This section is from the book "A Practical Workshop Companion For Tin, Sheet Iron, And Copper Plate Workers", by Leroy J. Blinn. Also available from Amazon: A Practical Workshop Companion For Tin, Sheet Iron, And Copper Plate Workers.
Put into a clean four gallon tin, one pound of ground turmeric, one and a half ounces of gamboge, three and a half pounds of powdered gum sandarach, three quarters of a pound of shellac, and two gallons of spirits of wine. When shaken, dissolved, and strained, add one pint of turpentine varnish, well mixed.
Made exactly as the gold lacker with these ingredients; two gallons of spirits of wine, one pouud of dragon's blood, three pounds of Spanish annotto, three and a quarter pounds of gum sandarach, and two pints of turpentine.
Two galls. spirits of wine; 3 oz. Cape aloes; cut small 1 lb. fine pale shellac; 1 oz. gamboge, cut small; no turpentine; - varnish made exactly as before. But observe, that those who make lack-ers frequently want some paler and some darker; and sometimes incliniug more to the particular tint of certain of the component ingredients. Therefore, if a 4 oz. phial of a strong solution of each ingredient be prepared, a lacker of any tint can be produced at any time.
Any good lacker laid upon tin gives it the appearance of copper or brass. It is made by coloring lac-varnish with turmeric to impart the color of brass to it, and with annotto, to give it the color of copper. If a tin plate is dipped into molten brass, the latter metal will adhere to it in a coat.
A good lacker is made by coloring lac-varnish with turmeric and annotto. Add as much of these two coloring substances to the varnish as will give it the proper color; then squeeze the varnish through a cotton cloth, when it forms lacker.
Seed-lac three ounces, turmeric one ounce, dragon's blood one-fourth ounce, alcohol one pint; digest for a week, frequently shaking, decant and filter.
Lackers are used upon polished metals and wood to impart the appearance of gold. If yellow is required, use turmeric, aloes, saffron, or gamboge; for red, use annotto, or dragon's blood, to color. Turmeric, gamboge, and dragon's blood, generally afford a sufficient range of colors.
1. Seed-lac eight ounces, alcohol one quart; digest in a close vessel in a warm situation for three or four days, then decant and strain. 2. Substitute lac bleached by chlorine for seed lac. Both are very tough, hard, and durable; the last almost colorless.
Mix the ingredients and let the vessel containing them stand in the sun, or in a place slightly warmed three or four days, shaking it frequently till the gum is dissolved, after which let it settle from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, when the clear liquor may be poured off for use. Pulverized glass is sometimes used in making lacker, to carry down the impurities.
Alcohol, proof specific gravity not less than 95-100ths, 2 galls.; seed-lac, 1 lb.; gum copal, 1 oz.; English saffron, 1 oz.; annotto, I oz.
To One Pint Of The Above Lacker, Add, Gamboge, 1 Oz.; And After Mixing It Add An Equal Quantity Of The First Lacker
Best alcohol, 40 ozs.; Spanish annotto, 8 grs.; turmeric, 2 drs.; 6hel-lac 1/2 oz.; red sanders, 12 grs.; when dissolved add spirits of turpentine, 30 drops.
Alcohol 4 galls.; turmeric, 3 lbs.; gamboge, 3 ozs.; gum san-darach, 7 lbs.; shellac, 1 1/2 lb.; turpentine varnish, 1 pint.
Alcohol, 36 ozs.; seed-lac, 6 ozs.; amber, 2 ozs.; gum gutta,
2 ozs.; red sandal wood, 24 grs.; dragon's blood, 60 grs.; Oriental saffron, 36 grs,; Pulverized glass, 4 ozs.
Seed-lac, 6 ozs.; amber or copal, 2 ozs.; best alcohol, 4 galls.; pulverized glass, 4 ozs.; dragon's blood, 40 grs.; extract of red sandal wood obtained by water, 30 grs.
Alcohol 12 galls.; seed-lac, 9 lbs.; turmeric, 1 lb. to a gallon of the above mixture, Spanish saffron, 4 ozs. The saffron is to be added for bronze work.
Alcohol, 8 ozs.; gamboge, 1 oz.; shell lac, 3 ozs.; annotto, 1 oz.; solution of 3 ozs.; of seed lac in 1 pint of alcohol; when dissolved add 1/2 oz. venice turpentine, Joz dragon's blood, will make it dark; keep it in a warm place four or five days.
Best alcohol, 8 ozs.; turmeric, 4 drs.; hay saffron, 2 scs.; dragon blood, scs.; red sanders, 1 scs.; shell lac, 1 oz.; gum sanderach, 2 drs.; gum mastic, 2 drs.; Canada balsam, 2 drs.; when dissolved add spirits of turpentine, 80 drops.
Alcohol, 8 galls.; dragon's blood, 4 lbs.; Spanish annotto, 12 lbs.; gum sanderach, 13 lbs.; turpentine, 1 gall.
Alcohol, 2 galls.; cape aloes cut small, 3 ozs.; pale shellac, 1 lb.; gamboge, 1 oz.
Alcohol, 4 galls.; shell lac, 2 lbs.; amber gum, 1 lb.; copal, 20 ozs.; seed lac, 3 lbs.; saffron, to color; pulverized glass, 8 ozs.
Alcohol, 1 qt.; annotto, 4 ozs.
Alcohol, 80 ozs.; gum gutta, 3 ozs.; gum sandarac, 8 ozs.; gum elemi, 8 ozs.; dragon's blood, 4 ozs; seed lac, 4 ozs.; terra merit,
3 ozs.; saffron, 8 grs.; pulverized glass, 12 ozs.
 
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