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Browning for Gun Barrels

Mix 1 ounce each aqua-fortis and sweet spirits of nitre; 4 ounces powdered blue vitriol; 2 agitate until dissolved. ounces tincture of iron, and water, 14 pints; of each 1 ounce; water, 1 pint; dissolve as Or: Blue vitriol and sweet spirits of nitre, last.

Or: Mix equal parts of butter of antimony and sweet oil, and apply the mixture to the iron previously warmed. 3823. To Make Bronze Powder for Plaster Casts, &c. To a solution of sodasoap in linseed oil, cleared by straining, add a mixture of 4 pints sulphate of copper solution, and 1 pint sulphate of iron solution, which precipitates a metallic soap of a pecu-ished and then rubbed with whiting to remove liar bronze hue; wash with cold water, strain, and dry to powder. 3829. Το Brown Gun Barrels. The gun barrel to be browned must be first polall oily matter. Its two ends should be stopped with wooden rods, which serve as handles, and the touch-hole filled with wax. Then rub on the solution (see last receipt) with a linen rag or sponge till the whole surface is equally through a coarse canvas cloth, and allow to then rub it off with a stiff brush. The liquid stand until clear; 15 ounces of this soap var- may be again applied until a proper color is nish, mixed with 12 ounces metallic soap produced. When this is the case, wash in powder (see last receipt), and 5 ounces fine pearlash water, and afterwards in clean water, white wax, are to be melted together at a and then polish, either with the burnisher or gentle heat in a porcelain basin, by means of with bees' wax; or apply a coat of shellac a water-bath, and allowed to remain for a varnish. (See No. 2954.)

3824. To Bronze Plaster Casts, &c.

The powdered soap of the last receipt is thus applied: Boil 3 pounds pure linseed oil with 12 ounces finely powdered litharge; strain moistened. Let it remain till the next day, time in a melted state to expel any moisture that it may contain; it is then applied with a brush to the surface of the plaster previously heated to 200° Fahr., being careful to lay it on smoothly, and without filling up any small indentations of the plaster design. Place it for a few days in a cool place; and, as soon as the smell of the soap varnish has gone off, rub the surface over with cotton wool, or fine linen rag, and variegated with a few streaks of metal powder or shell gold. Small objects may be dipped in the melted mixture, and exposed to the heat of a fire till thoroughly penetrated and evenly coated with it.