Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets Part 11

Saffron, steeped in earthen and strained, colours a fine straw colour. It makes a delicate or deep shade, according to the strength of the tea. Colouring yellow is described in receipt No. 212. In all these cases a little bit of alum does no harm, and may help to fix the colour. Ribbons, gauze handkerchiefs, &c., are coloured well in this way, especially if they be stiffened by a bit of gum-arabic, dropped in while the stuff is steeping.

214. TO DYE A DRAB COLOUR

Take plum tree sprouts, and boil them an hour or more; add copperas, according to the shade you wish your articles to be. White ribbons take very pretty in this dye.

215. TO DYE PURPLE

Boil an ounce of cochineal in a quart of vinegar. This will afford a beautiful purple.

216. TO DYE BROWN

Use a teaspoonful of soda to an ounce of cochineal, and a quart of soft water.

217. TO COLOUR PINK

Boil 1 lb. of cloth an hour in alum water, pound 3/4 of an oz. of cochineal and mix 1 oz. of cream of tartar; put in a bra.s.s kettle, with water, enough to cover the cloth; when about blood hot, put in your cloth, stir constantly, and boil about fifteen minutes.

218. TO DYE A COFFEE COLOUR

Use copperas in a madder-dye, instead of madder compound.

219. TO DYE NANKIN COLOUR

The simplest way is to take a pailful of lye, to which put a piece of copperas half as big as a hen's egg; boil in a copper or tin kettle.

220. TO MAKE ROSE COLOUR

Balm blossoms, steeped in water, colour a pretty rose colour. This answers very well for the linings of children's bonnets, for ribbons, &c.

221. TO DYE STRAW AND CHIP BONNETS BLACK

Boil them in strong logwood liquor 3 or 4 hours, occasionally adding green copperas, and taking the bonnets out to cool in the air, and this must be continued for some hours. Let the bonnets remain in the liquor all night, and the next morning take them out, dry them in the air, and brush them with a soft brush. Lastly, rub them inside and out with a sponge moistened with oil, and then send them to be blocked. Hats are done in the same way.

222. TO DYE WHITE GLOVES A BEAUTIFUL PURPLE

Boil 4 oz. of logwood, and 2 oz. of roche-alum, in 3 pints of soft water, till half wasted; let it stand to be cold after straining.

If they be old gloves let them be mended; then do them over with a brush, and when dry repeat it. Twice is sufficient unless the colour is to be very dark; when dry, rub off the loose dye with a coa.r.s.e cloth; beat up the white of an egg, and with a sponge, rub it over the leather. The dye will stain the hands, but wetting them with vinegar before they are washed will take it off.

223. TO BLEACH STRAW HATS, &c.

Straw hats and bonnets are bleached by putting them, previously washed in pure water, in a box with burning sulphur; the fumes which arise unite with the water on the bonnets, and the sulphurous acid, thus formed, bleaches them.

224. TO DYE SILKS BLACK

To 8 gallons of water add 4 ozs. of copperas; immerse for 1 hour and take out and rinse; boil 2 lbs. logwood chips, or 1/2 lb. of extract; 1/2 lb. of fustic; and for white silks, 1/2 lb. of nicwood; dissolve 2 lbs. of good bar-soap in a gallon of water; mix all the liquids together, and then add the soap, having just enough to cover the silk; stir briskly until a good lather is formed, then immerse the silk and handle it lively. The dye should be as warm as the hand will bear; dry quickly and without rinsing. The above is enough for 10 yards or one dress.

225. TO COLOUR YELLOW ON COTTON

Wet 6 lbs. of goods thoroughly; and to the same quant.i.ty of water add 9 oz. of sugar of lead; and to the same quant.i.ty of water in another vessel, add 6 oz. of bichromate of potash; dip the goods first into the solution of sugar of lead, and next into that of the potash, and then again into the first; wring out, dry, and afterwards rinse in cold water.

226. FOR STAINING GLa.s.s--No. 1 FLUX

Minimum, or red lead, 3 parts; white sand, washed, 1 part. This mixture is melted, by which it is converted into a greenish-yellow gla.s.s.

227. No. 2 FLUX

Of No. 1, 8 parts; fused borax, in powder, 1 part. This mixture is melted.

228. No. 3 FLUX

Fused borax, 5 parts; calcined flint, 3 parts; pure minium, 1 part.

This mixture is also melted. The above fluxes are used in procuring the different colours for staining gla.s.s.

229. INDIGO BLUE

Oxide of cobalt, 1 part; flux No. 3, 2 parts.

230. TURQUOISE BLUE

Oxide of cobalt, 1 part; oxide of zinc, 3 or 4 parts; flux No. 3, 6 parts; melt and pour out. If it is not sufficiently green, increase the zinc and flux.

231. AZURE BLUE

Oxide of cobalt, 1 part; oxide of zinc, 2 parts; flux No. 2, 8 parts; melt them together.

232. DEEP AZURE BLUE

Oxide of cobalt, 1 part; oxide of zinc, 2 parts; flux No. 2, 5 parts.