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The recipe for the stack process is metallic
lead in the form of strips exposed for 3 months in clay pots, which have a
separate compartment in the bottom containing vinegar (acetic acid)
The pots are stacked in tiers in a shed covered with
manure separating them. After the shed is closed, the combined action of the
acetic vapours, heat and carbon dioxide from the fermenting compost, oxygen in
the air and water vapour slowly transforms the lead to basic lead carbonate.
 After
3 months, the lead strips would be removed, and the white lead powder scrapped
of the lead. White lead has been known by many names: Ceruse, flake white,
snowflake white, Cremnitz white, Nottingham white and was poisonous
Basic lead carbonate, 2PbCO3?Pb(OH)2, when pure, is
a brilliant white substance that makes an excellent paint pigment. Women during
the Middle Ages didn't wear much make-up, until Queen Elizabeth I became one of
Britain's most celebrated users of natural beauty preparations. Elizabethan
women still used white lead face paint and mercury sulphide for rouge, but the
lead was mixed with vinegar to form a paste called ceruse.
This stuff was toxic, and many died making it ! The
main hazard of the job is lead poisoning, the symptoms of which include blue
gums, headaches, partial paralysis and frequent bouts of madness. Life
expectancy is short, but your efforts will be appreciated as the paint will
decorate many things ? from window frames, golf balls to works of art.
Technology
Lighting
Agricultural
Construction
Timber-Framed Houses
Peasant Houses
Cannon Candles Torches Rush lights Oil Lamps
White Lead Golf
Ball Charcoal |
