DATE AND TIME: 12/9/14, 11:30am approximately
LOCATION: Columbia Lab
SUBJECT: Making the "Verdigris Flux"
Once we had the verdigris, the flux as specified by the recipe was surprisingly easy to make. First we ground the Verdigris to make sure it had an even consistency, since there were some chunks that were larger than others.
Because the maker mentions that verdigris is the key ingredient, we mixed 1/2 teaspoon of verdigris with 1/4 teaspoon of all our other ingredients, saltpeter, borax, and sal ammoniac, all sourced from a modern chemical company or Amazon.com by Joel Klein.
We simply mixed these ingredients together in the portions specified, until they appeared evenly blended. There also somehow seemed to be a good deal of tiny pieces of plastic wrap in the mixture, perhaps from one of the chemicals that was sourced from outside the lab, so these needed to be picked out when spotted. Then we transferred the mixture to a small ziploc baggie and were ready to use it in casting.
Please refer to my field notes for 145r for the details of the casting process.