Re: Re: translation GORDY EMERY

Hi Alexis,

> Paraffin oils have a boiling point in the range of 150 - 300 degrees
> Centigrade while the wax has one between 50 and 60 degrees. Paraffin
> wax is used for all sorts of things includeing cheap candles and waxed
> paper.

Actually I think you mean that paraffin has a "melting point" of about
60 o C

> Camphorated oil on the other hand I would suspect is not strictly
> necessary. The oil part yes, but the camphor part was probably used
> as a preservative as some of you may remember camphor balls or
> mothball ususally consisting of napthalene and sometimes, yes you've
> guessed it, camphor.
> Therefore, camphorated oil was probably used as an amplication for
> preseving perishable non edible goods in the days of moths. Now all
> of this is some educated conjecture but I hope it is of use to you. I
> would think that oil would be sufficient.

It's hard to say, in the wet plate process they used to varnish the
plate with gum sandarac and in the formula they recommend oil of
lavender. The oil is added for flexibility and, as I was told, it has to
be lavender.
I tried oiling papers with sunflower oil, it works fine but it goes
rancid over time and smells pretty bad,
so maybe the preservative is important. Paraffin (solid thing) works
fine but the paper is fragile after, it marks easily (at least thin
paper I use with ink jet printers).
I have an old formula here that I have never tried, but maybe it works,
who knows, it says:

"To make paper transparent:

Dip the paper in a bath at 80 o C of:

Parafin (solid) ............. 40 gr.
Linsen oil .................... 10 gr.

After the paper take up all the solution it cans, drain it fast and put
it between 2 sheets of blotting paper."

Will it work? Who knows, but why does he give the amount of oil in gr
and not in ml?
This formula dates from 1905, found it in a paper I have here and it has
other curiosities.

> I am just looking up in a dictionary that camphor itself is a whitish,
> translucent crystaline, pleasant-smelling terpene ketone, whatever
> that means except that most ketones smell nice from what I can
> remember at school, used in medicine and in the manufacture of
> celluloid. Ah ha! There it is, the manufacture of celluloid. Is that
> not what one is doing when applying the camphorated oil to the paper
> with paraffin? Probably not.

Will sulfuric acid damage the gelatin part of the photo paper?
I am working with an Arjo Wiggins Parchment paper called Linaje and they
told me that the transparency is obtained by immersing the paper in a
solution of sulfuric acid, washing, neutralising and buffering it after.

Anyway, whoever got a good formula I'm interested in knowing.

Cheers

Joao

P.S. I have an old formula for turning the wood black, but I don't know
how to translate it, maybe Guillermo will help, it says:

Extrato de Pau de Campeche .............. 15 gr. (what the ... is that?)

Cromato de Potassa ........................... 2 gr. (I believe it is
"Alumem de cromo" )
Agua .................................................. 1000 gr.

He says to dissolve the Campeche first in hot water and add the Cromato.
The solution is dark violet and becomes black in contact with the wood.
Received on Thu Nov 29 07:16:35 2001