To color shells : Dissolve a little lac dye in a solution of chloride of
tin, and, having made the shells thoroughly clean, dip them in this prep-
aration until they are of the desired color. The dye should be just
boiled and then allowed to stand and settle.
The etching, of shells is done by means of acids. The parts not to
be acted up^n must be protected by a so-called etching ground, which
consists of k tnin layer of varnish blackened in a flame, so as to see
plainly the figures afterward drawn out. Be careful, when doing this,
to make a clear drawing or writing, in which the shell is exposed at the
bottom of every line, as any remaining varnish would protect those
parts, and the writing would not be brought out. The acid, either
strong acetic, diluted nitric, or muriatic, is then applied, and, when its
action is sufficient, it is washed off with water ; the varnish is rubbed off
with turpentine or alcohol, when the drawing or lettering will appear
and look as if cut in with an engraver's tool. The design may also be
drawn with varnish on the shell by means of a fine brush ; then the
acid will dissolve the surface around the lines drawn, and the writing
will appear in relief, the letters being elevated in place of being sunk in,
as by the former process. The latter is the most common way in which
these shells are treated. This method is applied to many other objects ;
all that is wanted being a liquid dissolving the material to be acted
upon, with a varnish to protect some parts from its action. ,
SHELL FLOWERS.
Groups of artificial flowers may be made with shells of a common
kind. Some are made simply of white, buff, or pink tinted shells of
the common kind, so abundant on many coasts, and which resemble
somewhat the nails of the fingers. These shells can also be purchased
in any quantity, at the stores where articles for fancy work are sold.
Other shells are painted entirely, or in stripes.
Most of the flowers are made by means of a cement in the first place.
Melt to a moderate consistency a quantity of gum tragacanth and a
little alum ; mix this into a thick paste with plaster of Paris and a small
piece of sugar of lead. Make a ball of this the shape of an orange —
336 SHELLS.
that is, a flattened round — and about a third the size of an orange.
Let this nearly dry ; then take a stiff, strong wire, long enough for a
flower stem, wind it round with a strip of green tissue paper, half an
inch wide ; thrust it into the ball of cement upon which the flower is to
be constructed; place the wire with the cement at the top in a tumbler
or vase long enough to hold it comfortably, first taking a stout card,
larger than the mouth of the bottle or vase, with a hole cut in it just the
size to admit the wire stem easily, and placing it over the tumbler.
Tftis keeps the work steady.
Set in the shells according to the flower to be represented, and let
it remain untouched until the flower is quite dry. Then take a few
short leaves with the stalks cut off and wires removed, and gum them
to the back of the flower so that they may project all around partially.
Page 297
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
To color shells : Dissolve a little lac dye in a solution of chloride of tin, and, having made the shells thoroughly clean, dip them in this preparation until they are of the desired color. The dye should be just boiled and then allowed to stand and settle.
The etching, of shells is done by means of acids. The parts not to be acted upon must be protected by a so-called etching ground, which consists of a thin layer of varnish blackened in a flame, so as to see plainly the figures afterward drawn out. Be careful, when doing this, to make a clear drawing or writing, in which the shell is exposed at the bottom of every line, as any remaining varnish would protect those parts, and the writing would not be brought out. The acid, either strong acetic, diluted nitric, or muriatic, is then applied, and, when its action is sufficient, it is washed off with water ; the varnish is rubbed off with turpentine or alcohol, when the drawing or lettering will appear and look as if cut in with an engraver's tool. The design may also be drawn with varnish on the shell by means of a fine brush ; then the acid will dissolve the surface around the lines drawn, and the writing will appear in relief, the letters being elevated in place of being sunk in, as by the former process. The latter is the most common way in which these shells are treated. This method is applied to many other objects ; all that is wanted being a liquid dissolving the material to be acted upon, with a varnish to protect some parts from its action. ,
SHELL FLOWERS.
Groups of artificial flowers may be made with shells of a common kind. Some are made simply of white, buff, or pink tinted shells of the common kind, so abundant on many coasts, and which resemble somewhat the nails of the fingers. These shells can also be purchased in any quantity, at the stores where articles for fancy work are sold. Other shells are painted entirely, or in stripes.
Most of the flowers are made by means of a cement in the first place. Melt to a moderate consistency a quantity of gum tragacanth and a little alum ; mix this into a thick paste with plaster of Paris and a small piece of sugar of lead. Make a ball of this the shape of an orange —
336 SHELLS.
that is, a flattened round — and about a third the size of an orange. Let this nearly dry ; then take a stiff, strong wire, long enough for a flower stem, wind it round with a strip of green tissue paper, half an inch wide ; thrust it into the ball of cement upon which the flower is to be constructed; place the wire with the cement at the top in a tumbler or vase long enough to hold it comfortably, first taking a stout card, larger than the mouth of the bottle or vase, with a hole cut in it just the size to admit the wire stem easily, and placing it over the tumbler. Tftis keeps the work steady.
Set in the shells according to the flower to be represented, and let it remain untouched until the flower is quite dry. Then take a few short leaves with the stalks cut off and wires removed, and gum them to the back of the flower so that they may project all around partially.