any factious black, as lamp-black, shoe-black, and the like. A mixture of ivory or lamp-black with linseed-oil makes the common oil blacking. For a shining blacking, small-beer or water is used instead of oil, in the proportion of a pint to an ounce of ivory-black, with the addition of half an ounce of sugar, and as much gum-arabic. The white of an egg substituted for the gum increases the lustre, but is supposed to render the leather liable to crack. A good blacking is prepared by mixing, in certain proportions, ivory-black, sour beer or porter, Florence oil, molasses, and a small quantity of sulphate of iron.