JONES, ©N JAPANNING AND VARNISHING. Wi* 



The resins principally employed, are mastic, sandarac, elemi. 

 and animi. The two former can always be procured ; the two 

 latter are but little used, and therefore, only occasionally found in 

 this country. Neither mastic or sandarac alone, makes a good 

 varnish ; sandarac is deficient in gloss ; mastic in hardness and 

 solidity ; they therefore are best, employed together ; the follow-* 

 ing proportions will answer well, — this is sometimes called, 

 Hard White Varnish, 



Take Gum Sandarac - ... 9 ounces, 



Gum Mastic - - - - 3 do. 



Alcohol 32 do. 



Tingrey, in his " Varnisher'^s Guide,'^'' advises, in making var- 

 nishes of this description, to pulverise the resins, and, to add about 

 one-third of their weight of pounded glass, when they are mixed 

 with the alcohol ; this prevents the particles of resin from agglu- 

 tinating, and also, from adhering to the bottom of the vessel, which 

 is apt to take place, if the ingredients are not shaken, or stirred 

 very frequently ; when this agglutination occurs, the dissolution 

 becomes extremely difficult. Tingrey, also advises promoting the 

 dissolution by means of a sand, or water bath. We have repeat- 

 edly made the sandarac and mastic varnish, and have always used 

 the resins in the lump, breaking those pieces only, which are un- 

 usually large. We have never employed any higher degree of 

 heat, than that of the sun, or a tolerably warm room, nor have we 

 used the pounded glass ; the only precaution found necessary, has 

 been frequent shaking, and stirring with a stick ; in this way, from 

 12 to 24 hours will be sufficient to complete the process ; and that, 

 without either risk or waste. In making varnish with alcohol, 

 much of the spirit must evaporate, if heat be employed, as the 

 vessel would burst, if not ventilated. 



We shall hereafter describe the methods which have been adopt- 

 ed to effect the solution of copal, in alcohol, which in the ordinary 

 mode of procedure, has but little action upon it. The following 

 recipe we have not tried, and, if we had met with it in any com- 

 mon book, should unhesitatingly have condemned it. Tingrey, 

 from whom it is taken, is very good authority, as he was not in the 

 habit of trusting to others, but was a careful and accurate experi- 

 raentor. Every chemist knows, that articles which are insoluble 

 in a particular fluid, when alone, are sometimes rendered soluble 

 by the presence of others, and this is probably an example of that 

 kind. 



Varnish of Copal, Sandarac, and Mastic. 



Take pounded Copal, of an amber color, and which has been once 

 liquified, according to a method to be hereafter described, 3 ounces, 



Sandarac, _ . . _ . 6 do. 



Mastic, - - - - ' - 3 do. 



Clear Tiu-pentine, . - . . 2 1-2 do. 



Pounded White Glass, - - - ^ 4 do. 



Alcohol, ----- 32 do. 



All the solid ingredients siiould bn reduced to tine powder, ex- 

 cepting the glass, from which Iho ruicr particles should he. sttparaWsf 



