BOTTLES
Magic Bottles.—
The mystery of the “wonderful bottle,” from which can be poured in succession port wine, sherry, claret, water, champagne, or ink, at the will of the operator, is easily explained. The materials consist of an ordinary dark-colored pint wine bottle, seven wine glasses of different patterns, and the chemicals described below:
Solution A: A mixture of tincture of ferric chloride, drachms vi; hydrochloric acid, drachms ii.
Solution B: Saturated solution of ammonium sulphocyanide, drachm i.
Solution C: Strong solution of ferric chloride, drachm i.
Solution D: A weak solution of ammonium sulphocyanide.
Solution E: Concentrated solution of lead acetate.
Solution F: Solution of ammonium sulphide, drachm i; or pyrogallic acid, drachm i.
Package G: Pulverized potassium bicarbonate, drachm iss.
Having poured two teaspoonfuls of solution A into the wine bottle, treat the wine glasses with the different solutions, noting and remembering into which glasses the several solutions are placed. Into No. 1 wine glass pour one or two drops of solution B; into No. 2 glass pour one or two drops of solution C; into No. 3 one or two drops of Solution D; leave No. 4 glass empty; into No. 5 glass pour a few drops of Solution E; into No. 6 glass place a few grains of Package G; into No. 7 glass pour a little of solution F.
Request some one to bring you some cold drinking water, and to guarantee that it is pure show that your wine bottle is (practically) empty. Fill it up from the carafe, and having asked the audience whether you shall produce wine or water, milk or ink, etc., you may obtain any of these by pouring a little of the water from the bottle into the prepared glass. Thus No. 1 glass gives a port-wine color; No. 2 gives a sherry color; No. 3 gives a claret color; No. 4 is left empty to prove that the solution in the bottle is colorless; No. 5 produces milk; No. 6, effervescing champagne; No. 7, ink.
Bottle-capping Mixtures.—
I.—Soak 7 pounds of good gelatin in 10 ounces of glycerine and 60 ounces of water, and heat over a water bath until dissolved, and add any desired color. Pigments may be used, and various tints can be obtained by the use of aniline colors. The resulting compound should be stored in jars. To apply liquefy the mass and dip the cork and portion of the neck of the bottle into the liquid; it sets very quickly.
| II.— | Gelatin | 1 ounce |
|---|---|---|
| Gum arabic | 1 ounce | |
| Boric acid | 20 grains | |
| Starch | 1 ounce | |
| Water | 16 fluidounces |
Mix the gelatin, gum arabic, and boric acid with 14 fluidounces of cold water, stir occasionally until the gum is dissolved, heat the mixture to boiling, remove the scum, and strain. Also mix the starch intimately with the remainder of the water, and stir this mixture into the hot gelatin mixture until a uniform product results. As noted above, the composition may be tinted with any suitable dye. Before using, it must be softened by the application of heat. {127}
| III.— | Shellac | 3 ounces |
|---|---|---|
| Venice turpentine | 1 1/2 ounces | |
| Boric acid | 72 grains | |
| Powdered talcum | 3 ounces | |
| Ether | 6 fluidrams | |
| Alcohol | 12 1/2 fluidounces |
Dissolve the shellac, turpentine, and boric acid in the mixed alcohol and ether, color with a spirit-soluble dye, and add the talcum. During use the mixture must be agitated frequently.
Show Bottles.—
I.—Place in a cylindrical bottle the following liquids in the order named:
First, sulphuric acid, tinted blue with indigo; second, chloroform; third, glycerine, slightly tinted with caramel; fourth, castor oil, colored with alkanet root; fifth, 40-per-cent alcohol, slightly tinted with aniline green; sixth, cod-liver oil, containing 1 per cent of oil of turpentine. The liquids are held in place by force of gravity, and alternate with fluids which are not miscible, so that the strata of layers are clearly defined and do not mingle by diffusion.
| II.— | Chromic acid | 1 drachm |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial “muriatic” acid | 2 ounces | |
| Nitric acid | 2 ounces | |
| Water, enough to make | 3 gallons |
The color is magenta.
The following makes a fine pink for show carboys:
| III.— | Cobalt oxide | 2 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Nitric acid, c. p. | 1 part | |
| Hydrochloric acid | 1 part |
Mix and dissolve, and to the solution add:
| Strongest water of ammonia | 6 parts |
| Sulphuric acid | 1 part |
| Water, distilled, q. s. to make | 400 parts |
This should be left standing in a dark, cool place for at least a month before putting in the window.
IV.—Green.—Copper sulphate, 300 parts, by weight; hydrochloric acid, 450 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 4,500 parts, by weight.
V.—Blue.—Copper sulphate, 480 parts, by weight; sulphuric acid, 60 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 450 parts, by weight.
VI.—Yellowish Brown.—Potassium dichromate, 120 parts, by weight; nitric acid, 150 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 4,500 parts, by weight.
VII.—Yellow.—Potassium dichromate, 30 parts, by weight; sodium bicarbonate, 225 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 4,500 parts, by weight.
VIII.—Red.—Liquid ferric chloride, officinal, 60 parts, by weight; concentrated ammonium-acetate solution, 120 parts, by weight; acetic acid, 30 per cent, 30 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 9,000 parts, by weight.
IX.—Crimson.—Potassium iodide, 7.5 parts, by weight; iodine, 7.5 parts, by weight; hydrochloric acid, 60 parts, by weight; distilled water, to 4,500 parts, by weight.
All the solutions IV to IX should be filtered. If distilled water be used these solutions should keep for five to ten years. In order to prevent them from freezing, either add 10 per cent of alcohol, or reduce the quantity of water by 10 per cent.
A Cheap And Excellent Warming Bottle.
Bottle Deodorizer.
BRANDY AND BRANDY BITTERS See Wines and Liquors.