1 



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and lively black is called a black-morf, or eoal-llacL Horfes 

 black all over are commonly reckoned dull and melancholy ; 

 bnt a white foot, or liar in tl.e forehead, gives t'lem a ce- 

 grec of fpriglillinefa. The Sp:ir,i(h goivity is faid to be belt 

 pleafed with thofc entirelv black. 



nL\CK, blue, in the M.mufaclures ami ylrts, is the coal ot 

 fome kind of wood, or other vegetable matter, burnt m a 

 clofc heat, where the air can have no accefs : the belt lo.t 

 is faid to be made of vine-lblks and tendrils. The gooJ- 

 nefs of blue black confills in the cleanntfs and blue call ot 

 its black colour, and the perfeft degree of its Icv.gation. 



That this preparation, which is fold in the col,)ur (hops, 

 Js no other than a vegetable coal, appeared from the follow- 

 ing experiment of Dr. Lewis. (Comm. Phd. Peehn. p. .•^5^.) 

 Laid on a red-hot iron, it burned and glowed like powdered 

 charcoal, and turned into white aPaes; which afhes, thrown 

 into oil of vitriol diluted with water, veiy readily difiblvtd into 

 a bitterilh liquor, the charaAcrillic by which the vegetable 

 earth is dillniguilh-d. F.iti what particular vegetable 

 matter this blue-black is procured, experiments, he fays, 

 cannot difeover : but it appears from thofe whi :h he recites, 

 that it may be obtained from many, aud that the choice 

 of the vegetable fubjed affeas rather the foftnefs or hard- 

 nefs, than the colour of the coal. Blue-black, perfedly 

 good, inav be prepared in the manner direcled for k<ory 

 Ulack, from the vine flalks, or tendrils, or any other 

 twigs of wood, of an acid tallc and tough texture ; but the 

 foaking in the oil, prefcribed for the ivory, mull be omitted. 

 The painters have hhie-blacls, broivn-blacls, &c. which 

 may be made by mixing pigments of the refpective colours, 

 with fimple black one--, in greater or lefs quantity, accord- 

 ini' to the (hade required. The dyers alio have different 

 blacks, and often d:irken other colours by (lightly pafiing 

 them through the black dying liquor ; but the term brown- 

 black is in this bulinefs unknown, brown and black being 

 here looked upon as oppofite to one another. In cffeCt, 

 the colour called brown-black is no otiur than that which 

 all dyed black clothes change to in wearing ; and therefore 

 it is no wonder that it (hould be excluded from the cata- 

 logue of the dyers' colours. The true or limple blacks, 

 mixed with white, form different fhades of grey, lighter or 

 darker, according as the white or black ingredient prevails 

 in the mixt. Tfie black pigments, fpread thin upon a 

 white ground, have a like effeft. Hence the painter, with 

 one true black pigment, can produce on white paper, or 

 on other white bodies, all the {hades of grey and black, 

 from the (lightell difcolouration of the paper up to a full 

 black ; and the dyer produces the fame elledt on white 

 wool, filk, or cloth, by continuing the fubjecls for a 

 fhoner or longer time in the black bath, or making the 

 bpth itfelf weaker or Wronger. 



M. le Blon, in his " Harmony of Colours," forms black 

 by mixing together the three primitive coloui'S, blue, red, 

 and yellow ; and Mr. Callel, in Ills " Optique des coulcurs," 

 publiihed in 1 7+0, fays, that this compound black has an 

 advantage in painting above the fimple ones, of anfwering 

 better for the darkening of other colours. Thus if blue, by 

 the addition of black, is to be darkened into a Hiie-bla:!:, 

 the fimple blacks, if ufed in fuffieient quantity to produce 

 the reqnifite deepnefs, conceal the blue, while the com- 

 pound blacks leave it dillinguifliable. Le Blon )ias not 

 mentioned the proportions of the three primitive colours 

 neceffary for producing black. Caflel directs 15 parts of 

 blue, 5 of red, and three of yellow ; and he obftrvts, that 

 the colours fliould be the deepcil and darkefl of their refpec- 

 tive kinds, and that a combination flwuld be made of 

 fcvcral pigments for each colour j for the greater the contrail 



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of heterogeneous and difcordant drugs, the more tnie and 

 beautiful will be the black, and the more capable of uniting 

 with all other colours, without fupprelTing them, and even 

 without making them tawney. Dr. Lewis, in his expen- 

 ments, has not fo far fucceeded as to obtain a perFedt black 

 bv mlxino- diflerent blue, red, and yellow powders; but he 

 procured"very dark colours, fuch as brown-blacks and grey. 



blacks. r , 11 t 



Black, bone, is made of the bones of bullocks, cows, &c. 

 well burnt and ground. To be good, it muft be foft and 

 friable, of a gloffy call. It is in confiderablc ufe, though 

 inferior in goodncfs to ivory-black. 



The invention of bone, or ivory black, is attributed to 

 Apellcs. Plin. Hiil. Nat. lib. xxxv. cap. 5. 

 Black chalk. See Chalk, and Killow. 

 Black, charcoal. Sec Charcoal, and Crayons. 

 Black, curriers, fignifies a teint or dye laid on tanned 

 leather. Tanned leather is fo much impregnated with the 

 aftringent parts of oak bark, or with that matter which 

 ftrikes a black colour with green vitriol, that rubbing it 

 over three or four times with a folution of the vitriol, or 

 wMth a folution of iron made in vegetable acids, is fufScicnt 

 for ftaining it black. Of this we may be convinced by 

 dropping a little of the folution on the unblacked (ide of 

 common (hoe-leather- This operation is performed by the 

 currier, who, after the colouring, gives a glofs to the leather 

 with a folution of gum-arabic and i'lze made in vinegar. 

 Where the previous altringent impregnation is infufBcient to 

 give a due colour, and for thofe forts of leather which have 

 not been tanned, fome galls or other allringents are added 

 to the folution of iron ; and in many cafes, particularly for 

 the finer forts of leather, and for renewing the blacknefs, 

 ivory or lamp-black is ufed. A mixture of either of thefe 

 with llnfeed oil, makes the common oil-blacking. See 

 Currying. 



Black, dyers, is one of the fire fimple and mother coloui-s 

 ufed in dying : and given differently, according to the 

 different quality and value of the (luffs to be dyed. Sec 

 Dying. 



Green vitriol ftrikes a black colour with vegetable aftrin- 

 gcnts, and hence it is the balis of the black dye for cloth, 

 leather, hats, &c. And as folutions of iron with galls, &c. 

 produce the fame colour, a method is derived from hence 

 of dltlinguifhing the minuted portions of iron in mineral 

 waters, &c. Neumann. 



The fiibllances chiefly employed for producing black 

 colour with vitriol are galls. When a decodlion or infufion 

 of the galls is dropped into a folution of the vitriol largely 

 diluted with water, the firll drops produce bluifli or purplilh 

 red clouds, which mingling with the liquor tinge it uni- 

 formly of their own bluifh or reddifh colour. This differ- 

 ence of the colour, fays Dr. Lewis (Com. Ph. Tech. p. 346.), 

 feems to depend on the quality of the water. With diltilled 

 water, or the common fpring waters, the mixture is always 

 blue. A minute quantity of alkaline fait previoully diffolved 

 in the water, or a fmall degree of putridity in it, will render the 

 colour of the mixture purple or reddifli. Rain-water re- 

 ceived f.-om the clouds, in clean glafs veffels, gives a blue, 

 but if it be collefted from the tops of houfcs, gives purple 

 with the vitriol and galls. Both the blue and purple 

 liquors, when more of the aftringent infufion is added, 

 deepen to a black, more or lefs intenfe, according to the 

 degree of dilution ; and if the mixture be a deep opake 

 black, it again becomes bluifh or purpllfti when further 

 diluted. If it be fuffered to ftand in this dilute ftate for 

 two or three days, the colouring matter fettles to the 

 bottom in form of a fine black mud, which, by (lightly 

 8 fluking 



