Baron Schroder gave me the following recipe to make 'painter's butter'. Two parts, or two ounces, of nut oil; one of mastic in tears or drops, and as much sugar of lead as would lie on a 25 cent piece. Put the two first named articles in a vessel of hot water. The water may be kept boiling, but the mixture must be only heated sufficiently to dissolve the mastic. Then drop in the sugar of lead. But avoid the consequent fumes from the lead which by this treatment parts with all its noxious [qwuality] and only retains its drying property. When this mixture is quite dissolved, pour it into a vessel of cold water. The mixture will keep together and must be skimmed off from the water and it is then fit for use. Should the above proportions produce too thick a mixture it may be rendered more thin by increasing the quantity of oil.,Note: This is like English Gumshon, but I think purer. T.S.