Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million: Containing Four Thousand Five Hundred and Forty-five Receipts, Facts, Directions, etc. in the Useful, Ornamental, and Domestic Arts — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million: Containing Four Thousand Five Hundred and Forty-five Receipts, Facts, Directions, etc. in the Useful, Ornamental, and Domestic Arts
John Stuart Mill · en
675. _To take Impressions of Butterflies' Wings._--Lay the wings
gently on paper, wet with gum arabic water, and nearly dry; a copy
will be left when the wing is removed, but inferior in beauty to the
wing itself. It is better to gum the wings themselves on paper, and
paint the body of the fly in its natural position.
676. _To preserve the Eggs of Birds._--First clean them of their
contents. This may be done with the larger eggs by making a hole
on one side large enough to admit a quill, and shaking out the
contents. Then wash them well with a solution of camphor, not too
strong, or it will make them brittle. When dry, fasten them with gum
on the side in which the hole was made to a piece of card board,
and write the name under each. As the colors of many of them are
perishable, to preserve them give them a slight coating of varnish.
The best varnish for this purpose is isinglass dissolved in gin. In
cleaning the smaller eggs, make a hole at each end, a little to one
side, and blow them. The camphor solution need not be used.
677. _To make Artificial Coral._--Melt together four parts of yellow
resin and one part of vermilion. Dip twigs, cinders or stones in
this, and when dry they will resemble coral.
678. _An Excellent Pen-Wiper for Steel Pens._--Fill a short,
wide-mouthed vial with shot, the smaller the better. Whenever it is
necessary to clean the pen, rub it up and down in the shot. This
is much more effectual than cloth wipers, and the shot will last a
life-time.
679. _To preserve Steel Pens._--Metallic pens may be preserved from
rusting by throwing into the bottle containing the ink a few nails,
or broken pieces of steel pens, if not varnished. The corrosive
action of the acid which the ink contains is expended on the iron so
introduced, and will not therefore affect the pen.
680. _Black Paper for drawing Patterns._--Mix and smooth lamp-black
and sweet oil; with a bit of flannel cover a sheet or two of large
writing-paper with this mixture; then dab the paper dry with a bit of
fine linen, and keep it by for using in the following manner:--Put
the black side on another sheet of paper, and fasten the corners
together with small pins. Lay on the back of the black paper the
pattern to be drawn, and go over it with the point of a steel pencil;
the black paper will then leave the impression of the pattern on the
under sheet, on which you must draw it with ink.
If you draw patterns on cloth or muslin, do it with a pen dipped in a
bit of stone blue, a bit of sugar, and a little water, mixed smooth
in a teacup, in which it will be always ready for use, if fresh: wet
to a due consistence as wanted.