MECHANICAL. 797 



Water only or turpentine, do equally well to keep the glass wet \^tli. Again 

 turpentine with garlic juice in it, is claimed to be the best. The file must be 

 ground so that the edge is sharp, and the width that the hole is to be. The file 

 perhaps, had best not be heated, as the temper can seldom be made equal to 

 that of the maker, (if Stubbs tempers his files as given on page 793, why 

 can not any good blacksmith do it ?) but if heated, while hot shape it to suitp 

 then re-temper as Stubbs is said to do ? A man in Jackson, Mich., claimed, in 

 writing to the Scientific American, that he had drilled 4 holes through }^ inch 

 plate glass in 15 minutes, and that water was equally as good as turpentine 

 to keep wet with. 



1. Furniture, Black Walnut Stain.— Take 1 pt. of very thin glue, 

 Its adhesiveness being just perceptible between the thumb and fingers. Put 

 Into it 1 tea-spoonful of raw umber,stir it well, and put on warm with a sponge or 

 brush. When dry, brush off and varnish, or, 



2. Take 1 tea-spoonful of Venetian red and % tea-spoonful of lampblack, 

 mix into a paste and then dilute with 1 pt of glue- water, as before.— JburwaZ of 

 Chemistry. 



3. Ebony, or Black Stain Upon Pine, or Other Soft Woods.^ 

 Make a strong decoction of logwood by boiling, and apply boiling hot, 3 or 4 

 times according to the shade desired, allowing it to dry between applications ; 

 then apply a solution of acetate of iron. This is made by putting iron filings 

 into good vinegar. These penetrate the wood deeply, and are very black, or 

 less deep, according to the number of applications. 



4. Polish, Fine For Furniture.— Linseed oil, and old ale, each ^ 

 pt.; the white of 1 egg, beaten; alcohol, and muriatic acid, each 1 oz., mix. 



DiUECTiONS. — Dust the furniture, shake the polish, and apply with a wad 

 of batting or cotton flannel, and finish with an old silk handkerchief. 



Bemarks. — This, and any of the others, wiU keep any length of time, if 

 corked. 



6. Polish to Brighten Old Furniture, Pianos, etc.— Dissolve 

 orange shade, gum shellac, 4 oz. in 95 per cent, alcohol, 1 qt. ; then add linseed 

 oil, 1 qt. ; spirits of turpentine, 1 pt. ; shake and also add sulphuric ether, and 

 aqua ammonia, each 4 oz. Shake well when used, rubbing until a polish ap- 

 pears. — Good Cheer. 



6. To Take Bruises Out of Furniture.- Wet the part with warm 

 water; double a piece of brown paper 5 or 6 times, soak it in warm water, and 

 lay it on the place; apply on that a warm, but not hot, flat iron, till the moist- 

 ure is evaporated. If the bruise be not gone, repeat the process. After two or 

 three applications, the dent or bruise will be raised to the surface. If the bruise 

 be small, merely soak it with warm water and hold a red-hot iron near the sur- 

 face, keeping the surface continually wet. The bruise will soon disappear. 



(Note — ^This valuable receipt was obtained from New Zealand.) 

 iJeTwar^s.— For the sweet-oil plan, see the next receipt. 



7. Polish, Excellent and Good.— To make a good poHsli for fumi* 

 tuts?, take alcohol, good vinegar and sweet-oil, equal parts of each, or a little 

 more of the last. Shake the bottle well, daily, for three weeks, when it is fit 

 for use. but the longer it stands, the better it is. The furniture must be rubbed 

 till the polish is dry. Apply every 3 or 3 months; and rub the furniture with 



