g, procure some very thin starch, with
which write with a quill pen (which should be a soft one) anything that
fancy may dictate. Suffer it to dry perfectly; examine the paper upon
which you have written, and not one letter can be distinguished by the
naked eye. Procure a little iodine, which is an elementary body, dissolve
it in water, and with a camel's hair pencil, a quill, or any other
convenient article, dipped in the solution, slightly rub the paper on the
side which has been written upon; the writing will instantly appear as
distinctly visible as if written with the finest ink ever invented.

RED PRINTING INK.

Red printing ink may be made in this way:--Boil linseed oil until smoke is
given off. Set the oil then on fire, and allow it to burn until it can be
drawn out into strings half an inch long. Add one pound of resin for each
quart of oil, and one-half pound of dry, brown soap cut into slices. The
soap must be put in cautiously, as the water in the soap causes a violent
commotion. Lastly, the oil is ground with a sufficient pigment on a stone
by means of a muller. Vermilion, red lead, carmine, Indian red, Venetian
red, and the lakes are all suitable for printing inks.

TO PREVENT ELECTROTYPE BLOCKS FROM WARPING.

To prevent electrotype blocks from warping, shrinking or swelling, place
them in a shallow pan or dish, cover with kerosene oil and let them soak
as long as possible, say three or four days. Then wipe dry and place in
the form. After the first two or three washings they may swell a little;
if so, have them carefully dressed down, and after that you will have
little or no trouble with them, and can leave them in the form just as you
would were they solid.

BLACK PRINTING INK.

To make a good, permanent black printing ink, take

Balsam copaiva 9 oz.
Best lampblack 3 oz.
Prussian blue 1-1/2 oz.
Indian red 0-3/4 oz.
Turpentine soap, dried 3 oz.

Grind on a stone until extreme fineness has been obtained. This ink will
work clear and sharp, and can easily be removed from the type.

SEALING WAX.

Following are formulas for making sealing wax:--Fine red sealing wax--Pale
shellac, 4 oz.; Venice turpentine, 10 drachms; English vermilion, 2 oz.
Ordinary red sealing wax--Shellac, 2 oz.; resin, 4 oz.; Venice
turpentine, 12 drachms; chrome red, 12 drachms. Cheap red bottle
wax--Resin, 10 oz.; turpentine, 1 oz.; beeswax, 1-