The pigments commercially designated lakes generally consist of an organic colouring matter united with a metallic oxide. In isolated cases other compounds of colouring matters are included under the term, such as indigo sulphonic acid, and yet more rarely pure colouring matters are included, for example carthamine red. But the overwhelming majority of lake pigments are compounds of a colouring matter with the oxide of a metal. For this purpose the oxides of tin, lead and aluminium are commonly used.

Lakes are generally made by mixing the solution of the colouring matter with the solution of a salt of the metallic oxide, and precipitating the oxide by an alkali. The colouring matter is separated along with the oxide and forms with it a substance known as a lake. It has not yet been decided whether the lakes are true chemical compounds of the colouring matter with the metallic oxide, or whether the colouring matter is simply held fast by the surface attraction of the finely divided oxide. In favour of the latter view is the fact that a larger or smaller quantity of the colouring matter can be united with a given quantity of the oxide.

The lakes vary greatly in durability; some, such as the madder lakes, can be counted among the most durable pigments, whilst others have very little permanence, as for example, the logwood lakes.

The majority of the colouring matters used in the preparation of lakes are of vegetable origin, but several are derived from animal sources. The properties of the colouring matters used for this purpose vary greatly; each material demands a special treatment for the production of lakes. Therefore, in describing the methods by which lakes are made, we shall give first the properties of the colouring matter in question, and then proceed to the preparation of the lake. In the preceding portion of the book the pigments have been arranged according to their colour; the lakes will be described in the same order. The yellow, red or green lakes of different origin will be treated in the same section in order to facilitate reference to any particular pigment.

White lakes are not known, neither are there lakes which can be described as black. With these exceptions lakes of all colours can be made and also of all shades. As an example of this madder lake may be given, which is found in commerce in a great variety of shades; it can be made from the palest rose-red to the deepest purple red, or, more properly, madder red, which is a characteristic shade. The shades of any lake are obtained by mixing in a white pigment just as in the manufacture of mineral pigments. Whilst, however, in the latter case the white pigment must often be mechanically mixed with the colour, the shading of the lakes is accomplished in their preparation. Generally speaking, a pale shade of a lake is obtained by increasing the amount of the salt, the oxide of which is used to precipitate the colouring matter. The oxides in question are white (with the exception of lead oxide); thus in the pale shades a small amount of colouring matter is precipitated upon a large amount of oxide, whilst in the deep lakes the reverse is the case, a large quantity of colouring matter is precipitated upon a small quantity of oxide, and the shade thus appears very deep.

Apart from the nature of the colouring matter contained in a lake, and considering only the metallic oxide with which the colouring matter is united, it appears that lakes containing lead oxide have little durability. The combination between the colouring matter and the metallic oxide in a lake is so loose that it is easily destroyed by sulphuretted hydrogen; if a lake containing lead is exposed to the action of air containing that gas the colour will, in the course of time, inevitably blacken. The lakes containing tin are also susceptible to sulphuretted hydrogen; in air containing but a trace of this gas they quickly lose their brilliance and in time are quite discoloured.

Alumina is not affected by sulphuretted hydrogen, and must thus be regarded as the most suitable oxide for the preparation of lakes. It is generally applied in the form of alum, in the selection of which great care is necessary if fine colours are to be produced. Commercial alum frequently contains ferric oxide; when the alumina is precipitated simultaneously with the colouring matter the ferric oxide is also thrown down, and is mixed with the lake, its dark colour influencing the shade of the lake greatly to its disadvantage. The effect of the ferric oxide upon the colour of the lake is so important that it is impossible, for example, to obtain a pale red lake with alum containing iron. To avoid the bad results given by alum containing iron it should be examined before it is used, and if it is found to contain any considerable quantity of iron it should be rejected for this purpose.

After alum a solution of stannic chloride is most commonly used to precipitate lakes, but it must be free from stannous chloride; it produces as a rule darker lakes than alum. Care must be taken that the stannic chloride solution is free from iron.

The ordinary process for making lakes is very simple: a clear aqueous solution of the colouring matter is obtained; to this alum or stannic chloride solution is added in proportion to the amount of colouring matter dissolved by the water; the metallic oxide is then precipitated by an alkali. Sodium or potassium carbonate or caustic alkalis may be used; ammonia is very suitable for this purpose, since it is free from iron. The precipitant must be cautiously added, it is introduced in drops when the greater part of the colouring matter has been precipitated; an excess of the alkaline solution would have considerable effect on the shade of the precipitate. The precipitated lake rapidly settles to the bottom of the almost colourless liquid; the settling is particularly rapid when stannic chloride has been used. The liquid is then drawn off, the pasty residue brought upon a strainer, washed several times with water, and dried in the air or in stoves.

When dry, a properly prepared lake forms a mass of little coherence, and can be readily ground to a soft powder, which may then be ground with oil or gum solution to produce oil or water paints. At the same time the materials are added to the pure lake which are used to shade its colour; white pigments are generally employed for this purpose—the paleness of the shade is proportional to the amount of white pigment introduced. Certain lakes are shaded by small quantities of other colouring matters; for example, the admixture of a small quantity of a blue pigment with a pure red lake produces a much deeper colour inclining to purple. If a small quantity of a red or blue colouring matter is added to a yellow pigment there is produced a deeper yellow inclining to orange, or a yellow inclining to green, in proportion to the quantity of the added colouring matter.

It should be observed that it is of great importance for the colour maker to have a practised eye, sensitive to fine differences of colour. He may then produce colours faultless in shade, for if by chance a colour does not turn out well it may be improved by judicious admixtures. It is quite impossible to give definite rules for the mixing of colours; the estimation of a shade cannot be taught in words, it demands long practice. By the use of a system, provided the user has normal eyes, very slight differences of colour can be readily estimated. A scale of colours should be made from pigments of pure and definite shades, in which scale successful mixtures are gradually inserted, so that a series is produced in which the separate pure colours blend regularly into one another. Then, when it is required to produce a pigment corresponding to a certain shade on the scale, with a little practice the shade can be readily produced, for the scale indicates which colour predominates.

The so-called sap colours are generally characterised by very pure shades. They are produced by decomposing a lake by an acid or a strong base, evaporating the solution of the colouring matter so obtained at a gentle heat and mixing with gum, starch, or some other thickening material to produce a mass of such consistency that it can be formed into balls or sticks.

The decoctions of the dye-woods always contain other substances in addition to the colouring matters, which are precipitated with the colouring matter, and somewhat injure its shade. When such a lake is decomposed the colouring matter is obtained in a purified form, thus showing its full beauty. This solution of the purified colouring matter might be again precipitated with a salt solution and lakes be produced which would be much brighter than the original, but the losses incidental to this double precipitation would be so great that the lake would be made much too expensive.