The dictionary of practical receipts : containing the arcana of trade and manufacture; domestic economy ... etc / by G.W. Francis.

  • George William Francis
Date:
1856
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The dictionary of practical receipts : containing the arcana of trade and manufacture; domestic economy ... etc / by G.W. Francis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    25/408 page 17
    AMBERQRIS, ARTIFICIAL. A perfume very similar to real ambergris, and generally substituted for it by the per- fumers, is made as follows ; but it wants the transparency of the true, neither is the scent so excellent; it is also but partly soluble in spirits of wine. The materials must be rubbed together in a mortar till of a uniform mass. Spermaceti 8 oz., grain musk 1 oz., gum benzoin 20 oz., ben nuts 6 oz., orris powder 20 oz., liquid ammonia 2 oz., yellow resin 3 oz., white wax 3 oz. Real ambergris to the amount of 8 oz. to the above quantity is sometimes added, making evidently a nearer approach to the real article. AMBERGRIS, ESSENCE OF. I. Mix 1 OZ. of ambergris, oz. of bladder musk, with 2 quarts of spirit of ambrette ; put them into a large bottle, and let them digest for a month or two, being exposed to a very gentle warmth, such as that of a warm room or the heat of the sun. II. Digest in half a pint of spirits of wine or brandy 1 dram of ambergris, and 8 grains of musk. AMBERGRIS PERFUME. Take 2 pennyweights of fine ambergris, melt it gently over the fire ; now stir in very quickly a mixture ready prepared of 4 oz. of loaf-sugar pounded, and well incorporated with 12 grains of musk, 12 grains of civet, 12 grains of gum benzoin, and 2 or 3 drops of the oil of lemon. When this is well mixed with the melted ambergris and 1 oz. of spirits of wine, add 16 lbs. of the best starch powder, passing the whole two or three times through the finest hair sieve. This is a sort of stock material for making amber- gris hair powder, and although the quantity seems large, yetin stopped bottles it will not only keep, but even become much better by time. For three or four days after making it may with advantage be exposed to the air, that the spirit may evaporate. AMBERGRIS HAIR POWDER. Add to the ambergris stock perfume four times the quantity of ground starch ; rub them well together, and run the whole through a sieve ; put in papers or boxes. AMBERGRIS SOAP. To 7 lbs. of curd soap, melted in a copper or pan, add ^ oz. of oil of carraway, ^ oz. of essence of bergamot, and } oz. of spirit or essence of ambergris ; mould into cakes, AMBERGRIS, SPIRIT OF. I. Compound—Takt q{ ambergris H oz., of musk 30 grains, and of civet 20 grains; reduce the whole to fine powder with loaf sugar ; add to this powder the juice of the fourth part of a green lemon; immerse the whole in a bottle containing 3 pints of clean spirits of wine ; stir it up frequently for some days, and also keep it in a warm place. You may cither use the liquor as above, or it may be filtered through white blotting-pjiper. Tn II. Simple.—Dissolve oz. of ambergris in a pint of spirits of wine, placing the bottle which contains it in a basin of hot water ; when the water in the basin has become cold, the solution is finished. There should be no insoluble residue. For making solutions where heat is recommended the round Florence flasks, properly cleaned from oil, are very serviceable, as they do not break by the sudden application of heat, AMBBRGRIS WASH BALLS. These differ in no respect from the best kind of common wash balls except in the perfume. The present are scented with a few grains of ambergris and of musk ground up together with a little sugar, and by some perfumers with a little mastic previously to mixing with the soap. Most preposterous receipts are given in Rennie's Supplement to the Pharmacopoeia, and in other works upon this article. AMBOYNA WOOD, TO IMITATE BY PAINTING. Amboyna wood is particularly used for veneered pianoforte cases. Its peculiarity is that it consists of a close intermixture of minute knots, small veins, and interlacing fibres, exactly as in the root of the olive, or the root of the maple tree ; its color is pre- cisely that of mahogany. To paint in imi- tation of this wood,—first, paint the article over with a coat of yellow ochre, then with a coat of red orange, made of 2 parts pale chrome yellow and 1 part red ochre, mixed in the usual manner of oil paint with linseed oil and turpentine with a little dryer. When dry rub it down well with pumice stone and water, till the surface is quite smooth. Pre- pare an over color by mixing together in a plate, with a little beer, burnt sienna, and Vandyke brown (both ground in water) ; the quantity of each may be according to judg- ment and taste, about two thirds of the sienna to one of the Vandyke will do well. Rub a lump of soap over the article to be grained, then paint it with the water color, laid on with a rather hard painting brush, rubbing it about till every part is well covered, and see that there are no specks of the ground visible through the over color. Then take a piece of rough sponge, or a handful of pieces of coarse rags, after rubbing off a little for the lights, roll them over and over on every part, so as to break up the water color into knots, specks, and irregularities. Put a few light specks as in maple wood, and soften off well with a badger brush. Put no over grain. Varnish with two coats, slightly rubbing down the first with pumice stone and water, before applying the second coat. This wood is not of ii sumcienlly decided and dis linct cliaraeter for large nrliclci, such as counters, doors, &C- but it is well adapted for picture rranies, and caliinet work, besides which, it is one that any amateur can readily execute for himself. W >~n IMPROVED EDITION.] ,*
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