Blotting paper

“ Blotting paper should not be used upon records. Its use removes the body of the ink, leaving discoloration, but nothing for penetration. In inks intended for copying, the employment of blotting paper is especially bad. ”

“ Dunbar gives a recipe for making blotting paper which has been found successful, and from which we make a few extracts. In selecting materials for blotting, of high-class, cotton rags of the weakest and tenderest description procurable should be chosen. Boil them with 4 lbs. of caustic soda to the cwt.—that is, if you have no facilities for boiling them in lime alone. When furnished to the breaking-engine, wash the rags thoroughly before letting down the roll; when this is done, reduce them to half-stuff, and as soon as possible convey them to the potcher. ”

“ If in lieu of albumen paper, one employs paper prepared with a thin coating of gelatine, and dissolves the not acted on gelatine in warm water, a very fine positive image is obtained by means of acidified inks which will fix themselves on the bare paper.
Positive impressions from positive clichés can also be obtained in operating in the following manner: On its removal from the printing frame the proof is washed, sponged between sheets of blotting paper, then covered with not acidi­fied India ink mixed with potassium bichromate, and, when dry, exposed from the verso to the action of light. ”

“ Before floating the paper the surface of the solution should be examined for scum or bubbles, both of which may be removed by passing a strip of clean blotting-paper across it. The dish employed should be scrupulously clean, and in cold weather it is a good plan to warm both it and the solution before the fire previous to use. In warm weather, the albumen of the paper may be in a very horny condition, which increases the liability to form bubbles. ”

“ Paper for Taking Out Ink Stains.
Thick blotting paper is soaked in a concentrated solution of oxalic acid and dried. Laid immediately on a blot it takes it out without leaving a trace behind.
Qualities of Good Paper.
A good paper ought to feel tight and healthy, not clammy and soft, as if a little muscle were required. Paper-makers say that a good paper has “plenty of guts” in it, a forcible if not extremely polite expression. In buying a good paper always look out for the “guts.” Clay gives paper a soft feel. ”

“ The purposes of loading are to fill the spaces between the fibres, to give opacity to papers, such as those made of sulphite wood pulp, which would otherwise be very transparent, and to enable the paper to take a higher finish than would be possible in a paper without loading: a smoother and more absorbent, even if a little weaker, sheet, resulting. In a blotting paper mineral matter is an adulteration; in writing papers 5 per cent, is sufficient for improvement of surface; in printings 10 to 16 per cent, is as much as is permissible. ”

“ The sheet is first moistened with dilute acid and placed between sheets of blotting paper, in order that the superfluous moisture may be absorbed. The ink resists the acid, which attacks the blanks only. ”

“ Ink applied to the surface of paper from which the sizing has been removed will show more or less tendency to spread, as upon blotting paper, and although this may be so slight as to escape the notice of the naked eye, it will be plainly visible under the microscope, and on a photographic enlargement the rough edges of the marks will be very pronounced. ”

“ And he held up a sheet of blotting paper, and a crumpled envelope.
"A letter has been blotted on this sheet," he said, "and by holding it up to the light and looking through it, one can, of course, read what was written. But before I read it, I will tell you from where this sheet was taken. It was taken from a blotting book in the drawing-room of Mrs. Assheton's house in Sussex Square. An expert in handwriting will soon tell the gentlemen of the jury in whose hand he without doubt considers it to be written. ”

“ Another sheet of blotting-paper is then laid over it; and, a number of similar specimens being formed into a pile, the whole is submitted to pressure, the paper being changed every hour or two at first. The pressure is increased, and the papers are changed less frequently as the specimens become dry, which usually takes place in thirty-six hours. Some species, especially those of a thick or leathery texture, contract so much in drying that without strong pressure the edges of the paper become puckered. ”

“ The print is first wiped over on the back with a damp cloth, and then laid on damp blotting-paper. After about five minutes the print is treated a second time with a damp cloth, and then laid between damp blotting-paper. ”

“ Paste the laps to the back of the foundation, being very careful to place the corners in exact position. Leave the sheets of blotting paper under the corners until after the whole has been pressed; otherwise the weight would crush the corners. When putting in new sheets of blotting paper, they can be more easily slipped under the corners if a small triangle has been cut from each corner of the blotting paper. A sheet of lining paper about 3⁄8 of an inch shorter and narrower than the foundation should be pasted to the back. ”

“ Each sheet, as it is removed from the albumen, is to be pinned up by the marked corner on a long slip of wood, which must be provided for the purpose. In pinning it up, be careful that the albumenized side takes an inward curl, otherwise, from there being two angles of incidence, streaks will form from the middle of the paper. During the drying, remove from time to time, with a piece of blotting-paper, the drop of fluid which collects at the lower corner of the paper. ”

“ If the paper intended to be used is properly interleaved between this damp blotting-paper, and allowed to remain there twelve hours at least before it is to be iodized, it will be found to work most easily. It should be barely as damp as paper which is intended to be printed on. {41}This arrangement will be found exceedingly useful for damping evenly cardboard and printed positives when they are intended to be mounted, so as to ensure their perfect flatness.
It is quite immaterial whether the paper is floated on a solution or applied with a glass rod. ”

“ As the flower pot has often to be lifted off for introduction or removal of the press, and as it gets quite hot, a holder of some kind is requisite. A piece of heavy blotting paper is very convenient for this purpose. ”

“ Dinner over, we produced a bundle of pens, a copious supply of ink, and a goodly show of writing and blotting paper. For, there was something very comfortable in having plenty of stationery. ”

“ This exciting fluid may be applied either directly {599}by means of the glass rod, or by floating, as before, and then the glass rod. But if floating is resorted to, then a larger quantity must be prepared. As soon as it is applied the paper should be blotted off by means of blotting-paper (which should never be used more than once in this way, although preserved for other purposes) , and put into the dark frames for use. ”

“ The blotter should be white, perfectly clean, and of good weight. A thin, hard blotter will not produce a good raised letter as a softer one will. When the surface of a blotter has become covered with creases from repeated use, it should be discarded and a new one substituted.
Manner of Holding the Stylus When Tracing the Design on the Back Side of the Paper
As it is best to adopt a distinctive form of monogram or design for stationery and to use it without deviation, it should be selected or worked up with care until something is outlined that will suit. ”

“ The examination of various papers may prove interesting for example in linen rag paper, we ought to find some flax fibres, they will be sadly battered and torn but are usually recognisable under the microscope. Hemp paper is tough and is used for bank notes, in it some of the short tow fibres will probably occur and they will give a clue to its composition. Cotton rag paper is easily recognised for the fibres are very characteristic, a remark which also applies to jute paper, the so-called manila used for envelopes, wrappers, etc. ”

“ In various coated papers sheets with uneven coating or surface markings should not be included as "good" paper. A paper which is even in texture cannot be considered matched by a supply which is "wild" or cloudy in the look-through. Although wildness is sometimes accompanied by strength in paper, this is not always so, and it is desirable that printing papers should not be wild.
To analyse papers in order to discover chemical residues and to identify them requires some very delicate tests, and unless one has had an extensive chemical training, mistaken conclusions may result. ”

“ A photographic printing frame with a black disc on plain glass is a convenient method of testing, and if, after forty-eight hours in summer, and a proportionately longer period at other times, the difference between the exposed and protected areas is marked, the paper must not be used where a permanent colour is required. Some tints will bleach completely with the treatment, and should be avoided as stock lines. To test water-fastness a piece of paper is left in warm water, or placed in cold water and heated slowly. If the colour is soluble it will very soon tint the water. ”

“ The said blotter or type can be more easily repaired or replaced by a new one, at less expense than if made of solid metal.' It is plain, therefore, that elasticity in the material of which the blotter was to be composed was a distinctive feature of the blotting device thus separately claimed. Besides the advantages referred to in the foregoing extracts, its superior adaptability to hold indelible ink was evidently regarded by the inventor as important. ”

“ As a rule, however, it is preferable to use only one drop of a reagent, and to follow closely under a low power of the microscope, its action, both upon the material of paper and upon the ink of any writing, which it may render visible.
The detection of mechanical erasure, which as was mentioned above, is frequently indicated by the paper being thinner and more transparent at that place, is often rendered more certain by photography. ”

“ Sizing.—To test papers for efficiency of sizing write rather heavily upon the surface with ordinary pen and ink. Red ink is usually more penetrative than black, so it is better to use a good black ink as a standard test. As some papers, such as account book papers, have to stand erasure, they should be tested for ink bearing after abrasion of the surface.
To test for gelatine sizing cut up a small quantity of paper and boil for a few minutes in a beaker containing sufficient water to cover the paper. Pour off into a test tube, cool, add a few drops of a 2 per cent, solution of tannic acid. ”

“ Distilled water is very useful in many cases to ascertain whether paper has been scratched and partially sized or treated with resin. If it has not been altered by chemical agents, the partial sizing and the resinous matter used give to the paper a peculiar appearance. Sizing takes away from the whiteness of the paper, and, thinned by the scratching or washing, it absorbs much more quickly even when it has been partially sized.
A simple mode of operation is to place a document or paper suspected of being a forgery, on a sheet of paper or better still, on a piece of glass ”

“ For instance, if bleaching is carried on at too high a temperature, the white color obtained will not be permanent, and discoloration will occur after the paper is made. Much of the paper, which at first displays a brilliant white color, will afterward take on a yellowish tinge, especially if it is exposed to light. A comparison between the century-old hand-made papers and modern “fine writings,” makes the old papers appear a “natural” shade, but place both for a few hours in the sunlight and often the modern paper will fade, whereas the old sun-bleached papers remain unaltered. ”

“ Perhaps the first qualification about a good writing paper is its cleanliness and freedom from specks of all kinds. A dirty paper is never salable except to dirty people and firms who don’t mind using dirty materials.
Paste for Labels.
For adhesive labels dissolve 11⁄2 ozs. common glue, which has laid a day in cold water, with some candy sugar, and 3⁄4 oz. gum arabic, in 6 ounces hot water, stirring constantly till the whole is homogeneous. If this paste is applied to labels with a brush and allowed to dry, they will then be ready for use by merely moistening with the tongue. ”

“ These fibres are chiefly used for papers which require strength rather than whiteness of colour, such as wrapping papers, &c.
"Broke" paper is a term applied to paper which has been imperfectly formed on the paper machine or damaged while passing over the drying cylinders. Imperfect sheets when they are not sold as retree, and clean waste paper, also come under this designation and are re-converted into pulp after undergoing the treatment described below. ”

“ When this is the case, the paper must be carefully raised, the bubble dispersed, and the paper replaced. A thin paper requires to float for three minutes on the albumen, but a thicker one proportionably longer. At the end of that time raise the marked corner with the point of a blanket pin; then take hold of it with the finger and thumb, and so raise the sheet steadily and very slowly, that the albumen may drain off at the lower left corner. I urge this raising it very slowly, because air-bubbles are very apt to form on the albumen by the sudden snatching up of the paper. ”

“ To confirm the chemical tests which may be employed in the determination of the artificial aging of ink marks, photographs made by permitting light to transmit through the paper and to interfere with its rays by filtering them through a "color" screen containing orange and some green, will indicate the presence of a fugitive substance in the ink, usually the "added" color employed in its manufacture. ”