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House Painting (To Black the Edges of Paper)

To Black the Edges of Paper.

Mix black lead with ink, and when the paper is cut, color it thinly over with black ink, with a piece of fine cloth; rub on the black lead, covering every part; take the dog's-tooth and burnish the edge till it becomes well polished.

When the edge of the paper, after cutting, appears rather rough, scrape it over with a piece of glass or an iron scraper with a flat edge.

To Sprinkle the Edges of Books, etc.

The brushes used for book-edges must be made of Russia hogs' bristles, of good thickness, tied round with cord, glued at the thick end, and half covered with a piece of leather; when dry tie the brush again with waxed cord, within half an inch of the soft part of it, and cut it very smooth and Brushes made after this manner are preferable to those with a handle. even.

Prepare the color in a cup; dip in the brush till it is charged, and then press it out till it will drop no longer. The book must be screwed tight in the cutting press; hold the brush in the left hand, and, with a folding-stick in the right, rub it over the brush, which will cause the color to sprinkle finely on the edges. The brush must be moved up and down over the edge, as you sprinkle, to have it regular on every part. After the sprinkling is done, the brushes should be carefully washed in water, particularly after sprinkling blue, which will otherwise soon destroy the brush. the manner of tortoise-shell, and when put over a foil of the kind of lattern called orsedue, will be scarcely distinguishable from it. It requires some degree of fancy and judgment to dispose of the paste in such a manner as to form a variety of transparent parts, of different magnitudes and figures, to look like the effect of nature; and it will be an improvement to add semi-transparent parts, which may be done by mixing whiting with some of the paste, to weaken its operation in particular places, by which spots of a reddish-brown will be produced, which, if properly interspersed, especially on the edges of the dark parts, will greatly increase the beauty of the work, and its similitude to real tortoise-shell.

Another Method.

Take an equal quantity of quicklime and redlead, and mix it up with strong soap lees. Lay it on the horn with a small brush, like the mottle in tortoise-shell. When dry repeat the same two or three times.

To Dye Horns of different Colors.

Black is performed by steeping brass in aquafortis till it is turned green; with this the horn is to be washed once or twice, and then put into a warmed decoction of logwood and water.

Green is begun by boiling it, etc., in alum-water, then with verdigris, ammoniac, and white wine vinegar, keeping it hot therein till sufficiently green.

To Dye or Stain Horn Tortoise-shell Color.

The horn to be dyed must be first pressed into proper plates, scales, or other flat form, and the following mixture prepared: Take of quicklime two parts, and litharge one part, temper them together to the consistence of a soft paste, with soap lye. Put this paste over all the parts of the horn, except such as are proper to be left transparent, in order to give it a near resemblance to the tortoise-shell. The horn must remain in this manner, covered with the paste till it is thoroughly dry; when, the paste being brushed off, the horn will be found partly opaque and partly transparent, in | and deepening of the color. Red is begun by boiling it in alum-water, then with verdigris, ammoniac, and finished by decoction in a liquor compounded of quicklime steeped in rain-water, strained, and to every pint an ounce of Brazil-wood added. In this decoction the horns are to be boiled till sufficiently red.

Horns receive a deep black stain from solution of nitrate of silver. It ought to be diluted to such a degree as not sensibly to corrode the substance, and applied 2 or 3 times if necessary, at considerable intervals, the matter being exposed as much as possible to the sun, to hasten the appearance PAINTS and COLORS.