This section is from the book "Wrinkles And Recipes, Compiled From The Scientific American", by Park Benjamin. Also available from Amazon: Wrinkles and Recipes, Compiled From The Scientific American.
Dip in grease to assist penetration.
To ease a nut that is a little too tight upon a bolt, place it upon the bolt, and, resting it upon an iron anvil or block, strike the upper side with a hammer, turning the nut so that not more than two blows will fall upon the same face. The smaller the nut, the lighter the blows should be, and vice versa.
To start a nut that is corroded in its place, so that an ordinary wrench fails to move it, strike a few sharp blows upon its end face; then holding a dull chisel across the chamfer of the nut, strike the chisel-head several sharp blows, which will, in a majority of cases, effect the object.
These should have their surfaces smoothed, and be then slightly heated and waxed all over with the best beeswax.
In making a pattern for a brass bedding in a circular bed, first make the pattern at the same curve as the bed, and then pare off the centre of the crown-bed about 1/64 inch for every inch of diameter of bore of the brass; the reasons for this are explained in treating of patterns for semi-octagonal bedding-brasses.
To get a pattern to fit closely over an irregular casting having angles, projections, or crooks in it (such as is often required to make a casting with which to patch cylinders or junctions of pipes), take a piece of sheet-lead, and hammer it lightly with a round pene-hammer, closing it round the casting until it will, by stretching where it is requisite, conform strictly to the shape of the surface, however irregular it may be. The moulder can then cast a patch from the sheet-lead, making-it of any required thickness.
These should never be left in the foundry, where they are liable to warp from the excessive range of temperature.
Bore grooves out of the bearings, 1 1/2 inches wide and 1/3 inch deep and 1 1/2 inches apart, put them at an angle of 45° with the face of the brass, and fill up said grooves with soft Babbitt metal. Then when cinder or iron gets in, it will travel but a short distance before it reaches the soft metal, and the motion of the roll will imbed it therein so that it can not protrude and score the neck, as it would were it to stick in the brass.
Dip in dilute sulphuric acid 1 part commercial acid to 10 water; wash in hot lime-water, and dry in the tumbler with dry sawdust.
For castings, such as pipes or small cylinders, fine sand, termed No. 1, is used, the facing being plumbago. A good facing for loam castings is made of 1 part Whitehead sand to 3 parts fire-sand. For very fine-faced castings, Albany or Waterford sand is unsurpassed. Another facing for fine castings is 1 part of sea-coal to 8 or 10 of Albany sand; for heavy castings, however, 1 to 5 will answer
 
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