Wax, Seal′ing. Prep. 1. (Red.)—a. Take of shell-lac (very pale), 4 oz.; cautiously melt it in a bright copper pan over a clear charcoal fire, and when fused, add of Venice turpentine, 11⁄4 oz.; mix, and further add of vermilion, 3 oz.; remove the pan from the fire, cool a little, weigh it into pieces, and roll them into circular sticks on a warm marble slab by means of a polished wooden block; or it may be poured into moulds whilst in a state of fusion. Some persons polish the sticks with a rag until quite cold.—b. From shell-lac, 3 lbs.; Venice turpentine, 11⁄4 lb.; finest cinnabar, 2 lbs.; mix as before Both the above are ‘fine,’—c. As the last, but using 1⁄2 less of vermillion. Inferior.—d. Resin, 4 lbs.; shell-lac, 2 lbs.; Venice turpentine and red lead, of each 11⁄2 lb.; as before. Common.
2. (Black.)—a. From shell-lac, 60 parts; finest ivory black, reduced to an impalpable powder, 30 parts; Venice turpentine, 20 parts. Fine.—b. Resin, 6 lbs.; shell-lac and Venice turpentine, of each 2 lbs.; lampblack, q. s. Inferior.
3. (Gold-coloured.) By stirring gold-coloured mica spangles or talc, or aurum
musivum, into the melted resins just before they begin to cool. Fine.
4. (Marbled.) By mixing 2 or 3 different coloured kinds just as they begin to grow solid.
5. (Soft.)—a. (Red.) Take of beeswax, 8 parts; olive oil, 5 parts; melt, and add, of Venice turpentine, 15 parts; red lead, to colour.—b. (Green.) As the last, but substituting powdered verdigris for red lead. Both are used for sealing official documents kept in tin boxes; also as a cement.
6. (Bottle wax.)—a. (Black.) From black resin, 61⁄2 lbs.; beeswax, 1⁄2 lb.; finely powdered ivory black, 11⁄2 lb.; melted together.—b. (Red.) As the last, but substitute Venetian red or red lead for ivory black.
Obs. All the above forms for ‘fine’ wax produce ‘superfine’ by employing the best qualities of the ingredients; and ‘extra superfine,’ or ‘scented,’ by adding 1% of balsam of Peru or liquid storax to the ingredients when considerably cooled. The ‘variegated’ and ‘fancy coloured kinds,’ are commonly scented with a little essence of musk or ambergris, or any of the more fragrant essential oils. The addition of a little camphor, or spirit of wine, makes sealing-wax burn easier. Sealing-wax containing resin, or too much turpentine, runs into thin drops at the flame of a candle.
Wax, White. Syn. Bleached wax; Cera alba (B. P., Ph. L., E., & D.), L. Prep. From pure beeswax, by exposing it in thin flakes to the action of the sun, wind, and rain, frequently changing the surface thus exposed, by remelting it, and reducing it again to thin flakes. Used in making candles, and in white ointments, pommades, &c., for the sake of its colour. Block white wax (CERA ALBA IN MASSIS) is the above when cast into blocks; the best foreign is always in this form. Virgin wax (CAKE WHITE WAX; CERA ALBA IN OFFIS) should be the last made into round flat cakes; but this is seldom the case, the mixture sold under the name generally containing from 1-3rd to 1-2nd its weight of spermaceti. The ‘white wax’ supplied by certain wholesale druggists to their customers is often totally unfit for the purposes to which it is applied. Spermaceti is constantly added to the white wax of commerce, to improve its colour. Mr B. S. Proctor states that wholesale houses of the highest reputation supply an article, as white cake wax, which is in many cases half spermaceti, and in some as much as two thirds spermaceti to one of wax.[266]
[266] See articles on “Adulteration of Wax,” and “Substitutes for Wax,” in ‘Chemist and Druggist,’ vol. iv, 1863.