256 JAPANNING. 



make varnishes in perfection. As the chilling, 

 which is the most inconvenient accident attending 

 varnishes of this kind, is prevented, or produced 

 more frequently, according to the strength of the 

 spirit ; we shall show a method by which weaker 

 rectified spirits may be rendered of the first degree 

 of strength. 



Take a pint of the common rectified spirit of 

 wine, and put it into a bottle, of which it will not 

 fill above three parts ; add to it half an ounce of 

 pearl-ashes, salt of tartar, or any other alcaline 

 salt, heated red hot, and powdered as well as it 

 can be without much loss of its heat. Shake the 

 mixture frequently for the space of half an hour ; 

 before which time, a great part of the phlegm will 

 be separated from the spirit, and will appear, toge- 

 ther with the undissolved part of the salts, in the 

 bottom of the bottle. Let the spirit be poured off 

 or freed from the phlegm and the salts, by means 

 of a separating funnel ; and let half an ounce of 

 the pearl-ashes, heated and powdered as before, be 

 added to it, and the same treatment repeated. 

 This may be done a third time, if the quantity of 

 phlegm separated by the addition of the pearl- 

 ashes appear considerable. An ounce of alum 

 reduced to powder, and made hot, but not burnt, 

 must then be put into the spirit, and suffered to 

 remain some hours, the bottle being frequently 

 shaken ; after which the spirit being poured off 

 from it, will be fit for use. 



The addition of the alum is necessary to neu- 

 tralize the remains of the alcaline salt, which 

 would otherwise greatly deprave the spirit. 



The manner of using the seed-lac, or white 

 varnish, is the same, except with regard to the 

 substance used in polishing ; which, where a pure 



