Cements

Cements of various kinds should be kept for occasional use.

Flour paste answers very well for slight purposes; if required stronger

than usual, boil a little Glue or put some powdered Resin in it. White

of Egg, or a solution of Glue and a strong Gum Water are good cements.

A paste made of Linseed Meal dries very hard and adheres firmly. A soft

cement is made of Yellow Wax, melted with its weight of Turpentine, and

a li tle Venetian Red to give it color. This when cool is as hard as

soap, and is very useful to stop up cracks, and is better to cover the

corks of bottles than sealing wax or hard cement.



The best cement for broken china or glass is that sold under the name

of Diamond cement; it is colorless and resists moisture. This is made

by soaking Isinglass in water until it is soft, and then dissolving it

in Proof Spirits; add to this a little Gum Ammoniac or Galbonam or

Mastic, both dissolved in as little Alcohol as possible. When the

cement is to be used, it must be gently liquified by placing the vial

containing it in boiling water. The vial must be well closed with a

good cork, not glass stopper, as they become forced. It is applied to

the broken edges by a camel's hair pencil.



When objects are not to be exposed to the moisture, the White of an Egg

alone is mixed with finely powdered Quicklime, will answer very well;

Shellac dissolved in water is better.



A very strong cement for all earthenware is made by boiling slices of

Skim-Milk Cheese and Water into a paste, then grinding the Quicklime in

a marble mortar, or on a slab with a mallet.