To Prevent Set-off on Writing Papers Printed on One Side.
To prevent set-off on writing papers printed on one side, do not lay the sheets straight as they leave the press or machine; this will enable the air to get between them, and wonderfully expedite the drying of the ink. Do not allow the heap to become too heavy.
A Quick Dryer.
A quick dryer:—Japanese gold size, 2 parts; copal varnish, 1 part; elber powder (radix carlinæ, carline thistle), 2 parts. Incorporate well together with a small spatula, and use in quantities to suit the consistency of the ink employed and the rapidity with which it is desired to dry. The usual proportion is a small teaspoonful of the dryer to about one ounce of average good ink.
To Prevent Warping in Blocks and Wood.
To prevent warping in blocks and wood-letter used in large bills, a French printer advises that they should be placed in a zinc basin, provided with an air-tight lid; they should then be thoroughly saturated with paraffine oil, and left thus for about four days, when they should be wiped with a clean dry rag. Prepared in this way when new, wood-letter resists the effects of lye, petroleum, turpentine, and atmospheric changes.
How to Keep Rollers When Out of Use.
It is a good plan, when rollers are to be kept out of use for any particular time, to put them away with the ink on them. It protects their surface from the hardening effects of the atmosphere, and causes them to retain those properties which give them the much desired “tackiness.” But about half an hour before using them, remove the ink and see that they are really in condition again.
Preservative of Rollers When not in Use.
The following preservative of rollers when not in use is often applied:—Corrosive sublimate, 1 drachm; fine table salt, 2 ozs.; put together in ½ gallon of soft water. It is allowed to stand 24 hours, and is to be well shaken before using. Sponge the rollers with the mixture after washing.