For the writer's "Directions for patching a balloon with Indian rubber."
--Found scribbled on a piece of paper in an old book belonging to my great grandfather - translated (probably badly) from broken Romanes/French into english by me.
Cut two pieces of canvas to cover the tear and much extra. Use Indian rubber to varnish the patch in place. Once inside with a day to dry and again without and a second day to dry. Care for wrinkles and dust is a must.
To make a fair Indian rubber from begged for stuffs.
Any elastic resin may be cut into small bits as much as you have, and add in 5 times by weight pure turpentine. Three days shaking if summer will see it together. Or heat to the touch and hold for three days if winter. Do not fire this as it will swell and be then brittle. When together, put 1 oz of this resin solution to 8 ozs of sweetened linseed oil, take time to set a funnel with thin cloth and strain. Use this while warm.
To make sweetened linseed oil for drying.
To one pint linseed oil, boil in 2 ozs of lead sugar and 3 ozs of litharge until dissolved but not more than one hour. Do not breathe of the vapors.
So, if your airship need a patch in the field and you do not have the varnish already made - you would be stuck for at least 5 days. Cool plot point.