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Gold refining,—a new process
E~L!‘!ol’ildt.
12 in both
traveling
through
6.X) milts
of land wire, and working
o’ne
relay of the kind, whstcrer that may be, now used in the United States;’ the time occupied in en’ectin g such work being apparantly 0.07 of a second. New Paper for New Uses.-We all know to what gigantic proporfions the new industry implied in the term (‘paper collar ” has grown, but a new material which has just been introduced bids fair to cast this entirely into the shade, and to exert a very important influence upon the textile manufactures of the world, A material known as felted paper has been devised by M. Pavy, composed of New Zealand flax, jute, mallow, and the ordinary fibres of hemp and cotton, as well as some wool, silk, skin, &c., which are all reduced to (’pulp,” and treated in the usual way for paper-making. They produce a material of wonderful pliability and tenacity, about which and its uses our cotemporary, the London Afkchanics’ Magazine, expresses itself as follows :“It can be sewn together with as much ease, and makes as strong a seam, as the woven fabrics it is intended to replace. The uses to which this paper can be put are innumerable. We may mention a few of the articles we have seen at the office of Messrs. Roberts and Thorne, 82 Gracechurch street, City. First, petticoats, which no ‘girl of the period’ could resist. These may be printed exactly like the skirts now so fashionable, or they may be white, and have opcnwork stamped out in patterns, which scarcely any amount of labor The marvel is that they with scissors and needle could imitate. can bc sold retail for sixpence each-little more than the cost of washing a petticoat. JVe have, next, bed furniture of imitation These are printed with patterns of great cretonnes and chintzes. beauty, and a set of curtains will only cost five shillings. We have also quilts, which, besides being excellent non-conductors of heat, have a very ornamental appearance. White day-covers for beds are made withembossed patterns, and equally cheap. Whitetable-cloths, stamped with patterns in remarkably good taste, will, we are sure, soon ornament many a dinner-table, and serve to light the fires the day after the party, unless the host be of an economical turn and re-sells them to the paper-maker. But the material is also applied to articles of a more substantial character. Very good imitation leather is formed of it, and furniture-covering, and even shoes may be made. The last can be made impermeable to wet, by the introduction of oils and india-rubber. We have said enough to show
that a material is produced which will probably have considerable influence on some of our staple industries. Paper collars, it may be well supposed, have already bad a sensible influence on the linen trade, and the further extensive substitution of paper for woven fabrics must produce still greater changes.” (ToldRefining,--a New Process.-A newway of effecting the separation of the silver, in gold refining, has been recently introduced into the Mint at Sydney, Australia. In order to carry out the operation, a clay crucible is first prepared with borax, by dipping it into a hot saturated soIution of the salt,, and afterwards thoroughly drying it; all the pores of the crucible being by this means filled. The alloyed metal is melted in of borax being added the crucible thus prepared ; a small quantity during the process. A stream of chlorine gas is then caused to pass through the fused mass, and by uniting with the silver forms a chloride of silver, which rises to the top, and remains liquid after the purified gold has been cooled to such a degree as to become solid. After this the molten chloride is poured off, and the silver reduced by the usual chemical process. The previous saturation of the crucible with borax, is found to prevent it from absorbing the chloride, and obviates the loss which would otherwise result from the passage of the liquid chloride through the porous material of the crucible. Preserving Silver.-The loss of silver which results from the impregnation of our atmosphere with sulpbur compounds, especially where gas is burned, is very great. It has been said that many thousands of pounds worth go down our sewers annually in the form of dirt from plate-cleaning, and the loss of one large house on Cornbill, from this source, has been described to us as serious. Silversmith may, then, thank one of their confraternity, IIerr Strolberger, of Munich, for a happy thought. He seems to have tried various plans to save his silver, if possible. He covered his goods with a clear white varnish, but found that it soon turned yellow in the window, and spoilt the look of his wares. Then he tried water glass (solution of cilicste of potash), but this did not answer. He tried some other solutions, to no purpose ; but at Iast be hit upon the expedient of doing his goods over with a thin coating of collodion, which be finds to answer perfectly. No more loss of silver, and no longer incessant labor in keeping it clean. The plan be adopted is this :-He first warms the articles to be coated, and then
12 in both
traveling
through
6.X) milts
of land wire, and working
o’ne
relay of the kind, whstcrer that may be, now used in the United States;’ the time occupied in en’ectin g such work being apparantly 0.07 of a second. New Paper for New Uses.-We all know to what gigantic proporfions the new industry implied in the term (‘paper collar ” has grown, but a new material which has just been introduced bids fair to cast this entirely into the shade, and to exert a very important influence upon the textile manufactures of the world, A material known as felted paper has been devised by M. Pavy, composed of New Zealand flax, jute, mallow, and the ordinary fibres of hemp and cotton, as well as some wool, silk, skin, &c., which are all reduced to (’pulp,” and treated in the usual way for paper-making. They produce a material of wonderful pliability and tenacity, about which and its uses our cotemporary, the London Afkchanics’ Magazine, expresses itself as follows :“It can be sewn together with as much ease, and makes as strong a seam, as the woven fabrics it is intended to replace. The uses to which this paper can be put are innumerable. We may mention a few of the articles we have seen at the office of Messrs. Roberts and Thorne, 82 Gracechurch street, City. First, petticoats, which no ‘girl of the period’ could resist. These may be printed exactly like the skirts now so fashionable, or they may be white, and have opcnwork stamped out in patterns, which scarcely any amount of labor The marvel is that they with scissors and needle could imitate. can bc sold retail for sixpence each-little more than the cost of washing a petticoat. JVe have, next, bed furniture of imitation These are printed with patterns of great cretonnes and chintzes. beauty, and a set of curtains will only cost five shillings. We have also quilts, which, besides being excellent non-conductors of heat, have a very ornamental appearance. White day-covers for beds are made withembossed patterns, and equally cheap. Whitetable-cloths, stamped with patterns in remarkably good taste, will, we are sure, soon ornament many a dinner-table, and serve to light the fires the day after the party, unless the host be of an economical turn and re-sells them to the paper-maker. But the material is also applied to articles of a more substantial character. Very good imitation leather is formed of it, and furniture-covering, and even shoes may be made. The last can be made impermeable to wet, by the introduction of oils and india-rubber. We have said enough to show
that a material is produced which will probably have considerable influence on some of our staple industries. Paper collars, it may be well supposed, have already bad a sensible influence on the linen trade, and the further extensive substitution of paper for woven fabrics must produce still greater changes.” (ToldRefining,--a New Process.-A newway of effecting the separation of the silver, in gold refining, has been recently introduced into the Mint at Sydney, Australia. In order to carry out the operation, a clay crucible is first prepared with borax, by dipping it into a hot saturated soIution of the salt,, and afterwards thoroughly drying it; all the pores of the crucible being by this means filled. The alloyed metal is melted in of borax being added the crucible thus prepared ; a small quantity during the process. A stream of chlorine gas is then caused to pass through the fused mass, and by uniting with the silver forms a chloride of silver, which rises to the top, and remains liquid after the purified gold has been cooled to such a degree as to become solid. After this the molten chloride is poured off, and the silver reduced by the usual chemical process. The previous saturation of the crucible with borax, is found to prevent it from absorbing the chloride, and obviates the loss which would otherwise result from the passage of the liquid chloride through the porous material of the crucible. Preserving Silver.-The loss of silver which results from the impregnation of our atmosphere with sulpbur compounds, especially where gas is burned, is very great. It has been said that many thousands of pounds worth go down our sewers annually in the form of dirt from plate-cleaning, and the loss of one large house on Cornbill, from this source, has been described to us as serious. Silversmith may, then, thank one of their confraternity, IIerr Strolberger, of Munich, for a happy thought. He seems to have tried various plans to save his silver, if possible. He covered his goods with a clear white varnish, but found that it soon turned yellow in the window, and spoilt the look of his wares. Then he tried water glass (solution of cilicste of potash), but this did not answer. He tried some other solutions, to no purpose ; but at Iast be hit upon the expedient of doing his goods over with a thin coating of collodion, which be finds to answer perfectly. No more loss of silver, and no longer incessant labor in keeping it clean. The plan be adopted is this :-He first warms the articles to be coated, and then