MISCELLANEOUS. 609 



Indelible Ink, Quickly and Cheaply Made.— A correspondent 

 of the Detroit Fi'ee Press Household, gives us the following very simple home 

 made way of making the ink and doing the work, and I will guarantee it will 

 prove satisfactory. She says: 



I. Rain water, 1 table-spoonful ; vinegar, ^ tea-spoonful lunar caustic, drug- 

 gists keep this in small sticks, a piece 3 inches long; put all in an ounce 

 bottle, and shake occasionally till dissolved. Keep in a dark place. 



II. Directions. — To each tea-spoonful of milk — needed to wet the places 

 apon which the name is to be written — dissolve a piece of baking soda as large 

 as a grain of corn ; iron it smoothly, and write the name with a quill pen with 

 the ink immediately. 



Eemarks. — Dry with the hot iron or in the sun, as in No. 1. In the same 

 communication the lady said: Common soda, (the same as baking soda), ia 

 powder, with a damp cloth, and a brisk rubbing, is the best thing to clean tin- 

 ware, rubbing it dry. 



INK, INDELIBLE— To Mark with a Plate— Dissolve pure 

 sulphate of iron, (pure copperas), 1 lb. in acetic acid, IJ^ lbs., and add precipi- 

 tated carbonate of iron, (sesquioxide), 1 lb., and stir till they combine. This 

 should be done in an iron kettle over a slow fire. Then put in printer's varnish, 

 3 lbs., and fine book ink, 2 lbs., and stir till well mixed; and to complete it add 

 sethiops-mineral (black sulphuret of mercury), finely pulverized and sifted, 1 lb. 

 mixed in thoroughly. 



Eemarks — This I obtained from an old stencil plate cutter, who had made 

 and sold it many years. He said this would fill nearly 1,000 1 dr. bottles 

 which he sold for 25 cts. each. The sulphuret of mercury gives it its indeli- 

 bility. If you use ozs. in place of lbs. it will make about 60 bottles. If drs. 

 are used instead of ozs. you will have only 7 or 8 bottles. Now suit yourself 

 as to the araoimt you will make. Of course, to be kept corked. 



COLORING FOR DOMESTIC USES.— As the "Diamond, "dyes, 

 analine and other colors are being so considerably used in coloring, at the time 

 of writing this book, I shall only give a few recipes for those purposes, which are 

 vouched for mostly by ladies who have used them, some of them yearly for 20 

 years, suitable for woolen, silk, cotton, carpet rags, dresses, etc. 



Black on Dress G-oods.— From a lady who has used it yearly for 20 

 years. In an iron kettle put warm water enough to cover 15 yards dress goods. 

 In this dissolve ex. of logwood, 4 ozs. ; blue vitriol, 2 ozs. ; copperas, 1 oz. Be 

 careful to have the ex. well dissolved. Of course everything should be dis- 

 solved, but the ex. dissolves slowly. Wet the goods thoroughly, then put into 

 the dye, and let simmer slowly, stirring and handling often, till dark enough; 

 then wash in strong soap suds 2 or 3 times, and rinse until the water is clear. 

 Press while damp. If the goods look rusty, the dye is too strong, put in more 

 water. Cashmeres may be colored by this dye, and make up as good as new. 



Black, on Wool or Cotton.— And let me say right here, what will 

 color wool nicely will also color silk. This is from Mary Zaring to one of the 

 papers. She says : "I have seen so many recipes to color black, but i think 

 39 



