Wood and Glue Putty.
—Dissolve glue in water and add as much very fine sawdust as may be required.
Blackboard Paint.
—Mix 5 oz. of lamp black and 3 oz. of superfine flour of emery in half a gallon of shellac varnish or patent knotting. This gives a fine slating. Shellac varnish may be made by dissolving 1lb. of orange shellac in half a gallon of methylated spirits. Another recipe is: Dissolve 1lb. shellac in one gallon of methylated spirits. When dissolved add 1lb. best ivory black, 5 oz. of best flour of emery. Mix and put in a stoppered bottle, shake well before using. In applying this it must be done rapidly, and only a little of the paint should be poured out at a time, as the spirit rapidly evaporates. In applying it to old blackboards one coat is usually sufficient.
Whitewash for Poultry Houses.
—In order to prevent the breeding of vermin the whitewash used for poultry houses should be mixed with a little gas tar—not coal tar. It may be obtained at any gas works, and should be used in the proportion of about a quarter of a pint to the pailful of ash. To bind the whitewash, flour made into a paste with hot water may be used, and is better than glue size as it does not decay and will not injure the fowls.
SOME USEFUL HINTS ON PAINTS AND PAINTING.
An excess of driers in paint often gives rise to blistering.