Encyclopedia of Practical Receipts and Processes

How to silver a mirror, brew ginger beer, kill moths, make fireworks, tan a hide, bronze iron, cure a ham and clean a straw hat: William B. Dick's numbered encyclopedia answered the questions a nineteenth-century household actually had.

HomeHouse Painting › To Remove Hard Putty

To Remove Hard Putty

This may be effected with a paste of caustic potassa, prepared by mixing the caustic alkali, or even carbonate of potash or soda, with equal parts of freshly burnt quicklime, which has previously been sprinkled with water, so as to cause it to fall into powder. This mixture is then made with water to a paste, and spread on the putty to be softened. Where one application is not sufficient, it is repeated. In order to prevent the paste from drying too quickly, it is well to mix it with less water, adding some soft-soap.

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