1961. To Fix Pencil or Crayon Drawings

1961.    To Fix Pencil or Crayon Drawings. A convenient method of fixing pencil or crayon drawings consists in moistening the back of the sheet with a solution of bleached shellac in alcohol, care being taken not to have the solution either too concentrated or too thin, but such as will flow readily on the paper, making it transparent when moist, and leaving no spots behind on evaporation. In this way the drawings will become permanently fixed, and may afterward be painted in water-colors so as to produce a very excellent effect.

1962. To Fix Pencil Drawings

1962.    To Fix Pencil Drawings. A simple method, and sufficient for general pur-poses, is to put into a large flat dish, a mixture of equal parts milk and water. The back of the drawing should be floated over the surface of the milk and water once or twice, according to the thickness of the paper, sufficient to wet it through, but not enough to allow any of the liquid to run on the surface of the drawing. Pin it on a line to dry. Some prefer using pure milk.

1963. To Take Creases out of Drawing Paper or Engravings

1963.     To Take Creases out of Drawing Paper or Engravings. Lay the paper or engraving, face downwards, on a sheet of smooth, unsized white paper; cover it with another sheet of the same, very slightly damped, and iron with a moderately warm flat iron.

1964. To Make Parchment Transparent

1964.     To Make Parchment Transparent. Soak a thin skin of parchment in a strong lye of wood ashes, often wringing it out till you find it becomes transparent; then strain it on a frame, and let it dry. This will be much improved if, after it is dry, it receives a coat, on both sides, of clear mastic varnish, diluted with spirits of turpentine.

1965. To Make Artificial Parchment

1965.    To Make Artificial Parchment. De la Rue's patent. Strong unsized paper is immersed for a few seconds in oil of vitriol, diluted with half its volume of water. It is then washed in pure water or weak ammonia water. It strongly resembles animal parchment, and is used for the same purposes. The acid solution must be exactly of the strength indicated, and not warmer than the surrounding atmosphere.

1966. To Paste Parchment Paper

1966.     To Paste Parchment Paper. Thick, smooth paper does not generally hold long when pasted together or on wood. This difficulty is easily overcome. If the surface of that part of the paper which is to be joined be first moistened with alcohol or brandy, and the glue or paste then be applied, the union will be perfect. A piece of very thin paper inserted between the surfaces of the parchment paper will also make a firm joint. Glue or paste should be used, as gum-arabic will not answer.

1967. New Method of Making Parchment Paper

1967.    New Method of Making Parchment Paper. An improved method of preparing this substance, consists in using the commercial oil of vitriol in an undiluted state. The paper is first passed through a solution of alum, and thoroughly dried, previous to its immersion, thus preventing any undue action of the corrosive principle of the vitriol. After the application of the acid, the paper is passed into a vat of water, and then through an alkaline bath, to be again washed. Written and printed paper may undergo this improved process without materially affecting the clearness and distinctness of the letters, and the paper retains all its qualities, even after being wetted several times in succession, while paper prepared in the usual manner loses, to a great extent, its pliancy, and becomes hard and stiff.