HIGHER FATTY ACID METAL SALT BLOCK COMPACT AND ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a higher fatty acid zinc block compact which is free from trouble of cracks, has less variance in hardness, is controllable with respect to amount of abrasion due to a brush or the like, has a good supply state, and is very effectively used as a lubricant, a cleaning aid, or the like for business machines such as an electrostatic copying machine, other accurate instruments, etc.SOLUTION: A higher fatty acid metal salt block compact is obtained by thermally fusing and then solidifying a higher fatty acid metal salt and is homogeneous as a whole. A cross-section obtained by cutting the block compact perpendicularly to a lengthwise direction has four sides and has a shape where a triangular part is formed throughout one side of a square, a shape where a semicircular or semi-elliptic part is formed in the center of one side of a square, a shape where a triangular part is formed in the center of one side of a square, or a shape where a semicircular or semi-elliptic part is formed throughout one side of a square and a small semicircular or small semi-elliptic part or triangular part is formed at the top of the semicircular or semi-elliptic part.