Page:Cyclopedia of Painting-Armstrong, George D (1908).djvu/436

428 of sandstone with a very fine grit rub the slab backward and forward, using very fine sand and water, till the marble appears, equally rough, and not in scratches, next use a finer stone and finer sand, till its surface appears equally gone over, then, with fine emery powder and a piece of felt or old bat wrapped around a weight, rub till all the marks left by the former process are worked out, and it appears with a comparative gloss on its surface. Afterwards finish the polish with putty powder and fine clean rags. As soon as the face appears of a good gloss, do not put any more powder on the rag, but rub it well, and in a short time it will appear as if fresh from the mason's hands.

To Remove Rust. A mixture of kerosene oil and emery powder rubbed on with a piece of cloth makes steel as bright as a button. But as prevention is better than cure, to prevent the formation of rust the bright steel should be painted with wax varnish, made by dissolving 1 part of solid paraffin in 15 parts of benzole. This is a much more cleanly application than such fatty compounds as white lead and oil, and is well suited for steel grates and similar goods.

Transparent Paints for Glass. Take for a blue pigment Prussian blue, for red crimson lake, for yellow Indian yellow, for brown burnt sienna, for black lamp-black, and for other shades a mixture of the appropriate colors. Rub them in a size made as follows: Venice turpentine 2 ounces, oil of turpentine 1 ounce, and apply with a brush. For temporary purposes, fine and brilliant colors are obtained by dissolving aniline dyes in white shellac varnish, but they are fleeting colors, and do not always pay for the trouble.

Useful Size. A useful preparatory size can be made by boiling a handful of the leaves of wormwood and two or three heads of garlic in a quart of water, until the liquid is reduced to one-half, then strain it through a cloth, and add half a handful of common salt, and nearly half