Any numbers of the Scientific American Supplement referred to in these columns may be had at this office. Price 10 cents each.
(1) L. L. asks: 1. How can I grind and polish quartz and agate rock, and what kind of grinding and polishing material should I use? A. Quartz and agate are slit with a thin iron disk supplied with diamond dust moistened with brick oil. The rough grinding is done on a lead wheel supplied with coarse emery and water. The smoothing is done with a lead lap and fine emery, and the polishing may be accomplished by means of a lead lap, whose surface is hacked and supplied with rottenstone and water. 2. What is the best method of polishing steel? A. The usual method is to grind first on a coarse wet stone, then on a fine wet stone, then on a lead lap supplied with fine emery and oil, and finally polish on a buff wheel supplied with dry crocus and revolving rather slowly.
(2) R. L. J. asks how to make copying black and red inks. A. 1. Bruised Aleppo nutgalls, 2 lb.; water, 1 gallon; boil in a copper vessel for an hour, adding water to make up for that lost by evaporation; strain and again boil the galls with a gallon of water and strain; mix the liquors, and add immediately 10 oz. of copperas in coarse powder and 8 oz. of gum arabic; agitate until solution of these latter is effected, add a few drops of solution of potassium permanganate, strain through a piece of hair cloth, and after permitting to settle, bottle. The addition of a little extract of logwood will render the ink blacker when first written with. Half an ounce of sugar to the gallon will render it a good copying ink. 2. Shellac, 4 oz.; borax, 2 oz.; water, 1 quart; boil till dissolved, and add 2 oz. of gum arabic dissolved in a little hot water; boil and add enough of a well triturated mixture of equal parts indigo and lampblack to produce the proper color; after standing several hours draw off and bottle. 3. Half a drachm of powdered drop lake and 18 grains of powdered gum arabic dissolved in 3 oz. of ammonia water constitute one of the finest red or carmine inks.
(3) X. inquires: What is the rule for making a counterbalanced face wheel for engines? A. It is a common practice to place the counter weight directly opposite the crank, with its center of gravity at the same distance from the center of the shaft as the center of the crank pin, making its weight equal to weight of piston, piston rod, crosshead, and crank pin, plus half the weight of the connecting rod.
(4) A. R. asks: What is the best way to remove cinders from the eye? A. A small camel's hair brush dipped in water and passed over the ball of the eye on raising the lid. The operation requires no skill, takes but a moment, and instantly removes any cinder or particle of dust or dirt without inflaming the eye.
(5) D. F. H. asks: Can I move a piston in a half inch glass tube by the expansion of mercury? A. Yes, but you will require a long tube to get any appreciable motion of the piston.
(6) J. W. asks: What size of a bore and what length of a stroke I would want for a rocking valve engine of half a horse power? A. About 2 inches cylinder and 3 inch stroke, depending upon pressure and velocity.
(7) R. W. H. writes: In a recent discussion on hot air and steam portable engines it was decided to ask your opinion, which should be final. Water is scarce, though enough to use steam is easily procured. The country is hilly, so that lightness is desirable. The power wanted is 6 horse, and movable, that is, on wheels. Which will be best, hot air engine or steam engine? Which consumes most coal for a given power? Which will be cheapest in above case? A. For small powers the hot air engine is most economical, but we do not think it adapted to your purpose. We would recommend the steam engine for a portable power.
(8) J. C. T. writes: 1. I have a water tank for supplying my boiler, which is made of No. 22 galvanized iron; size 30 inches by 9 feet 4 inches. How many gallons will it hold? A. 342 gallons. 2. Will it be better to have it painted inside? A. Yes. 3. How many years will the tank wear under favorable circumstances, using well water? A. Depends upon the care taken of it.