Or, if necessary, a patch of zinc or sheet tin may be applied by covering the patch and the surface of the tin with soldering liquid and solder, and laying on the patch before the solder cools.
Or, in place of solder, tin foil may be used to apply patches or to solder two pieces of soft metal together. Cut a piece of tin foil the size of the sur face to be soldered. Apply soldering liquid with a feather to both metal surfaces and place them in position with the tin foil between. Apply to the outer surface an iron hot enough to strike through and melt the foil. When cold, the two surfaces will be found to be soldered together.
Or, to apply a zinc or lead patch to soft metals, simply moisten both surfaces with soldering liquid, put the patch in place, and hold a kerosene or an alcohol lamp flame beneath it. This will cause the surfaces of the zinc or lead to run and fuse to gether.
To Mend Tin Pans without Solder. —Use soft putty. Push it through the hole from the outside. Smooth on both sides with a knife after the manner of a rivet, and let stand until hard. This is not only a quick and easy way to make temporary repairs, but one that will withstand all ordi nary treatment and may never need to be repeated.
Hard Solder. — Metals which fuse only at high temperatures, as iron, gold, copper, and silver, and their al loys, brass, bronze, and others, require a hard solder. The proportions rec ommended for different metals are as follows: Steel solder, 19 silver; 1 copper; 2 brass. Or 2 copper; 1 zinc.
Gold solder, 7 silver; 1 copper. Fuse with borax. Or 2 gold; 1 sil ver; 1 copper. Or 3 gold; 3 silver; 1 copper; zinc.
Silver solder, 2 silver; 1 brass with borax. Or 4 silver; 3 brass; A- zinc with borax.
Brass solder, 3 copper; 1 zinc with borax.
Platinum solder, gold with borax. Iron solder, tough brass with borax. Copper solder, 6 brass; 1 zinc; 1 tin.
To prepare the above, melt the met als together, mix thoroughly, and pour in molds to cool. To apply, make the surfaces perfectly dean and smooth. Cover with soldering liquid and sprin kle with powdered rosin or borax. Ap ply the solder in melted form and smooth with a soldering iron.
Tin in Grains.—Melt grain tin and pour it into a wooden box, the inside of which has been rubbed with chalk or whiting. Close the cover and shake violently until the tin is reduced to powder. Wash in clean water and dry.
Tin Filings.—Melt grain tin in an iron vessel and stir briskly while cool ing until it becomes a powder. Af terwards sift to the required size.
Oxide of Tin. —Dissolve tin in a mixture of nitric and muriatic acids in a closed vessel. Precipitate the oxide with an alkaline solution, as caustic potash or soda. Pour off the liquid, rinse in clean water, and dry.
Huriate of Tin.—Melt tin and pour from a height of 5 or 6 feet into clean water. This reduces the tin to small particles. Or take filings of grain tin. Add to each ounce of tin 8 ounces of muriatic acid. Bottle and
cork tightly for use. This is used in dyeing scarlet colors.
Nitrate of Tin.—Mix 8 ounces of aquafortis with 8 ounces of soft water, and add slowly ounce of sal am moniac and 2 drams of saltpeter. To this add gradually 1 ounce of melted tin poured into cold water from a height, or tin filings or tin in grains, letting each piece dissolve before add ing another. When dissolved, bottle and cork tightly. Used in dyeing yellow.
To Crystallize Tin. — Warm any block-tin article over the fire and rub it with a cloth dipped in a solution of 1 spoonful of muriatic acid, 1 spoonful of nitric acid, and 8 spoon fuls of water. Measure with an old spoon that will not be harmed. After wards lacquer with a colored varnish.
To Make a Tin Tree.—Fill a clear glass vessel with water, to which add 3 drams of muriate of tin and 10 drops of nitric acid. Suspend near the top from a thread a strip of zinc of irregular shape, and let stand where it will not be shaken. The tin will be deposited on the zinc in vege table-like forms.
Pewter.—Pewter is a name some what loosely applied to various alloys of tin with lead and other metals. Hard pewter may consist of 12 tin, 1 antimony, copper. A better grade consists of 100 tin, 17 antimony. A common pewter consists of 7 tin, 1 lead, copper, it zinc.
Or 100 tin, 8 antimony, 4 copper, 1 bismuth.
Other important alloys of tin are: Babbitt metal, 8 tin; 4 lead; 1 anti mony. The composition of this was formerly closely guarded as a trade secret.
To prepare this alloy, melt 4 pounds of copper; add gradually 12 pounds of best banca tin, then 8 pounds of antimony; finally,12 pounds addition al tin. This is a soft alloy invented by Mr. Isaac Babbitt of Boston. It is used to line boxes for axles and gudgeons to diminish friction and abrasion, especially in steamboats and locomotives. Mr. Babbitt, the in ventor, was a goldsmith who made at his native town the first Britannia ware produced in the United States. He received a gold medal for the in vention of Babbitt metal, and Con gress presented him with $20,000.
metal, 75 to 94 tin; 5 to 10 antimony; 2 to 8 bismuth.
Pewter, 4 tin; 1 lead.
Queen's metal, 9 tin; 1 lead; 1 bis muth; 1 antimony. Or 9 tin; 1 bis muth; 2 lead; 1 antimony. Or 10 tin; 8 antimony; 1 bismuth; 4 copper.
Speculum metal, 1 tin; 2 copper.
Bell metal, 22 tin; 78 copper, with sometimes a little zinc and lead.
Gun metal, 1 tin; 9 copper.
Sheathing for ships, 1 tin; 32 cop per.
Fusible metal, 1 tin; 1 lead; 2 bis muth. This melts at 200.7° F.
An amalgam of tin and mercury is used for coating mirrors, and •type metal for fine work contains a small amount of tin.
In addition to the above, 29 pounds of tin and 19 pounds of lead make a very fusible and brilliant alloy.
Equal parts of tin and zinc make an alloy almost as strong as slim or brass.