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Pipeclay
Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
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What exactly is pipeclay? More specifically what is the vehicle (and pigment)? Some sort of oil? Has the composition changed over the years? Anyone know of a source of the real deal or tried to mix it themselves? Anyone ever tried to remove it from brass without resorting to the obvious scraping or lightly sanding? So many questions, so little time!
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Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
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After much searching, I came up with the following formula for "pipeclay" and found it amusing enough to share: Rolling Eyes

From: Standing Orders, Forms of Returns, Reports, Entries, etc. of the Queen's
Dragoons Guards; 1795 -


"Take 6 pounds of the finest pipe-clay, pound it very small, put it in a tub,
and put to it about 5 gallons of cold water. Let it remain for two or three
days, stirring it now and then. Then take 6 ounces of gum dragon, and put it
into 4 quarts of boiling water, and cover it up close for two or three days.
When the gum is well dissolved, take a fine hair sieve, and strain it into the
pipe-clay, and keep stirring the pipe-clay well all the time you are doing this.
Then take half an ounce of stone blue, and dissolve it well amongst your
colouring (this gives a clear gloss to the belts). Let it all remain one day
longer, and it will be fit for use, putting it on lightly and evenly with a
sponge."

That sure makes me want to run right out and mix up a batch!

Actually, the ingredients called for are all (apparently) readily available for other uses and under other names.I find it a bit unsettling however that "stone blue" is better known as copper sulfate pentahydrate, can be found at any good hardware store and is used to dissolve tree roots in septic piping. Yikes!
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Pipeclay
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