Select Collection of Valuable and Curious Arts and Interesting Experiments


This collection of projects and experiments was submitted by Rufus Tuttle, following an Act of Congress promoting education and learning. The projects were designed to be entertaining and educational, at a relatively low cost. - Summary by Lynne T (3 hr 3 min)

Chapters

Water-proof gilding and silvering, The art of burnish gilding, Ornamental bronz… 8:20
To enamel picture glasses with gold, To wash iron or steel with gold, To wash b… 6:09
To dye silk a brilliant gold colour, To dye silk a brilliant silver colour, 3:18
To silver looking glasses,To write on paper with gold or silver, 4:03
To make good shining black ink, Blue ink, Red ink, Yellow ink, Green ink, Purpl… 6:27
Sympathetic inks for secret correspondence 2:27
Luminous ink that will shine in the dark, To make a writing appear and disappea… 3:00
To paint a picture that will appear and disappear, Landscape painting on walls … 9:54
Best method of polishing steel, To make letters of blue on polished steel, To p… 6:05
To wash iron or steel with copper, To give iron the whiteness of silver, To was… 5:15
To give tin the whiteness and brilliancy of silver, To crystallize tin, To make… 4:30
To make shellac varnish for japanning, To make the best copal varnish, To make… 6:46
To make brunswick blacking, To make a print appear on a gold ground, Best metho… 9:57
Copper plate engraving, Etching on copper plates, Engraving and scraping in mez… 15:03
Etching letters and flowers on glass, To print figures with a smooth stone, To … 4:38
Best cement for joining glass, Best cement for joining china or crockery, To ma… 3:40
The art of moulding figures in relief, To cast images in plaster, 2:48
To produce embossed letters on marble, To soften stone, 2:14
To change wood, apparently, to stone, To render wood, cloth or paper, fire proof 2:38
To produce fire readily, To make super-combustible matches, To make gun powder,… 6:53
To kindle a fire under water, To light a candle by application of ice, To form … 4:29
To make sky rockets and fire wheels, To produce detonating balloons, To prepare… 6:20
To freeze water in warm weather, To change the colours of animals, To give leat… 3:52
An easy method of extracting the essence of roses, To prepare various kinds of … 4:29
To produce metallic trees, To tin copper by boiling, A metal that will melt in … 2:18
Illustration of calico printing, To prepare an imitation of gold bronze, 5:00
To procure the exhilarating gas, Construction of the galvanic pile or battery, … 7:49
To make a beautiful soft glass for jewelry, Composition of various kinds of gla… 5:19
To produce various kinds of gas, Various chemical tests, To produce a picture i… 5:27
A cheap imitation of silver bronze, To make crayons of various colours, To make… 12:36
Appendix 12:06