SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
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resin showed opaque patches after two hours’ immersion, and was 
completely opaque after four hours, while that from the prepared resin 
was hardly affected by four hours’ immersion. Local varnish-makers 
also state that varnishes ‘become too cloudy when made from Grass Tree 
resin. - Experiments along the above lines may lead to some successful 
method of treatment, and the investigation shows the need for knowing 
the composition of the resin to be treated, as the various acids vary in’ 
their relative proportions, or the resin of different species may contain 
very different compounds. The addition of a:small proportion of castor 
oil to such varnishes renders the film somewhat tougher and softer, and 
lessens the tendency towards checking. 
The colour of the resins, whether red or yellow, the difficulty of 
preparing any of the derived products free from colour, and the 
stability of the colour, naturally led to the use of the resin as a dye; 
and the Germans were credited with using it to manufacture various 
fine dyes. The presence of: paraoxybenzoic acid and of resorcinol 
would be starting-points for the preparation of fine chemicals or dyes. 
The percentage of these present in the resins vary very greatly, as 
shown by the following anaylses :— 
1. Hlasiwetz and Barth——Yellow resin—13 per cent. p.-oxy- 
benzoic, 1.4 per cent. resorcinol. 
2. Earl.—Red resin—8 per cent. p.-oxybenzoic, no resorcinol. 
3. Imperial Institute—Red resin—1.5 per cent. p.-oxybenzoic, 
2 per cent. resorcinol. 
A number of woollen materials (11) and silk materials (2) were 
submitted to the Imperial Institute, with the statement that they were 
dyed in Australia with resin of X. tateana. The tints varied from 
bright greenish-yellow to fairly dark-brown. The colours were found 
not to be fast to soap. 
The Institute made an exhaustive series of dyeing trials with red 
‘and yellow resins. A fair range of tints, varying from pale yellow to 
deep brownish-black, was found to be obtainable on wool and silk by 
the use of suitable mordants; but the tints were weak in comparison 
with those given by fustic, especially in the case of the yellow resin: 
Other disadvantages were that large quantities of the resin had to be 
used, and that they could be employed only in alkaline solution, which 
is especially undesirable in the case of wool. Both resins proved quite 
unsuitable for use on cotton. 
In ‘spite of these disadvantages, the results of the tests seemed 
sufficiently promising to make it worth while to consult dye-extract 
makers and dyers in the United Kingdom. They proved that the 
resins could not compete successfully with the natural dyes already in 
use, such as fustic, or with the synthetic yellow and brown dyes, all of 
which were cheaper, and gave better results than the Grass Tree resins. 
They also pointed out that the colours given by the resins are chiefly 
required for woollen fabrics, but that the use of them for dyeing wool 
is objectionable, as they have to be dissolved in alkalies, which cause” 
serious contraction of the wool fibre. 
With our present knowledge of these resins, there does not appear 
to be any likelihood of using them as dyes. 
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