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65
"Leaves of lead are to be smeared with a paste of orpiment and the milky juice of calotropis gigantea and roasted in a covered crucible till the metal is entirely killed'..
Pitalo (Brass) Pital (brass) is one of the eight kinds of metal used in metallurgy.
According to the Rasaratna Sammuccaya there are two kinds of pital (brass), viz. rītikā and kākatundi. Brass which becomes red like copper by quenching it into Kāñji (sour rice water), after heating it in fire is called rītikā. Brass whose colour becomes black by the application of this process is called Kākatumdis.
Purification of Brass Smear* p o. nālo 1 (part), sal-ammoniac-1 part and merdury-4 parts on the brass leaf and dry it up in fire. Thus do it (repeat the process) seven times. It removes the blackness of brass.
Calcination of Pital (Brass) The Rasaratna Samuccaya describes the process of reducing brass to ashes in the following manner.
Smear the thin leaf of brass with the mixture of sulphur and realgar by making it in the juice of lemon, and close it in a sarāvapuța (lid). Next heat it in a gajapuța fire. Brass will get reduced to ashes.
Melting of Brass (Druti) Feed the powder (grains) of Ritikā pital of golden colour to a young and healthy goat with its food-stuff. Next rub its dung with the medicines
1. Ibid. 5/184. 2. SRSS., Ch. III. 16, 52, 65, 86; IV. 4; V. 12, 22; VI, 10; VI. 13;
X. 10, 30. 3. Ritikā kākalumời ca dvividham pittalam bhavet / Samtāpya kāṁjike
kşiptā tāmrābhā ritikā matā 11.
Evam ya jāyate krsņā kākatumạiti sā matā, RS. 5/190–192. 4. not identified. 5. Po nālo 1-śveța hoi, harakoi, docae, Khadi navasāra, / rā (jā) 4,
patre kharādii agnau sekiin 1 imavāra 7 kije Pital kālika kāpen 1.,
SRSS Ch. 10, 10 Po Nalo is like harakoi while docae and calk. 6. Nimburasagilāgamdhaveştitā puțită aştadhā /
Ritirāyāti bhasmatvam tato yojyā yathāyatham // Tāmravanmāraṇam tasyāḥ kṛtvā sarvatra yojayet // RS. 5/198-199
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