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Borax
A named boron salt of soldering flux, later glass and pharmacy. Not alum, and not natron.
Also known as Tincal
Alchemy
Borax is used in Alchemy.
Agricola’s De Re Metallica seats borax among soldering and assay fluxes of the furnace. A named borax in that metallurgy craft, not alum and not natron as forced twins.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Borax is historically related to Workshop.
In Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts, Borax is treated as shop gear; the piece belongs on the bench.
from Arnold James Cooley · Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts, 6th ed. (PD; Gutenberg #39733 / #41957)
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Borax is historically related to Boat.
In Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts, Borax is placed beside Boat as concrete shop companions.
from Arnold James Cooley · Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts, 6th ed. (PD; Gutenberg #39733 / #41957)
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Borax is historically related to Hammer.
In Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts, Borax is placed beside Hammer as concrete shop companions.
from Arnold James Cooley · Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts, 6th ed. (PD; Gutenberg #39733 / #41957)
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Borax is used in Salt.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, fine gold dust is melted in a crucible with borax or with saltpetre and salt — the borax flux clears the melt for the button.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Borax is historically related to Honey.
In Dunglison’s Medical Lexicon, mel boracis (borax honey) is named as an astringent mouth wash (collutorium adstringens) — borax is prepared as that honey.
from Robley Dunglison · Medical Lexicon, 1874 (and earlier PD eds.)
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Borax is historically related to Alum.
In Buchan’s Domestic Medicine, a child’s sore mouth is rubbed with a mixture of fine honey, borax, burnt alum, and rose-water — borax is mixed with that alum.
from William Buchan · Domestic Medicine, 1791 (12th ed.; Gutenberg #74359)
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Borax is historically related to Crucible.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, crushed lead-stone is mixed with borax, placed in a crucible, and melted with a glowing coal until the borax crackles — borax works in that crucible.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Borax is historically related to Coal.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, to assay lead ore, pure lead-stone is mixed with borax in a crucible and a glowing coal is put in the middle until the borax crackles and the lead settles to the bottom.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Charcoal is historically related to Borax.
In Theophilus’s Divers Arts, niello metals are burned and mixed with live charcoal, sulphur is cooked with them, then the calcine is mixed with borax and painted into the circles — charcoal work is finished with that borax.
from Theophilus Presbyter · On Divers Arts, c. early 12th century
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Lead is historically related to Borax.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, lead ore is assayed by crushing pure lead-stone with the chrysocolla called borax, mixing them in a crucible with a glowing coal until the borax crackles and the lead-stone melts — lead-stone is fused with that borax.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Tin is historically related to Borax.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, roasted washed tin concentrates are mixed with chrysocolla which they call borax, moistened into a lump for the charcoal assay — tin ore is compounded with that borax.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Argol is historically related to Borax.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, gold-coloured residue moistened with oil made from argol is dried and melted in a crucible with borax — argol oil meets that borax melt.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Rose is historically related to Borax.
In Buchan’s Domestic Medicine, a thrush mixture compounds fine honey with borax, burnt alum, and rose-water for rubbing a child’s mouth.
from William Buchan · Domestic Medicine, 1791 (12th ed.; Gutenberg #74359)
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sources
- De Re Metallica · Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation)
Georgius Agricola, De Re Metallica, trans. Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (1912).
- Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts · Arnold James Cooley
Arnold James Cooley, Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts (6th ed.).
- Medical Lexicon · Robley Dunglison
Robley Dunglison, Medical Lexicon (Dictionary of Medical Science).
- Domestic Medicine · William Buchan
William Buchan, Domestic Medicine (12th ed., 1791).
- On Divers Arts · Theophilus Presbyter
Theophilus, On Divers Arts (De diversis artibus / Schedula diversarum artium).