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Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes: Lubricants

Lubricants. - Lubricants are materi als used to lessen the friction of working parts of machinery. All of the animal and vegetable nondrying oils are suitable; also the mineral oils, as petroleum products; and plumbago, graphite, or black lead, which is the only solid lubricant in common use.

These substances are often mixed for lubricating purposes. Sperm oil is the best of lubricants, but is too expensive for ordinary use. Lard oil is cheap and good. Neat's-foot oil is also used. Olive oil, colza, and rape-seed oils are suitable.

Lubricants for Heavy Pressure. - Grind black lead with 4 times its weight of lard or tallow. Add, if desired, 7 per cent of gum camphor. This was formerly a trade secret.

Or mix pure black lead with tallow.

Or mix tallow with red or white lead, or substitute lard for tallow.

Or add a portion of heavy mineral oil to any of the above.

Axle Grease. For axle grease, mix 3 pounds of tallow, 3 pounds of palm oil, pound of caustic soda, and 1 gallon or more of water. Melt together and evaporate the water with gentle heat, but do not let the mixture boil.

Or boil up together 20 ounces of palm oil with 28 ounces of tallow.

Remove from the fire and stir constantly until it cools to a blood heat. Strain through cheese cloth into a solution of 8 ounces of soda in 1 gill of water, mixing thoroughly. This mixture is suitable for summer heat.

For cold weather, use 20 ounces of tallow to 28 ounces of palm oil. Or, for average temperatures, 20 ounces of each. - Lubricator for Drills. For iron drills, use 4 ounces of soft soap to 1 quart of boiling water. This is cheap and effective.

Wood Lubricator. - Lubricate wooden bearings, as pulleys and the like, with common hard yellow soap or soft soap, taking care to evaporate with gentle heat any excess of water the latter may contain. Rub window casings, bureau drawers, and the like freely with hard yellow soap slightly moistened with water. This lubricates them permanently and prevents their sticking.

To Purify Lubricants. The animal and vegetable oils of commerce, as neat's-foot oil, rape oil, and the like, often show traces of the acids used in purifying them, and these are likely to injure the works of clocks, watches, sewing machines, and other delicate machinery. Hence, to purify commercial oils for such uses, put them in a vessel containing a quantity of rusty iron and let stand for a few days, then strain through silk or cotton wool.

Or pour the best olive oil into a glass bottle, and add equal parts of zinc and lead shavings. Let stand in a cool place until the oil becomes transparent.

Or use lead shavings only and expose the oil to the sun for several weeks. A white precipitate will be formed, and the oil will become perfectly transparent. Strain through silk the pure liquor from the sediment and bottle for use. This oil will not injure the most delicate machinery.

Oil for Whetstones. -Use kerosene oil on whetstones, oilstones, or for mixing other abrasives. It keeps the stone in good condition, and also assists in the process of sharpening. To Straighten Oilstones. - An oilstone, after having been used for some time, becomes concave and does not give a good edge. To face a worn oilstone, take a flat piece of iron or steel having a perfectly smooth face, back it with a wooden grip or handle, and rub down the face of the oilstone with a mixture of emery and powdered pumice stone in water. Finish with the finest emery or pumice and kerosene oil. This gives with very little effort a smooth, flat face.

FURNITURE POLISH ---- Holes in Furniture. - To fill up cracks or holes in furniture, make a thick glue size by boiling pure white glue with water to the consistency of milk or thin cream. Mix with fine sawdust from the same or similar wood to make a stiff paste. With this fill the holes and cover deep cuts and rough surfaces. When dry, thoroughly scrape down with an edge of broken glass and polish. To Color Mahogany Furniture. - Use cold-drawn linseed oil colored with alkanet root or rose pink, or a mixture of equal parts of both. Put the coloring matter in an earthen vessel, cover with the oil, and let stand a day or two, stirring frequently. Rub on with a soft cloth, and let stand several hours before polishing.