten the blots with a strong solution of oxalic acid, then with a clear saturated aqueous solution of fresh chloride of lime--bleaching powder. Absorb excess of the liquids from the paper as quickly as possible with a clean piece of blotting paper. Repeat the treatment if necessary, and dry thoroughly between blotting pads under pressure.

ELECTRO GILDING IN COLORS.

Electro-gilding in various colors may be readily effected by adding to the gold bath small quant.i.ties of copper or silver solution until the desired tint is obtained. A little silver solution added to the gilding bath causes the deposit to a.s.sume a pale yellow tint. By increasing the dose of silver solution a pale greenish tint is obtained. Copper solution added to the gold bath yields a warm, red gold tint. It is best to use a current of rather high tension, such as that of the Bunsen battery, for depositing the alloy of gold and copper.

TO REMOVE OIL MARKS FROM PAPER.

Oil marks on wall paper, where careless persons have rested their heads, may be removed by making a paste of cold water and pipe clay or fuller's earth, and laying it on the stains without rubbing it in; leave it on all night, and in the morning it can be brushed off, and the spot, unless it be a very old one, will have disappeared. If old, renew the application.

TO REMOVE INK STAINS FROM MAHOGANY.

To remove ink stains from mahogany apply carefully with a feather a mixture of a teaspoonful of water and a few drops of nitre, and rub quickly with a damp cloth.

SOLID POCKET GLUE.

Is made from 600 grams of glue and 250 grams of sugar. The glue is at first completely dissolved by boiling with water; the sugar is then introduced into the hot solution, and the mixture evaporated until it becomes solid on cooling. The hard ma.s.s dissolves very rapidly in lukewarm water, and then gives a paste which is especially adapted for paper.

TO TEST GLUE.

An article of glue which will stand damp atmosphere is a desideratum among mechanics. Few know how to judge of quality except by the price they pay for it. But price is no criterion; neither is color, upon which so many depend. Its adhesive and lasting properties depend more upon the material from which it is made, and the method of securing purity in the raw material, for if that is inferior and not well cleansed, the product will have to be unduly charged with alum or some other antiseptic, to make it keep during the drying process. Weathered glue is that which has experienced unfavorable weather while drying, at which time it is rather a delicate substance. To resist damp atmosphere well, it should contain as little saline matter as possible. When buying the article, venture to apply your tongue to it, and if it tastes salt or acid, reject it for anything but the commonest purpose. The same operation will also bring out any bad smell the glue may have. These are simple and ready tests and are the ones usually adopted by dealers and large consumers. Another good test is to soak a weighed portion of dry glue in cold water for twenty-four hours, then dry again and weigh. The nearer it approaches to its original weight the better glue it is, thereby showing its degree of insolubility.

BOOK-BINDERS' GLUE.

To prevent book-binders glue from turning sour, add enough of the raw salicylic acid in boiling water to keep it soluble. It is also commended never to keep glue in open pots, but in cylindrical shaped vessels that admit of tight corking.

HOW TO MAKE A CEMENT FOR GLa.s.s THAT WILL RESIST ACIDS.

To make a cement for gla.s.s that will resist acids, the following has been recommended:--Take 10-1/2 pounds of pulverized stone and gla.s.s, and mix with it 4-3/4 pounds of sulphur. Subject the mixture to such a moderate degree of heat that the sulphur melts. Stir until the whole becomes h.o.m.ogeneous, and then run it into molds. When required for use it is to be heated to 248, degrees, at which temperature it melts, and may be employed in the usual manner. This, it is said, resists the action of acids, never changes in the air, and is not affected in boiling water. At 230 it is said to be as hard as stone.

CEMENT FOR LABELS.

1. Macerate 5 parts of glue in 18 parts of water. Boil and add 9 parts rock candy and 5 parts gum arabic. 2. Mix dextrine with water and add a drop or two of glycerine. 3. A mixture of one part of dry chloride of calcium, or 2 parts of the same salt in the crystallized form, and 36 parts of gum arabic, dissolved in water to a proper consistency, forms a mucilage which holds well, does not crack by drying, and yet does not attract sufficient moisture from the air to become wet in damp weather. 4.

For attaching labels to tin and other bright metallic surfaces, first rub the surface with a mixture of muriatic acid and alcohol, then apply the label with a very thin coating of the paste, and it will adhere almost as well as on gla.s.s. 5. To make cement for attaching labels to metals, take 10 parts tragacanth mucilage, 10 parts of honey, and 1 part flour. The flour appears to hasten the drying, and renders it less susceptible to damp.

A COLORLESS CEMENT FOR JOINING SHEETS OF MICA.

A colorless cement for joining sheets of mica is prepared as follows:--Clear gelatine softened by soaking it in a little cold water, and the excess of water pressed out by gently squeezing it in a cloth. It is then heated over a water bath until it begins to melt, and just enough hot proof spirit (not in excess) stirred in to make it fluid. To each pint of this solution is gradually added, while stirring, one-fourth ounce of sal-ammoniac and one and one-third ounces of gum mastic, previously dissolved in four ounces of rectified spirits. It must be warmed to liquefy it for use, and kept in stoppered bottles when not required. This cement, when properly prepared, resists cold water.