574 EVERYDAY SCIENCE 



ink spot immediately with water, or preferably with warm milk, 

 and cover it with dry starch, French chalk, or salt, or weight a clean 

 blotter on the stain. Remove the absorbent or change the blotters 

 as the ink is absorbed. Keep the spot wet and repeat the operation 

 until the ink is removed. This treatment is safe for any fabric. 

 If the milk leaves a greasy stain, remove it with benzine or carbona. 



(6) For any fabric that will stand soap and water, melt pure tal- 

 low and pour it over the fresh ink stain. If the article is small, dip 

 it in the tallow. Remove the tallow after an hour or so with hot 

 water and soap. Many dyers and cleaners do this first, because it 

 cannot hurt the fabric and it may obviate the risk of using chemicals. 



Old Ink Stains. Test. Before using any chemical on an ink 

 stain that has set, make the following test, if possible, of the ink 

 that caused the stain : Write a few lines on a piece of paper and allow 

 the ink to dry. Better than this, take a specimen of writing with 

 the ink that is several days or weeks old. If when the paper is 

 dipped in water the ink blurs or smirches badly, it probably con- 

 tains a coal-tar product known as nigrosine. The effect of certain 

 acids on this coloring matter is to make it almost indelible. In 

 such a case use a strong solution of washing soda or apply Javelle 

 water to the stain with a brush or sponge and rinse in clear cold 

 water from time to time. Do not use an acid. 



To Remove Ink That Does Not Contain Nigrosine. Old-fashioned 

 inks depended on a compound of iron for the black coloring. Most 

 modern blue-black inks have, in addition to an iron compound in 

 their make-up, certain aniline dyes. Acids mentioned below change 

 the iron compound so that it will dissolve in water, but the acid 

 must be followed by a bleaching compound to remove the color of 

 the aniline dyes. Following are the treatments suggested. The 

 first two are very mild treatments ; the third mild, but much more 

 effective ; while the fourth is to be reserved for very stubborn stains. 



(a) Wet the stain with lemon juice and cover with salt. To 

 hasten the action of the acid and salt, expose to the sun, hold in the 

 steam of a tea-kettle, or lay the cloth over a plate that is used as a 

 cover for a sauce pan containing boiling water. Afterward expose 

 the spot to the fumes of sulphur (sulphur dioxide) or apply Javelle 



