RUSSIA LEATHER 



RUST 



49 



Krilof (1768-1844) have always enjoyed considerable 

 reputation among the Russians. A clever writer of 

 comedy was Griboyedov, killed at Teheran in 1829. 

 Since the death of Pushkin the Russians have had 

 Michael Lermontoff (q.v. ; 1814-41), author of the 

 Demon and some graceful lyrics, and Nicholas 

 Nekrasov, who died in 1877. There are many 

 minor poets; thus Koltsov (1809-42) wrote some 

 of the most national lyrics which have appeared 

 in Russia. Among novelists, the Russians have 

 produced Zagoskin and Lazheclmikov, who imi- 

 tated Scott ; but the foundation of the realistic 

 school among them was begun by Nicholas Gogol 

 (q.v.), one of the most powerful writers of his 

 country. Dostoieffsky (q.v.) and Pisemski, who 

 died in 1881, were also celebrated as novelists; 

 but the first to gain a European fame was Ivan 

 Turgenief (q.v.), who died in 1883. Count Leo 

 Tolstoi (q.v.), though two monfhs older than 

 Turgfiiief, survived him ; he is the author of 

 'War and Peace" (Voina i Mir) and other well- 

 known works. It is in romantic fiction that the 

 Russians have gained their greatest laurels. A cele- 

 brated political writer was Alexander Herzen (q.v.), 

 who died at Paris in 1870. Great attention has 

 been paid in Russia to the collection of the national 

 songs (bilini), tales, folklore, and proverbs ; and 

 among them the works of Sakharov, Ribnikov, and 

 Afanasiev are especially to l>e mentioned. In 

 history the Russians have produced some eminent 

 names: Karamzin was followed by Ustrialov and 

 Pogodin; and later we have the great work on 

 Russian history in upwards of 28 volumes by 

 iSer^'ins Solovieff, whicn he did not live to com- 

 plete, and the still unfinished production of Pro- 

 f''--<>r ISestuzhef-Riumin. The Russians have pro- 

 duced few writers on philosophy. In philology 

 we have the names of Vostokov, Sreznevski, and 

 Buslaev. 



See Reinhold, Oetehiehte der Rustifchen Literatur 

 <1886); P. Polevoi, Iitnrin Sunki,i Literaturi i' 

 Hfhrrknth biographiakh ('History of Russian Litera- 

 ture in Sketches and Biographies,' 1872) ; Talvi, View of 

 Lit' future of the .SY/ironwT Nationt (1850); Courriere, 

 tie la L/itternture Contemporaine en Jtuttie 

 ( I'ari*. 1S7.-.I: ami Morfill, Jtuttin (1890). 



Russia Leather. See LEATHER, p. 551. 

 Kussiiiaks. See RUTHENIANS. 



Rust. Neither malleable iron, nor steel, nor 

 oast iron can be exposed to a moist atmosphere 

 for more than a brief time without becoming 

 rusted. But malleable or wrought iron, being 

 nearly pure iron, rusts rather more readily than 

 either of the others, which essentially contain a 

 certain proportion of carbon (see IRON and STEEL). 

 In a paper read before the Iron and Steel Institute 

 in 1888 Professor Crum Brown explains the chemi- 

 cal processes involved in the rusting of iron. He 

 says that, when a drop of rain falls on a clean 

 bnght surface of iron, for a short time the drop 

 remains clear, showing the bright surface of the 

 iron through it. But soon a greenish precipitate 

 forms in the drop, and this rapidly becomes reddish 

 brown. The brown precipitate (peroxide of iron 

 or rust) does not adnere to the iron, but is sus- 

 jH'inli'd in the water, and becomes a loosely ad- 

 herent coating only when the water has evapor- 

 ated. He further states that iron remains quite 

 free from rust in an atmosphere containing oxygen, 

 carbonic acid, and water vapour (all present in a 

 normal atmosphere except water vapour, which is 

 rarely absent) as long as the water vapour does 

 not conden-w as liquid water on the surface of the 

 iron. Owing to the hygroscopic character of rust, 

 when it once forms on iron the rusting process w ill 

 nut inne in an atmosphere not saturated with water 

 vapour. In other words, the iron in this case will 

 continue rusting in an atmosphere in which a piece 

 420 



of clean iron will not rust, because liquid water 

 will condense on rust when it will not on bright 

 iron. The fact that under ordinary atmospheric 

 conditions the rusting process, when once begun, 

 continues, has been long known. It follows that 

 it is much easier to prevent the first formation of 

 rust than to stop the process. 



It is customary to coat with oil paint all kinds of 

 ironwork which are to lie exposed to the weather, 

 and this is usually a sufficient protection. But 

 paint is liable to scale oft', so that it is necessary to 

 recoat the iron at longer or shorter intervals. A 

 light iron fence, for example, would not long escape 

 destruction by rusting if it were not frequently 

 painted. It is, however, usual to ' galvanise ' wire- 

 work and thin sheets of iron, as the zinc coating 

 retards oxidation. A coating of tin also protects 

 the surface of iron from rusting, but it would 

 appear that for this purpose it cannot be so much 

 relied upon as zinc. Japanning (q.v.) is another 

 way of preserving iron. The iron and steel plates 

 forming the sides of ships receive four or five coats 

 of a paint composed of red lead and boiled linseed- 

 oil to protect them from the corrosive action of sea- 

 water, and the sides of these ships are generally 

 repainted after a long voyage. Some of our light- 

 houses have water-tanks constructed of iron which 

 is not only galvanised, but is also painted with 

 three coats of this red lead paint above the zinc 

 coating. The patent paints depend for their 

 efficiency on the red lead and boiled oil in them. 

 Unlike the peroxide, the magnetic oxide of iron 

 forms an adherent coating to the metal, and only 

 when it is detached can water gain access to the 

 iron beneath it. In 1878 a patent (No. 1280) was 

 taken out by G. & A. Bower for a process of 

 producing a thin film of magnetic oxide on iron 

 articles to protect them from rusting, but the 

 colour of this oxide, which som'ewhat resembles 

 that of the metal itself, is not attractive. In the 

 comparatively dry atmosphere of occupied rooms 

 the bright surface of iron or steel objects will often 

 keep many years without rusting. Where such 

 objects are care should be taken to keep away 

 from them all volatile corrosive acids, such as 

 nitric, hydrochloric, or acetic acid, or bleaching 

 powder (chloride of lime). Polished surfaces of 

 iron are often coated with tallow mixed with a 

 little white lead for their temporary protection 

 while they are being conveyed from place to place, 

 but this sometimes fails to keep away rust. A 

 more recent and better plan is to coat the bright 

 iron with some varnish soluble in naphtha or 

 paraffin-oil Brunswick black, for example. A mix- 

 ture of common rosin with a little pure olive-oil and 

 spirits of turpentine has also been found to be a 

 good preservative in such cases. Iron immersed in 

 an alkaline solution does not rust unless it is very 

 dilute. Very delicate steel instruments are often 

 protected from the action of moist air by placing 

 them in drawers or cases along with chloride of 

 calcium or lime hydrate, but as these substances 

 absorb moisture and swell they require to be occa- 

 sionally looked at. When bright iron or steel 

 objects are already partially rusted, the rust, if 

 not very deep into the metal, may be rubbed off 

 with paraffin-oil, which contains no oxygen. 

 Should this fail, a rub with fine emery will be 

 necessary. Iron rust stains on linen or cotton are 

 usually removed either with oxalic acid or binoxa- 

 late of potash (salt of sorrel). The fabric should 

 be well washed after treatment with any of these 

 substances. 



Rust, the common name of Trichobasis rubigo 

 vera, a parasitic fungus of the natural order 

 Puccinitei, which preys upon the leaves, glumes, 

 and stalks of cereals and other grasses. It lias 

 been supposed to be a mere condition. or stage of 



