Important: Safety Warning
This page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
In addition, this page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › Spirit Varnishes › Real Japan Paste Blacking
Real Japan Paste Blacking
Take 3 ounces ivory-black, 2 ounces coarse sugar, 1 ounce sulphuric acid, 1 ounce muriatic acid, 1 lemon, 1 table-spoonful sweet oil, and 1 pint vinegar. First mix the ivoryblack and sweet oil together, then the lemon and sugar, with a little vinegar to qualify the blacking; then add the sulphuric and muriatic acids, and mix them all well together. The sugar, oil, and vinegar, prevent the acids from injuring the leather, and add to the lustre of the blacking. 3099. Bryant and James' Patent Paste Blacking. In making the paste blacking, the patentees prescribe the same quantity of until a thick mucilage is formed; strain it into the trough, and let it cool; then grind on a marble slab any of the following colors in small beer. For- Blue, Prussian blue or indigo.
Red, rose-pink, vermilion, or drop lake.
Yellow, King's yellow, yellow ochre, &c.
White, flake white.
Black, ivory or burnt lampblack.
Brown, umber, burnt umber, vandyke brown, sienna, burnt sienna; black mixed with yellow and red, also makes brown.
Green, blue and yellow mixed.
Orange, red and yellow mixed.
Purple, red and blue mixed.
For each color you must have two cups, one for the color after grinding, the other to mix it with ox-gall, which must be used to thin the colors at discretion. If too much gall is used, the color will spread; when India-rubber oil, ivory-black, molasses, and they keep their place on the surface of the gum-arabic as in their liquid blacking, the trough, when moved with a quill, they are fit latter being dissolved in only 12 pounds vine- for use. All things being in readiness, the gar. These ingredients are to be well mixed, colors are successively sprinkled on the surand then ground together in a mill till they face of the mucilage in the trough with a form a perfectly smooth paste. To this paste brush, and are waved or drawn about with a 12 pounds sulphuric acid are to be added in quill or stick, according to taste. When the small quantities at a time, with powerful design is thus formed, the book, tied tightly stirring, which is to be continued hour after between cutting-boards of the same size, is the last portion of the acid has been intro- lightly pressed with its edge on the surface of duced.
Ready for use in 7 days. the liquid pattern, and then withdrawn and