[Sca-cooks] My last post on pysanky and vinegar

[AF Murphy]

But while lye is certainly caustic, it equally certainly isn't acid. In
fact, it's base. Extremely so. Don't know Aqua Regia.

I think it is possible that when  Stefan asked about acid, he did mean
specifically acid...

I'm pretty sure some mordants used are acid. When dyers in period used
urine, modern dyers commonly use uric acid... I don't really know a lot
about this, but it would be a place to look.

Anne


Phlip wrote:
> Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...
>
> Was vinegar
>
>>the only acid solution they had available and used? I'd certainly like to
>
> have
>
>>a good article on these subjects for the Florilegium. And/or it might make
>
> a
>
>>nice arts & science project.
>>
>>
>>Stefan
>
>
> Stefan, they had a large number of caustic subsances in period, recognized
> their value, and used them for any number of of processes- they just didn't
> classify them the same way we did.
>
> Let me get through the Pyrotechnia and De Re Metallica, and I'll be happy to
> give you more detail, but as a start, look up Aqua Regia and Lye.
>
> Their understanding of WHY was limited, but Medieval folk were not stupid,
> unobservant, nor environmentally deprived, so if it occurred in nature, they
> were quite capable of using it and refining it to a fair extent.
>
> I'll be working the next couple of days, but I should have some time to
> peruse my sources and give you some specific uses for specific caustics.
>
> Phlip
>
>