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Leather, Ink, and Miscellaneous (II)

- - TANNING LEATHER - TANNING AND CARE OF LEATHER - BOOTS AND SHOES OVERSHOES WATERPROOFING LEATHER BLACKING LEATHER-WRITING INK-MARKING INKS-COL- ORED INKS-SPECIAL INKS-CARE OF INK-CARE OF JEWELRY -GLASS AND IVORY-GYPSUM, ALABASTER, ETC.

TANNING LEATHER To Tan Sheepskins and Goatskins with the Hair on. -Clean the flesh side of fat and meat, mix pound of alum and pound of salt in 2 quarts of water, and soak the skins in this mixture 24 hours. Remove and nail to the sunny side of a building, flesh side out, until bone dry. Mix 2 pounds of pulverized alum, 1 pound of salt, and 1 quart of wheat bran with water to a thick paste, and apply evenly to the flesh side of the skin. Fold the skins in the middle with the flesh sides together, roll up, and put away for 6 or 8 days, protected from water and vermin. Then brush away the mixture, apply neat'sfoot oil warm with a brush, and rub the skin between the hands until it is pliable.

Or wash the skins with strong suds and water to remove dirt from the wool, soak them over night in soap and water, and tack them, flesh side down, over a barrel to dry. When nearly dry, remove them, clean off any pieces of flesh or fat that remain, and rub prepared chalk over the skin until no more can be rubbed in. Then rub with powdered alum, and sprinkle alum thickly over the flesh side.

Or, instead of chalk and alum, rub the skins with a mixture of saltpeter and alum, afterwards fold the skins with the flesh sides together, roll them up tightly and lay them away for a week where they will be perfectly dry. Finally rub down the flesh side with a damp cloth dipped in pumice or rotten stone to smooth and polish. This is a suitable treatment for coon, squirrel, and other skins used for caps, for sheepskins and goatskins used for rugs, for lambskins used for coats and vests, and for all similar purposes.

TANNING AND CARE OF LEATHER Grain Side Black for Leather.- Throw into a tight tub or cask a quantity of old iron; fill it nearly full of salt water, and add 1 pint of sulphuric acid. Stir occasionally with a stick, and in a month or two it will be first-rate blacking for the grain side of leather. This is also suitable for boot, shoe, and harness edges.

Or dissolve 2 ounces of ground logwood and 12 ounces of bablah in 12 pounds of water. Boil down to 64 pounds, and filter through cheese cloth, and add 1 ounce of powdered gum arabic, 1 ounce of sugar, and 3 ounces of copperas. Add also 1 or 2 drams of corrosive sublimate to prevent mold.

Or boil ounce of extract of logwood in 2 quarts of water 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from the fire, and add 96 grains of gum arabic, 48 grains of bichromate of potash, and 8 grains of prussiate of potash LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS Or, to blacken tan leather, make a saturated solution of copperas in water and apply with a swab.

Care of Harness. - Wash harness frequently with a sponge or chamois and warm water, but without soap, and apply oil before the leather is fully dry. The use of varnishes should as a rule be omitted, but the harness should be frequently wiped over with a cloth moistened in a good harness oil, as neat's-foot or castor oil, or a combination of 1 part castor oil with 2 parts neat's-foot oil; or a mixture of 1 pint of neat's-foot oil, 2 ounces of beef tallow, and 1½ tablespoonfuls of lampblack. To this add 2 ounces of beeswax for summer use.

Care of Leather Furniture. - To restore leather furniture, first wash the leather with a sponge and warm water to remove the dirt. Or wash the leather with a cloth wrung out of hot milk, and varnish with the white of an egg.

Or apply a thin coating of cream, and rub off with a soft cloth.

Or rub with a small piece of prepared wax.

Or take 6 ounces of eggs, yolks and whites beaten together, 1 ounce of molasses, 1 ounce of isinglass, and 5 ounces of water. Dissolve the isinglass in the water with gentle heat, mix with the other ingredients, and color with lampblack.

Or beat together the yolks of 2 eggs and the white of 1, add 1 tablespoonful of alcohol and 1 teaspoonful of sugar, and thicken with ivory black. The two last, of course, apply only to black leather. They are suitable for leather belts, leather bags, and all black leather objects or articles.

To Remove Grease from Leather. -To remove grease and oil stains from leather, apply pipe clay powdered, and mixed with water to a thick cream. Let stand two or three hours, and repeat if necessary.

Or apply the white of an egg to the stain, and dry in the sun.