Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/122

and then re-varnish. Keep the picture covered from dust till the varnish is quite dry.

To Waterproof Calico.—One quart of boiled linseed oil, one ounce of soft soap, one ounce of beeswax, boil down to three-fourths the previous quantity. Apply with a brush on one side of the calico only.

Shark Oil.—This oil is much esteemed by seamen for the purpose of waterproofing or preserving their sea boots, &c. The process of extracting it is far from pleasant as the liver becomes putrid before all the oil is out of it. I have only seen it done in a primitive manner, so it may not be so unpleasant if done over a fire. Hang the liver on a nail or strong peg in a place where the hottest of the sun will be upon it, putting a receptical underneath to catch the oil, which will begin to drip directly the liver begins to decay.

Another way is to throw the liver into something. A piece of bark bent together does as well as anything, or a blackfellow’s “Cooloman.” Chop up the liver roughly, and then raise one end of the bark so that the oil will run down to the other and into a receptacle placed there to receive it. Iguana oil is tried out in just the same way. It is wonderful what a quantity of oil there is even in one liver. I have only given the most primitive way of extracting in use in the bush where but a small quantity is required for personal use. Where the extraction of shark oil is an industry they try it out by fire, in large pots.

Machine Oil.—A good machine oil may be made by mixing three spoonsful of olive oil with one of kerosene.

Another.—Melt one teaspoonful of vaseline and add to it by degrees seven teaspoonsful of kerosene. Let it cool, and decant from the sediment.

To Colour an Old Portmanteau—Box or Bag.—First wash well and then rub over with a sponge dipped in warm water and a little oxalic acid. Then make a paste as follows—three

ounces of ivory black, one ounce of sulphuric acid, one ounce of muriatic acid, two ounces of coarse sugar, one lemon, one tablespoonful of sweet oil, and one pint of vinegar. Mix the ivory black and the sweet oil together first, then the lemon juice and the sugar with the vinegar, then the other two acids. Mix well and apply with a brush.

Arsenical Soap.—This can be bought from any chemist ready made, but being very expensive I give a recipe which is cheaper made than bought as a rule. Cut up one pound of common soap into shreds and put into an enamel saucepan with just two tablespoonsful of water over a slow fire. When the soap is melted remove from the fire and put into a basin, and add to it six ounces of salts of tartar and one ounce of powdered lime, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. It should now be about as thick as cream, and when nearly cold stir in about one pound of arsenic and six ounces of camphor, the latter reduced with a little gin. Put into pickle jars and in a week or so it will have hardened. This is a very good preparation and also very cheap. When using it gloves should be used to protect the hands and nails from the poison.

Home-made Candles.—Few people now-a-days make their own candles—because of the trouble they say—because they can’t make them as hard as the sperm candles in the shops. One cannot make sperm candles from tallow, but very good servicable candles can be made with a little care and trouble. First you require a mould, collect your tallow or mutton fat, cut it up and add about one pound of bees’ wax to about five or six pounds of tallow. Throw it all into water and boil for an hour in a large pot. Let it get cold and then cut the cake of fat out, and scrape off the soft underpart. Now make a weak lye of either ashes or soda, cut up your fat again into this and add to it one pound of alum and one pound of salt-