Thin Paste.-In a glazed vessel or basin mix: good wheaten flour and water to about the consistence of a batter for batter pudding or pancakes, adding a teaspoonful of alum. Put a kettle of water on the fire.

Now, with a spoon, beat up the batter until it is perfectly smooth, with no kind of lumpiness about it. By this time we will suppose the water is boiling. Hold the kettle in your left hand, and pour the contents on the batter, stirring the latter round meanwhile with the spoon in your right hand. If all has been managed rightly, the batter will for some time continue to get thinner; but when a certain amount of the boiling water has been added it

will beg in to thicken. When it is thick enough (which must be learnt by experience), leave off adding the boiling water. This paste may...be kept in the earthen pan in which it is made.

The alum is added in both cases, because it is supposed that its astringent qualities prevent blisters or wrinkles in the paper, &c., pasted. A small "sash-tool" (such as painters use) is the best tool for thick paste, which is principally used for leather. A large and less stiff tool does well for the thin paste, which is used for paper. A small whitewash brush (see Fig. 57) will do.

Glue.-Glue is manufactured from the cuttings and parings of hides, bones, &C., and varies much in quality. Scotch glue is generally esteemed the best. The very thin amber-colored glue is the most superior; but this is rarely used, save by cabinet-makers in veneering. As a rule, price is the criterion. If you go to a good house, and give a good price, you will generally receive a good article. The binder requires glue of two descriptions, and should therefore have a couple of gluepots, with brushes. One, a small pot, must contain thick glue, for lining, &e.; the other, much larger, thin glue, for gluing cloth, &c. The tyro will receive his glue in good-sized cakes, as it came from the drying-nets, and the first thing is to reduce it to small pieces, of about 1in. each.

If the glue be dry and hard, as it is in fine weather, the most ready way of affecting this is to wrap up a few pieces in thick brown paper and pound vigorously upon them with the backing hammer: they will soon break up.

Should it, however, be soft from moisture, this plan would fail. Instead, screw up the millboard shears in the laying-press, and you will find that you can readily cut the glue up into pieces somewhat resembling jujubes. If necessary, holding a piece to the fire for a minute will tend to soften it. Good glue should contain no specks, but be transparent when held up to the light.

When you have broken up the glue, place it in an earthenware pipkin, and pour on as much soft water as will cover it. Let it soak for from twelve to twenty hours, and then place it in the inner pot of the gluepot, add some water, fill the outer pot with water, and place the whole on the fire, and gradually raise the temperature until all is dissolved, stirring frequently when melting. If the outer pot boils over, lift the inner one up, and, removing the whole from the fire, replace it on a duller place. It does not require boiling. Prepared in this way, it cools down into a thick jelly, which requires only a little warming to fit it for use. The glue for putting cloth on should be thin and well melted. Take the brush out and stamp down its bail's on a piece of dry rough brown paper, with the handle upright; place the palms of both bands on either side of the handle, and rub them backwards and forwards, so as to cause the brush to rotate briskly.

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