White spots on furniture can be removed by rubbing the wood with ammonia.
How to Make a Copper Stencil for Marking Laundry
A stencil suitable for marking laundry may be easily made as follows:
First procure a small sheet of "stencil sheet copper," about 1 in. wide and 4 in. long. Dip this sheet of copper in a vessel containing some melted beeswax, so that both sides will be evenly covered with a thin coat of the wax when it cools. The design—name, monogram or figure—that is wanted in the stencil should now be drawn upon a piece of thin white paper, the reverse side of the paper blackened with graphite, and then laid on the stencil plate with the design in the center of the plate, whereupon the design is lightly traced with a blunt point on the thin wax coating. After the paper is removed, trace the design on the wax surface with a pointed instrument, but not completely, the lines being broken at more or less regular intervals, to form "holders" so that, after etching, the design cannot fall out.
Next lay the stencil in a small shallow dish and pour a small quantity of fresh nitric acid over it. Keep the air bubbles removed from the surface by means of a piece of soft feather. The design will be eaten away in a very short time, where the wax has been removed, and this may be readily observed by holding the stencil plate up to the light. The acid should then be rinsed off with water, and the wax removed by heating and wiping it off with a cloth. The stencil may be given a final cleaning in a dish of benzine or gasoline, which will remove any remaining wax.
A Brass Pin Tray
A novelty pin tray can be easily made of a piece of No. 24 gauge sheet brass or copper, 5 in. in diameter. The metal is annealed and polished with fine emery cloth, which is given a circular motion to produce a frosted effect. The necessary tools are a 1-in. hardwood board with a 2-1/2-in. hole bored in it, and a round piece of hard wood, 1-7/8 or 2 in. in diameter, with the ends sawn off square.
