On Sat, 28 Feb 2004, Kate Mahoney wrote:
> The traditional preservative is mercuric chloride (scares me), but I use
> a little formaldehyde, maybe 10ml in my 500ml bottle of gum. This has
> proved successful so far - my solution is kept in a dark cupboard, but
> not refrigerated.
That may be stronger than necessary, which (I wonder if) could actually
harden the gum ? Anyway, I preserved a 2-oz bottle of gum arabic with 2
drops of formaldehyde (40%) and it lasted for years.. So, if my
arithmetic is working, 500 mls = about 17 oz, which would be 8-1/2 two oz
bottles, so about 20 drops, or one ml should do it...
However there are preservatives you can get at the drugstore more
practical than bomb-grade peroxide (which would still lose strength over
time, as peroxide donates it's extra 0 to charity... )
I think you can get salicylic acid at the drug store? also thymol
available through Kremer (which is also in Europe), smells very antiseptic
& medicinal, tho that's the solid in the bottle in the closet. don't know
if the liquid smells the same. Then carbolic acid, which I've never used
but probably around here & there... And some kind of lavender ? I have
some somewhere...
Judy
Received on Sat Feb 28 07:10:55 2004
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