Class XXIX.]
G3I
ing. They arc thus described by Mr. Tite, the architect.*
“ The fragments, in general, are of black leather, similarto that of the other articles; but there are some pieceswhich may possibly have been once of another colour. ■It is most probable that the upper surface was almost !always shining, and several instances may be noticedwhere it still retains a dull gloss, which appears usually ;to have protected that particular side.” j
The French word “ Ciraye,” however, renders it ex- jtremely probable that modern blacking was originally !composed chiefly of wax and tallow, and probably lamp- ;black ; and somewhat similar, therefore, to harness-black- ,ing. That ordinary liquid-blacking was first imported |into France from England, is probable, from the circum- Istance that blacking was termed Ciraye Anglais, at all jevents to the year 1830, and it may still be known by ;that name, j
When or how the English mixture now employed was Jfirst discovered, the Reporters cannot pretend to decide; ibut, according to the statement of Mr. William C. Day(nephew of Mr. Charles Day), the recipe for its prepara-tion was communicated to Mr. Richard Martin whilst hewas travelling on the Continent. Mr. Martin afterwardsbecame associated with the late Mr. Chailes Day; and in1801 they commenced the manufacture of blacking. Mr.Martin having retired in 1S08, the business was still car-ried on under the names of Day and Martin, by Mr. Day,until his death, in 1836, by which period he had acquireda colossal fortune.
To give some idea of the extent of the operations stillcarried on at “Day and Martin’s,” it may be stated, thaton the average 150 casks, containing a quantity of blackingequal to 900 dozen pint bottles, are sent out per day. Theprice of the stoneAvare bottles, for containing the blacking,varies with their size, the usual sizes costing 6s. 9</. and12s, per gross ; and the corks (bungs) costing Is. 4//. pergross. There is also a large outlay required for labels andsealing-wax.
Besides the establishment of Messrs. Day and Martin,there are, in London , two other very important blacking-manufactories. One of these was founded by Mr. RobertWarren, who commenced about the same time as the firmalready noticed, and retired some years back; but thebusiness is still carried on by his successors; and the otherwas founded, at a subsequent period, by Mr. Everett, whocommenced business in King’s Head Court, Ilolborn, andafterwards transferred his manufactory to Fetter Lane,where it still exists; Mr. Everett died in 1840, not, how-ever, before he had realised a considerable fortune. Onlythe last-named of these large blacking-works contributes tothe Exhibition, and unfortunately its manufactures werenot brought under the notice of the Jury.
Blacking, it may be remarked, consists essentially oftwo principal components, namely, a black colouring-matter and certain substances which will acquire a glossby friction. Each maker has, of course, proportions andmethods of mixing peculiar to himself, but the chiefmaterials used are the same in most cases. In England!*they generally consist of:—Bone-black, sugar or molasses,sperm-oil, sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol), and strongvinegar. These, according to Mr. W. C. Day, are mixedin the following order :—The bone-black, in the state ofa very fine powder, and the sperm-oil are first thoroughlyincorporated ; the sugar or molasses, mixed with a smallproportion of vinegar, is now added and well stirred withthe mass; strong sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) is thengradually poured into the vessel. Much heat is generatedat this stage of the process, and an effervescence ensues,owing to the action of the acid on the carbonate of lime
contained in the bone-black. The object of the sulphuricacid (which should not be in excess) is to cause thedecomposition of the tri-basic phosphate (and the car-bonate) of lime, contained in the bone-black, so as toproduce on the one hand sulphate of lime, and on the othera soluble acid phosphate. Sulphate of lime, when pro-duced under such circumstances, gives rise to a verytenacious paste, by mixing with the finely divided car-bonaceous matter of bone-black disintegrated by the samereaction; which paste (or lake) is capable, when spreadout, of assuming a very smooth surface. To this thesugar and the oil impart the property, not only of adheringto the leather, but also of taking a high degree of lustreunder the frictional (or burnishing) action of the brush;the oil is moreover very useful in rendering the leatherpliable.
The mixture, after the action of the acid has ceased,is diluted with an additional quantity of vinegar, and isbottled whilst it is still warm. By bottling the liquid inthis state, and corking and sealing it immediately, a rare-fied space is formed; and there is no liability afterwardsthat the blacking (if it wet the cork) will exude by theexpansion of the air contained iu the bottle, as it is notlikely to become again heated to the same temperatureunder the influence of any climate to which it may besubjected. The vinegar employed should not he tooweak, otherwise the bracking will not keep.
Paste-blacking is now made in precisely the same wayas Liquid-blacking, excepting that the last portion ofvinegar is not added. The employment, of such blackingappears to have preceded that of liquid-blacking. It wasusually stuck on to a small shovel-shaped board, having avery short handle ; and it was wetted with water (or saliva)as required. The old Cake-blacking differed in compo-sition from that of the present day, and appears to havecontained lamp-black, treacle, and oil.
Two exhibitors send both Liquid and Paste-blacking,the former being contained in glass bottles and not stone-ware as in England. The blacking was found to be nearlyof the same quality from both; hut not so good as thatcommonly used in England. The contributors are—E. Steere (290, p. 1453), W. R. Baker (401, p. 1462).T. Turner (425, p. 1463) sends Edge-blacking forshoemakers.
C. Ward (Van Diemen’s Land, 186, p. 995) contributesa specimen of Blacking, but it calls for no especialnotice.
In 1847 there were, in Paris , One hundred and thirty-seven manufacturers of blacking and varnish for shoes,who employed 140 workpeople, and produced goods tothe value of 38,800/.; France is, however, represented byonly one exhibitor in this trade, Si. Hebert (869, p. 1221),who sends a specimen of varnish for boots and shoes,which was not submitted to the Jury of Class XXIX.
Prussia.
The only contribution is from C. Teichmann (p. 1088);it consists of Paste-blacking, which, though of fair quality,is not equal to the English blacking.
B. Bourgoin (75, p. 1305) exhibits specimens of Paste-blacking for slices, and paste Harness-blacking, whichcall for no particular comment.
* Antiquities of the Royal Exchange, 1848, p. 56. I
4 According to the information which Baron Liebig has Ikindly furnished to the Reporters, it appears that, in Ger- !many, blacking is made in the following manner: powdered ihone-black is mixed with half its weight of molasses, and ione-eighth of its weight of olive-oil; to which are after- jwards added one-eighth of its weight of hydrochloric acid j(muriatic acid), and one-fourth of its weight of strong sul- ;phuric acid. The whole is then mixed up with water to a isort of unctuous paste.
The contributions of Two Exhibitors only were broughtunder the notice of the Jury of Class XXIX., namely,272 and 281 (p. 816) : of these the best is that ofS. B. Alcock and Co., of Dublin (272, p. 816), whoseproductions are here favourably noticed, although noAward was made. The wholesale prices of their usualsize bottles of liquid-blacking are 3s. 6 d. and 9s. perdozen.