Invisible Ink.--Sulphuric acid 1 part, water 20 parts; mix together and write with a quill pen, which writing can only be read after heating it.
Fine Peppermint Lozenges.--Best powdered white sugar, 7 pounds; pure starch, 1 pound; oil of peppermint to flavor. Mix with mucilage.
India Ink.--Ivory black ground into powder, make into a paste with a few drops of essence of musk, and one half as much essence of ambergris, and then form into cakes.
To Preserve Flowers in Water.--Mix a little carbonate of soda in the water, and it will keep the flowers a fortnight.
Ginger Lozenges.--Mix with the white of eggs four ounces of powdered ginger, two pounds of white sugar, and one pound of starch.
To Restore the Color of Black Kid Boots.--Take a small quantity of good black ink, mix it with the white of an egg, and apply it to the boots with a soft sponge.
Color for Wicker Baskets, or any small Articles of the Kind.--Dissolve one stick of black sealing-wax and one stick of red in two ounces of spirits of wine. Lay it on with a small brush.
To Remove Stains from Books.--To remove ink-spots, apply a solution of oxalic, citric, or tartaric acid. To remove spots of grease, wax, oil, or fat, wash the injured part with either, and place it between white blotting-paper. Then, with a hot iron, press above the part stained.
To Clean Black Veils.--Pass them through a warm liquor of bullock’s gall and water; rinse in cold water; then take a small piece of glue, pour boiling water on it, and pass the veil through it; clap it, and frame to dry. Instead of framing, it may be fastened with drawing-pins closely fixed upon a very clean paste or drawing-board.
To Clean a Marble Chimney Piece.--If the marble is white, procure half a pound of pearlash, one pound of whiting, and half a pound of soft soap; boil all these ingredients together until they attain the consistence of a thick paste. When nearly cold, lay it upon the marble, and let it remain on it for at least twenty-four hours. Wash it off with soft water, and polish with linen rags. Spirits of turpentine is excellent for cleaning black marble.
Oil Stains in Silk and other Fabrics.--Benzine is most effectual, not only for silk, but for any other material whatever. It can be procured from any druggist. By simply covering both sides of greased silk with magnesia, and allowing it to remain for a few hours, the oil is absorbed by the powder. Should the first application be insufficient, it may be repeated, and even rubbed in with the hand. Should the silk be Tussah or Indian silk, it will wash.