Home › House Painting › Black Amber Varnish

Black Amber Varnish

Amber, 1 pound; boiled oil, 1/2 pint; powdered asphaltum, 6 ounces; oil of turpentine, 1 pint. Melt the amber, as before described, then add the asphaltum, previously mixed with the cold oil, and afterwards heated very hot; mix well, remove the vessel from the fire, and, when cooled a little, add the turpentine, also made warm. Each of the above two varnishes should be reduced to a proper consistence with more turpentine if it be required. The last form produces the beautiful black varnish used by the coachmakers. Some manufacturers omit the whole or part of the asphaltum, and use the same quantity of clear black resin instead, in which case the color is brought up by lampblack reduced to an impalpable powder, or previously ground very fine with a little boiled oil. The varnish made in this way lacks, however, that richness, brilliancy, and depth of blackness imparted by asphaltum.