Important: Safety Warning
This page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Purple
Paper or parchment may be stained purple by archil, or by the tincture of logwood.
The juice of ripe privet-berries expressed will likewise give a purple dye.
The coal-tar colors are especially adapted to coloring paper.
To Marble the Edges of Books or Paper.
Dissolve 4 oz. of gum arabic in 2 qts. of clear water; then provide several colors mixed with water in pots or shells, and with pencils peculiar to each color, sprinkle them by way of intermixture upon the gum-water, which must be put into a trough, or some broad vessel, then with a stick curl them or draw them out in streaks to as much variety as required. Having done this, hold the book or books close together, and only dip the edges in on the top of the water and colors very lightly; which done, take them off, and the plain impression of the colors in mixture will be upon the leaves; doing as well the end as the front of the books in the same manner.
To Marble the Covers of Books.
This is performed by forming clouds with aquafortis, or oil of vitriol, mixed with ink, and afterwards glazing the covers. To Color Vellum Green.
Take pt. of the best white wine vinegar, 1 oz. of verdigris, and 14 oz. of sap-green; dissolve them in the vinegar for a few days, having been heated by the fire. Shake the bottle frequently before it is used.
Bright red. To 2 lbs. of genuine Brazil-dust add 4 galls. of water, put in as many veneers as the liquor will well cover, boil them for 3 hours, and let them cool; then add 2 oz. each or alum | thin paste water to give the vellum a gloss. Wash the vellum over with weak potash water, and when dry color it with the green 3 or 4 times, till it has a good color; when dry wash it over with