The following is a recipe for a bright non-staining black for monumental work. Dissolve in a bottle by the aid of heat black sealing wax in methylated spirit, and keep the bottle near a fire for one day, shaking it at intervals of about one hour. This mixture will not crack when it gets hard. Thin it with methylated spirit and apply with a brush. To fill lettering on monumental work, use equal parts asphaltum and guttapercha, dissolved in a tin can. Hot asphalt urn used alone is too brittle, but the two together make a first-rate filler. To fill lettering to resemble lead, make up some Parian cement with water, stain it with lampblack and a dash of blue, fill in the letters when dry, and clean off the surface.