24 GOODYEAR ON GUM -ELASTIC. 



liquid state. The inquiry is often made, if gum-elastic, treated 

 by these processes, will not make excellent paint, &c. The 

 difficulties in the way of this are as follows : The process 

 of baking in an oven or steam heater, with a heat of about 

 270° Fahrenheit, is indispensable for the improvement ; and 

 further, the great quantity of turpentine required to bring it into 

 a state liquid enough to spread with a brush, would make it too 

 expensive, for use, as a common paint. Another difficulty is that 

 when dissolved, it ferments and spoils, when mixed with white 

 lead, chromes, &c., to give the colors, unless it is baked, within a 

 short time after being mixed. I make these remarks, that those 

 who come after me, may know the difficulties they will meet, in 

 experimenting with the substance for paints. 



Reflection or philosophy would teach us that a substance, 

 which is formed for the sustenance and growth of the tree, and 

 is carried up by the warmth of the sun, would also be influ- 

 enced by the sun and weather, when taken from the tree, and 

 would not be substantial enough for man's use, without first 

 being subjected to some great change. In the first attempt to 

 manufacture this substance, this condition of the native gum 

 seemed either not to be known, or to be lost sight of, as it was 

 supposed by myself, as well as others, that to make the manu- 

 facture complete, it would only be necessary to restore to the 

 gum its native qualities. It was at length found, that although 

 the objections were much increased, and the gum made much 

 more perishable by the re-manufacture, yet as soon as the nature 

 of the article was well understood, these were found to be inhe- 

 rent defects in the gum in its native and best state. The mis- 

 take of attributing the failure of the first attempts to re-manu- 

 facture the gum in the United States, wholly to the dissolving 

 of it, would naturally arise from the fact that before the manu- 

 facture was established, it had only come under our observation, 

 in thick masses, such as heavy shoes, slabs, bottles, &c. In this 

 state the apparent solidity and strength of the gum is of the 

 most substantial character, and its defects, except that of rigid- 

 ity, are not apparent; but upon being spread out into thin layers, 



