Or, slake lime in tar, and into it dip sheets of the thickest brown paper, to be laid on in the manner of slating.
116. Artificial Marble.—Soak in a solution of alum a quantity of plaster of Paris. Bake it in an oven, and grind it to a powder. When wanted, mix it with water to about the consistency of plaster. It sets into an exceedingly hard composition, and takes a high polish. It may be mixed with various colored minerals or ochres to represent the various marbles, and is a valuable receipt.
117. To give Wooden Stairs the Appearance of Stone.—Paint the stairs, step, by step, with white paint, mixed with strong drying oil. Strew it thick with silver sand.
It ought to be thoroughly dry next morning, when the loose sand is to be swept off. The painting and sanding is to be repeated, and when dry, the surface is to be done over with pipe-clay, whiting, and water; which may be boiled in an old saucepan, and laid on with a bit of flannel, not too thick, otherwise it will be apt to scale off.
A penny cake of pipe-clay, which must be scraped, is the common proportion to half a lump of whiting.
The pipe-clay and whiting is generally applied once a week, but that might be done only as occasion requires.