Hand Fire Engines, Lift and Force Pumps for fire and all other purposes. Address Rumsey & Co., Seneca Falls, N.Y., U.S.A.
Notes & Queries
S.J.S. will find good recipes for laundry soaps on pp. 331, 379, vol. 31. For toilet soaps, see p. 289, vol. 28.—B.F.T. will find directions for putting a black finish on brass on p. 362, vol. 25.—J.C.S. will find directions for coloring a meerschaum pipe on p. 90, vol. 36.—A.B. will find a good recipe for Babbitt metal on p. 122, vol. 28.—G.A.D. will find directions for coloring butter with annatto on p. 187, vol. 31.—L.O.J. will find something on iceboats sailing faster than the wind on p. 107, vol. 36.—J.M.L. will find directions for clarifying cotton seed oil on p. 91, vol. 36.—D.V. will find a good recipe for shoe polish on p. 107, vol. 36.—A.B. will find directions for japanning on metal on p. 408, vol. 30.—T.S.D. will find recipes for all kinds of colored fires on p. 203, vol. 34.—G.S.C. can fasten his paper labels to wood with flour paste.—W.R.B. will find directions for dyeing billiard balls on p. 88, vol. 34.—G.W.M. will find directions for making raisins on p. 59, vol. 34.—T.F.T. will find something on burning petroleum in steam boilers on p. 165, vol. 30.—S.B.U. will find some illustrations of lathes for turning spokes, tool handles, etc., on p. 88, vol. 36.—W.E.P. will find a formula for safety valves on p. 330. vol. 32.—A.O. will find directions for removing mildew on p. 138, vol. 27. For mending rubber boots, etc., see p. 203, vol. 30.—W.C.L. will find directions for preserving eggs on p. 306, vol. 34.—R.M.G. will find a recipe for root beer on p. 138, vol. 31.—W.F.H.'s plan for a refrigerator might answer. See p. 251, vol. 31.—J.C. can remove the wool from pelts by steeping the skins in water, and hanging them up till the wool putrifies. Then scrape with a blunt knife. For cleansing wool, see p. 6, vol. 32.—W.H.J. will find a recipe for a cement for marble on p. 344, vol. 32.—T.B. can gild his steel scabbard by following the directions given on p. 106, vol. 34.—A.H.B., J.A.C., W.H.H., J.F.P., D.S., J.N.H., J.P., F.F., M.N., M.C., R.C., K.S.W., T.J., and others, who ask us to recommend books on industrial and scientific subjects, should address the booksellers who advertise in our columns, all of whom are trustworthy firms, for catalogues
(1) R.H.C. says: We have a slate roof which leaks very much. I have not discovered any defect in the way in which it was put on; it appears to be perfect. The pitch may be too low, and the rain may be driven through by the wind on this account. Is there any wash, paint, or cement that might be used for the purpose of remedying this defect? A. There is an india rubber paint which is used to make leaky roofs tight, but we have not learned of its being applied to slate roofs.
(2) C.C.B. says: I am making a small steam engine. The cylinder has, inside diameter, about 1 inch with 2½ inches stroke. What would be the most suitable material and dimensions for the boiler? A. Make one 10 or 12 inches in diameter and 18 inches high, of 1/8 inch iron. You can carry 60 lbs. steam pressure.
(3) M.C. says: I have had charge of some greenhouses that were erected about four years ago; they are thoroughly heated, and all the pipes have a thick coat of black paint. The houses never gave any satisfaction, no matter how healthy the plants were in the fall. Soon after the fires were lighted both leaves and flowers began to drop, and some plants died. My predecessors attributed it to gas getting into the houses. Upon inquiry I found no gas was there except when the pipes were hot, and that the hotter they were the worse it was. In my opinion, the cause of the trouble was a strong smell of paint from the pipes. Since then I only keep heat enough to save the plants from freezing. A. From your statement there is no doubt that the paint used on the pipes was an imperfectly purified coal tar. Such tar contains a great number of hydrocarbons—naphtha, naphthalen, anthracen, phenol, several organic alkaloids, hydrosulphuric and hydrocyanic acids, etc., all of which are more or less volatile at the temperature to which they must have been subjected. These exhalations have proved fatal to plant life when in sufficient quantity. We do not know of a better remedy than that of removing the cause. Painting the pipes with a strong solution of washing soda and lime would, in a measure, prevent the escape of the most objectionable constituents into the air, by forming with them compounds non-volatile at any temperature to which they are likely to be subjected in contact with the pipes; but the former would be the surest plan.
(4) C.D.W. asks: The roof of the new Illinois State House, as well as the stylobate cornices and upper portion of the dome, are covered with zinc. It has been on about three years, and I am told is materially affected by oxidation. The theory is that zinc, though subject to oxidization, has the peculiarity that the oxide does not scale off as from iron, but forms a permanent coating impervious to the action of the atmosphere. Some mechanics, however, assert that neither zinc, copper, nor lead will withstand the action of our atmosphere, as bituminous coal strongly impregnated with sulphur is almost the only fuel used. It is claimed by some that the sulphurous acid in the atmosphere tends to corrode zinc so as to make it worthless for roofs or gutter linings. A. Are you sure that the roof and gutters in question are not of galvanized iron, iron coated with zinc? This is the material most commonly used for that purpose at the present time. Zinc has been found to be too brittle for the strain to which it is subjected, in such cases, by the expansion and contraction induced by changes of temperature. A slight oxidation will adhere to the surface, but an acid deposit from the atmosphere will penetrate the coating in points and deteriorate the metal.
(5) N.J.S. says: I have a floor of ash and black walnut which has been oiled with raw linseed oil once. How can I finish it so as to get a hard, smooth finish that will not be scratched by boot heels nor be sticky or retain the dirt as a waxed floor does? A. Oil raises the fiber of black walnut and gives it a rougher surface than when free from it. To polish any wood, it is only necessary to fill the pores well, and then rub it down to a smooth surface. Thus painters prefer to put on a coat of shellac varnish first, before oiling walnut and other hard woods. For fine floors, a thin coat of liquid wax is applied as a finish.