Wax emulsion

Description

A creamy white stable aqueous emulsion of saponified wax. Wax emulsions are usually formed with paraffin or microcrystalline wax emulsified with an alkali or acid. When used as a paint, the emulsion may be mixed with small amounts of resin, drying oil, egg, or casein. Wax emulsions are also used for sizing and waxing paper or leather.

Synonyms and Related Terms

emulsión de cera (Esp.); émulsion de cire (Fr.); wax paint; saponified wax

Other Properties

Miscible in water. Soluble in turpentine.

Authority

• Reed Kay, The Painter's Guide To Studio Methods and Materials, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1983

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• The Dictionary of Paper, American Paper Institute, New York, Fourth Edition, 1980

• External source or communication Comment: Contributed information: Richard Newman