COMBUSTIBLES. 
805 
The suet, or fat of any animal is diluted with oil of tur 
pentine, and pressed in boxes lined with felt, the sides and 
bottom of which are pierced with small holes ; the stearine 
that remains in the box is then boiled a long time in water, 
to get rid of the odour of the turpentine. It is then 
melted, and fresh heated bone black is added; after some 
hours fusion it is filtered while boiling hot. 
In this state the ceromimene, or prepared stearine, is bril 
liant, white, and semi-transparent, but extremely brittle ; to 
give it sufficient tenacity for moulding, a fifth part of bees 
wax is melted along with it ; or it may be hardened by a 
slight exposure to oxymuriatic, or muriatie acíd. 
The oil and elaine expressed from the fat are separated 
by distilling off the oil, and the elaine being purified by 
bone black may be used for making soap ; but the smell is 
rather disagrecable. 
Sealing Wax, 
Is a kind of cement made by melting lac, or rosin, with 
turpentine and colouring materials. 
The Indian sealing wax is made by melting stick lac with 
a very small quantity of Scio turpentine and Chinese ver 
milion. 
The best Dutch sealing wax is made by melting four 
pounds of light coloured shell lac, adding first a pound of 
Venice turpentine, and then three pounds of Chinese ver 
milion, stirring all well together, and when it is nearly set. 
a quantity sufficient for six sticks is taken and weighed. 
The sticks are made on a marble slab fixed in a frame, 
with a chafing dish placed under the slab to keep it pro 
perly heated. The sealing wax is first rolled upon this slah 
with the hands until it is reduced to a roll nearly the length 
of six sticks, and then brought to the exact length by being 
rolled with a square piece of hard wood with a handle. 
The sticks are then transferred to another workman, who 
rolls the stick upon a cold marble slab, with a marble rol 
ler, until it is quite cold, and then polishes it by holding the 
stick between two charcoal fires, placed at a small distance 
opposite each other, until the surface is become smooth by 
beginning to melt, keeping the stick constantly turning, 
As the long stick grows hard the length of each of the six 
future small sticks are deeply indented in their proper 
places. 
A third workman breaks the long stick into small sticks, 
and finishes them by holding the ends to the flame of a