Technical Library DECORATION III: Soundboard pigments Entire Contents Copyright © 2010 CBH

About the soundboard pigments…

Several of the pigments found by chemical analysis to have been originally used in the soundboard paintings have not been available for two centuries, so we must supply modern equivalents. Some have gone out of use for a reason: The use of Flake white (containing lead) has been discontinued for safety, although the mercury-containing pigment Vermilion can still be found in use for furniture decoration in some parts of the world. Highly toxic materials are always best avoided, and many items used by artists should be used with considerable care. Some powder pigments—particularly Alizarin crimson—are difficult to wet, so a wetting agent can be handy, or else a small mortar and pestle to thoroughly grind the pigment into the medium.

SOUNDBOARD PIGMENTS
	Ivory black	C·×CaPO4
	Titanium white	TiO2
	Cobalt blue	CoAl2O4
	Cerulean blue	CoO·n(SnO2)
	Chromium green	Cr2O3
	Cadmium yellow	CdS
	Yellow ochre	Fe2O3·×H2O
	Burnt umber	Fe2O3·×H2O
	Venetian red	Fe2O3
	Alizarin crimson	C14H6O2(OH)2
	Scarlet lake	…
MANY PIGMENTS ARE TOXIC: NEVER LICK YOUR BRUSH!

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