THE YOUNG 
be "eyesores" as long as the brackets 
lasted. When the work was sufficiently 
smoothed, he applied a light coat of raw 
linseed oil with a clean linen rag; this 
darkened the wood and made it look 
much richer. This operation being over, 
and the work, so far, being finished to 
the satisfaction of all concerned, it w^as 
necessary to devise some means to at- 
tach the brackets to the wall. This was 
done by procuring two heavy picture- 
frame rings and fastening them in the 
brackets through the top shelf, as seen 
at Fig. 51, where a front elevation of 
Fig. 51. 
the completed w^ork is shown. The rings 
are on the top in a line with the side 
pieces. 
Picture-frame nails were used to fasten 
the brackets to the wall, though Mr. 
Carpenter had some trouble in finding 
solid places to put them. 
The boys left their bracket just as it 
came from their workshop, but Jessie 
hung a pair of curtains in front of her's, 
•''Which gave it a very nice appearance, 
more particularly as she used the upper 
shelf for holding a few choice pieces of 
bric-a-brac, and the lower shelf for 
books, etc. 
"Well, boys," said Mr. Carpenter, 
after the brackets were hung in their 
places, "you have done exceedingly 
well, and if I can judge rightly, I may 
say that you are now able to do al- 
most any kind of simple amateur wood- 
work." 
SCIENTIST. 113 
Care of Kid Boots. 
A writer in the English Mechanic says : Some- 
time ago I found that my tin of harness compo- 
sition emptied rather too last. On inquiry, I 
found that " Mary " had used it for mouths on 
" missus' " boots. So I began to investigate 
and found the boots (two years old) to be in a 
beautiful condition ; I also found tliat Mary liad 
applied a little regularly, taking? care to polish 
with a soft cloth, and tliat it was very success- 
ful. I make my own blacking-. 2 oz. best white 
wax, J oz. Prussian blue, 1^ oz. ivory black, i 
pint spirits turpentine, 1 tablespoonful spirits 
wine. Melt the wax in earthenware vessel over 
a slow fire, then add the blue and black, taking 
care to put in the black by littles at first, or it 
will boil over ; when cool add the spirits. Stir 
it well from first to last. 
Bleaching" Ivory for Cutlery Purposes, 
Mr. A. H. Mason, in discussing the properties 
of peroxide of hydrogen before the Liverpool 
Chemists' Association, said: "It is used in 
Sheffield to bleach the inferior ivorj^ for knife- 
handles. The liquid is supplied by an ivory 
dealer in London, and consists of an aqueous 
solution of peroxide of hydrogen, of which it 
contains 2*9 per cent, of rather crude H2 O2. 
The mode of procedure is as follows : Place, 
say, tw^o quarts of the liquid in a stone pot, 
adding four ounces liquid ammon. fort, 880°, im- 
merse the handles, and put over a common 
shop-stove for 24 to 36 hours. The handles are 
then taken out and gradually dried in the air, 
not too quickly, or they would split. The deep 
color of the ivory is _emoved, and a beautiful 
pearly white ivory results when polished. 
A Beautiful Wood-Thrush Nest. 
Ed. Young Scientist— I was informed by a 
friend of mine one evening last summer (1880) 
that he knew where a cuckoo nest was ; being 
anxious to obtain a cuckoo egg, I went next 
morning to the place designated, but instead of 
seeing a rude cuckoo nest, I saw a beautiful 
wood-thrush (Turckis Mustelinus) nest which 
was situat(Kl in the fork of a pine tree. It was 
built inwardly the same as any other wood- 
thrush nest, hwt the outside was elaborately 
draped with lonof strips of thin paper, some of 
them measuring- a foot or more. As the bird 
had deserted it, I obtained the nest and two 
eggs which are at present in my collection. 
Alexander G. Gibbs. 
