How Lead white is made:
| Source: | modern mineralogical name: hydrocerussite (at Mineralogy Database) |
| Artificial variety of pigment | Strips of metallic lead are placed in porous earthenware pots, over weak acetic acid (vinegar) in sheds with fermenting manure that produce heat and CO2. After a few months, the acetic and carbonic acid reacts with the surface lead forming a white crust which is scraped off, dried, and ground. Anyway, many recipes for the pigments manufacture have been recorded over the centuries. Since lead white is a poisonous compound if inhaled as a dust or ingested, grinding in manufacture was a dangerous industry and as a result the process was banned after legislative action. |
Illustration of the process:
The white crust is then scraped off, as in this French 19th cenury scraping mill.
The ground pigment:
Pile of ground Lead white: