1585. To Refine Wax

1585.   To Refine Wax. Another method of refining crude wax, and which produces a very bright article, is to melt it with about 1 per cent, of concentrated nitric acid, in a large earthen or stoneware vessel, heated by steam or a salt-water bath, and to continue the boiling till nitrous fumes cease to be evolved, after which the whole is allowed to settle, and treated as before.

1586. To Color Bees' Wax

1586.    To Color Bees' Wax. Much of the imported wax has a pale dirty color, which renders it, no matter how pure, objectionable to the retail purchaser. Such wax undergoes the operation of coloring. This is done as follows: - A small quantity of the best roll annotto, cut into slices (J pound, more or less, to 1 cwt. wax, depending on the paleness of the latter), is put into a clean boiler with about a gallon of water, and boiled for some time, or till it is perfectly dissolved, when a few ladlefuls of the melted wax are added, and the boiling continued till the wax has taken up all the color, or till the water is mostly evaporated. The portion of wax thus treated has now a deep orange color, and is added in quantity as required to the remainder of the melted wax in the larger boiler, till the proper shade of color is produced when cold, observing to well mix the whole, and to cool a little now and then to ascertain when enough has been added. The copper must be then brought to a boil, and treated with vitriol, etc., as before. (See No. 1584 (To Refine Bees' Wax).)

1587. To Color Bees' Wax

1587.    To Color Bees' Wax. Another method is to add bright palm oil to the wax till it gets sufficient color; but this plan is objectionable from the quantity required for the purpose being often so large as to injure the quality of the wax; besides which the color produced is inferior, and less transparent and permanent.

1588. Factitious, or Imitation Bees' Wax

1588.    Factitious, or Imitation Bees' Wax. Yellow resin, 16 pounds; hard mutton suet or stearine, 8 pounds; palm oil, 21/2 pounds; melt together.

II.  As last, but substitute turmeric, 1 pound, for the palm oil.

III.  Best annotto, 6 ounces, or sufficient to color; water, 1 gallon; boil till dissolved, add hard mutton suet or stearine, 35 pounds; yellow resin, 70 pounds; boil with constant agitation till perfectly mixed and of a proper color, and as soon as it begins to thicken, pour it out into basins to cool. When cold rub each cake over with a little potato starch. Used instead of wax in ointments by farriers.

1589. Braconot's Method of Making Artificial Wax

1589.    Braconot's Method of Making Artificial Wax. Any animal grease or tallow is liquefied by oil of turpentine, and poured into small round boxes lined with felt in the inside, with a nnmber of small holes bored in the sides and the bottom. From these little boxes the liquid is pressed out gradually, but sufficiently to get rid of the turpentine oil and all the fluidity. The firm mass remaining must be washed a long time in water, to take away the smell of the oil of turpentine, and then kept fluid for several hours with animal charcoal freshly prepared and afterwards filtered whilst boiling. "When cooled, it is a substance beautifully white, half transparent, dry, brittle, and free from taste or smell; and will mix well with chlorine or muriatic acid, or with \ of wax to give it the necessary suppleness. In this state the mass can be made into candles not to be distinguished from wax lights. The turpentine is separated from the other oil, and evaporated by means of distillation; and this oil, when purified and whitened with animal charcoal, is of great service in the preparation of a soap extremely well adapted for the trade and for household purposes. This animal oil, when saponified with potash, and then by means of the sulphuric acidulated soda often contained in the mother lye, can be changed into a hard soda soap. There is also a sulphate of potash, much in demand in the alum works, to be obtained from it.