The miracles of ordinary Alchemy

[Black Leviathan]

So I'm currently running a sort of low-magic fantasy setting and I built Alchemist as a template without really putting much thought into how Alchemy would work. The Rules in GURPS Magic are not good. The recipes are too expensive/take too long/ and just do too much. I don't want someone with a difficult skill to be able to brew potions of turning into a flaming badass. And I don't want a bad skill roll to cost them thousands of silver in ingredients.

So my question is, what would ordinary Alchemists make? I'm sure they make paint and lacquer and a number of other ordinary industrial tools. They compete with rural witches to make medicines to sooth discomfort and help the sick rest but they do have some legitimate magical manipulation in a fantasy word, just maybe not that much. Not what would they make for the Adventure Industrial Complex. What small things would ordinary people pay10-50 silver to a town Alchemist for? And how would you stat that Potion/powder/pastille.

Also can you think of other industrial Alchemy uses in a TL 3 world similar to lacquer or paint?

[johndallman]

Preservatives, for wood, rope, and leather.

Effective waterproof glues.

Bleaches, dyes and mordants.

[ravenfish]

Concentrated alcohol- one of the triumphs of historical alchemy.

[whswhs]

There is a book called The Arcanum that is a history of European efforts to duplicate the Chinese invention of porcelain. The people involved in the research were largely alchemists.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Black Leviathan

Also can you think of other industrial Alchemy uses in a TL 3 world similar to lacquer or paint?

Soap. Dyes and pigments. Mordants. Bleaching agents. Styptics. Perfumes. Metals and metal alloys. Coloured glass. Imitation gems. Mineral acids for e.g. etching and cleaning metals. Fluxes for soldering and brazing. Ink. Tanning agents. Emetics and laxatives. Gypsum plaster. Cement. Preservatives. Embalming agents.