The art of glass shewing how to make all sorts of glass, crystal and enamel : likewise the making of pearls, precious stones, china and looking-glasses : to which is added, the method of painting on glass and enameling : also how to extract the colours from minerals, metals, herbs and flowers ... : illustrated with proper sculptures / written originally in French, by Mr. H. Blancourt, and now first translated into English ; with an appendix, containing exact instructions for making glass-eyes of all colours.

CHAP. LII. The way to prepare Aqua-Fortis, which dissolves Silver and Quicksilver.

THERE are several sorts of Aqua-Fortis's, prepa∣red after different manners, appropriated to the different Uses they are design'd for; but all of them always with Salt-Petre or Nitre, which is the principal ingredient in Aqua-Fortis. That we shall here Treat of being not an Ordinary one, may pass for one of those that have a peculiar Composition. For this Water, take 1 pound of Nitre or Salt-Petre refined, three Pound of Roch-Allom calcined on the Fire-Shovel; and four Ounces of Crystalline Arsenick, the whole reduced into Powder,

to which add seven Ounces of * 1.1 fine Sand; and having well mixed the whole Composition, put it into a Glass Cucurbit, always leaving ⅓ part of it Empty, ⅔ being filled, lute the Cucurbit well with a strong lute, whereof we will give you the prepara∣tion at the end of this Chapter. But before you put the Cucurbite or Body on, you must lay Sand four Inches deep, and thick Iron-Bars to bear the weight, then fit a head, and lute the joints well, with a lute made of fine Flour and Lime powdered, and mixt with whites of Eggs: then put on the Joints roulers of fineLinen, then lute it again and then put on Linen roulers again, three or four times, each time letting it dry before you put on the next rouler. And then this will bear the Violence of the Fire, and the pe∣netrating force of the Spirits of the Aqua-Fortis.

After that, you must put this Body of the Alembick in a deep Earthen-Pan, made of the same Earth as Crucibles, filled with Sand, so that it be buried in the Sand to within two Inches of the joints; then set it in a Wind Furnace fit, and capable to maintain an equal Fire. We here give you the figure of it, this Furnace may serve for several uses, as we will here∣after Explain.

Your Alembic being thus fitted, you must put to the head a Glass Receiver very capacious, the better to resist the force of the Spirits, otherwise all may break. Lute it well to the Mouth of the Alembic, as you did the joints before, and with the same precau∣tion of letting it dry each time in the Air, taking care not to kindle the Fire in the Furnace, till the lute of all the joints be dry, for that is very ne∣cessary.

The whole being thus in right order, kindle a small coal Fire for the space of three hours, during

which time the windy humour that is in the Mate∣rials, and which would break them will be drawn of into the Receiver. So continue a moderate Fire for six hours, then encrease it little by little, putting on at last billets of dry Oaken-Wood to the coals, for six hours more, till the Alembic or head begin to be tinged yellow, and the Spirits begin to rise. Ob∣serve to continue this Regimen or degree of Fire, till the head and receiver begin to grow red; then augment it till the Alembic become of a deep red; continue this degree of the Fire as long as that Colour lasts, till all the Spirits are drawn of, and the Head and Receiver begin by degrees to grow clear, and re∣assume their common Colour in cooling; which sometimes will be two days first. Notwithstanding you must continue the Fire some time afterward; then let the Furnace cool of its self; taking care, that whilst the Alembic and Receiver are still red, and the Fire in force, that you admit no cool Air into the place, and that nothing cold touch them, which would break them. When all is cold, cover the head and receiver with wet Linen cloaths, that the Spirits (which are about the Head and Receiver) may the better sink to the bottom of the Receiver, and let it stand so twelve hours. Then bath the joints and the luting with warm Water, that you may the better loosen the bandage, and so take off the head from the Receiver, otherwise it would be difficult to do it; then you may break the body which will be good for nothing, and take out the Faeces which reduce again into Powder: add to each Pound of that Powder, four Ounces of refin'd Nitre, and put the whole into a Cucurbit (or Body) whereon pour all the Aqua-Fortis before distill'd; then put on the Head and Receiver, and lute it and dry it well as you did before; having put it on the same Sand Furnace, during the first four hours make a gentle Fire, which

afterwards may be encreased little by little, till the Head and Receiver begin to grow clear and all the Spirit is drawn over. After which let all cool, co∣vering the Head and Receiver with wet Cloaths; then let it stand twelve hours as before. Then unlute the joints again with warm Water, and put the Aqua-Fortis into Glass Vessels well stopt, that the Spirits may not exhale, and keep it so for uses hereafter to be mentioned. This is the Aqua-Fortis which is commonly called Water of separation, and the best that can be made. There are some that instead of Roch-allom take the best Roman Vitriol, or the like. You may know whether the Vitriol be proper for this use or not by rubbing it on a piece of well polish∣ed Iron; if it be it will leave a Copper Colour on it; Then this Vitriol, the purification whereof we will give in the next Chapter, will make an Aqua-Fortis far more penetrating than the former.

Now we come to shew how to make the lute which we promised, which tho' common is very usefull in this Case. You must take one Part of Lome (a fat Earth) which is found in Rivers, 3 Parts of Sand, of common Wood Ashes well sifted, and of the Shearings of woollen Cloath each one half; mix the whole well together, and putting water to them make a soft past, to which add one third part of common Salt Powder'd, and work them all well together, then use them in luting your vessels.

Here follows the description of a usefull Furnace, which may serve instead of several others, the Number whereof would be troublesome, it being proper for several Operations. To render this Furnace more Intelligible to those who are not acquainted with it, we have here given a Cut of it, whereon we have marked A. B. C. the places made use of, with their Names, that they may by the same Letters here set down again be the

better understood. A. is the Ash-hole, into which all the Ashes, on the Iron Grates which go cross it, fall down, and which are taken out with a little Iron shovel, or a sort of Iron Peel.

B. is the space or whole room of the Ash-hole.

C. Is the Fire-Grate which ought to be of square Iron Bars lying with the Edges upwards that the Ashes may not lie thereon, which they would do if the flats were upwards.

D. is the place where the Fire is made of Coal or Wood.

E. is the Door of it.

F. is several holes wherein are put Iron Bars which go cross from one side to the other, to keep up the vessels wherein the matters to be worked are contained, stopping up the other holes that are not used with Lute.

G. is the Work hole, or little Laboratory of the Furnace.

H. is a semicircular opening with the like hole in the Cover to put the neck of the Retort through, when you distil in a Reverberatory, or otherwise.

I. is the inner part of the Work-hole of the Furnace.

K. is two Registers.

L. is the Cover of the Furnace for 8 Registers.

M. is a round hole which serves for a Register to Reverberate, and to pass the neck of the Ma∣trasses through which are in Balneo, whether in digestion or otherwise.

N. is the Registers which are to be opened or shut to augment or diminish the heat of the Fire of the Reverberatory.

This Furnace, very usefull in a little Laborato∣ry, may serve for most part of our works. First of all for a wind Furnace for several operations if the vessel containing the matter be so accommo∣dated

[illustration]

in the work-hole, that the fire may touch it immediately. It may be also serviceable for Fusion of several Metalline matters which we Em∣ploy for Tinctures, to calcine them, vitrifie them, make Enamels, &c. If it be open at the bot∣tom where the Ash-hole is, and placed upon an Iron Trevet; and besides that, covering the top with two Cases the better to keep in the heat.

2. For a Reverberatory Furnace, if you cover the work-hole with its cover, or door, and shut the Registers, the vessel containing the Materials being exposed to the naked flame.

3. For a Balneum Mariae, if you put into the hole a Copper Vessel of the same Diameter, in shape of a Copper, the bottom whereof must be strong and flat, and fill it with hot water, wherein you may put the Vessel that contains your matter: Which if it be a Matrass or Bolt-head, you may let the Neck out at the hole at the middle of the Cover, which covers the Balneum (or vessel full of water.)

4. For a Balneum Vaporosum, by putting in the same hole, a vessel full of water that shall rise in vapours: And in that vessel, another which shall contain the materials two Inches above the water, shutting this vessel with a fit cover least the vapours Exhale.

5. For a Balneum Aereum, or dry bath, by putting in the same hole a vessel filled with hot Air shut close, and therein also another vessel with the Ma∣terials.

6. For a Sand or Ash Furnace, and with filings of Iron, if the vessel put in the hole, and which is exposed to the naked Fire be filled with Sand, Ashes, or Filings of Steel, and that you pu•• in the one or the other, the vessel that contains the mat∣ter you are to work on.

7. For a Lamp Furnace, if in place of the Bars below you put a Porringer full of Ashes, to contain the Vessel wherein your matter is; provided you put also a Glass Bell on that Vessel to cover it that must stand on the Brim or Ledges of the Por∣ringer, well sitted to it, to preserve the heat that arises: and then put under that Porringer the Lamp on a little Trevet.

In short, this Furnace may serve for almost all Chymical Operations whatsoever, which would be too long here to mention.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Neri says Lime.