Scientific American Supplement, No. 1178, June 25, 1898Various
History
Scientific American Supplement, No. 1178, June 25, 1898
Various
Science -- Periodicals
Moisten the place to be written upon with No. 1 and rub a warm iron
over it until dry; then write with No. 2, and, when dry, moisten with
No. 3. An intense and beautiful purple-red color is produced in this
way. The following simpler and less expensive method of obtaining an
indelible red mark on linen has been proposed by Wegler: Dilute egg
albumen with an equal weight of water, rapidly stir with a glass rod
until it foams, and then filter through linen. Mix the filtrate with a
sufficient quantity of finely levigated vermilion until a rather thick
liquid is obtained. Write with a quill, or gold pen, and then touch
the reverse side of the fabric with a hot iron, coagulating the
albumen. It is claimed that marks so made are affected by neither
soaps, acids nor alkalies. This ink, or rather paint, is said to keep
moderately well in securely stoppered bottles, but we should not rely
on it as a "stock" article. A white paint for marking dark colored
articles might be made by substituting zinc white for the red pigment
in the foregoing formula.—Druggist's Circular.
Brown or Black Discoloration of Silvered Mirrors.—Generally these
spots are due to faulty manipulation, too great dilution of the silver
solution, or touching the plates with the fingers after they have been
cleaned. Sometimes, however, they are due to chemical defects in the
glass itself. In these cases, as a general thing, the discolorations
occur only after several days—a faultless mirror having been made at
first, and the browning subsequently developing slowly. The writer was
a student in the laboratory of Baron Liebig during the time that
distinguished chemist was carrying out the series of experiments which
resulted in devising a method of making silver mirrors commercially.
One of the greatest troubles with which he had to contend was this
browning—the cause for which was never fully cleared up by him. Some
years ago, the writer, having in his possession two mirrors made by
Liebig, and which had gradually become brown throughout, undertook an
examination of the deposit (which had been thoroughly protected from
extraneous influences by a strong film of varnish), and was surprised
to find that it consisted of a layer of silver sulphide. Without going
into detail, the source of the change was later found to lie within
the glass itself. In making glass to be used for mirrors, a
considerable portion of sodium sulphate is used, and in annealing,
this is partly reduced to sodium sulphide, which effloresces on the
surface of the glass. This efflorescence is, of course, removed on
cleaning the glass before silvering; but it is found that, in many
instances, on exposure of the mirror to the light for some time, a
further efflorescence occurs, and it is this which produces the
discoloration in cases such as we have cited. It has been suggested
that the tendency to subsequent efflorescence may be corrected by
boiling the plates, intended for silvering, for a couple of minutes,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account