_Essence of musk._
5 ounces of musk from the bladder, cut small.
1 do. civet.
4 quarts of spirit of ambrette (purple sweet sultan).
The whole are put into a matrass, and exposed to the sun for two months
during the hottest season of the year. In winter, the heat of a
water-bath must be resorted to.
_Essence of vanilla._
3 pounds of vanilla in branches, 1st quality, cut small.
4 quarts spirit of ambrette.
2 drachms of cloves.
1/2 do. musk from the bladder.
The same process must be followed as for the essence of musk.
_Essence of ambergris._
4 ounces of ambergris.
2 ounces of bladder musk.
8 quarts of spirit of ambrette.
Treat as above.
_Spirit of ambrette_ (purple sweet sultan). 25 pounds of ambrette are to
be distilled with 25 quarts of spirits of wine, adding 12 quarts of
water, so as to be able to draw off the 25 quarts.
PERRY, is the fermented juice of pears, prepared in exactly the same way
as CYDER.
PERSIAN BERRIES. See BERRIES, PERSIAN.
PETROLEUM. See NAPHTHA.
PE-TUNT-SE, is the Chinese name of the fusible earthy matter of their
porcelain. It is analogous to our Cornish stone.
PEWTER, PEWTERER. _(Potier d’étain_, Fr.) Pewter is, generally speaking,
an alloy of tin and lead, sometimes with a little antimony or copper,
combined in several different proportions, according to the purposes
which the metal is to serve. The English tradesmen distinguish three
sorts, which they call plate, trifle, and ley pewter; the first and
hardest being used for plates and dishes; the second for beer-pots; and
the third for larger wine measures. The plate pewter has a bright
silvery lustre when polished; the best is composed of 100 parts of tin,
8 parts of antimony, 2 parts of bismuth, and 2 of copper. The trifle is
said by some to consist of 83 of tin, and 17 of antimony; but it
generally contains a good deal of lead. The ley pewter is composed of 4
of tin, and 1 of lead. As the tendency of the covetous pewterer is
always to put in as much of the cheap metal as is compatible with the
appearance of his metal in the market, and as an excess of lead may
cause it to act poisonously upon all vinegars and many wines, the French
government long ago appointed Fourcroy, Vauquelin, and other chemists,
to ascertain by experiment the proper proportions of a safe pewter
alloy. These commissioners found that 18 parts of lead might, without
danger of affecting wines, &c., be alloyed with 82 parts of tin; and the
French government in consequence passed a law, requiring pewterers to
use 83-1/2 of tin in 100 parts, with a tolerance of error amounting to
1-1/2 per cent. This ordonnance, allowing not more than 18 per cent. of
lead at a maximum, has been extended to all vessels destined to contain
alimentary substances. A table of specific gravities was also published,
on purpose to test the quality of the alloy; the density of which, at
the legal standard, is 7·764. Any excess of lead is immediately
indicated by an increase in the specific gravity above that number.
The pewterer fashions almost all his articles by casting them in moulds
of brass or bronze, which are made both inside and outside in various
pieces, nicely fitted together, and locked in their positions by ears
and catches or pins of various kinds. The moulds must be moderately
heated before the pewter is poured into them, and their surfaces should
be brushed evenly over with pounce powder (sandarach) beaten up with
white of egg. Sometimes a film of oil is preferred. The pieces, after
being cast, are turned and polished; and if any part needs soldering, it
must be done with a fusible alloy of tin, bismuth, and lead.
Britannia metal, the kind of pewter of which English tea-pots are made,
is said to be an alloy of equal parts of brass, tin, antimony, and
bismuth; but the proportions differ in different workshops, and much
more tin is commonly introduced. Queen’s metal is said to consist of 9
parts of tin, 1 of antimony, 1 of bismuth, and 1 of lead; it serves also
for teapots and other domestic utensils.
A much safer and better alloy for these purposes may be compounded by
adding to 100 parts of the French pewter, 5 parts of antimony, and 5 of
brass to harden it. The English ley pewter contains often much more than
20 per cent. of lead. Under TIN, will be found the description of an
easy method of analyzing its lead alloys.