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Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

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Table 5.3 Pigments – continued<br />

will appear. The refractive index of some<br />

common pigments is shown in Table 5.3. The<br />

refractive index of chalk is very similar to the<br />

refractive index of fresh linseed oil medium<br />

(1.48) so that chalk in oil will be highly transparent.<br />

Rutile titanium oxide on the other<br />

hand has a much higher refractive index and<br />

is highly opaque in oil. Refractive index therefore<br />

makes a very important contribution to<br />

the covering power or hiding power of a<br />

paint. Particle size and shape are also important<br />

in this respect.<br />

Particle size plays a large part in determining<br />

the extent to which a pigment will scatter<br />

light and to a considerable extent the amount<br />

of medium required to wet the pigment<br />

surface. For a given weight of pigment, as the<br />

size of particles is reduced, the number of<br />

interfaces available for scattering light<br />

increases but below a certain size the scatter-<br />

Other materials and structures 229<br />

Colour/group Chemical composition Origin/date Properties Refractive<br />

Pigment and description Index<br />

name<br />

Black<br />

Bone black<br />

(animal<br />

black, drop<br />

black)<br />

Ivory black<br />

Lamp black<br />

Mars black<br />

Earth<br />

pigments<br />

Found as amorphous solid or semisolid<br />

near oil deposits.<br />

Blue black pigment made by<br />

charring animal bones in closed<br />

vessels. It is a mixture of carbon<br />

(10%) calcium phosphate (84%)<br />

and calcium carbonate (6%) and<br />

has a smooth dense texture.<br />

Irregular translucent blackish brown<br />

grains<br />

The most intense of all black<br />

pigments is made by charring<br />

waste cuttings of ivory in closed<br />

vessels. Term now also used for<br />

Bone black<br />

Nearly pure amorphous carbon<br />

prepared from burning mineral oil,<br />

tar, pitch or resin. Slightly bluish in<br />

colour. Very finely divided,<br />

uniform, homogeneous<br />

See Mars yellow<br />

Complex mixtures of minerals<br />

including clays, ochres, siennas,<br />

and umbers derived from mineral<br />

ores and sedimentary deposits<br />

Sources: Gettens and Stout (1966); Harley (1982); Mayer (1982)<br />

Used from ancient times<br />

century School but now little used<br />

as it never dries properly and<br />

tends to cause shrinkage leading to<br />

alligatoring and cracking of paint<br />

films applied over it. Soluble in<br />

turpentine etc.<br />

Popular pigment also sold as ivory<br />

black. Works well in oil and in<br />

water colour<br />

Makes good neutral greys. Residual<br />

oil content may make wetting by<br />

water based media difficult.<br />

Presence of phenols may retard<br />

drying of oils.<br />

Mainly highly stable<br />

1.65–1.70<br />

Opaque<br />

Opaque<br />

Opaque<br />

ing power decreases. Maximum scattering of<br />

light is achieved when the diameter of the<br />

pigment particle is approximately equal to the<br />

wavelength of light in the particle (this is<br />

about half the wavelength of light in air, or<br />

about 0.2–0.4 μm). Pigments have particle<br />

diameters ranging from about 0.01 μm to<br />

about 50 μm, although all samples of pigment<br />

contain a range of sizes of which the figure<br />

quoted will be an average. As particle size<br />

decreases, the total surface area increases and<br />

hence the amount of medium required to wet<br />

it will increase.<br />

The shape of pigment particles is also<br />

important since it can affect hiding power,<br />

gloss and other properties such as water resistance.<br />

Some of the terms that may be used to<br />

describe pigment particles include spherical,<br />

cubic, nodular (rounded and irregular), acicular<br />

(needle-like or rod-like) and lamellar (plate

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