Put a half-pound of shellac broken up in small pieces into a quart
bottle or jug, cover it with alcohol, cork it tight, and put it on the
shelf in a warm place; shake it well several times a day, then add a
piece of camphor as large as a hen's egg; shake it well, and in a few
hours shake it again and add one ounce of lampblack. If the alcohol is
good, it will all be dissolved in two days; then shake and use. If the
materials were of the proper kind, the polish correctly prepared, it
will dry in about five minutes, giving a gloss equal to patent
leather. Using aniline dyes instead of the lampblack, you can have it
any desired color, and it can be used on wood or hard paper.