use powdered gum arabic in their starch but almost the same effect may be obtained by starching twice, first in boiled then in raw starch. A great deal depends on the heat of the irons, also on practice. An inexperienced hand is sure to spoil her work a few times before she becomes clever at it. I have given several recipes for raw-starching, but in case more minute particulars are looked for here, I give the manner of mixing the starch adopted by myself for many years and with unfailing success. For every two shirts allow one teaspoonful of starch, but if you have only two shirts to do you must allow more or your starch will be too thinned by the quantity of water you have to use. Having put the starch into a basin, pour in as much water as you think will be sufficient (for four or six spoonfuls of starch not less than a pint of water) and let it stand for an hour to soak. Then stir and mix well with the hand and add one good tablespoonful of thick soap jelly and about half a teaspoonful of borax (powdered). If you use powdered gum you must pour hot water on it an hour or so before adding it to the starch, and you will not require the borax. Having thus prepared your starch do your shirts in the manner I have directed elsewhere in this volume, and let them lie rolled up for at least one hour before ironing. Iron with clean hot irons, one will remain hot enough for just one shirt. Unless particularly quick you cannot do a second with one iron.
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is very good, and to prevent sticking rub the iron with a cloth slightly bees’ waxed.
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Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/112
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108
THE HOUSEHOLD.