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.

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To Sharpen and Set a Saw

First, run a file along the edge of the teeth till you see them range in a direct line; then lay the blade on a smooth piece of lead, or on the end of a trying-plane, and with a square phuric acid and 4 ounce cider vinegar, which will cause the files to assume a red appearance at first, but they will in a short time resume their natural color. Then they must be removed, washed in cold water, and dried by artificial heat. When dry, they must be sponged with olive oil, wrapped in porous paper, and laid aside for use.

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