Mustard plaster

“ Edna's laugh showed that she understood. "What a scheme!"
"Before we go to bed," said Janet, "we shall complete our arrangements. In this small tin box is mustard. Did it ever occur to you that an adhesive mustard plaster would be a good thing? When one must have a mustard plaster, it might be well to manufacture a kind that cannot come off. I may get out a patent for this. Hand me the mucilage, please, and the scissors. This muslin is for the plasters, so is the mucilage, so is the mustard. You cut them this size; you spread them first with mucilage, and then you sprinkle them with mustard. ”

“ Plasters and Poultices—Mustard Plasters.—Take a sufficient quantity of bread crumbs finely rubbed, add mustard in proportion to the required strength; form a poultice of the proper consistency, by adding vinegar or water. Dr. Wood thinks water preferable, as he is of the opinion that vinegar destroys an essential property of the mustard. Mustard employed for this purpose should be whole grain, fresh as can be procured, and bruised or mashed in a mortar, or by any other convenient means. When mustard cannot be procured, horse radish leaves may be substituted ”

“ Mustard leaves or Sinapisms may be bought at a drug store. They are no better than you can make. Use plasters.
Capsicum and Belladonna Plasters.—May be bought. In applying, heat the back of the plaster slightly; the face of the gauze is pulled off and the plaster placed where wanted. To remove soak first with alcohol.
Spice plaster.—Mix two teaspoonfuls each of ginger and cloves with a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, one tablespoonful of flour, enough brandy or water to make a paste. Spread this between two layers of muslin. ”

“ When the pieces are not exactly round, and cannot be thrown or pressed on jiggers, it is the custom to have them made in plaster moulds, which have been cast on models prepared for the purpose. As long as the clay keeps soft, it takes the shape of any hard substance against which it is pressed, and for that reason, plaster, which has the property of absorbing moisture readily, is preferred. ”

“ Plaster-casting in General
It is not a difficult matter to reproduce in plaster almost any object that has no undercut or parts that will not easily detach from a mould. When making them, the first thing to do is to get a piece of board about a foot square; that is to work on, so as not to soil the table. Then you want a lump of clay about as big as a football, five or six pounds of plaster of Paris—it only costs three cents a pound—and a half-dozen wooden pegs. ”

“ When the painter has to paint over holes and cracks in walls recently filled by the plasterer, he will be likely to have to deal with plaster made in part of fresh lime. In such cases, it is always best to soak the newly plastered places with strong vinegar, to kill as much as possible the caustic properties of the lime. Put on the vinegar plentifully and let it soak in; when dry, give the new plaster a coat of size made of linseed oil, japan and turpentine; when dry, put on a coat of white shellac before painting. ”

“ See Mortar.
Plaster of Paris. Calcined sulphate of lime. See Alabaster, Gypsum, Lime, &c.
PLASTER. (In pharmacy.) Syn. Emplastrum, L. Plasters (emplastra) are external applications that possess sufficient consistence not to adhere to the fingers when cold, but which become soft and adhesive at the temperature of the human body.
Plasters are chiefly composed of unctuous substances united to metallic oxides, or to powders, wax, or resin. They are usually formed, whilst warm, into 1⁄2-lb. ”

“ The painted plaster casts were so lifelike that they recalled the fish in his own Chinese waters. The Museum was to that Chinaman an object-lesson.
Now I am certain that if boys or girls knew how to make plaster-of-Paris fish look like the real ones, it would not alone be an interesting occupation, but an instructive one.
I have explained how the plaster is to be mixed. It is better to buy the plaster in small quantity, not more than a pound at a time. It should be kept in a well-closed glass preserving jar. ”

“ Plaster of Squill, Compound. Syn. Emplastrum scillæ compositum. Prep. Galbanum, 1⁄2 oz.; soap, 1⁄2 oz.; litharge plaster, 2 oz.; melt together, and add opium, 1 dr.; ammoniacum, 1⁄2 oz.; vinegar of squills, 3 oz., mixed together; keep them over the fire constantly stirred till they are incorporated.
Plaster, St Andrew’s. Prep. From yellow resin, 8 oz.; gum elemi, 2 oz.; Bordeaux turpentine and oil of the bay-laurel, of each 1 oz.; melted together by a gentle heat. A stimulant, resolvent, and adhesive plaster, once supposed to possess extraordinary virtues. ”

“ Plaster, or stucco, is sometimes regarded as an inferior material only to be used when nothing better can be obtained. It should not however be judged from the achievements of the domestic plasterer of to-day, who has to trust sometimes to the wall-paper to keep his stuff from crumbling away. Plaster as used by the ancients, and through a good part of the mediaeval and Renaissance periods up to the eighteenth century, is a fine material, susceptible of very varied and effective artistic treatment. ”

“ As a powerful anodyne and antispasmodic; in neuralgia and rheumatic pains, and as an application to painful tumours. The plaster of the shops is usually deficient in extract. The following formula is in common use in the wholesale trade:—Lead plaster and resin plaster, of each 21⁄2 lbs. ”

“ Scrape the plaster to a level surface, and cut two moderately large V-shaped nicks, one on each edge of the mould, build up around as before with wood, and fill in all interstices leading to the table below with clay. See that the mouth is properly shut, introducing a little clay if needed. Brush over with soft soap, not forgetting the top of the plaster mould, and mix some more plaster and pour over the lower jaw, on to the edges of the plaster mould, until stopped by the wall; build up thicker in the centre, as before, and suffer all to dry for about an hour. ”

“ If the plaster sticks to the end of the rammer, it shows, either that you have used the plaster too wet, or have not turned the rammer round a sufficient number of times.
No more plaster must be mixed at a time than will suffice for one case. When plaster has once set, it cannot be mixed up a second time; therefore take a fresh piece of paper, and let the knife be cleaned every time. It is advisable to have two dessert-knives, then one can be used with which to scrape the other. As much plaster should be used as will fill the case up about 1⁄2 an inch. ”

“ Painted plaster-work, so long as water can be kept from percolating through the cracks or faults, or gaining entrance from above by filtration, or from below by capillary action, is a highly durable material, but the moment water gains a footing the lime in some degree is dissolved, and, upon being removed and redeposited, undergoes the process of recrystallization, a powdery substance is thus formed that comes as a stranger between the paint and the plaster, in which respect it bears a strong resemblance to rust, the result of the oxidization of iron. ”

“ If you find one edge of a crack higher than the other, gently press against it, and if it goes back to place, cement it with plaster paris wet up in clear water, and it will set in three minutes hard enough to hold the plaster in place. If the loose edge will not go back by gentle pressure, lay a piece of board over it and push hard as you dare to and not crush the plaster. ”

“ IT IS THEN POURED PROMPTLY into the center of the space on the glass prepared for the plaster tile so that the poured plaster gradually spreads from the center toward the corners and edges filling up the spaces and coming up the sides to about one-half inch height. Jarring the table or a slight shaking of the glass will cause the plaster to settle very level as well as causing any bubbles in the plaster to rise to the surface and break. Care should be taken that the plaster is not too thick before being poured. ”

“ Lime plastering is composed of lime, sand, hair and water in proportions varying according to the nature of the work to be done. Internal Work.In all cases good materials, well mixed and skilfully applied, are essential to a perfect result. Plaster is applied in successive coats or layers on walls or lathing and gains its name from the number of these coats. “One coat” work is the coarsest and cheapest class of plastering, and is limited to inferior buildings, such as outhouses, where merely a rough coating is required to keep out the weather and draughts. ”

“ Indeed, this commodity is very frequently adulterated. A kind of plaster, with a very thick and brittle covering, is often sold for it. The manufacturers of this, instead of isinglass, use common glue, which is much cheaper; and cover the whole with spirit varnish, instead of balsam of Peru. This plaster cracks, and has none of the balsamic smell by which the genuine court plaster is distinguished. Another method of detecting the adulteration is to moisten it with your tongue on the side opposite to that which is varnished; and, if the plaster be genuine, it will adhere exceedingly well. ”

“ Plaster dries rapidly and will dry in the sun more rapidly. When plaster is damp it can be scraped or carved easily. Temperature and the age of the plaster affect its drying periods.
LARGE TILE MOLDS should be strengthened by having burlap strips or wire imbedded into the back while the plaster is soft. This creates a stronger layer than where plaster alone is used. Wood strips should not be used for backing plaster unless thoroughly dried as otherwise it causes cracking by its shrinkage, and it is best not to use it for reinforcing. ”

“ When very large objects that would require a great deal of plaster are cast, they are generally made hollow in the following manner:
Obtain the glue mould by the process described, and into it pour a quantity of thin plaster, having first oiled the surfaces that come in contact with it. Turn the mould about and upside down, so the plaster will enter every part and adhere to the glue form. ”

“ After twenty-four or thirty-six hours, the paper masks should be dry enough to remove from the clay. Plasticine may be used instead of clay but since it does not harden, this process necessitates making a plaster of Paris mold. The directions for making this are given on page 66.
When you have removed the paper mask from the clay or plaster mold, cut out the eye and nostril holes. If a mask is to be worn by a dancer, the lips should be modeled slightly opened to permit the cutting away of the paper between the lips. ”

“ Such a matrix is required for rubber type, but paper is rather too susceptible to heat although good work can be done with it. It also does not enter as deeply into the cavities of the type as is desirable. As a rule a fine quality of plaster of paris is to be recommended. What is sold as dental plaster is the best, but common plaster can be used. It is mixed with water or with a solution of gum arabic or dextrine in water. For the latter enough gum should be added to make the mixing solution as thick as thin syrup. ”

“ Many plasters, as those of lead and resin, derive much of their whiteness and beauty from the treatment just referred to. White plasters are not, however, always the best; but they are those which are most admired, and the most sought after in trade.
Plasters are preserved by enveloping the rolls with paper, to exclude the air as much as possible, and by keeping them in a cool situation. A few, as those of belladonna and ammoniacum with mercury, are commonly placed in pots. When kept for any length of time, they are all more or less apt to become hard and brittle, and to lose their colour. ”

“ For painting the roof of buildings, the plaster and oil answers a good purpose, as it is durable, and when rain water is collected in cisterns, it will be found to be purer than when it comes in contact with lead. Plaster is sometimes found ground very coarse, and it should therefore be run through a paint mill before it is used. ”

“ Foliage and ornamental work in plaster is made by modelling the ornaments by hand, in a proper kind of clay, worked by steel or wooden tools, resembling small spatulas in form. To do this requires a taste and skill in drawing or designing in the workman, which raises him to the rank of an artist. When the model is finished and dry, the surface of it is covered with a thin coat of oil, and a mould of fine plaster is taken from it in separate pieces. ”

“ Rough places in plaster take more color than a smooth wall, hence they are liable to show spots; so it stands you in hand to make such places smooth as possible; to do this take off the rough sand with sandpaper and knife or trowel on a thin coat of plaster paris, or give the rough places an extra coat or two or size. Fill all cracks and holes, and give the filling time to dry before putting on the size, because otherwise it will take more color than the balance of the wall and your work will look spotted. ”

“ Cleaning Of Statuettes And Other Plaster Objects.—Nothing takes the dust more freely than plaster objects, more or less artistic, which are the modest ornaments of our dwellings. They rapidly contract a yellow-gray color, of unpleasant appearance. Here is a practical method for restoring the whiteness: Take finely powdered starch, quite white, and make a thick paste with hot water. Apply, when still hot, with a flexible spatula or a brush on the plaster object. The layer should be quite thick. Let it dry slowly. On drying, the starch will split and scale off. ”

“ A PLASTER TILE IS MADE MORE DURABLE if it is dried and given a coat or two of shellac before it is used for molding plaster or cement. Otherwise repeated brushing of damp plaster with the oil brush will gradually wear the edges and details of the mold away.
TO MAKE A CAST FROM THE PLASTER MOLD, it is surrounded with the retaining bars after they have been oiled and held in position with the modeling wax or clay; this time they are placed firmly against the sides of the plaster mold. ”