Books › The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871 › scan 172
Scan 172
The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871
4 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1ELEMI.—There are several varieties of this gum, but that which is imported from Ethiopia is the best and most valuable. Elemi is so liable to adulteration, that there is much difficulty in obtaining it pure. The common gum is of a yellow colour, but genuine Ethiopian elemi is of a greenish colour, mixed with reddish stripes, of a solid body, but softens by the heat of the hand, and emits a very agreeable odour, resembling fennel. It is wholly dissolved by alcohol, and is generally imported in pieces, which are surrounded by the leaves of the palm-tree or Indian cane. The addition of this gum to varnish promotes its toughness and durability.
3LAC is a resinous gum which results from the puncture of a small winged ant, upon the twigs of various trees, which grow in several parts of India. There are several varieties of this substance, distinguished thus: stick-lac, seed-lac, shell-lac, &c. Stick-lac is that which is allowed to remain upon the small branches; seed-lac, that which has been taken off such twigs, and this lac melted, and run into thin scales or plates, forms shell-lac. Seed-lac forms a strong and tough varnish, which is often applied to the violin and violoncello, but possesses little or no elasticity. Shell-lac is used in the common hard varnishes, and forms the chief ingredient in the various French-polishes. Lac is soluble in alcohol, in a solution of borax and hot water, ammonia, naptha, &c. There is another species of lac, of a white colour, and opaque, which has undergone the operation of bleaching by chlorine. This variety is termed
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.