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1.  Overview     2. History of use     3. Making the pigment     4. Technical details

How Lead white is made:          Source: modern mineralogical name: hydrocerussite (at Mineralogy Database) Artificial variety of pigment Strips of metallic lead are placed in porous earthenware pots, over weak acetic acid (vinegar) in sheds with fermenting manure that produce heat and CO2. After a few months, the acetic and carbonic acid reacts with the surface lead forming a white crust which is scraped off, dried, and ground.

Illustration of the process:             The white crust is then scraped off, as in this French 19th cenury scraping mill.   The ground pigment:             Pile of ground Lead white:

Other whites         (intro) - Calcium carbonate whites - lead white - titanium dioxide - zinc white