THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
145 
No. 2 is a very handsome knife with tor- 
toise-shell handle and three blades. It is 
specially suited for ladies, and is a very 
beautiful article. A cutler on Broadway 
asked us $1.75 for a similar knife. We 
offer it for 5 subscribers, four of whom 
must be new. 
No. 3 is a very pretty penknife with two 
blades— the handle inlaid with mother of 
pearl. This we offer for 3 subscribers— two 
of whom must be new. 
Designs for Scroll-Sawyers. 
ME. HODGSON, whose admirable arti- 
cles on scroll-sawing are now in course 
of publication in the Young Scientist, has 
prepared for us a series of seventeen designs 
covering a great variety of subjects suit- 
able for Christmas presents and ordinary 
articles of household ornament and util- 
ity. These designs we have had photo- 
lithographed and printed on two large 
sheets. They are full size and embrace 
over forty different pieces. Knowing that 
this set must have a large sale, we 
have placed the price at 25 cents for the 
set, or a cent and a half for each design. 
We know of no designs equal to these 
which can be had for less than five, ten, or 
twenty cents each. 
To any boy or girl who will send us a 
new subscriber, (together with their own 
subscription) we will send a set of these 
designs free. The subscriptions maybe 
for 1878, 1879, or 1880. Remember, one 
of the subscribers must be new. It will 
not do to send a renewal of the subscrip- 
tion of an old subscriber. 
Relacquering Brass. 
Articles which have been lacquered before are 
easily cleaned by boiling them in pearlash, 
when the old lacquer will be destroyed, though 
it will perhaps still lie upon the surface as a 
whitish kind of varnish. To remove this, and 
restore the articles to their proper color, let 
them be soaked in a solution of aquafortis and 
water, and then suffeied to remain some hours, 
according to circumstances. The acid eats away 
the outer coat, leaving a bright surface beneath. 
The goods are now put in bran, and then 
shaken about to dry and clean them, when they 
will be ready for lacquering again, which is done 
as follows, in two ways, called cold lacquering 
and hot lacquering : by the former, a little lac- 
quer being taken on the brush (a common camel 
hair varnish one), it is laid carefully and evenly 
on the work, which is then placed in an oven 
or on a hot stove ; the heat from this continued 
only a minute or two is sufficient to set the 
lacquer, and the work is finished. By the sec- 
ond method the work is heated first to about 
the heat of a flat iron as used by the laundress, 
and the lacquer quickly brushed over it in this 
state, the work being subjected to the oven for 
a minute or two afterwards, or not, according 
to the pleasure and judgment of the lacquerer. 
The article, if very small, will require this, be- 
cause it will have parted with most of its heat 
in laying on the lacquer ; if lieavy it will retain 
sufficient to perfect the process. The greatest 
difficulty is to know the exact degree of heat, 
and this cannot bo attained except by experi- 
ence, so different is the nature of the materials, 
tlie quality of different lacquers, and the effect 
to be produced. The following recipes for lac- 
quer have been found by experience to give 
good results and a considerable range of color. 
1. Seed-lac, dragon's blood, annatto, and gam* 
boge, of each 4 ounces ; saffi'on, 1 ounce ; spirits 
of wine, 10 pints. 2. Turmeric, 1 pound ; an- 
natto 2 ounces ; shellac and gum juniper, of each 
12 ounces ; spirits of wine, 12 ounces. 3. Seed' 
lac, 3 ounces ; amber and gamboge, of each 2 
ounces; extract of red sanders, i drachm; 
dragon's blood, 1 drachm; saffron, one-fifth 
drachm; spirits of wine, 2 pints 4 ounces. 4. 
Turmeric, 6 drachms ; saffron, 15 grains ; spirits 
of wine, 1 pint 4 ounces; draw the tincture; 
add gamboge, 6 drachms ; gum sandarac and 
gum elemi, each 2 ounces ; dragon's blood and 
seed-lac, of each 1 ounce. 5. Put into a pint of 
alcohol, 1 ounce of turmeric powder, 2 drachms 
of annatto, and 2 draclims of saffron ; agitate 
during seven days, and filter into a clean bottle : 
now add 3 ounces of clean seed-lac, and agitate ' 
the bottle every day for fourteen days. 6. Pale 
brass lacquer: Alcohol, 4 gallons ; cape aloes 
(small), 6 ounces ; pale sliellac, 32 ounces ; gam- 
boge, 2 ounces ; dissolve. 
Autumn Leaves. 
America is unrivalled for the gorgeous colors 
of her autumn foliage, and many of our young 
readers, no doubt, take great pleasure in collect- 
ing autumn leaves, pressing them and arrang- 
ing them in bouquets. The great difficulties to 
be contended against are that leaves are apt to 
curl and to become so brittle that they break 
very easily. We give the experience of two cor- 
respondents of the Household who seem to have 
had specially good success. 
One says : " Press the leaves between the pages 
