Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/457

 �FOR PRACTICAL WORKERS

��A Pliable Metal Screen Fabric as a Substitute for Glass

AFxABRIC which has the strength and lasting qualities of metal and which may be bent to any shape and used as a substitute for glass in windshields, as screens for lamps and lanterns, and for many o r n a - mental p u r - poses may be easily prepar- ed from ordi- nary' mosquito netting and glue, colored according t o taste and to the use to which it is to be put.

Take 2 oz. of gelatine or glue and let it stand for one-half

hour in 32 oz. of water, then place the vessel containing the glue in a saucepan of boiling hot water and let it remain un- til the glue is melted. Do not try to hasten the melting by setting the vessel over the flame, as this will spoil the setting properties of the glue. Strain the liquid through wet cheesecloth into a heated tray. Have at hand several pieces of mosquito netting, 6 or 8 in. wide, and cut across the entire width of the roll, which is usually 30 in. wide. If this netting is previous- ly coated with nickel or zinc by electro-deposition it will make a stronger fabric. Grip the strip at the ends and pass it slowly through the hot glue, so that the formation of air spaces may be prevented. Suspend the

���strip for one hour or until thoroughly dried.

Having thus prepared several of these strips, take each one singly, bend it into U-shape and pass it backward and forward through a solution composed of 2 oz. of 40 per cent formaldehyde and 32 oz. of clear water. Suspend to dry without washing. This will set the glue so thoroughly that it will be insoluble even in boiling water. When the strips are dn,- they may be dyed any color with analine dyes. Common red ink will dye the fabric a brilliant red for the photographic dark- room and blue ink will furnish just the right shade for de- veloping paper prints.

This fabric is light, pliable, fireproof and waterproof. It is semi-trans- parent and can be rolled up and packed away, and will lend itself to any number of uses.

Owing to the pliability and texture of the material it can be readily cut into any desired shape or size to fill in a window sash. Large trays may be used and relatively large pieces of the net- ting prepared in a like manner, to be used for porch screens or sun parlors.

���After the netting has been prepared in this way it is non-inflammable

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