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diff --git a/old/67109-0.txt b/old/67109-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e264a77..0000000 --- a/old/67109-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5107 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Practical House, Wagon and Automobile -Painter, by W. F. White - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Practical House, Wagon and Automobile Painter - including sign painting, and valuable hints and recipes - -Author: W. F. White - -Release Date: January 5, 2022 [eBook #67109] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Charlene Taylor, John Campbell and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRACTICAL HOUSE, WAGON AND -AUTOMOBILE PAINTER *** - - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - - This book has no footnotes; it has one ‘NOTE.’ which has been - placed at the start of the relevant text. - - The tables in this book are best viewed using a monospace font. - - Some minor changes to the text are noted at the end of the book. - - - - - Practical House, Wagon - and Automobile - Painter - - INCLUDING SIGN PAINTING, AND VALUABLE - HINTS AND RECIPES - - BY - W. F. WHITE - - [Illustration: (Publisher colophon.)] - - SHREWESBURY PUBLISHING CO. - CHICAGO - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1919 - BY - SHREWESBURY PUBLISHING CO. - - - - - INDEX. - - PAGE. - - Analysis of Yellow Ochre, 3 - - - Brown Hard Spirit Varnishes, 89 - - Blistered Doors, to Repaint, 85 - - Brass, to Clean, 88 - - Black Varnish for Iron, 87 - - Blinds, to Handle when Painting, 33 - - Brass and Copper, to Clean, 35 - - Bronze for Metal, 85 - - Benzine, to De-odorize, 82 - - Bronze, 144 - - Blackboard Slating, 83 - - Blackboard Slating, Cheap, but Good, 83 - - Blackboard, to Make on Common Plaster, 83 - - Brush Cleaning Trough, 25 - - Brick, to Clean, 38 - - Brick Painting, 28 - - - Crawling Paint, 5 - - Cracks in Walls, to Fill, 131 - - Cleaning a Room, 29 - - Cherry Stain, 44 - - Cracks in Paint and Varnish, 20 - - Cleaning Phaeton Cushions, 142 - - Carriage Painting, 134 - - - Damp Walls, to Treat, 73 - - Dipping Paint, 88 - - Door Plates, to Clean, 84 - - Damar Varnish, 26, 91 - - Dry Ochre for Priming, 2 - - - Estimating Work, 14 - - Enameled Letters, to Apply to Glass, 95 - - - Furniture Varnish, 91 - - Fire-proof Paint for Roofs, 86 - - Fluoric Acid, to Make, 132 - - - Gold Varnish, 90 - - Guessing on Work, 8 - - Glass, to Crystallize, 93 - - Gilding on Glass, 8 - - Gilding on Wood, 38 - - Grease Spots, to Kill, 34 - - - Hard Wood Floors, to Finish, 33 - - Hard Putty, 121 - - - Japan, Testing, 19 - - - Kalsomine, 34 - - Kalsomine, to Make and Apply, 121 - - - Liquid Wood Fillers, 133 - - Lacquers for Brass and Tin, 91 - - Leather Varnish (black), 91 - - Lead Poisoning and Symptoms, 53 - - Liquid Glue, 93 - - Lamp Black, to Mix, 87 - - Liquid Glue for Kalsomine and Wall Sizing, 123 - - - Measuring a Job, 17 - - Mahogany Stain, 44, 45 - - Midsummer Painting, 67 - - Marking Ink, 146 - - - Natural Wood Finishing, 47 - - - Old Carriage Work, 140 - - Oil Size for Old Whitewash, 37 - - Old Wall, to Prepare for Paint, 124 - - Oak Stain, dark, 45 - - Oak Wood Stain, 94 - - Oil Rubber Paint for Cloth, 83 - - - Painting Cars at Home, 153 - - Plastered Wall, to Paint, 127 - - Paste to Hold Labels on Tin, 31 - - Paint to Prevent Rotting under Ground, 82 - - Paint, to Remove, 35 - - Paper Hanger’s Outfit, 91 - - Price List and Measurement, 62 - - Paint, to Clean, 84 - - Porcelain Finish, 52 - - Paper Hanger’s Paste, 92 - - Putty, to Soften, 18 - - Putty, to Color, 50 - - Paste for Painted or Varnished Walls, 93 - - - Rust Spots on Marble, 145 - - Red Saunders Stain, 45 - - Red Wood to Finish, 145 - - Rough Stuff, 142 - - Rough and Sandy Walls, 129 - - - Sizing Walls, 94 - - Sign Painting, 99, 117 - - Scaled Work, to Repaint, 77 - - Sixteenth Century Oak, 55 - - Spots on Paint, 50 - - Sandpapering, 76 - - Stencil Border, 77 - - Spirit Varnishes, 88, 90 - - Size Muslin for Lettering, 78 - - Slowing the Drying of Paint, 85 - - Stir Your Paint, 41 - - Stencil Ink (black), 144 - - Signs on Colored Glass, 131 - - Strainers, 34 - - Silver, to Clean, 35 - - Stencil Staining, 26 - - Success in Painting, 7 - - Symptoms of Lead Poison, 55 - - - Tin Roofs, to Paint, 2 - - Tents, etc., to Make Weather-proof, 32 - - Tacky Paint, to Cure, 18 - - Tortoise Shell, to Imitate, 61 - - - Varnish to Fix Pencil Drawings, 145 - - Varnish to Imitate Ground Glass, 60 - - Varnish for Rustic Work, 61 - - Varnish Stains, 44 - - Varnished Paint, to Clean, 85 - - Very Dirty Brass, to Clean, 61 - - - Wax Polish, 26 - - Whitewash, to Soften, 145 - - Water Glass for Floors, 145 - - Walnut Stain, 44 - - White Hard Spirit Varnishes, 89 - - Walnut, to Stain Like Mahogany, 46 - - Water Colors, to Mix, 78 - - White Shellac, to Make, 49 - - White Enamel, 60 - - Wall Sizing for Kalsomining, 97 - - Why Do Wall Papers Crack, 36 - - Whitewash for Outside, 33 - - Wax Floor Finish, 88 - - - Zinc, to Clean, 38 - - Zinc, to Paint on, 32 - - - - -PRACTICAL HOUSE PAINTER. - - -The following is an infallible and simple commercial test of the -purity of white lead: - -“Take a piece of firm, close-grained charcoal, and near one end of -it scoop out a cavity about half an inch in diameter and a quarter -of an inch in depth. Place in the cavity a sample of the lead to be -tested, about the size of a small pea, and apply to it continuously -the _blue_ or _hottest_ part of the flame of the blow-pipe; if the -sample be strictly pure it will, in a very short time, say in two -minutes, be reduced to metallic lead, leaving no residue; but if -it be adulterated, even to the extent of ten per cent. only, with -oxide of zinc, sulphate of baryta, whiting or any other carbonate -of lime (which substances are the principal adulterations used) or -if it be composed entirely of these materials, as is sometimes the -case with cheap lead (so-called), it cannot be reduced, but will -remain on the charcoal in an infusible mass. - -“A blow-pipe can be obtained from any jeweler at small cost. An -alcohol lamp, star candle, or a lard oil lamp furnishes the best -flame for use of the blow-pipe. This test is very simple and any -one can very soon learn to make it with ease and skill.” - - -JAPAN. - -Always cut your japan in a little turps before you add it to the -paint. An ounce of japan, cut with turps, will do better work than -two ounces in _oil paint_, if put in clear. _Don’t add dryer to -any more paint than you can use up in a few hours_, because it -will soon commence to fatten your paint in the pot and lessen its -covering and wearing properties. Many a job has been spoiled by -using old color, doped with japan. Such paint is liable to mildew. - - -OBJECTIONS TO THE USE OF CHEAP DRY OCHRE AS A PRIMER. - -1st. It is too dark for light colored work, because sooner or later -it will show through in spots, or darken the entire work. - -2d. It leaves a rough, coarse surface which the succeeding coats -fail to completely level up. - -3d. Succeeding coats are liable to scale from cheap coarse ochre -priming. - - -PAINTING TIN ROOFS. - -When paint scales from a tin roof it is not always the fault of the -paint. It stands the painter in hand to carefully examine a new tin -roof before painting it. When the tinner uses rosin as a flux to -make his solder flow, the rosin is melted and cools again on the -tin. When such is the case, carefully scrape it off with a knife, -otherwise it will be liable to scale off, and take the paint with -it. - -When acid is used in the place of rosin it is apt to corrode the -tin, hence it is best, if you want a permanent job, to clean off -the acid. To do this, first rub the seams with kerosene oil, then -wash with soap suds and rinse with clean water. If the roof is -quite new, and the tin feels greasy, go over it with a wash made of -one pound of sal-soda to six quarts of water, let it stand one-half -day; then wash the tin with clear water. - -Instead of this method, I have given new tin a good rubbing with -No. 1 sandpaper to make it hold the paint. - - -ANALYSIS OF OCHRE. - -Below is an analysis of a sample of French ochre, which is about -the average of that pigment: - - _Parts._ - Hydrated oxide of iron 42 - Alumina 20 - Silica 38 - -The oxide gives the color; the parts as given above are in the -right proportion to give the most stable color and durable body to -be found in ochre. - -Here is an ochre, which was ground in a linseed oil substitute, -and sold to the trade at four cents per pound in twenty-five pound -cans, and retailed to the painter at _seven cents per pound_ in -cans, to-wit: - - _Parts._ - Barytes 58 - Whiting 15 - Oxide of iron, silicate and alumina 24½ - Chrome yellow 2½ - -This so-called ochre could be ground in one-half the oil it would -take to grind yellow ochre. - - -ANOTHER. - - _Parts._ - Poor chrome yellow 8 - Ochre 25 - Whiting 67 - -Ground in snide oil, and sold to jobbers at five cents per pound, -to painters _eight and ten cents_. - - -ANOTHER. - - _Parts._ - Barytes 62.90 - Ochre 40.00 - -Barytes is not ochre, and this was _sold as pure ochre_. - - -ANOTHER. - -Sold as French ochre, and recommended for priming: - - _Parts._ - Oxide of iron, alumina 19.79 - Silica 40.93 - Whiting 11.57 - Barytes 26.64 - - -ANOTHER IN OIL. - - _Parts._ - Chrome yellow 12 - Whiting 25 - Barytes 63 - Oil 13 - -The markets are flooded with such imitations of ochre, both dry -and in oil. The quantity of oil required to grind pure French -ochre makes it high-priced, hence there is a motive for putting up -barytes, which takes but little oil in grinding. - - -YELLOW IRON ORE. - -Much of the so-called dry ochre on the market is a _yellow, iron -ore and not yellow ochre_. When mixed in oil and put on a tin roof -it will turn brown inside of ninety days. I presume you have had -experience with such stuff. This makes a bad primer; it is very -liable to scale. - - -CRAWLING PAINT. - -When paint crawls it is because there is not sufficient adhesion -between the undercoat and the new coat, caused usually by too much -gloss on the undercoat. To prevent crawling subdue the gloss on the -undercoat by sandpapering, rubbing, or by the application of some -material which will have the desired effect; or, if on the outside, -wait until the gloss has been subdued by the elements. There is -nothing more trying to one’s patience than to have the paint let go -and crawl up in bunches after it has been carefully brushed out. -Hence, it is well to provide against such trouble in advance. The -observing painter has no doubt noticed that paint is more liable -to crawl under cornices, and upon other sheltered positions, than -elsewhere; hence, it is best in all _such sheltered places, where -the elements do not have full play, to use sufficient turpentine -to prevent a high gloss on the undercoats_. - - -TO PAINT BLINDS AND NOT DAUB YOUR HANDS. - -First, have a stick to open and shut the slats with after you -commence to paint. Second, leave a place on each stile, or side -rail, half way between the hinges, six or eight inches long, -unpainted, except to cut in the edge next the end of the slats to -take hold of when you turn the blind over or set it aside; also -leave the bottom hinge unpainted. After you have set up the blind -hold it up by the unpainted hinge until you finish the stiles; then -lean it up against its support and touch up the hinge. In this way -you need get no more paint on your hands than you would in painting -a door. No time will be lost, because you can touch up the stiles -in less time than it would take to wipe your hands and brush handle. - - -LEGLESS STEP-LADDERS. - -Step-ladders without legs for outside work are good things to have -on the job. Say, three of them, 6, 8 and 10 feet long. A man of -good height can paint 14 feet high from the 10-foot ladder. They -are much easier on the feet than a “round” ladder. You can stand -straighter and reach farther when standing on a step than you can -while trying to balance on a round stick; besides, a step is a -handy place to set your pail on. - - -SUCCESS IN PAINTING. - -Painting don’t pay, eh? No wonder it don’t pay, because here you -are spending half your time growling. The facts in the case are, -“You are not up-to-date.” If there is no possibility of making -money at the trade, how is it that your competitor gets along so -well? Why is it that he accumulates and you lose? He goes into the -same market for labor, material and jobs that you do. He comes out -every fall with his pockets full, and you round up poor as a church -mouse. There must be a screw loose somewhere in your management. -Will I point one out? Certainly, we have always been friends, -and I can never do too much for a friend. In the first place you -are too impetuous. You forget for the time that bills for labor -and material will fall due, that you must live--and you take the -job at losing figures. You ought to realize that the success of -a contracting painter depends upon his business qualifications. -To-wit: Correct and careful estimates, coolness in bidding, care in -selecting materials and men, systematizing his work so as to keep -each man in the right place. I don’t know how much you are getting -for this job, but it looks to me that you are losing money every -day by using poor material and improper handling of your men. The -good business man prefers the strictly pure Dutch process white -lead to the adulterated brands. He uses pure linseed oil instead -of adulterated mixtures and imitations of it, and he never loses -sight of the fact that a good reputation is a mine of gold to him. -If he finds a man is a good hand on a ladder or swing stage he -keeps him there, and if he finds a man an expert at inside work -he keeps him there, and if he finds a man is a poor stick in any -place he lets him go, rush or no rush. If he has high work he -provides a safe and easy way to get there. If he has inside work -his step-ladders are equal to the work. He knows when a man has -to reach too far or stand on top of a ladder he can’t half work. -Learn to manage your men, to keep the right man in the right place. -Stop making ruinous bids. Open your eyes to the fact that a man who -makes a losing bid on a job, to beat his competitor, acts like an -idiot, and is meaner than flies in paint. - - -GUESSING ON WORK. - -The practice of estimating work by guess has brought many a painter -up with a round turn in the fall in debt. The curious part of it is -that the lesson is rarely, if ever, learned. Don’t be too smart. -Guessing on work is very uncertain business. - - -GLASS GILDING. - -A practical expert in an English journal, the “Plumber and -Decorator,” gives the following as his process acquired and tested -by many years’ experience. - -The tools and materials required for glass gilding are the same as -used for gilding in oil, excepting the gold size. Oil gold size -would never do for glass work. In glass gilding the object is to -get a size or mordant which will have the least possible tendency -to destroy or mar the burnish of the gold leaf. This is absolutely -necessary, when we consider that in this kind of work the size is -before the gold, not as in oil gilding--behind it. For a mordant -nothing can be better than the best isinglass. To prepare this -for use the utmost care and cleanliness should be exercised. The -water must be quite pure--free from grease or impurities of any -kind. In preparing the size the following may be relied upon as a -first-class recipe: Boil about one pint of water in a perfectly -clean pan. Should any scum rise during the operation remove it -with a large spoon. Then add about as much isinglass as will lie -on a dime to the boiling water. This is best done a little at a -time to prevent it gathering in a mass before it has a chance -of dissolving. When the isinglass is dissolved strain the size -through a fine silk handkerchief, folded double or fourfold, or, -better still, through some white blotting paper. This straining or -filtering will remove any bits or impurities that may have lodged -unperceived in the isinglass. When cool the mordant is ready for -applying to the glass. Some gilders like to add spirit in some -form--generally spirits of wine--to their size. Their reasons for -doing this are not always very explicit. Some do it because they -have seen others do it. Others add it, they say, to give the gold -a better burnish, or to make it better adhere to the glass. This -is a delusion. The most sensible reason for its use was imparted -to me by a veteran in the trade. He used spirits of wine to take -out or kill any slight greasiness that may have been in the water -or isinglass. I must confess that until I learned this, spirits -always formed part of my mordant, because others used it. However, -on further consideration, its use has been discarded, and, if -anything, a better burnish on the gold is the result. In making -the size it must be borne in mind that the less isinglass used the -brighter will be the gilding when completed. Of course, if too -little be used, the gold will not adhere to the glass as it should, -and this would cause much damage and annoyance when the isinglass -size was floated on again to proceed with the second gilding. When -the size is too strong, or contains too much isinglass, no amount -of burnishing will remove it altogether from before the gold. These -are important points and should be carefully studied. But a little -practice soon teaches the gilder how to arrive at the happy medium. - -There are a variety of purposes to which ornamental glass gilding -may be applied besides sign work, shop fronts or glass doors. It is -now much used for show cases, window tablets, druggists’ bottles, -fixtures and pilasters for shop fronts. Very often the design is -embossed or bit into the glass, and worked up with gold and silver -leaf, besides being picked out in colors. This is both a costly and -effective method of decorating, which shall have full consideration -in a future chapter. For the present it will, no doubt, be -advisable to consider the simpler form of glass gilding. When this -is thoroughly understood very little further instruction is needed -for high-class work. - -For the sake of example we will suppose a glass slab about three -feet six by twelve inches is the subject to be treated. This is to -have black letters without thickness or shadow on a gold ground. -There are two methods of doing this. One is to first paint on -the glass the letters with japan black and afterwards gild the -plate. The other consists in first gilding the plate solid and -then painting in the background with japan black. By this method -the lettering is left untouched. The gold on these is then washed -off, the edges trimmed, and the letters themselves painted black -or any other desired color. This latter is, perhaps, the most -satisfactory. However, a few lines of explanation will be devoted -to each process. - -First in order comes a plate, the letters on which are painted -with japan black previous to gilding. To the learner, no doubt, -the plain block letters will prove an attraction, because of -their simplicity. This should be set out correctly on a sheet of -lining paper. It will only be necessary to run in an outline of -the letters. When completed to the satisfaction of the operator it -may be pasted round the edges and fixed on the face of the glass. -The back of the glass, that is the side upon which the work is -done, should be quite clean. When the plate is fixed on an easel or -stand, which is the most convenient place for working, the letters -will, of course, read backwards. In this form they must be painted. -When quite dry and hard, should the outlines of the letters be -irregular, they may be set right in a very simple manner. All that -is required to accomplish this is a metal straightedge and a sharp -quarter inch joiner’s chisel. The straightedge is laid across the -tops and bottoms of the letters and the chisel is employed to cut -them sharp and true. The sides of the straight letters are then -similarly treated; curves must be perfected with a writing-pencil. -The paper may now be taken from the face of the glass and the plate -examined all over. Should any specks of black be found on it they -must be removed before the gilding is gone on with. The smallest -speck shows up before the gold leaf. If convenient, before gilding, -have the plate fixed at an angle of about 45 degrees. While in this -position take a flat gilder’s mop and float the isinglass size over -the glass. Then take up the cushion, take out a few leaves of gold -from the book, and whilst the glass is wet cover it with gold, -lifting the gold from the cushion as described in the last chapter. -If possible lift a whole leaf at once, but should this at first -prove troublesome try half a leaf. Keep the glass wet with the size -and overlap slightly each successive leaf of gold until the whole -of the glass is covered. - -The glass must now dry before it can be re-gilded, and must then be -gently rubbed with the finest cotton wool. It is an easy matter to -ascertain whether it is dry or not. When wet the gold, if looked at -from the front of the glass, has a dead look, but if dry it shows -up bright. If possible leave the plate till next day before giving -it a second coat of gold. The advantage of this delay is obvious. -The gold has time to get hard, which materially reduces the risk of -its being removed when a second application of size is necessary. - -To the novice it will, no doubt, appear at first sight both a waste -of time and gold to gild all over the work again, but if the plate -be held up to the light it will show many imperfections in the -shape of small holes, cracks and imperfect joinings. Another coat -of size floated on and another layer of gold over the whole of the -work should turn out a so far satisfactory finish. Let the glass -dry again and be subjected to a further examination for faulty -places. Should any be found cover them with more gold. But if the -work is satisfactory it is ready for the burnishing process. The -first stage is to polish the gold by gently rubbing with fine -cotton wool, care being taken not to scratch the gold. This is, of -course, only a repetition of the polishing after the first layer of -gold. - -There are several methods in general use for obtaining that -brilliant burnish so much admired in glass gilding. But the one -that meets with most favor and success is what is called the “hot -water burnish.” It will be advisable to practice on the glass under -consideration. After the cotton wool polishing is completed warm -the glass either by holding it before a fire or gently pouring -warm water over it. This is only a precaution against breakage by -sudden expansion. Now let it dry, and while warm polish again with -the cotton wool. Repeat the pouring of water, hotter than the last, -and when the glass is dry, after this operation, gently rub it -again with cotton wool. This hot water flushing should be carried -on until the burnish is quite satisfactory. But it must be very -carefully done, else the gold runs a risk of being washed off in -patches. - - -HOW TO ESTIMATE WORK. - -Measure your work with the tape-line and be sure you get all there -is in it; projections, depressions, mouldings, edges, etc. - -Many a painter has dropped his profits by not taking in these -little particulars. Every bead, sunken or raised panel makes an -edge to paint. The edges of ordinary weather boarding _add ten -per cent_. to the surface, to say nothing of the edges of the -corner boards and window and door casings--the projections and -depressions in the panels of an ordinary four-paneled door, _add -at least ten per cent. to the surface_ to be painted. Then let me -say to you again, look closely for edges, projections, depressions, -hollows and rounds. They all count when you paint them; and it -is your fault if they are not included in the estimate. When you -have multiplied the number of feet around a house by the average -height and reduced it to yards you have only made a start. Measure -the cornice, follow the hollows, rounds and edges with the line. -_There is lots of surface in mouldings._ The tape-line is good -as far as you can make it go, but it can’t do it all. You must -use judgment in connection with it; and carefully estimate the -condition of the work, what per cent. is _slow_ to paint, or high -and difficult to reach. For instance, what is the condition of the -surface, is it porous and full of cracks? Is every joint gaping for -putty? Is the putty on the windows rough and broken? Is the old -paint cracked, blistered and scaling? Is the cornice ornamented -with dentils, brackets and panels? You may lose a day or a week of -extra time on a high tower or cupola if you fail to put it into -your estimate as extra hard to reach. Make the price accordingly. -Are the blind-slats stuck fast and difficult to paint? Is the -work to be done in the busy season when labor and material are -high priced and good men are hard to get; or in the dull season, -when dealers will cut prices and good men are hunting for work? -Bidding on specifications must be done with care. You can figure -the number of yards to be painted, but there are many points which -the completed job can alone disclose. A provision in your contract -to cover all changes in specifications comes mighty handy on the -day of final settlement. It is not safe to make anything like a -close bid on specifications, until the following questions have -been settled and put in your contract. To-wit: Will the building be -delivered to you at a specified time, finished and _cleaned out_ -and put in good condition for the painter; or will you be expected -to commence before the work is finished and paint as the work is -put up, and spend as much time dusting and sweeping as you do at -painting? Will the machine-dressed lumber, including mouldings, -doors, window-stops, etc., be put in as it comes from the factory -rough and fuzzy, or will it be redressed and made smooth and ready -for the paint? These points may look to you like small matters, but -they count when you come to paint the work. If you are to do a fine -job stipulate in your contract that the wood-work, etc., shall be -finished in good shape. If you are to paint the work as you find -it have it so stated in your contract. Paste this motto in the top -of your hat and read it often: “It is always better to lose a job -than to get it and lose money on it.” - -Two houses may be of equal dimensions, yet it may be worth 50 per -cent. more to paint one than the other; hence any definite scale -of prices for work by the yard is liable to be misleading. We may -determine by the line how much there is of the work, but we must -rely upon our judgment and experience to determine how much it will -cost to do it. - - -ONE WAY TO MEASURE A JOB. - -Find the surface measure of the entire job, including all edges -and projections, and estimate how much it is worth per yard, on -the basis that it is all plain work, easy to get at. Next we will -proceed by what we may call special measurement. Suppose the -cornice measures 60 yards, and is finished with blocks, moulded -panels and brackets, and we estimate that the cost of painting it -will be three times that of a plain cornice, hence we will add -two measures or 120 yards to the general or first measurement. -Next, suppose each window and casing measures three yards, and -there are 20 of them to be trimmed in colors, we estimate the -work of painting them double that of plain work; hence we add to -our special measurement 60 yards. If there is a cupola high and -difficult to reach we estimate that it will be worth double the -cost of painting ordinary work to do it. Say, it measures 50 yards, -we will add 50 yards to the general measurement, and so we will -go on until we have taken in all parts of the work which will cost -more than ordinary plain work. - -To illustrate: The building measures 600 yards, and as plain work -we estimate it worth twenty cents per yard to paint it. We amount -our special measurement which we will say adds up to 300 yards, -which added to the 600 yards general measurement, makes 900, which -at twenty cents per yard, makes $180. The same system may be used -inside. - - -TO SOFTEN HARD, LUMPY PUTTY. - -Break the putty into lumps; put it in a kettle with enough water to -cover it; add a little raw oil, and boil and stir well while hot. -The putty will absorb the oil; pour off the water, let the putty -cool, then work it, and your putty will be as good as new. - - -TACKY PAINT ON CHURCH SEATS, ETC. - -During my experience as a painter, I have been called upon to -repaint tacky seats in at least half a dozen churches. Such seats -are an unmitigated nuisance. Tacky paint may be the result of -putting too much japan in oil paint, or of using fat oil, or paint -which had been mixed a long time, especially if it had very much -japan in it, or by mixing oil and varnish, or by putting varnish on -oil paint, especially if the paint had not been given time to dry -hard before it was varnished. To harden tacky paint try this: Take -one part japan and three parts of turpentine, and give the work a -coat of the mixture. That will usually effect a cure, unless the -paint is soft clear to the wood. A coat of shellac will sometimes -do the work all right. Such seats usually seem all right until -warmed by the heat of the body; hence we may be satisfied that -the fault is in the oil used in the paint or varnish. It is best -on that account to use but little if any oil when painting seats -of any kind. Coat up with color ground in japan and thinned with -turps; varnish the part which comes in contact with the body with -shellac varnish. - -I have painted seats this way, and never heard of any further -trouble with them. - -To repaint tacky seats the best way is to burn off the old paint, -and coat up as above; because, if a hard drying paint is put over -the old soft paint it is liable to crack. It is well, however, to -see if the turpentine and japan will work a cure, or if a coat -of shellac will stop the trouble. To do this it is well to first -experiment on one seat, or upon a small surface. - -I have killed tacky paint by rubbing it with a cloth wet with -ammonia; when dry, try it, and see if the “tack” is gone; if not, -go over it again; when dry, put on a coat of shellac varnish; this -is a pretty sure cure. - - -TESTING JAPAN. - -If japan smells of benzine don’t buy it. Mix it with clear oil; if -it curdles, you don’t want it. Mix drop black with some of it; as -stiff as good drop black ground in japan; then thin with turps and -make a painting test, to see if it is a good binder. To see if it -will crack, paint on glass, let it dry and hold the glass between -your eye and the light. If you see fine cracks don’t buy any of it. - -When you go to buy japan, ask the dealer who made it. If he don’t -know, make up your mind at once that it is a _fatherless waif_ -without _a name_, and likely to be worthless. When a man makes -a good thing he is apt to send his name along with it as an -advertisement. This applies to all material. There is a great deal -of bad japan on the market, and a great amount of work ruined by -it. Buy none unless it bears the brand of a reputable maker and -will stand these tests. - -I do not need to tell the practical painter that there is a great -amount of bad japan on the market, and that a great deal of paint -is ruined by it. Buy no japan unless the can bears the name of some -reputable manufacturer, and will stand the above tests. - - -WHY DO PAINTS AND VARNISHES CRACK? - -The following paper was read by Mr. A. P. Sweet, of Iona, Mich., at -a meeting of master car painters: - - - SUBJECT: - - “_Why do paints and varnishes crack, and what is the reason that - cracks in the latter are usually at right angles to the grain of - the wood?_” - - The subject, as I understand it, relates to the cracking of - varnishes, etc., as experienced in connection with passenger - car work, and as such I introduce it for discussion before this - association. - - There are many theories as to the cause of the cracking of - paints and varnishes. Some are well defined, others are not - satisfactorily explained. - - I do not anticipate being able to add much to what is already - known, but will advance a few thoughts, which may call forth the - views of others on the subject. - - The old adage, “It takes two to make a quarrel,” is as true when - applied to paints and varnishes as it is to individuals. A single - coat of either seldom, if ever, produces cracks. These make - their appearance only after two or more coats have been applied; - consequently, it is necessary to have a body of color or varnish, - consisting of two or more coats, before any trouble of this kind - makes itself manifest. - - This being the case, it follows that the cause of the difficulty - must be sought for in the coatings themselves, either in the - quality of the material employed or in the mode of applying them. - - Poor and cheap oils and japans--especially the latter--are - a fruitful source of cracking in paint; but by far the most - prolific one, in my opinion, is the hurried application of the - succeeding coats before the preceding ones are dry enough to - receive them. If sufficient time is not given, cracks will - inevitably follow such a mode of procedure. - - I am of the opinion, also, that very little blame can be attached - to the wood used in the construction of cars, as most of it is - comparatively well seasoned, and its expansive and contractive - force is not sufficient to cause serious trouble. If green wood - was used there might be room for this excuse, especially where - the cracks run in the direction of the grain, and are large and - deep. - - Before pursuing this subject further, it may be well to examine - a little into the theory of the drying of paint. It is purely a - chemical process, not a mechanical one, as some suppose. Paint - dries by the evaporation of its volatile parts and its absorption - of oxygen; it is heavier when dried than when in the liquid form, - having attached to itself a sufficient amount of oxygen to very - perceptibly increase the weight some 6 per cent. - - The best grades of linseed oil are said to contain from 70 to - 80 per cent. of substance called linoleine, a resinous and - slow-drying oil and acid which imparts to the oil its elasticity. - - In the process of drying, contraction occurs. The various atoms - of which the coatings are composed move closer and closer - together; and as this contracting force is easier with than - across the grain, cracks at right angles to it are formed. This - fact suggests the necessity of so adjusting the elasticity of - the various coats that the force exerted in drying may be as - nearly equalized as possible, as their contracting force is - continued until all elasticity has left the paint and oxygen - ceases to be absorbed, all the oil acid has disappeared, and - nothing but a hard, brittle surface remains. - - Under the microscope, in the first stage of cracking, the surface - presents nothing unusual except that the cracks appear clean cut - and sharp on the edges. As months pass by and the surface is - exposed to the atmospheric changes of heat and cold, wet and dry, - the cracks become more numerous; and in the last stage, when the - oil is entirely destroyed, the surface assumes the appearance of - innumerable rectangular masses, higher in the center than at the - edges, like small mounds raised by the process of contraction and - adhesion. - - Cracking in color coats may, by careful attention to - preliminaries, be reduced to a minimum, provided good first-class - materials are used and sufficient time is given to each coat to - dry. - - Where varnish is to be applied as a finish, all coatings should - have oil in their composition and yet be mixed to dry flat. They - should be applied very evenly and thinly, even if it necessitates - an extra coat, to cover and make a solid job. - - Striping and ornamenting should be done on flat color, which - gives time for hardening, and fits it for the varnish coats to - follow. If work is done in this way, I think very little fear - of premature cracking need be entertained; at least, not until - time and weather have sufficient opportunity to play havoc - with its beauty, and natural decay of the materials themselves - necessitates a thorough overhauling and repairing. - - Rubbing varnishes are another source of trouble, causing the - succeeding coats of finishing varnish to show signs of cracking - long before they otherwise would, as it does not agree with - the slower drying varnishes usually applied above it, being of - a harder and more brittle character, serving the purpose of - producing a fine, smooth surface, but sacrificing the durability - of the job. - - Concerning the cracking of varnish, I have not much to say. It - seems to me that many of the reasons given above will apply to it - as well as to the paint. - - Poor material in the shape of varnish is poor indeed. A - first-class article only will give first-class results. - - It must be elastic, or it will crack easily and badly, no matter - how good the undercoats of paint may be. - - Good varnish on good color coats will not give any signs of - cracking until, by repeated varnishings, it has accumulated a - thick coating of brittle, unelastic gum. - - No painter can say truthfully that his cars never crack, as it is - a natural consequence of decay, and will come, sooner or later, - to the best of material. - - That varnish cracks to a great extent at right angles to the - grain of the wood, I think is due, in some degree, to the same - reasons as given above for the cracking of paint, and after its - elasticity is destroyed by age. Vibration has a great effect upon - the hard and brittle coating of gum that remains, coupled with - expansion and contraction caused by variations of temperature and - the disintegrating influences of the weather. - - -BRUSH CLEANING TROUGH. - -To make such a trough, take a piece of planed board, 6 inches wide -and 18 inches long, and nail on side pieces 2 inches wide; this -makes the trough. Nail this trough on a bench, box, or table, and -let one end of it project over the edge of the bench, box or table, -and place your slush bucket under the projecting end of the trough. -To clean a brush, lay it in the trough, keep hold of the handle -with one hand and with the other take a dull scraper and press the -paint out of the brush and shove it off into the slush bucket. The -advantage of this method is that you clean the whole length of the -brush and save the paint, instead of daubing it on the walls of -your shop. - - -FLOOR WAX. - -A good preparation for waxing floors may be obtained as follows: - - Yellow Wax 25 oz. - Yellow Ceresin 25 oz. - Burnt Sienna 5 oz. - Boiled Linseed Oil 1 oz. - Turpentine 1 gill - -Melt the wax and ceresin at a gentle heat, then add the sienna -previously well triturated with the boiled linseed oil, and mix -well. When the mixture begins to cool add the oil of turpentine, or -so much of it as is required to make a mass of the consistence of -an ointment. - -The burnt sienna may be used in smaller or larger quantity, -according to the tint desired, or may be replaced by raw sienna, -etc. - - -DAMAR VARNISH. - -Never use damar varnish over oil paint. - -Never put oil in damar varnish. See to it that your dealer does not -draw it into an oil measure, and that you do not keep it in an oily -or rancid can. Why? Because it is liable to dry tacky under any of -the above conditions. - - -STENCIL STAINING. - -Ordinary plain staining can be done by almost any one who can -handle a common paint brush. Yet it is not generally known, even to -skilled decorators, that stain, on sound white wood, evenly planed, -can be applied to imitate the most intricate of artistic designs; -such, however, is the case. A decorator if asked to imitate in -stain on white wood a piece of parquetry or inlaid wood, might -reply that such a thing was impossible, alleging as a reason that -by employing liquid stain in the same way as a distemper--that -is to say, by the aid of a stencil to reproduce the pattern--the -stain, as soon as it became absorbed would be found to “run,” and -so giving to the pattern imitated an indistinct or blurred edge. -Yet the most elaborate patterns are successfully stenciled direct -on to pine, and the figured work on this wood has invariably come -out distinctly and naturally as to be almost indistinguishable -from the inlaid work they have so successfully sought to imitate. -The great difficulty to be overcome in stenciling with stains is -undoubtedly the “running,” but with a very little care and patience -this can be easily obviated. Say a painter has a border to stain -round an ordinary pine floor in imitation of a selected pattern of -parquetry, the colors of which are generally in two or more shades -of oak, the first thing he has to do after having properly prepared -the floor--namely, making the part to be stained as smooth and as -even as possible by filling up the crevices and nail holes--is to -stain over the work in the lightest shade shown in his pattern; -this can be done by diluting the ordinary liquid oak stain with -water to the desired tint. Next let him cut out of a piece of -lining, paper in the form of a stencil--the pattern he has to -reproduce on the floor--care being taken to oil the stencil in -order to strengthen and preserve it. He should then mix the stain -into a stiff paste or to the consistency of a distemper used for -ordinary stenciling; place a portion of this mixture on a smooth -piece of wood, take up a very small quantity of it on a stencil -brush and apply through the stencil plate in the same way he would -a distemper. If a very dark shade is required apply more stain -before removing the stencil plate. - - -PAINTING BRICK. - -Objections: Chipping of the brick, and scaling of the paint. - -The chipping may be on account of defective brick or otherwise. - -Scaling may be caused by poor paint, or by _dampness in the brick_. - -When called upon to paint brick, first see if the brick is dry. -See that there is no place where water leaks in from the roof or -cornice and soaks into the brick. A brick wall may look dry and -still be damp inside. If you want paint to stay on brick, give the -brick time to dry, after heavy and driving rains. It is always a -bad plan to paint brick in the fall, after the autumn rains. The -only real safe time to paint a brick wall is in summer, after a -spell of hot, dry weather. You can not always wait for that, but -you can tell the owner that it is unsafe to paint a brick wall -until it has had time to dry. Why? Because in winter the moisture, -which is shut in by the paint, will freeze, expand and throw off -the paint or chip the brick. - -Prime brick work with a thin coat of good paint mixed in pure -linseed oil. Flow on the priming freely, and brush it well into the -brick; for second coat, whatever paint you use, put in at least -one-fourth white lead; make this coat one-third turps, and rub it -well out. Give it a good body. For the last coat, use your color -regardless of lead, unless you want it in to get your color. If -you want a gloss, mix this coat with all boiled oil, and flow on. -For flat, if your colors are ground in oil, use one-fourth oil and -three-fourths turps, and if it don’t show flat when painted, it -will flat in a short time. The last coat may admit of more oil or -may not take as much, and flat. This depends upon the work when -started, etc. Some painters make brick flating by breaking up the -pigment in japan, and elastic varnish for a binder, and thin with -turps. I prefer the oil for a binder, and have made the last coat -one-half oil, and had a nice flat in a few weeks. I always ridicule -the idea of painting brick flat, because it will not stand as long -as an oil finish, and the oil finish will be flat enough in a few -months. - - -CLEANING UP A ROOM. - -Now, if I were going to teach a boy to clean up a room, the first -thing would be how to prepare himself for the job. In the first -place, he wants a damp sponge with a string through it to tie over -his head, to hold the sponge over his mouth and under the nose to -catch the dust, because it is a great deal more pleasant and a -“sight” more healthful to carry lime and other dust in a sponge -than in nostrils and windpipe. Then he wants a cotton cloth cap, -large enough to draw down over his head and ears, bib overalls and -jacket to button close about the neck and he is well fixed. In such -a rig he may look peculiar, but he had better look like a monkey -than to skin his nostrils with dust and fill his ears and hair with -lime, sand and sawdust. - -For tools, he needs a good, new, fine corn broom, a wide bristle -sweeper (a ten or twelve-inch paper-hanger’s smoothing brush will -do), a good duster, a sharp tool to pick out corners, a two-inch -chiseled brush for corners. A sprinkler only turns dust to mud, -to dry in a few hours and become dust again. When you have swept -the floor with your broom and dusted your wood-work and gone over -the floor carefully with your wide bristle brush to take what you -brushed from the casings and what the broom left on the floor, look -at the air across this ray of sunlight; it is full of dust, soon -the most of it will settle on the floor and casings and window -stools. What then? Wait till it settles and _wipe it off with a -cloth_ and don’t forget the tops of the doors and casings. “Why use -a cloth?” Well, if you go in and begin to use a dust brush after -the dust settles you throw a portion of it in the air again and -it will settle on the work. And by the way, I want to say that a -wiping cloth is a very important article for a painter to carry. It -always makes me “red hot” to see a painter (?), after he has daubed -a key shield or a hinge, try to wipe it off with his thumb; I could -forgive him for the daub; the best man in the trade may sometimes -do that, but the man who will rub part of it off with his thumb and -let the rest dry ought to be sent off the job or suspended long -enough to take a lesson in the art of wiping off daubs. - -I want to say further that every well regulated dusting kit ought -to have a dust pan hitched to it in some way. It will save sweeping -the dust out on the steps to be tracked in again, save the time you -would lose in sweeping the dust over thresholds, or save the time -it would take to borrow one. - - -PASTE FOR LABELING ON TIN. - -Make a stiff flour paste in the usual way, with flour and water, -then add 2 ounces tartaric acid, and 1 pint of molasses; boil the -mixture until stiff, and put in ten or fifteen drops carbolic acid. - - -ANOTHER. - - Wheat flour 1 pound - Alum 2 drams - Borax 2 drams - Hydrochloric acid 1½ ounces - -Mix the flour, alum and borax in the usual way, to a smooth paste -in water, then add the acid and cook in the usual way with hot -water. - - -TO MAKE TENTS, ETC., WEATHERPROOF. - -To prevent tents, wagon covers, etc., from rotting dissolve 4 -ounces sulphate of zinc in 10 gallons of water, then put in -one-fourth pound sal-soda, stir well until dissolved and add -one-fourth ounce tartaric acid. Let the cloth lie in this one day -and night and hang up to dry. Don’t wring it. - - -TO PAINT ON CANVAS OR MUSLIN WITHOUT SIZING. - -First stretch, then wet the cloth. Wipe off the drops and letter -while the cloth is damp with color mixed with japan and turps. - - -TO PAINT ON ZINC. - -A difficulty is often experienced in causing oil colors to adhere -to sheet zinc. Boettger recommends the employment of a mordant, -so to speak, of the following composition: 1 part of chloride of -copper, 1 of nitrate of copper and 1 of sal-ammoniac are to be -dissolved in 64 parts of water, to which solution is to be added 1 -part of commercial hydrochloric acid. The sheets of zinc are to be -brushed over with this liquid, which gives them a deep black color; -in the course of 12 to 24 hours they become dry, and to their now -dirty gray surface a coat of any oil color will firmly adhere. Some -sheets of zinc prepared in this way, and afterwards painted, have -been found to withstand all the changes of winter and summer. - - -PAINTING BLINDS. - -When painting a blind never turn it upon edge when cutting in the -inside of the rail, because the paint will be likely to run into -the pivot-holes and stick the slats. When you set a blind up to -dry, set the bottom end up, and be sure to have the slats lie flat -side up. Why? Because the bottom end of the blind when hung is more -apt to drag on the window sill than the top end is to touch the jam -above. If set bottom end up, that end will dry solid and if there -are any sags it will be at the top. Keep the slats flat side up to -avoid flat edges. - - -TREATMENT FOR HARDWOOD FLOORS. - -First see that the floor is clean and smooth; then give it a coat -of best oil, with japan sufficient to make it dry; cut the japan in -turps. Then put on a good mineral paste, filler in the usual way -by rubbing the filler well into the wood; then clean off all the -surplus. When dry, sandpaper and putty up well with colored, hard -putty, and put on a coat of shellac; if too glossy, rub down with -powdered pumice and oil. Be careful to have the putty match the -floor. - - -WHITEWASH FOR OUTSIDE WORK. - -Take one-half pound of fresh burnt lime. Dip it in water and let -it slack in the open air. Melt two ounces of bagundy pitch by -gentle heat, in six ounces of linseed oil; then add two quarts of -skim milk while the lime is hot, add the mixture of pitch and oil, -a little at a time while hot, and stir it in; then add three pounds -of bolted whiting and stir. Add more milk if too thick for the -brush. - - -THE STRAINER. - -Don’t forget to use the strainer. After you have put in your best -licks to clean up and sandpaper a job, it is the height of folly to -daub it up with paint full of skins and specks. Oil paint is liable -to be “skinny” in the keg. Miller’s bolting cloth makes a good -strainer, and common cheese cloth at five cents a yard does very -well for ordinary purposes. - - -TO KILL GREASE SPOTS ON WOOD. - -Use a wash of saltpeter or a thin lime wash, then rinse with clear -water. Treat blacksmith’s smoke in the same way. - - -KALSOMINE. - -To please an old friend I give the following recipe for kalsomine. -_He says it is good._ I never used it, so you will have to take his -word for it. - -Fifteen pounds good paris white, mixed up in lukewarm water, add -one-fourth pound good glue, dissolved in the usual way, strain -through a fine sieve, then dissolve one-fourth pound white hard -soap in hot water and one-half pound of alum in cold water and mix. -Add water to give the right consistency for putting it on the wall. - - -TO TAKE OFF THE PAINT. - -If you have an old, roughly painted door to cut down for a fine -job, don’t fool away your time, and fill your nose with dust, -trying to do it with dry sandpaper, but take the door off its -hinges, lay it flat on horses, and keep the surface under your -sandpaper wet with benzine, and you can do in an hour what would -otherwise take half a day. The benzine softens the paint, and keeps -the paper from gumming up. If it is not practicable to take the -door off the hinges, put your benzine in a small spring-bottomed -oil can and squirt it on the work as needed to keep the paper -clear of paint and make it cut fast. Wipe off the loose paint with -rags. It works equally well on old varnish. Try it once on an old -carriage body. - -If the old paint is extra hard use a mixture in equal parts of -benzine and ammonia. - - -CLEANING SILVER, BRASS OR COPPER. - -In the course of our work we often meet with tarnished metal -ornaments, which must be cleaned to make our work look well. - -This preparation is a good one: - - Paris white (fine) 1 pound - Carb. magnesia 2 drams - Cyanuret potash 7 drams - Sulph. ether 3 drams - Crocus martis 1 dram - Soft water 1½ ounces - or sufficient to make a stiff paste. - -Mix by rubbing, add the paris white last, then stir into the water. -Apply with a rag or sponge, and rub dry and polish with a rag or -canton flannel. - - -WHY DO WALL PAPERS CRACK? - -Some papers are more inclined to crack than others, because they -are made of more brittle material. When selecting a paper for a -whitewashed wall or ceiling, take a pattern which feels soft and -pliable. Papers which crackle or rattle when crumpled in the hand -are liable to crack. Papers which stretch or expand the most when -wet are the most apt to crack; because when they dry and shrink -the pull is so great that the fibers give away, if great care is -not taken in putting it on. Cracking may be the fault of the paper -hanger. He may use his paste too thick, or too thin, or put on too -much or too little. Paste should be put on even and of the proper -consistency and thickness to cement the paper to the walls. Paper -is more liable to crack on rough and uneven walls. On a smooth -wall, if properly put on, it becomes, as it dries, so fastened to -the plaster that it cannot contract enough to break the fibers, but -on a rough and uneven wall there are apt to be loose places where -the air gets in, and the contraction of the paper so weakens the -fibers that it cracks. - -Now, if the paper hanger will be careful to secure the paper -uniformly by using sufficient paste on rough places to hold the -paper, and be careful to brush or pound the paper down firmly, he -will greatly reduce the chances of cracking. A roller can not be -depended upon for a rough wall. Too much or not enough sizing on a -wall may be a cause of cracking. Hot paste, which thickens as it -cools, is not safe to use on such walls, because it may appear just -right when hot but will be too thick when cool and cause the paper -to crack. - - -OIL SIZE FOR WHITEWASH. - -Oil size is good to use on a whitewashed ceiling before papering -if you don’t overdo it. A friend of mine thought, if a little was -good, a great deal would be better; so he gave his ceiling two -flowing coats of clear oil, and when dry put on his paper, but it -did not stay. Why? Because he put on so much oil that he made a -glossy surface _and the gloss could not hold the paste_. An oil -size on whitewash is all right if used right. It is a mistake to -use clear oil; 1 pint of oil, 1 pint japan and 1 quart turpentine -is better, because it will penetrate further, dry faster, flat the -surface, and have sufficient binding power to hold the whitewash -from coming off. Don’t size a wall with paste. Paste and whitewash -don’t go well together. The fact that you have to size your wall to -make paper stick proves this. - -Oil size should dry hard before the paper is put on. - -I find glutol, manufactured by the Arabol Manufacturing Co., No. -13 Gold street, New York, a first-class substitute for glue in wall -size and kalsomine, and prefer it to glue, because it will not -attract flies, nor spoil by standing in hot weather, and can be -mixed in cold water. - - -TO CLEAN BRICK. - -The white powder which comes on brick can be removed by sponging -with a mixture of muriatic acid and water, equal parts. Wash the -brick in clear water and let them become well dried before painting. - - -TO CLEAN TARNISHED ZINC. - -Mix 1 part sulphuric acid with 12 parts water and rub the zinc with -it with a rag, then rinse with clear water. - - -TO GILD ON WOOD. - -First get a good body and a smooth surface. The work should be flat -with three coats at least on wood, and not less than two on iron -or tin. The best size for outside work is oil gold size (fat oil), -mixed with a little medium chrome yellow toned down with white -lead; put in a very little japan gold size, and thin to workable -consistency with turps; let it stand until tacky. It must be hard -enough to prevent rubbing up or sweating. The method with the tip, -gold knife and cushion requires considerable dexterity as well as -practice to do good and rapid work. The tip, or lifter, is only -a few camel hairs glued between two pieces of paste board, or -other material. The knife is a long narrow flexible blade, and -the cushion is made on a block, 6 by 8 inches, first covered with -a thickness or two of woolen cloth, and finished by stretching -a piece of chamois skin over it. Hold the gold book in the left -hand, and turn back a leaf of the book, leaving the gold exposed -on the next leaf; press the leaf of gold against the cushion and -it will remain. Then straighten out wrinkles by a slight puff of -the breath from above, cut the leaf into the required size with the -gold-knife, and lift the leaf to its place with the tip. The tip -will lift the gold better if occasionally drawn over the hair of -your head. - -Another way to prepare the leaf: Cut the book through at the -binding with a sharp knife, which will leave all the leaves free -and separate. Now take up the top paper or cover, which will leave -the gold leaf on the book; lay the paper on a board and rub it over -with a piece of wax, paraffine candle, or a piece of hard soap; -either will do. Place the waxed side on to the gold, and smooth the -paper down gently; repeat until you have as many leaves prepared as -you need. Then, with good sharp shears cut them in such shape and -size as will best cover your work, and not waste the gold. Lay the -pieces on your board, gold side up. When ready, lay the pieces on -the work, rub down with the fingers, or a ball of cotton, take off -the paper and the gold will stay on the size. In this way the gold -adheres quite firmly to the waxed paper, and the size must have a -strong tack to take the gold off the paper. Experts lay the leaf -directly from the book, and you had best learn to do it that way -for general work, if you spoil half a dozen books while catching on -to the knack of it. Try it this way: Now, here is a stripe half an -inch wide, and the size is ready for the gold. Now hold the book -flat in your left hand with your thumb on top, hold the top paper -firm with your thumb. (If you let it slip, the leaf under it will -be spoiled.) If the stripe is one-half inch wide, turn back enough -of the paper to ex-pose three-fourths of an inch of the gold leaf, -crease the turned back cover down with the fingers of the right -hand, and hold it with the thumb on the back. Now cut the leaf with -the finger-nail, first rubbing it dry on your pants; then turn -the book carefully and quickly over on to the stripe, and press -the gold down gently by pressing the book. Then turn down more of -the paper, and repeat until that leaf is gone; then take another -and so on. If the book gets too limber towards the last to handle -well, have a square of cardboard to lay under the book next to the -hand; you will find this is a help even with a full book. You will, -perhaps, waste more gold in this way than by the transfer method, -but you will more than make it up in time, if you become expert. - -1st. Be sure of a good foundation. - -2d. Have your gold size right, and study to know when the tackiness -is just right. If your surface is not perfectly free from -tackiness, pounce with a bag of gilder’s whiting before putting on -the size, to keep the gold from sticking outside of the size. - -When you lay the leaf from the book and cut the leaf with your -finger nail, turn the ball of the finger toward you and the nail -towards the gold, and run the nail close to the edge of the turned -paper; then, if the nail is not too long, the end of the finger -will hold down the paper while the nail cuts the leaf. - -To prepare paper for the transfer method I rub the paper on my -hair, then lay it on the gold leaf, gently rub it with my finger -tips, and the leaf adheres to the paper. - -It can then be cut with shears in any desired shape to cover the -work. - -Some gold leaf is now packed in paper so prepared that the leaf -will adhere to one side of it and can be taken up in that way. - -Some gilders take up the leaf by wetting the paper on the back with -turpentine to make the leaf adhere to the other side, when it can -be cut to the required shape with shears. This is done instead of -waxing the paper. - - -STIR YOUR PAINT. - -It isn’t always your material that makes a bad job, but it seems an -easy matter to make even the best of paint the scapegoat for bad -work. The heedless workman who primes a plastered wall without -sweeping down the loose sand, or is careless about taking the -sand and dust from the tops of casings and the floors, will, if -he stops to examine, find some in the brush and some of it in his -paint pot; and then, to cover up his carelessness, he can lay the -blame on the paint. The careful painter will, when using heavy -pigments, carry a paddle, and not neglect to use it. To prevent -white lead and other heavy pigments from settling in the pot the -paint must be well mixed, and kept mixed by stirring with a paddle -as often and as much as may be necessary to _keep_ the oil or other -vehicle, and the pigment well incorporated. No one out a novice, -or a careless painter will permit a sediment to accumulate in the -bottom of his pot; no matter whether the pigment is coarse or -fine; or whether the vehicle used is linseed oil, turpentine or -benzine. The painter who goes to work without a stirring paddle in -his pot will be liable to do uneven work, and find more or less -sediment in the bottom of his paint pot at quitting time, because -there is no white lead made which does not contain more or less -particles sufficiently heavy to _commence settling_ the minute -the paddle stops, and go to the bottom of a pot of flating, as -ordinarily mixed, inside of thirty minutes, and other particles -of smaller size will follow later. If the pigment is mixed with -oil the process of settling is slower, but no less sure to take -place, and continue, if undisturbed, until clear oil stands on -top of the pigment. Don’t try to use your brush for a paddle; it -isn’t a good tool to stir paint from the bottom. Paint made of -heavy pigment must be frequently stirred with a paddle to keep it -of uniform consistency, but this operation is too often neglected. -For instance, a man starts out with a full pot in the morning and -neglects to stir his paint as he works, hence the heavier particles -commence to settle and soon get below the dip of the brush, and by -continual settling keep out of the reach of it until they reach the -bottom. When the paint is nearly all out, and the sediment at the -bottom don’t work well, he refills his pot, leaving in the coarse -pigment. At night the boss finds an inch or less of coarse paint in -the bottom of the pot, and without further inquiry complains that -the lead is sandy. - -Another instance: The paint for a job stands mixed over night; the -painters fill their pots from time to time during the day, but -never stir the paint from the bottom, hence the last pot or two -filled will have all the coarse pigment of the batch. There are -cases, I admit (too many of them), where not only white lead, but -dry colors and colors in oil, are too coarse to work well, but the -best white lead and heavy colored pigments in oil or turpentine are -liable to be called sandy unless frequently stirred by the painter. - - -TO MAKE CHERRY STAIN. - -Take annotto, 4 ounces, and clear rain water, 3 quarts. Boil in a -brass or copper kettle, new tin or galvanized iron will do, until -the color of the annotto is imparted to the water; then add ⅛ ounce -potash, and keep the mixture hot for 30 minutes; then, as soon as -cool enough to handle, it is ready for use. Now, have the work free -from dust, and spread on your stain with a brush or sponge and rub -it well into the wood. - -When the work is dry, rub lightly with fine sandpaper, because the -water stain will raise the grain unless the wood has been filled. - -You can suit the taste of the owner as to depth of color by -repeating the operation, or by making the stain weaker or stronger, -as the case may require. - - -VARNISH STAINS. - -These often come very handy to the painter, not only in toning up -new wood, but in renewing the freshness of old work. - - -MAHOGANY VARNISH STAIN. - -Spirits 1 gallon, gum sandarac 1 pound, shellac ½ pound, venice -turpentine 2 ounces, dragon’s blood 4 ounces. - - -WALNUT VARNISH STAIN. - -Shellac 1½ pounds, spirit 1 gallon, Bismarck brown 1 ounce, -nigrosine ½ ounce. You can, by varying the proportions of the two -colors, make the shade as you like it. - -(Spirit in this connection means either wood or grain alcohol.) - - -MAHOGANY VARNISH STAIN. - -Spirits 1 gallon, shellac 1½ pounds, Bismarck brown R ½ ounce, -nigrosine 30 grains. More nigrosine will make the stain darker. If -this is too thick to work well, thin with spirits. - - -TO MAKE NEW OAK LOOK OLD. - -Sponge it with a strong hot solution of common soda in water. This -will raise the grain, hence it will require cutting down with -sandpaper. - - -DARK STAIN FOR OAK. - -Make a solution of bi-chromate of potash, 1½ ounces to 2 quarts -soft water. Lay on the solution with a good clean sponge and keep -the wood wet with the solution until it is dark enough to please -you. Then wash off the potash with clean soft water. - - -ANOTHER. - -Apply with a brush, strong aqua ammonia until you get the desired -shade. - - -RED SAUNDERS STAIN. - -Fill a bottle ⅓ full of red saunders, then fill the bottle with -either wood or grain alcohol. The more red saunders you put in, -the stronger will be the stain; you can dilute it for the lighter -shades. The longer it stands, the more color will be extracted. -Always strain through muslin before using. - -Red saunders makes a good cherry stain. When used on the bare wood -it requires no binder, but when used over filled or oiled wood, put -in one-fourth as much shellac varnish as you have stain, to act -as a binder for it. If you want it to act as a filler as well as -a stain, for pine or other close-grained wood, add 1½ pounds corn -starch, to each gallon of the mixture of stain and shellac. Try a -little and if it rubs up when dry, add more shellac. - -You can mix red saunders stain with asphaltum varnish, to make -black walnut and mahogany stains, using more or less of either to -give the desired shade by using turpentine to make them mix. The -asphaltum acts as a binder in place of the shellac. - -The practical painter can get the shades he wants by experimenting -on this line. - - -TO CHANGE THE COLOR OF WALNUT TO DARK MAHOGANY. - -First give it a coat of very thin asphaltum varnish, then, when -dry, give it a coat of red saunders and shellac. - -You can mix the red saunders and asphaltum stain with any -turpentine varnish, or with spirit varnish, if you use turpentine -to make them mix. - -Burnt umber and burnt sienna in oil or varnish make a walnut -stain. Use but little of the pigments in proportion to the oil. Too -much pigment gives the work a muddy color. - - -NATURAL WOOD FINISHING. - -Clean up all soiled places on the wood. To be sure of a good job on -open grained wood use a Bliss Rock Wood Filler. If you use a ready -made filler, thin as per directions on the can. Whatever filler -you use, put it on with a good brush. As soon as the filler begins -to set, or show flat, commence to rub it into the grain with a pad -made by gluing a piece of harness leather onto a block; always when -practicable rub across the grain of the wood. For round work have -a long piece of leather to draw back and forth around the work. -Remember the main thing at this stage is to get as much of the -filler as possible rubbed into the wood. - -Another important point is to take off the surplus filler before -it becomes too hard to wipe off, and another point is to wipe off -the surplus filler and leave the pores of the wood level full. -Hence, it is important that the filler does not dry too fast, that -the painter puts on no more filler at a time than he can handle -before it dries, and that in wiping off the surplus filler he works -his rags across the grain. Some very open grained wood requires a -second application of filler to make a good job, or at least to be -looked over and touched up. The filler should have at least two -days to dry. When dry go over it lightly with fine sandpaper to -take off all particles of filler left on the surface. - -Walnut, mahogany, chestnut, oak, ash and butternut may be classed -as open grained woods, which need to be well filled with paste -filler colored to match the color of the wood. When the filler -is dry put on a coat or two of white shellac and rub down smooth -with No. 1 sandpaper, and follow with two or more coats of hard -oil or varnish, as you like; give each coat plenty of time to dry -and rub each coat with curled hair or hair cloth, except the last -coat. If you want an egg shell or half gloss, rub the last coat -with pulverized pumice stone and raw linseed oil. If you want a -dead finish rub down with pulverized pumice stone and water instead -of oil. If you want a polish, first rub with the pumice stone and -water; then with rotten stone and water, and polish with rotten -stone and oil, or furniture polish and rotten stone. If you want -a gloss finish, flow on the last coat and omit rubbing. Treat the -close-grained woods as above stated, with the exception of the -filler. The shellac also may be omitted, but it will take at least -one more coat of hard oil or varnish for the job. - -Cherry, sycamore, maple, birch, gumwood, redwood, cypress, pine, -whitewood, poplar and hemlock are all close-grained woods, and need -no paste filler. Pine especially should have a coat of shellac to -keep back the pitch. - -For an extra fine job of gloss finish, rub next to the last coat -with pumice stone and water, flow on a coat of good varnish, and -leave it in the gloss. In this case great care is required in -cleaning the work to keep it from showing specks. - -It stands the beginner in hand to be careful and not use his -shellac too heavy to work well; shellac has good body and an -apparently very thin coat will be a good heavy one. - -To do a fine job the room and work must be clean, the clothing free -from dust, and the work, brushes and varnish free from specks. If -specks show on your gloss coat call a halt, and find where they -come from. - -Soft cotton rags are the best material for wiping off surplus -filler. - -A felt pad of convenient size to handle is the best for rubbing -work. Get one at the furniture shop. For a cheap job omit the water -rubbing, and rub with pumice stone and raw oil. - - -TO MAKE BLEACHED OR WHITE SHELLAC VARNISH. - -Take powdered white shellac 1½ pounds, best grain alcohol 1 gallon. -Add the gum to the alcohol, set it in a warm place and shake your -jug or bottle occasionally. Don’t put it in tin or iron; either of -them will discolor it. You can hasten the process by setting your -jug in a sand or water bath, and gently heating it; or set it by -the stove, or in the sunshine. - -To make the common orange shellac of commerce, dissolve 1½ pounds -orange shellac in 1 gallon methylated spirit or grain alcohol. -This will dry in ten or fifteen minutes, and makes a hard lustrous -varnish when dry, and stands the weather better than most gum -varnishes. It makes a turbid liquid of orange brown hue and dries -rather a pale brown. For use on dark wood this is equal to the -white shellac, if not superior. - - -TO COLOR PUTTY. - -There is no use in trying to color common putty to match the color -of natural wood. The whiting in it will not take clear tints. Use -lead putty, which you can tint with raw sienna for pine, yellow -ochre for oak, burnt umber and burnt sienna for walnut, and burnt -sienna for mahogany. Better have the putty too light than too dark. - - -SPOTS ON PAINT. - -Poor lumber and thin painting are often the cause of spots on -paint, especially on two-coat work. On cross-grained and other -extra-porous places more of the oil sinks into the wood than on the -general surface, and the result is flat places in the paint, which -fade sooner than the glossy paint; hence, the work looks spotted. - -To provide against this kind of spotting use more care in priming -and see that all extra-porous places are well filled with the prime -coat, or touch them up before the second coat goes on. A little -extra work with the brush when putting on the prime will save -trouble. - -Another cause may be traced to the practice of putting on a coarse -dark priming coat, which will show through in places where the -paint is thinnest. - -Mildew, or fungus growth, is another cause. This sometimes comes -from the use of too much japan, _poor or fat oil_, or when the -paint dries tacky or soft. - -Adulteration of linseed oil with mineral and other non-drying oils, -has a tendency to make paint dry soft. Linseed oil, kept for a few -days in an old sour tank or in an old rancid can in the paint shop, -is liable to cause fermentation to take place, which may result in -mildew in damp weather in shaded places. - -When an oil can smells sour, or there is a deposit of foots at the -bottom, it is unfit to keep oil in. - -Another cause of spotting may be found in insufficient and improper -brushing or spreading the paint; especially the priming, which -requires as much care in putting on as any other coat on the job. - -For instance, here is a job which shows “laps.” Now, if this prime -is right when it is put on single, it is wrong when it is put on -double, because, where the laps are, the work has at least one more -coat than the balance of the job, hence the paint is liable to -fade spotted. - - -PORCELAIN FINISH.--CHINA GLOSS.--GLOSS FINISH. - -All different names for about the same thing. To make a fine job: -If the work is new, see that it is smooth, free from dust and -stains. Then give it a coat of priming, put on thin, so as not to -show brush marks, and rub down with No. 0 sandpaper. Next, get a -good body with keg lead, mixed in turpentine and a very little -linseed oil; put on thin coats, so as not to show brush marks; -use a fitch brush, or at least a _fine_ bristle chiseled brush. -When dry, rub down with sandpaper and flow on a coat of thin white -shellac. This is to keep back the oil in the lead coats, and -prevent chemical action between the lead and zinc coats. Next, put -on two or more coats of French zinc ground in damar varnish; enough -at least, to get a clear white. Thin with turps and a little damar -varnish, and put on thin enough to show no laps or brush marks. - -Then put on a coat or two of French zinc ground in damar varnish, -thinned with 1 part damar varnish and 2 parts turpentine. Next -put on a coat of damar varnish mixed with a little zinc ground in -damar, just enough to make the varnish white. Flow on a coat, and -be careful that it does not run on your work. To avoid runs always -commence at the top of a panel with a full brush and work down so -as not to have a surplus in the lower corners of the panels; this -applies to all parts of the work. It is quite a knack to put on a -full coat of this varnish and zinc, and not have it run. - -In all cases put on enough zinc coats to make a clear white before -you put on the varnish. The small quantity of zinc is put in the -varnish to take off the yellow tinge, and to keep it from turning -yellow. Use lead putty. See recipes to make it on another page. - - -ANOTHER WAY. - -Very hard and white, for parlors.--To prepare the wood for -the finish, if it be pine, give one or two coats of the -“Varnish--Transparent for wood,” which prevents the pitch from -oozing out, causing the finish to turn yellow; next, give the -room, at least, four coats of pure zinc, which may be ground in -only sufficient oil to enable it to grind properly; then mix to a -proper consistency with turpentine or naphtha. Give each coat time -to dry. When it is dry and hard, sandpaper it to a perfectly smooth -surface, when it is ready to receive the finish, which consists of -two coats of French zinc ground in, and thinned with damar varnish, -until it works properly under the brush. - - -LEAD POISONING--HOW TO AVOID IT. - -White lead may enter the human system in three ways, to-wit: -Through the stomach, the lungs and the skin. In other words, it -may be eaten, inhaled or absorbed, hence the stomach, lungs and -skin should each be carefully guarded against it. To guard the -stomach, through which you are in the most danger of taking in the -poison, make it a rule to keep the mouth closed as much as possible -when using white lead, and _especially when sandpapering_. Make -it a rule to never eat or drink without first carefully cleansing -your lips, and carefully removing the paint from your hands before -eating. Tobacco chewers, who carry tobacco in their pockets, are in -especial danger of lead poison, if working in paint, because the -tobacco becomes more or less poisoned with lead from the fingers, -if the painter is not careful to clean his hands before taking a -chew. There is no great danger from inhaling white lead, except -when sandpapering, or when dusting after sandpapering. - -It is a pretty good thing to carefully guard the nose with a damp -sponge while sandpapering, and to carefully free the nostrils -from lead. There is no danger of poisoning by absorption through -the skin, unless the painter is careless. When T see some men at -work, I wonder how they can possibly escape lead poisoning. Their -clothing glazed with oil paint, their hands daubed to the wrist by -grasping the brush by the head, instead of by the handle; or by -general carelessness in mixing and handling paints. - - -SYMPTOMS OF LEAD POISON. - -Tired feeling, wakefulness at night, neuralgic pains, “shaky” -hands, constipated bowels, bad taste in the mouth, and pain in the -bowels, a blue edge on the gums, and a coated tongue. If you get -the colic, see a doctor; for the other symptoms, get away from -paint for a while if possible, and take the following: Iodide of -potash, ½ oz.; syrup sarsaparilla, 8 oz. Dose:--Teaspoonful three -or four times a day in half a cup of milk. Eat graham mush and -drink milk. - - -TO FINISH FURNITURE AND OTHER WORK IN SIXTEENTH CENTURY OAK. - -First fill the wood with any good filler. Fill it well, then take -Vandyke brown 3 parts, and burnt sienna 1 part, and mix to a stiff -paste with boiled oil and japan, and thin with turpentine, until -you can brush it on the wood, and not have it look dauby or muddy. -Give the work a light coat, and brush it out well and carefully. -Too much pigment will make your work too dark. Wherever you want -the light or worn spots to appear, wipe off the stain with a cloth, -and with a badger blender carefully blend the stain into the edges -of the worn or light spots. Don’t stain too much at once, for fear -your stain may set so you cannot wipe out and blend. When the stain -is dry, sandpaper lightly with No. 0 paper. Finish with two coats -rubbing varnish, or with hard oil finish. Polish with rotten stone -and raw oil. - - -A SUPERIOR GLUE (WATERPROOF). - -A very superior article may be made by dissolving 3 parts of india -rubber in 30 parts of naphtha; heat and agitation will be required -to effect the solution; when the rubber is completely dissolved, -add 64 parts of finely powdered shellac, which must also be heated -in the above mixture until all is dissolved. This mixture may be -produced in sheets like glue by pouring it while hot upon plates -of metal, where it will harden. When required for use, it may -simply be heated in a pot till soft. Two pieces of wood or leather, -joined together with this glue, can scarcely be sundered without a -fracture of the parts. - - -A VALUABLE CEMENT. - -We find the following recipe good: The compound of glycerin, -oxide of lead, and red lead, for mending cast-iron that has been -fractured with the happiest results. It takes some little time to -dry, but turns almost as hard as stone, and is fire and waterproof. -For mending cracks in stone or cast-iron ware, where iron filling -cannot be had, we think it is invaluable. Take litharge and red -lead, equal parts, mix thoroughly and make into a paste with -concentrated glycerin to the consistency of soft putty, fill the -crack and smear a thin layer on both sides of the casting so as -to completely cover the fracture. This layer can be rubbed off, if -necessary, when nearly dry, by an old knife or chisel. - - -LINSEED OIL AND IRON RUST. - -The oleaginous principle of linseed oil is said to be in the nature -of neutral salts called linolein, consisting of linoleic acid -combined with a glycerine base. Linolein is said by some writers to -constitute three-fourths of the volume of linseed oil, and that the -drying properties of the oil reside in the acid principle of the -linolein; that is, linoleic acid has the property of attracting and -combining with oxygen to form the substance known as dry linseed -oil. This acid is said to be a compound of several different acid -principles, combined in definite proportions. Writers seem to -disagree as to what the acids are, and in what respect they differ -from the acid properties of the non-drying fixed oils, but that is -a question which need not be discussed here. The glycerine base of -linolein seems to be common to all fixed oils, and is set down as -an oxide consisting of one equivalent of water and five of oxygen; -hence the affinity between the linoleic acid and its glycerine base. - -Linoleic acid, like other acids, has an affinity for alkalies and -the ordinary metallic oxides. It unites with them, forming _neutral -compounds_. This affinity is said to be electrical; the alkalies -and oxides electro-positive, and the acid electro-negative. The -greater the contrast in this respect, the stronger the affinity; -hence, some acids separate others from their bases and form new -salts by precipitation. As an instance: - -Drop sulphuric acid into a solution of acetate of lead. It will -displace the acetic acid, form sulphate of lead and precipitate, -leaving the liberated acetic acid in solution. In linolein, this -acid is so constituted that the affinity, or attraction between -it and its glycerine base, is too feeble to resist and keep back -the oxygen of the air; hence, when linseed oil is exposed to the -air in a thin layer, oxygen unites with its linoleic acid, and -this process continues until the oil becomes dry to the touch. -Beyond this point the process is slower, because the oil is now -less penetrable; but the process goes on until the layer of oil -becomes hard and brittle, no matter with what pigment it may be -mixed, although the pigment may for a time retard the action of the -destroying elements. - -Linseed oil dries too slowly for general use by the painter, hence -various ways have been devised to hasten the drying process. If -the foregoing theory is correct, the process which will cause the -oil to dry to a good wearing body in the time desired, and leave -it in the best condition to resist the action of the elements and -the absorption of oxygen, is the best. I regard the lead oxides -as the best dryers for this purpose--at least according to my -experience. When we add an oxide to linseed oil as a dryer in the -small quantity which experience has taught us is best to use, it is -evident that it is not sufficient in itself to oxidize the whole of -the oil to an appreciable extent. Writers differ as to the peculiar -action of the oxides upon the oil, but I think it safe to say -that the dryer sets up some chemical reaction which increases the -affinity between the linolein and the oxygen of the atmosphere; at -any rate, there is no dispute upon the point that linseed oil in -drying absorbs a large per cent. of oxygen. - -A knowledge of this unanimously conceded point led me to believe -that a coat of pure linseed oil might make the best possible -priming coat for iron work which had commenced to rust. Why? -Because iron rust is an oxide of iron, having an excess of oxygen. -Spread on rusty iron, it penetrates the rust, absorbs its excess -of oxygen and dries with the remaining neutral oxide held fast in -its body. This is my theory; whether correct or not, numerous tests -have proved to me that a coat of linseed oil will stop the rusting -of iron if applied under proper conditions. When rust is _thick or -scaling_ there is no safety short of taking it off. Iron rust is -more or less hydrated; to free it from moisture, give it the flame -of the gasoline paint burner. - - -WHITE ENAMEL (SELECTED). - -First, the wood is primed with a composition consisting of three -parts of turpentine and one part of oil, japan gold size being used -as a dryer. On this drying thoroughly the work is rubbed down until -perfectly smooth. Next are applied two or three coats of pure white -lead mixed entirely flat; each coat is rubbed down, time being -allowed for it to dry. Equal parts of lead and zinc are used for -the next coat, and three-fourths zinc and one-fourth lead for the -one succeeding. After this has become thoroughly hard it is rubbed -down very smooth. A thin coat of color made of zinc and turpentine -is now rubbed on; for the next coat the same flat color is used, -with the addition of about one-half the quantity of good light -coach varnish. For the last coat enough zinc is used in the varnish -to make it white if the last coat of zinc is not white and solid -before varnishing. If the work is to be gilded or striped the zinc -must be left out of the last coat of varnish. - - -VARNISH TO IMITATE GROUND GLASS. - -An expert has sent the following to the _British Journal of -Photography_: To make a varnish to imitate ground glass, dissolve -90 grains sandrac and 20 grains of mastic in 2 ounces of washed -methylated ether, and add, in small quantities, a sufficiency of -benzine to make it dry with a suitable grain--too little making the -varnish too transparent, and excess making it crapy. The quantity -of benzine required depends upon its quality--from half an ounce -to an ounce and a half, or even more; but the best results are got -with a medium quality. It is important to use washed ether, free -from spirit. - - -VARNISH FOR RUSTIC WORK. - -One quart of boiled linseed oil and two ounces of asphaltum, to -be boiled on a slow fire until the asphaltum is dissolved, being -kept stirred to prevent its boiling over. This gives a fine dark -color, is not sticky, and looks well for a year; or, first wash -the article with soap and water, and when dry, on a sunny day do -it over with common boiled linseed oil; leave that to dry a day or -two, then varnish it over once or twice with hard varnish. If well -done this will last for years and prevent annoyance from insects. - - -TO CLEAN VERY DIRTY BRASS. - -Rub some bi-chromate of potassa fine, pour over it about twice its -bulk of sulphuric acid, and mix this with an equal quantity of -water. The dirtiest brass is cleaned in a trice. Wash right off in -plenty of water, wipe it and rub perfectly dry, and polish with -powdered rotten stone. - - -TO COUNTERFEIT TORTOISE SHELL VERY FINELY. - -In order to do this well, your foundation or ground-work must be -perfectly smooth and white, or nearly so, you then gild it with -silver leaf with slow size, so as to have it perfectly smooth with -no ragged edges, cleaning the loose leaf off. Then grind cologne -earth very fine, and mix it with gum water, common size; and with -this, you having added more gum water than it was ground with, spot -or cloud the ground-work, having a fine shell to imitate; and when -this is done, you will perceive several reds, lighter and darker, -appear on the edges of the black, and many times lie in streaks on -the transparent part of the shell. To imitate this finely, grind -dragon’s blood with gum water, and with a fine pencil draw those -warm reds, flushing it in about the dark places more thickly, -but fainter and fainter and thinner, with less color towards the -lighter parts, so sweetening it that it may in a manner lose the -red, being sunk in the silver or more transparent parts. When it is -dry, give it a coat of varnish, let it stand for a few days, then -rub it down with pumice stone and water. Then grind gamboge very -fine, and mix with varnish, giving of this as many coats as will -cause the silver to have a golden color, then finish with a clean -coat of varnish. - - -PRICE LIST. - -The prices of labor, and cost of material vary so much in different -localities that it seems impossible to make a reliable price list -for general work. The position, condition, and shape of different -jobs all go towards making a general price list, an unreliable -guide; also the quality of work demanded may make 50 per cent. -difference in price. I have half a dozen printed price lists before -me, and they generally agree to about the following prices for -painting and glazing, to-wit: - - _Per Yard._ - 1 coat on new work 8 to 10 cents - 1 coat on old work 10 to 18 cents - 2 coats on new work 18 to 20 cents - 2 coats on old work 20 to 25 cents - 3 coats on new work 25 to 28 cents - Brick walls, 2 coats 20 to 30 cents - Penciling 10 to 15 cents - - -PRIMING AND GLAZING SASH. - - _Per Light._ - 10 × 14 and under 5 to 6 cents - 12 × 16 7 to 9 cents - 14 × 24 10 to 12 cents - 18 × 24 15 to 18 cents - 24 × 30 20 to 25 cents - 30 × 40 35 to 50 cents - -For old work where the old putty is in the sash, multiply the above -figures by 3 or 4. When called out to the house to set a light or -two charge for time and material. Most work of this kind is done at -least 30 per cent. below the above prices. - -I quote below a price list for sign painters, from a very complete -report on painters’ prices and measurements, generally, by one of -the ablest of local associations of master painters and decorators: - - -JAPANNED TIN SIGNS. - - _Gold._ _Plain._ - 3 × 14 inches $1.25 $ .75 - 6 × 8 inches 1.50 .75 - 8 × 10 inches 1.75 1.00 - 10 × 14 inches 2.50 1.50 - 11 × 17 inches 3.00 2.00 - 11 × 17 inches, 3 lines 3.50 2.55 - 14 × 20 inches 4.00 2.50 - 14 × 20 inches, 3 lines 4.50 3.00 - 18 × 24 inches 6.00 3.50 - 18 × 24 inches, 3 lines 7.00 4.00 - Frames additional. - - -GLASS SIGNS ON WINDOWS AND DOORS. - - _In Silver or Gold_ _Per Foot._ - Letters up to 6 inches in height $ .75 - Letters 6 to 10 inches in height 1.00 - Letters 10 to 14 inches in height 1.50 - - Shaded, one color, 25 per cent. extra. - - -DRUM SIGNS. - - _Gold._ _Plain._ - 10 × 14 inches $ 3.50 $ 2.50 - 11 × 17 inches 4.00 3.00 - 14 × 20 inches 5.00 3.50 - 18 × 24 inches 7.00 5.00 - 20 × 24 inches 8.50 6.50 - 24 × 30 inches 10.00 7.00 - 30 × 30 inches 12.00 8.50 - 30 × 48 inches 15.00 10.00 - - The above include moulding and urns and putting up. - - Drilling holes in iron extra. - - -MUSLIN SIGNS. - - _Per Foot._ - Up to 1 foot high, black 8 cents - 1 to 2 feet, black 10 cents - 2 to 3 feet, black 12 cents - Colored one-half extra. - Muslin furnished. - Frames extra. - - -OIL CLOTH SIGNS. - - _Per Foot._ - Up to 1 foot 20 cents - 1 to 2 feet 25 cents - 2 to 3 feet 30 cents - Oil cloth furnished. - Frames extra. - - -BOARD SIGNS. - - Including three coats of paint and lettering. - _Gold._ _Plain._ - 6 inches × 4 feet $ 4.00 $ 2.50 - 8 inches × 6 feet 5.00 3.50 - 10 inches × 8 feet 6.00 4.00 - 1 foot × 12 feet 7.50 5.00 - 1 foot × 15 feet 8.50 5.00 - 14 inches × 16 feet 8.50 5.00 - 14 inches × 18 feet 9.00 6.00 - 14 inches × 20 feet 9.50 6.00 - 16 inches × 16 feet 9.50 6.00 - 16 inches × 18 feet 10.00 6.00 - 18 inches × 18 feet 10.00 6.00 - 18 inches × 20 feet 12.00 7.00 - 18 inches × 24 feet 15.00 7.00 - 18 inches × 30 feet 18.00 8.00 - Board extra. - Irons and putting up extra. - Shading, 25 per cent. additional, one color. - - -WALL SIGNS. - -Two coats of paint and lettering. Extra coat, 1 cent per square -foot additional. - - 2 × 16 feet $ 6.00 - 2 × 20 feet 7.00 - 2 × 24 feet 8.00 - 2 × 30 feet 10.50 - 3 × 16 feet 8.00 - 3 × 20 feet 10.00 - 3 × 24 feet 12.00 - 3 × 30 feet 14.00 - 4 × 16 feet 9.00 - 4 × 20 feet 12.00 - 4 × 24 feet 13.00 - 4 × 30 feet 15.00 - 6 × 16 feet 12.00 - 6 × 20 feet 14.00 - 6 × 24 feet 16.00 - 6 × 30 feet 18.00 - 8 × 16 feet 14.00 - 8 × 20 feet 16.00 - 8 × 24 feet 18.00 - 8 × 30 feet 20.00 - 10 × 12 feet 10.00 - 10 × 16 feet 13.00 - 10 × 20 feet 16.00 - 10 × 24 feet 19.00 - 10 × 30 feet 22.00 - 12 × 16 feet 14.00 - 12 × 20 feet 18.00 - 12 × 24 feet 20.00 - 12 × 30 feet 25.00 - 14 × 20 feet 20.00 - 14 × 24 feet 24.00 - 14 × 30 feet 28.00 - 16 × 24 feet 26.00 - 16 × 30 feet 39.00 - 20 × 24 feet 30.00 - 20 × 30 feet 35.00 - 20 × 40 feet 40.00 - 21 × 30 feet 37.00 - 24 × 36 feet 42.00 - 24 × 40 feet 48.00 - 30 × 40 feet 60.00 - 30 × 50 feet 70.00 - 30 × 60 feet 80.00 - - -SHOW CARDS. - - 1 sheet, 22 × 25 $ 1.50 - 1 sheet, 14 × 22 .75 - 1 sheet, 11 × 14 .50 - - The above prices are based upon white lead at 7 cents per pound - and wages at 33½ cents an hour. - - -MIDSUMMER PAINTING. - -All things considered, which is the best time of the year to do -outside painting? Spring and fall, did you say? Well, yes. I know -nearly all painters think so, and the people outside the trade are -almost, if not quite, unanimous in holding the same opinion. But -why? Do the winds of March, the frequent showers of April and May -add very much to the pleasure and profit of doing outside work -in spring? Do the soaking rains, which come along about the time -of the vernal equinox and drive you off your job for a week or -two and watersoak your unprimed work, add much pleasure to your -recollections of spring painting? Do you remember anything about -the clouds of midges and thousands of little moths which filled the -air, ready and willing to decorate your paint with their little -bodies on every still, warm mid-day in April and May? Of course, we -are speaking now of climatic conditions from our own standpoint, -the great Northwest, which may also be true in the Middle and -New England states. The mornings and evenings of spring and fall -are apt to be cool--often frosty; then the oil stiffens and the -paint rubs out hard and goes on slow, and we lose time and work -harder. Practically, I favor midsummer for outside work, because -the temperature is more uniformly warm and the paint spreads -easily and evenly at any time of day, and as a rule the rains are -less frequent and give a longer warning of their approach. The -little black flies are not so plentiful in the hot days of summer -as they are in spring and early fall. They are either dead or -seek the shade of trees and grass. The dew is all gone in summer -before seven o’clock a. m., and does not commence to fall until -after quitting time. A carpet of grass and other vegetation covers -a large portion of the ground in summer, holding down the dust. -The winds are not usually so high and gusty in summer as they are -in the spring and fall. In the warm days of summer your work is -more apt to dry quickly, cleanly and evenly; and when you “knock -off” from work at six p. m., and the sun is yet two hours above -the horizon, you know that your last ground stretch will soon be -out of the way of dust and rain. In the hot weather of summer the -pores of the wood are all open, and the oil, which is then soft -and thin, goes farther into the wood than in spring and fall, when -the weather is cool. There are, it is true, some fine days in the -fall for outside work, but the rainy season of the autumnal equinox -and the frosty nights of the later months often retard your work -and mar the finish of your job. One objection urged against summer -painting is the flies, but really are the flies which injure paint -any more numerous in midsummer than they are in spring and fall? It -is true the festive house-fly is in his glory in the summer, but, -as a rule, he is too smart to get stuck in outside paint. To get -inside is his ambition, and the molasses-cup and sugar-bowl are his -objective points. If the house-fly is an objection in the summer, -it certainly is a greater one in the fall, for in September and -early in October they are thicker, saucier and more familiar than -at any other time of year; then they want not only to get at the -sugar, but to get in and warm. - -A correspondent asks: “Does the reader know from practical -experiment that one season is better than another for applying -outside paint?” I suppose the writer means the effect upon the -wearing qualities of the paint and the permanency of the color. -I have been experimenting for a practical solution of this -question for my own satisfaction and guidance, and have come to -the conclusion that paint put on the outside in the hot weather of -summer will wear as well and hold its color as long as paint put on -in the cooler days of spring and fall. I know the idea that paint -dries too fast in hot weather is almost universal, but I think it -grows largely from the fact that a quick-drying paint is not as -good for outside as a slow dryer; but you must remember that there -is a great difference between a quick-drying paint and drying a -slow paint as quickly as the ingredients will admit of. Linseed -oil dries or hardens by absorbing oxygen from the air, and that -process goes on more rapidly in hot weather than in cool weather, -because the air in hot weather is in a condition more freely to -part with its oxygen, or because the oil is in a better condition -to receive it, or both. In other words, a warm atmosphere hastens -the process of absorption and a cool air retards it, but in either -case the result is the same: the air gives up enough of its oxygen -to solidify the oil. Now, the question arises, can any difference -be discovered (chemical or otherwise) in the composition of the -paint, whether dried in warm or cool air? From a business-point of -view, I have long advocated summer as a good time to paint outside, -and have usually succeeded in converting customers to my views upon -the subject, and as a consequence have not often had a dull time -in midsummer. We painters in the country know how unpleasant -and unprofitable it is to have all the work of the year rushed -upon us in the spring and fall, and I think if painters generally -could convince themselves by practical experiment that, all things -considered, summer time is the best season of the year to do -outside work, and advocate the same to their customers, backed by -argument and practical illustration, there would soon be less need -of complaint about a dull season in midsummer. - - -TO REMOVE PAINT. - -1. An expeditious way is by chemical process, using a solution of -soda and quicklime in equal proportions. The soda is dissolved in -water, the lime is then added, and the solution is applied with a -brush to the old paint. A few moments are sufficient to remove the -coats of paint, which may be washed off with hot water. The oldest -paint may be removed by a paste of the soda and quicklime. The wood -should be afterwards washed with vinegar or an acid solution before -repainting, to remove all traces of alkali. - -2. Wet the place with naphtha, repeating as often as required; but -frequently one application will dissolve the paint. As soon as it -is softened, rub the surface clean. Chloroform mixed with a small -quantity of spirit ammonia, composed of strong ammoniac, has been -employed very successfully to remove the stains of dry paint from -wood, silk, and other substances. - -3. To remove paint from floors.--Take one pound of American -pearlash, three pounds of quickstone lime. Slake the lime in -water, then add the pearlash, and make the whole amount about the -consistency of paint. Lay the mixture over the whole body of the -work which is required to be cleaned, with an old brush; let it -remain for twelve or fourteen hours, when the paint can be easily -scraped off. - - -TO SOFTEN PUTTY AND REMOVE OLD PAINT. - -1. Take three pounds of quickstone lime; slake the lime in water, -then add one pound of American pearlash; apply this to both sides -of the glass and let it remain for twelve hours, when the putty -will be softened, and the glass may be taken out without being -broken. To destroy paint, apply it to the whole body which is -required to be cleaned; use an old brush, as it will spoil a new -one; let it remain about twelve or fourteen hours, and then the -paint may be easily scraped off. - -2. To remove paint from old doors, etc., and to soften putty -in window frames, so that the glass may be taken out without -breakage or cutting, take one pound of pearlash and three pounds -of quicklime, slake the lime in water and then add the pearlash, -and make the whole about the consistency of paint. Apply to both -sides of the glass and let it remain for twelve hours, when the -putty will be so softened that the glass may be taken out of the -frame without being cut, and with the greatest facility. To destroy -paint, lay the above over the whole body of the work which is -required to be cleaned, using an old brush, as it will spoil a new -one. Let it remain for twelve or fourteen hours, when the paint can -be easily scraped off. - -3. Paint stains on glass.--American potash, 3 parts; unslaked lime, -1. Lay this on with a stick, letting it remain for some time, and -it will remove either tar or paint. - - -TREATMENT OF DAMP WALLS. - -There are two classes of damp walls, first where the water comes -in from the outside from defective roofs, bad gutters, defective -pipes, and where it comes through the walls from the ground, as -in basements. In the other class we may include walls which are -dampened by condensation of moisture, in places shut off from the -general artificial temperature of the room, behind stationary -furniture. Such walls may dry out during hot weather, or they may -be kept damp by a growth of mold or fungus. - -When water comes in from the outside, it is impossible to keep -paint or paper on the wall in good shape. Look around for the -places where the water comes in, point it out to the owner, and -if he fails to stop the leak have it _understood_ that the work -is done at _his risk_; or, what is better, refuse to do the work; -because, when a job comes off, or turns out badly, you will take -the blame generally, no matter whether it is your fault or not. -A job may be made to last awhile by a waterproof coating, or by -sheathing with thin lumber, but it is only a question of time when -the lining material will become water-soaked and spoil the paint or -paper, to your discredit. I have usually been _too busy_ to take -jobs of this kind. If the water can be cut off, the next thing is -to dry the wall, which you can do at the surface only by setting -a stove near it, or with the flame of a paint burner; then, after -all your trouble, the water, which remains in the wall, if of brick -or stone, may find its way to the surface, and destroy your work. -Sheet lead cemented to the wall will answer a good purpose for a -time, but the dampness will finally destroy the cement and let the -metal loose. - -Battening out for lath and plaster is the best for basement or damp -stone walls, but that is the plasterer’s work, and is rarely ever -done except in private residences. - -Battening and canvasing is next best; nail your battens up and down -18 inches apart. Have the canvas stitched in sheets the right size -to cover the large blank spaces of the wall. Then stretch and tack -it on the battens, and give it a coat of glue and alum size. - -When dampness is caused by condensation the best remedy is to -remove the cause and dry the wall. - - -TO PAPER ON A BOARD PARTITION. - -When paper is pasted on boards, it must crack, when the lumber -shrinks. If you paste cloth over the cracks, it must crack, if the -cracks open further than the cloth will stretch. When you tack -cloth on a partition and size it, if the size goes through the -cloth and sticks it fast to the boards, it will be likely to crack -when the lumber shrinks. For a good job I would advise that you -first cover the partition _with paper tacked on_, then when you -size the cloth, it will stick to the paper, and not to the boards. -I have met with uniform success in this way; because the boards -are left free to shrink and swell without breaking the cloth or -paper. I like to sew the cloth together with a running seam in -pieces large enough to cover all broad spaces, turn the smooth side -out, stretch well, and fasten the edges only; drive the tacks an -inch from the edges of the cloth, so that you can fasten them down -smoothly with paste. When a man has been unwise enough to put a -board partition across one end of an otherwise fine room, and is -willing to pay for his folly: first, take measurements of the blank -spaces, and sew together some fairly strong _unbleached_ muslin, -stretch on frames, and give it a coat of glue and alum size, and -whiting; when dry, carefully fit each piece in its place and tack -it an inch from the edges and fasten the edges down smooth with -strong flour paste. Tack only at the edges, and if you are careful -to butt edge the different pieces over the doors, etc., you can -make a nice smooth job in this way. By using this method the paste -will not stick the cloth to the wall. Use tinned tacks to prevent -rust. - - -SANDPAPERING. - -This is a job none of us like very well, but since it must be done, -it is worth while to be able to do it to the best advantage. The -first thing to look for is good paper. To test the strength of the -sand, rub two pieces together, and if the sand don’t fly off, it -is good in that respect; next see if the paper is tough and will -not tear easily. Chalk the back of your paper before you double it -and it will not slip. Don’t lose time using old, worn-out paper. -New paper will, of course, cut faster than old paper, and the -difference in the time gained by using sharp paper will pay for the -new paper twice over. Using old dull paper is like trying to save -money by using an old stub brush. Better use up fifty cents’ worth -of paper than to fool away dollars’ worth of time trying to save -money by using old paper. - -If you have old, hard paint to cut down, which dry sandpaper -will not touch, keep the work wet with benzine, and you will be -surprised to see how fast the sandpaper will cut the paint. To put -on benzine use a small spring-bottomed can, such as is used for -oiling machinery. You can use any grade of sandpaper, and it will -not soak up or gum. No. 1 paper is the best for this purpose. A -good deal of time may be lost where scrapers could be used to much -better advantage. A broad, flat scraper to shove endwise is always -in order, and a few narrow ones with various shaped ends to fit in -headings, moldings, etc., are a great help. - - -A STENCILED BORDER. - -This makes a nice finish for a painted or kalsomined room. To make -it look at its best, paint a stripe as wide as your stencil in a -pleasant contrast to the paint on the room and put the stencil on -that in soft harmonizing colors. - - -REPAINTING SCALED WORK. - -To repaint a job which has commenced to scale, without taking off -all the old paint, is very uncertain work, but if you have to try -it, have it understood in writing, or before witnesses, that it is -done at the owner’s risk. First scrape off the loose paint, then go -over the job with raw oil; put it on freely and let it stand until -dry; then scrape off all the paint loosened by the oil, and coat -up with strictly pure white lead and oil. Avoid zinc, and mixtures -of zinc, and barytes, on jobs of this kind; because they are more -or less liable to crack, and pull off more of the old paint. White -lead and oil lightly tinted will hold it if anything will. Use raw -oil and a little good japan. - - -TO MIX WATER COLORS. - -Light weight colors which will not mix well with water may be -easily mixed to a stiff paste with molasses or sirup, then mix in -glue size for a binder and thin with water. - - -TO SIZE MUSLIN FOR LETTERING. - -Use a thin size of white glue in water, or a thin starch paste. For -a sign to stand weather, dissolve white wax in turpentine by heat. -Melt the wax in a kettle, then take it outside and by degrees add -sufficient spirits of turpentine and make a thin size. - -One ounce of wax to the quart of turps is about right. Put it on -warm with a brush. - - -ANOTHER FOR WHITE WORK. - -Slake a little good, fresh lime in hot water and mix a size with -skim milk. Then strain through cheese cloth. This size is, when -dry, insoluble in water and will hold lettering as long as the -cloth lasts. May be tinted. - -[Illustration: No. 4. OLD STYLE EXTENDED. - - A B C D E F - G H I J K L M - N O P Q R S T - U V W X Y Z & , . - a b c d e f g h - i j k l m n o - p q r s t u v - w x y z 1 2 3 - 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 -] - - -TEST OF THE PURITY OF WHITE LEAD. - -The following is an infallible and simple commercial test of the -purity of white lead: - -Take a piece of firm, close-grained charcoal, and near one end of -it scoop out a cavity about half an inch in diameter and a quarter -of an inch in depth. Place in the cavity a sample of the lead to be -tested, about the size of a small pea, and apply to it continuously -the _blue_ or _hottest_ part of the flame of the blow-pipe; if the -sample be strictly pure it will, in a very short time, say two -minutes, be reduced to metallic lead, leaving no residue; but if it -be adulterated, even to the extent of 10 per cent. only, with oxide -of zinc, sulphate of baryta, whiting or any other carbonate of lime -(which substances are the principal adulterations used), or if it -be composed entirely of these materials, as is sometimes the case -with cheap lead (so-called), it cannot be reduced, but will remain -on the charcoal an infuscatible mass. - -A blow-pipe can be obtained from any jeweler at small cost. An -alcohol lamp, star candle, or a lard oil lamp furnishes the best -flame for use of the blow-pipe. This test is very simple and anyone -can very soon learn to make it with ease and skill. - - -POLISH TO RENOVATE VARNISHED WORK. - -One quart good vinegar, 2 ounces butter of antimony, 2 ounces -alcohol, 1 quart oil. Shake before using. - - -BRONZES--COLORS. - - White, - Light Gold, - Lemon, - Copper, - Lilac, - Silver, - Dark Gold, - Orange, - Carmine, - Violet, - Flesh, - Rich Gold, - Fire, - Crimson, - Brown, - Light and Dark Greens. - - -BLACK VARNISH FOR IRON. - - Asphaltum, 2 pounds. - Boiled linseed oil, 1 pint. - Spirits turpentine, 2 quarts. - -Melt the asphaltum with the oil in an iron kettle. Stir well before -removing from the fire. When partly cool add the turpentine and a -little good japan. - - -TO FREE BENZINE FROM ITS OFFENSIVE ODOR. - -To deodorize benzine, add 3 ounces quicklime to the gallon of -benzine; shake well. Let the lime settle and pour off and filter -the benzine. - - -PAINT TO PREVENT WOOD EXPOSED TO THE GROUND FROM ROTTING. - -Take of linseed oil, 4 parts; whiting, 40 parts; rosin, 50 parts; -clean sand, 300 parts; heat together in a kettle until the rosin -melts; then add 2 parts sulphate of copper; the mass to be well -stirred, and thinned to workable consistency with linseed oil. - - -RECIPES FOR BLACKBOARD SLATING. - -Dissolve 1 pound shellac in 1 gallon 95 per cent. alcohol; then add -½ pound best powdered ivory black, 5 ounces finest emery flour, 2 -ounces ultramarine blue; mix well and keep air tight. When using -stir frequently. If thick enough to show brush marks, add more -alcohol; work quick with a fine brush. - - -TO MAKE A BLACKBOARD ON COMMON PLASTER. - -Stop all cracks and holes with plaster paris mixed in glue size. -When dry sandpaper until all is smooth; then paper the wall with -white blank wall paper, butt the edges, put on with strong paste, -and be careful to rub out all blisters. When dry prime with oil -paint, then sandpaper with fine paper, and put on two coats of -above slating. This makes an excellent blackboard. Boards which I -made in this way twenty years ago are in good shape yet, and will -last for years to come with an occasional repainting. - - -CHEAP SLATING, BUT GOOD. - -Mix lamp black, 4 parts; ultramarine blue, 1 part, by weight, in -turpentine, with sufficient good japan and a very little oil to -bind it, then add one part by weight of _fine pumice stone_. Have -it thin enough to flow on and not leave brush marks. - - -WATERPROOF OIL RUBBER PAINT FOR CLOTH. - -Melt 2½ pounds of india rubber in ½ gallon of boiled oil by -boiling. If too thick, add more oil; if too thin, add more rubber, -and a little japan to dry it. Apply warm. - - -TO CLEAN PAINT. - -Have some whiting on a plate, then dip a piece of flannel in warm, -soft water and squeeze nearly dry, then take up some of the whiting -by dipping the flannel in it, and rub the paint until it looks -clean, then rub dry with a soft cloth or chamois skin. - - -GOOD QUICK STAIN FOR A BRICK CHIMNEY. - -For red stain, take Venetian red, 2 parts; yellow ochre, 1 -part--both dry--and mix with skim milk. For yellow stain, use -water-lime, tinted with yellow ochre. Mix as above. - -Skim milk when mixed with common quicklime, Portland cement, or -Venetian red, is converted into an insoluble binder, which renders -the mixture waterproof, so that it will not wash off when wet; -neither will it rub up when dry. Other pigments can be added, -by way of coloring, up to 25 per cent., without affecting the -insolubility of the paint. - -For a brick wall, which has not been rubbed or painted, Venetian -red toned down with yellow ochre, beats any glue and acid mixture -for durability. - - -TO CLEAN DOOR PLATES. - -Put on with a rag a weak solution of ammonia in water, and rub to -dryness. - - -TO CLEAN VARNISHED PAINT. - -In a gallon of water, boil a pound of wheat bran, and wash the -varnish with the water. - - -SLOWING THE DRYING OF PAINT. - -In wall painting or otherwise, especially in hot weather, if the -paint dries so fast as to show laps in spite of your best efforts -with the brush, the addition of a little cotton seed oil will make -the paint dry slower without hurting the gloss; or if you are using -flat color, and it dries too fast, a little cotton seed oil will -make it dry slower, and not make a gloss. You can, by a little -experiment, determine how much of cotton seed oil to use in each -case. - - -FINE BRONZE FOR METALS. - -Red aniline (fuchsine), 20 parts; purple aniline, 10 parts; 95 per -cent. alcohol, 200 parts; acid benzoic, 10 parts. Dissolve the -colors in the spirit in a porcelain vessel in a water or sand bath; -add the acid and boil until the mixture changes from a greenish -color to a beautiful bronze color. Lay it on the bright metal with -a brush. - - -REPAINTING BLISTERED DOORS. - -When the paint commences to blister or scale on a door, it is very -liable to keep on blistering and scaling from time to time, as -long as any of the old paint is left on the door, no matter how -carefully it may be repainted, because in most cases whatever -caused the paint to scale off in spots, weakened the entire coat -of paint on the door, making it liable to raise up, or come off -in other places, whenever exposed to any extra strain, such as -sun heat, or the drying of new coats of paint or varnish over it; -hence, to have a sure thing on painting a scaled or blistered door, -take off all the old paint. Put on a thin prime of pure white lead -and linseed oil; use the priming sparingly _and rub it out thin_; -let the prime dry and coat up with lead and oil paint, mixed with -good body; put in a little turps and spread the _paint out thin_, -so it will dry solid; rub each coat in the same way; give each coat -time to dry solid. For work to be varnished, prime as above, and -coat up flat. I think blistering is often caused by flowing on too -much paint having too much oil in it, in proportion to the pigment, -hence it does not dry solid, the oil is softened and expanded by -heat, and the coating, which is more of an oil skin than a body -of paint, lets go its hold on the wood and puffs out in a blister -to make room for the softened and expanding oil skin. If painters -will mix their paint with good body, and use more elbow grease in -rubbing it out, they will have less trouble with blisters. - - -FIREPROOF PAINT FOR ROOFS, ETC. - -A recipe published thirty years ago in the Maine _Farmer_: - -Slake stone lime by putting it into a tub to be covered to keep -in the steam. When slacked pass the powder through a fine sieve, -and to each 6 quarts of it add 1 quart rock salt, and water, 1 -gallon; then boil and skim clean. To each five gallons of this add -pulverized alum, 1 pound; pulverized copperas, ½ pound; then slowly -add powdered potash, ¾ pound; then add hardwood ashes sifted, 4 -pounds; now add any color and apply with a brush. This paint stops -small leaks in roofs, prevents moss, is incombustible, and renders -brick waterproof. It is durable as stone. - - -VARNISH FOR IRON. - -Genuine asphaltum 8 pounds, melt in an iron kettle, slowly adding -boiled linseed oil, 5 gallons; litharge, 1 pound, and sulphate of -zinc, ½ pound; continue to boil three hours, then add dark gum -amber, 1½ pounds, and boil two hours longer. When cool thin with -turpentine to good working consistency. - - -BLACK VARNISH FOR IRON. - -Genuine asphaltum (not coal tar imitation), 1 pound; lamp black, ¼ -pound; rosin, ½ pound; spirits turpentine, 1 quart. Dissolve the -asphaltum and rosin in the turpentine, then rub up the lamp black -with linseed oil, only sufficient to form a paste, and mix with the -others. - - -TO MIX DRY LAMP BLACK. - -First cut it up in benzine or turpentine to a thick paste, stir -well and add linseed oil; if the black is to be used as an oil -paint, a little at first, stir well and you may add more. In this -way you will have no trouble in mixing it with other paint, if you -do it when the paint is rather stiff. - - -TO CLEAN BRASS. - -One-half ounce oxalic acid, 3 ounces rotten stone, ¼ ounce gum -arabic, each in powder; made into a paste with sweet oil. Use -sparingly and rub dry with flannel. - - -DIPPING PAINT. - -Grind dry colors in japan and turps, with only enough japan to bind -the pigment. When dry varnish, use any pigment you like, or use -bolted whiting and color as you like. - - -TO MAKE WAX FINISH FOR FLOORS. - -Take 2 ounces pearlash and 2 pounds white wax. Slice the wax thin, -and boil it with the pearlash in 2 quarts of water; stir until the -wax is melted and unites with the water. - -Put on the finish with a brush, and polish with cloth or plush. - -This finish will be good only for light service. - - -SPIRIT VARNISHES. - -There are numerous recipes which might be given here for making -the fine elastic varnishes, but it would not be practicable for -the painter to make them, even if he had the requisite skill and -experience, but with spirit varnishes it is very different, and -the painter can make them by a formula as well as an expert can. -(For formulas for white and orange shellac varnish see article on -wood finishing.) For inside work, where the family is living at the -time the work is being done, the alcohol varnish is preferable. -First, because it dries very quickly, and second, because it is -free from sickening or disagreeable odors. - -Below are several recipes for making varnishes, which dry hard and -lustrous. The spirit used is wood or grain alcohol; in either case, -the spirit should be 95 per cent. proof. - - -BROWN HARD SPIRIT VARNISH (SELECTED). - -1. Sandarac, 1 pound; shellac, ½ pound; gum elemi, 4 ounces; Venice -turpentine, 4 ounces; spirit, 1 gallon. - -2. Gum sandarac, 1½ pounds; shellac, 1 pound; spirit, 1 gallon. -After the gums are dissolved, put in rosin turpentine varnish, 1 -pint. This makes a good varnish, not as quick drying as pure spirit -varnishes. - -A brown varnish may be made by mixing shellac, 1½ pounds; pale -rosin, 1½ pounds; spirit, 2 gallons. - - -WHITE HARD VARNISH. - -1. Sandarac, 2½ pounds; gum thus, 1 pound; spirit, 1 gallon. - -2. Mastic, ½ pound; sandarac, 2 pounds; elemi gum, 4 ounces; -spirit, 1 gallon. - -3. Mastic, ½ pound; sandarac, 1 pound; turps, 2 ounces; spirit, 1 -gallon. - -These are all prepared by mixing and setting in a warm place -until the gums are dissolved, then they are ready for use. Shake -occasionally. For fine work strain carefully. - - -PURE WHITE VARNISHES. - -1. Pale manila copal, 8 ounces; gum camphor, 1 ounce; mastic, 2 -ounces; venice turpentine, 1 ounce; spirit, 1 quart. - -2. Sandarac, 8 ounces; mastic, 2 ounces; Canada balsam, 4 ounces; -spirit, 1 quart. - -3. Sandarac, 8 ounces; damar, 4 ounces; gum thus, 8 ounces; manila -copal, 8 ounces; elemi, 8 ounces; spirit, ½ gallon. This is a good -pale article. - -4. Gum thus, 8 ounces; gum benzoin, 4 ounces; manila elemi, 4 -ounces; spirit, 1 quart. - - -VARNISH PAINTS. - -These are made by mixing opaque pigments with almost any varnish, -using sufficient turps to make them spread well. - - -GOLD VARNISH. - -Shellac, 8 ounces; sandarac, 8 ounces; mastic, 8 ounces; gamboge, -2 ounces; dragon’s blood, 1 ounce; turmeric, 4 ounces; spirit, 1 -gallon. - - -FURNITURE VARNISH. - -Shellac, 1¾ pounds; sandarac, 4 ounces; mastic, 4 ounces; spirit, 1 -gallon. - - -DAMAR VARNISH. - -Damar, 1 ounce; sandarac, 5 ounces, mastic, 1 ounce; turps, 20 -ounces. Digest at gentle heat until dissolved. If necessary add -more turps to bring down to the proper consistency. - - -LACQUERS FOR BRASS AND TIN. - -Pale gold lacquer.--Spirit, 1 gallon; orange shellac, 1 ounce; -gamboge, ½ ounce. - -Deep gold.--Orange shellac, 10 ounces; turmeric, 4 ounces; gamboge, -4 ounces; dragon’s blood, ½ ounce; spirit, ¾ gallon. - -Brass lacquer.--Shellac, 14 ounces; turmeric, 4 ounces; annotto, 1 -ounce; saffron, ½ ounce; spirit, 1 gallon. - - -LEATHER VARNISH (BLACK). - -Shellac, 12 ounces; gum thus, 5 ounces; sandarac, 2 ounces; lamp -black, 1 ounce; turpentine, 4 ounces; spirit, ¾ gallon. - -Mix the ingredients, and give them time to dissolve in the spirit -in a warm place. A shake-up now and then will quicken the process. - - -PAPER HANGER’S OUTFIT. - -Bib overalls, large pocket in front, side pockets for rule and -shears, long trimming shears, shorter wet shears, straightedge, -paste board, plumb bob, rule, paper brush, paste pail, size kettle, -step-ladders and rollers, some sandpaper, soft cloths and long -blotting paper to use under your roller on seams, when needed, and -a plank for scaffold, when papering ceilings. For common sized -rooms two step-ladders are good in the place of trestles to hold -up the plank. For butt edging I can recommend James Marks’ paper -cutters. See description on another page. - - -PAPER HANGERS’ PASTE. - -Beat up four pounds of sifted wheat flour in cold water sufficient -to make a stiff batter; beat out all the lumps, then add enough -cold water to make it like pudding batter. Then pour in a little -hot water and stir, then pour in hot water fast, and stir until the -paste swells and thickens, and turns darker. It is then cooked. To -keep the paste from “going back” and staining the paper, add about -two ounces of powdered or well pounded alum to the boiling water -which you pour on the batter. This will make three-quarters of a -common wooden pail full of paste. It will do better and go further -if you let it cool before using. Turn a little cold water on the -top to prevent it skinning over while you wait for it to cool. When -ready to use it, thin with cold water, until it works easily under -the brush, and according to the wall. A very rough porous wall -needs a stout paste and plenty of it, while a hard, smooth wall -should have the paste thinned and less of it. I have known paper -to crack and fall off from a smooth wall, because too much or too -thick paste was put on. Just enough to cement the paper to such a -wall is best; a body of paste between the paper and plaster will -decay and peel off, and take the paper with it. The other extreme -must be avoided also. Some hangers prepare this paste without the -alum. - -If hanging paper on a glossy painted surface, leave out the alum -and add one-half pint of nice clear sirup to each gallon of paste. - - -TO MAKE A PASTE FOR PAPERING OVER PAINTED OR VARNISHED WALLS. - -In a kettle mix some flour in water in the same way as in the above -formula, but make the batter thinner. To each gallon of the batter -add one ounce of powdered resin. Set the kettle on a moderate fire, -and keep stirring it until it boils and thickens, and the resin is -melted into the paste. When cool, thin down with a weak solution of -gum arabic. - - -LIQUID GLUE. - -Fine glue dissolved in alcohol makes a nice binder for fine water -colors. - - -TO CRYSTALIZE GLASS. - -Lay the glass flat and flow heavy alum water over it. Let it dry. - - -SIZE FOR WALLS BEFORE PAPERING OR KALSOMINING. - -One pound good white glue, 1 pound good bar soap, 2 pounds -pulverized alum. Dissolve each separately in one quart boiling -water, having first soaked the glue. Mix the glue and soap water, -and then slowly add the alum water, stirring all the time. Add cold -water to make one gallon. - - -STAIN OAK WOOD. - -Wash with a solution of bi-chromate of potash and acid water. One -ounce to a quart of water. - - -SIZING WALLS. - -“Anybody can do it!” Yes, but it takes an expert to do it right. -It is not a difficult matter to make paper stick to whitewash, but -the whitewash splits as far in as the paste goes, and a part of it -invariably sticks to the paper when it comes off and a part of it -is left on the wall. As a rule, if you size whitewash with flour -paste and let it stand a few days it will crack and roll up. Now, -pure glue size does not have this effect upon whitewash, but, on -the contrary, it not only acts as a binder, but as an intervening -coat between the paste and the whitewash. In other words, the glue -size will stick the whitewash fast without causing it to crack, -and the paste will adhere to the glue size without bad effects -upon either. Now, in order to bind the whitewash, the glue should -penetrate as far as possible. Hence, the size should be put on -warm, and the room should be warm, otherwise the glue will get cold -and stiff like jelly before it has time to penetrate; hence it will -remain on the surface instead of going into whitewash as a binder. -The idea is to get all you can into the wall and leave as little as -possible on the outside. Another thing to look after is the quality -of the glue. Very much of the white glue found on the market is not -genuine glue. Some of it is adulterated with starch and white clay, -some of it is not glue at all. A glue which will dissolve in cold -water is not good glue, or if it melts readily in hot water without -being soaked an hour or two in cold water, it is not first-class. -If it has a dead white look it is not good. Good glue should be -glossy and semi-transparent, and should soften and swell in cold -water, but not dissolve in it. When put into hot water without -being first soaked in cold water, it should not dissolve at once, -but form into a lump and resist the action of the hot water for -some time. - - -HOW TO APPLY WHITE ENAMELED LETTERS TO GLASS. - -An extract from a circular issued by the manufacturers of these -letters: - - Having thoroughly cleaned the window and freed it from grease, - draw with white marking chalk on front of it the plan or - arrangement of outline it is intended to adopt--straight or - curved, as the case may be. A rule is used for marking the - straight lines and a piece of twine for the curved lines. Now - divide these guide lines up into as many spaces as there are - letters to go on, carefully proportioning them. Then apply the - cement to the back of the letters with a knife, laying on equally - around both the inside edges. Place the letter upon the window in - the space marked for it and work it up and down, back and forth, - pressing against the glass, so as to expel the air and secure a - good adhesion, and taking care to press equally on top and bottom - of the letter, as otherwise there is a likelihood of breaking. - It is advisable, in cementing larger sized letters than six - inches, to leave the letters lay for an hour after placing the - cement around the edges, and then to give another coat of cement - and attach the letters immediately. The object is to prevent all - the cement from working inside the concave parts of the letters. - In affixing larger and heavy letters, small pieces of beeswax - (or, in summer, sealing wax) should be employed to keep them - in position until the cement sets. As soon as the letters are - attached to the glass take a small stick of wood, sharpen it on - the end and clean away all superfluous cement, keeping the end - of the stick constantly wet. Particular care should be taken to - leave no openings between the letters and the glass (especially - around the top edges) which would allow water to get in between. - - If wax has been used, remove it after a few days and clean with - a rag. The sign is then complete for long service. The above - method will answer equally well on any smooth surface such as - stone, iron, marble, wood. - - To make the cement, mix two parts of white lead ground in oil - with three parts of dry white lead, and thin it down to the - consistency of soft putty with some good furniture or copal - varnish. Then take small parts of it and grind them on a stone or - glass plate in the manner of painters grinding color with a bowl - or palette knife. This is to be continued until the cement is - entirely smooth and cornless, and then it is ready for use. - - To remove enameled letters, the most convenient way is to - scratch away around the edges all the cement you can from under - the letters. Use for this purpose a very thin knife or a piece - of thin sheet steel. You will soon reach the soft part of the - cement; then cut away with a sawing motion and twist them off. - Do not attempt to pry the letters off, or they may break. If the - cement should be very hard, say after a number of years, use a - little kerosene oil, which is applied on the top edges of the - letters, so as to work in and soften the cement. - - -WALL SIZING FOR KALSOMINING. - -There are many things about wall sizing, which depend largely upon -good judgment for success, because the treatment must be varied -according to the condition of the wall or ceiling. A good size is -made of good white glue, ½ pound; alum, 1 pound. - -Dissolve the glue in the usual way; that is, soak it in cold water -until soft, then pour off the cold water and pour on the hot water; -and stir until the glue is dissolved. - -Dissolve the alum in hot water. - -Then stir the glue, and put in the alum water. Thin the mixture -with water to the right consistency to work well. - -If one coat is not sufficient, give it two; or if there are porous -places in the wall, touch them up. - -In many cases a simple glue size is sufficient, but if you use the -glue and alum size as above directed, you will be pretty sure of a -good foundation for kalsomine. - -One of the most difficult things to overcome in preparing ceilings -for kalsomine is the water stain, which is liable to be invisible -until developed by a coat of kalsomine. If you find water stains on -a ceiling and suspect that there may be others which do not show, -go over the ceiling with a thin wash of whiting mixed in clear -water, which when dry will develop all hidden stains. To kill a bad -stain, first put on a coat of oil, japan and turps, equal parts; -second, put on a coat of good heavy shellac; third, give the spots -a coat of flat lead. This treatment is for dark stains; for light -stains a coat or two of shellac will stop the stain. It is best to -put a coat of keg lead thinned with turps over the shellac, because -kalsomine is liable to scale off from shellac. - -On cheap work, if the stain is not too dark, it may be kept back by -pasting a piece of paper over it. If the wall has been kalsomined -it is always in order to wash off the old kalsomine. If the work -has been whitewashed, either take it off or first give it a wash -of strong vinegar, then a glue size, which, if put on thin and -plentifully while warm in a warm room, is about the best size I -know of for whitewash. I have often used it successfully when it -was not practicable on account of the weakness of the ceiling -or other cause to take off the old whitewash. Two thin coats of -good glue size on firm whitewash makes as fair a foundation for -kalsomine as can be made on old whitewash. - -When it will not pay you to wash off the old kalsomine, a coat or -two of the wall sizing described above will make a good foundation. - - -SIGN PAINTING. - -To the beginner I will say: Learn the letters; get a variety of -alphabets in your head; the more you have the better you will be -prepared to do a pleasing variety of sign writing. A variety of -letters arranged in alphabets are given in the following pages as -a convenient means of reference for the painter who may desire to -refresh his memory, as to the form of any letter represented, or to -make a study of them with a view of acquiring a knowledge of the -formation of letters generally. - -[Illustration: No. 1. GOTHIC CONDENSED - - A B C D E F G - H I J K L M N - O P Q R S T U - V W X Y Z & . -] - -[Illustration: No. 1. GOTHIC CONDENSED--continued. - - a b c d e f g h - i j k l m n o p q - r s t u v w x y z - 1 2 3 4 5 6 - 7 8 9 0 , . -] - -[Illustration: No. 2. BLANCHARD. - - A B C D E F G H - I J K L M N O P - Q R S T U V W X - Y Z & - - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - a b c d e f g h i j - k l m n o p q r s - t u v w x y z , . -] - -[Illustration: No. 3. ALASKAN. - - A B C D E F G H - I J K L M N O P Q - R S T U V W X Y Z & - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 , . -] - -[Illustration: No. 4. OLD STYLE EXTENDED. - - A B C D E F - G H I J K L M - N O P Q R S T - U V W X Y Z & , . - a b c d e f g h - i j k l m n o - p q r s t u v - w x y z 1 2 3 - 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 -] - -[Illustration: No. 5. LINING GOTHIC. - - A B C D E - F G H I J - K L M N - O P Q R S - T U V W - X Y Z & , . - 1 2 3 4 5 - 6 7 8 9 0 -] - -[Illustration: No. 6. CONDENSED DE VINNE. - - A B C D E F G H - I J K L M N O - P Q R S T U V - W X Y Z & , . - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - a b c d e f g h i j - k I m n o p q r s - t u v w x y z -] - -[Illustration: No. 7. GOTHIC SHADED. - - A B C D E - F G H I J K - L M N O P - Q R S T U - V W X Y Z - & , . - 1 2 3 4 5 - 6 7 8 9 0 -] - -[Illustration: No. 8. RONALDSON SLOPE. - - _A B C D E F G H I J - K L M N O P Q R S T - U V W X Y Z & , . - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0_ -] - -[Illustration: No. 9. FLORENTINE. - - A B C D E F G H - I J K L M N O P - Q R S T U V W X - Y Z & , . - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 -] - -[Illustration: No. 10. FRENCH OLD STYLE. - - A B C D E F G H I - J K L M N O P Q R - S T U V W X Y Z & , . -] - -[Illustration: No. 11. LIVERMORE. - - _A B C D E F G H I - J K L M N O P Q - R S T U V W X Y Z - & , . a b c d e f g h i j - k l m n o p q r s t u v - w x y z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 - 8 9 0_ -] - -[Illustration: No. 12. CASLON OLD STYLE. - - A B C D E F G - H I J K L M N - O P Q R S T U - V W X Y Z & , . - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - 0 a b c d e f g h - i j k l m n o p q - r s t u v w x y z -] - -[Illustration: No. 13. SATANICK. - - A B C D E - F G H I J K - L M N O P - Q R S T U - V W X Y Z -] - -[Illustration: No. 13. SATANICK--continued. - - a b c d e f g h - i j k l m n o p - q r s t u v w x - y z 1 2 3 4 5 6 - 7 8 9 0 . , ! ? & -] - -[Illustration: No. 14. COLUMBUS. - - A B C D E F G - H I J K L M N O - P Q R S T U V W - X Y Z & , . 1 2 3 - 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 a - b c d e f g h i j - k l m n o p q r s - t u v w x y z -] - -[Illustration: No. 15. BRADLEY. - - A B C D E F G H I J K - L M N O P Q R S T U - V W X Y Z a b c d e f - g h i j k l m n o p q r s - t u v w x y z & , . -] - -[Illustration: No. 16. DORIC ITALIC. - - _A B C D E F G H I - J K L M N O P Q R - S T U V W X Y Z , . - & 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0_ -] - - -LIST OF PRICES AND MODE OF MEASUREMENT. - -Prices for Painting and Glazing. - - -SQUARE MEASURE. - - Plain weather boarding, close fencing, - ledge doors, partitions, paling - fences, etc. All common colors, viz.: - White, light yellow, slate, pearl, - light drab or cream color, for each - coat, per yard 8 cents - Each coat of varnish 10 cents - - -PANEL WORK. - - Flush panel work, panel doors, recesses, - etc., the above colors, for - each coat, per yard 10 cents - The same in two colors 12 cents - The same in three colors 14 cents - Striping after other work is finished, - per foot, lineal measure 1 cent - For expensive or unused colors, per - yard, additional 1 cent - For each coat of varnish, per yard 12 cents - For each coat of shellac, per yard 12 cents - - -BRICK WORK. - - _Per Yard._ - First coat 15 cents - Second coat 12 cents - Third coat 10 cents - Penciling 15 cents - Mastic or cement, first coat 20 cents - Additional coats, same as brick. - - -INSIDE WALL PAINTING. - - _Per Yard._ - First coat 12 cents - Second coat 10 cents - Third coat 8 cents - - -STOPPING AND CLEANING. - -Ordinary puttying, charge price of first coat for the several kinds -of work. Puttying longitudinal joints in ceilings, siding, floors, -etc., to be charged from two to four times the price of first coat -for the several kinds of work, at the discretion of the measurer. - - -SURFACING, STAINING AND VARNISHING. - - Each coat surfacing 10 cents - Each coat stain 8 cents - Each coat varnish 12 cents - - -LINEAL MEASURE. - -Pilasters, architraves, frames, jambs, base mouldings, etc: - - ----_Each Coat_---- - _Girth._ _Per Foot._ _Varnish._ - - 1 to 4 inches ½c ¾c - 4 to 6 inches ¾c 1 c - 6 to 8 inches 1 c 1¼c - 8 to 10 inches 1¼c 1½c - 10 to 12 inches 1½c 1¾c - 12 to 14 inches 1¾c 2 c - 14 to 16 inches 2 c 2¼c - 16 to 18 inches 2¼c 2½c - 18 to 20 inches 2½c 2¾c - 20 to 22 inches 2¾c 3 c - 22 to 24 inches 3 c 3¼c - -Larger dimensions taken in square measure. - -Column mantels as above. - -Panel jambs, door casings, etc., to be measured by the above rule. - -Plain rosettes, add one foot to length. - -Carved rosettes, add two feet to length. - -Other carved or ornamental work at the discretion of the measurer. - - -MODE OF MEASURING. - -Begin at wall, press line in all quirks to bead at edge of jamb -casing for girth. For jambs take inner sash rabbet to corner bead, -double the height and measure between jambs for length. - - -STRING BOARD, ETC. - - _Per Foot._ - Plain, each coat 2 cents - Bracketed, each coat 3 cents - Carved, each coat 4 cents - Staff beads, each coat ½ cent - Edge of shelves, each coat ¼ cent - - -CORNICES AND COLUMNS--PLAIN. - - _Per Foot._ - Girth, 1 to 2 feet, each coat 3 cents - Girth, 2 to 3 feet, each coat 4 cents - Girth, 3 to 4 feet, each coat 5 cents - Girth, 4 to 5 feet, each coat 6 cents - -Plain caps on columns, add to length two feet. - -Ornamental caps on columns, add to length four feet. - - -CORNICES WITH BRACKETS. - - _Per Foot._ - Girth, 1 to 2 feet, each coat 4 cents - Girth, 2 to 3 feet, each coat 6 cents - Girth, 3 to 4 feet, each coat 8 cents - Girth, 4 to 5 feet, each coat 10 cents - Girth, 5 to 6 feet, each coat 12 cents - -Larger dimensions in proportion. - -Dental cornices, same price as brackets. - - -MODE OF MEASURING. - -For girth, begin at top, press line into all quirks and over each -member to the bottom, and to the length add one-half the medium -girth of the brackets multiplied by their number. - - -PRIMING OR TRACING AND GLAZING SASH. - - EACH SIZE, PER LIGHT. - - _Old_ - _Priming_ _Glazing_ - _or_ _New_ _and Glass_ - _Tracing._ _Glazing._ _S.S._ - 8 to 10 × 12 to 14 $0.01¼ $0.05 $0.20 - 12 × 16 or 18 .01½ .08 .35 - 14 × 24 .02 .10 .40 - 18 × 24 .03 .14 .50 - - _D.S._ - 24 × 30 $ .05 $ .18 $1.00 - 26 × 36 .06 .20 1.30 - 30 × 36 .08 .25 1.65 - 36 × 40 .10 .30 - 40 × 44 .12 .35 - 40 × 50 .14 .40 - 40 × 50 .16 .50 - 50 × 60 .18 .60 - 50 × 70 .20 .75 - -These prices do not apply when called out to glaze one or two -lights. - -For back puttying add one-quarter, and for bedding add one-half, to -the above rates. - -In new glazing cost of glass not included. - -All breakage at the risk of the owners, if glass is furnished by -them. To all bills of glass furnished by the trade 20 per cent. -will be charged additional. - - -PLATE GLASS. - -Sizes same as table above, at same prices. Sizes above to 90 square -feet, 5 per cent. on net cost delivered; 90 to 108 square feet, 8 -per cent.; 108 square feet and upwards, 10 per cent. - -Removing old glass, same as above. The owner to pay cost of taking -up large glass above first floor. - -Unless otherwise provided for, glazier puts glass in at his own -risk of breakage, but cutting will be at owner’s risk. - - -SANDING. - -First coat of sand equal to two coats of paint, in addition to -paint. - -Second coat of sand equal to three coats of paint, in addition to -paint. - - -GRAINING--SQUARE MEASURE. - - _Per Yard._ - - Plain oak $0.40 - Plain walnut or ash .70 - Plain satinwood or maple .70 - Plain mahogany or cherry .70 - Shaded oak .50 - Penciled oak or ash 1.00 - Penciled chestnut or cherry 1.00 - Penciled walnut 1.00 - Rosewood 1.00 - Oak root 1.50 - - -LINEAL MEASURE. - - _Girth._ _Graining._ _Varnishing._ - 1 to 4 inches, per foot $0.03 $0.00¾ - 4 to 6 inches, per foot .04 .01 - 6 to 8 inches, per foot .05 .01¼ - 8 to 10 inches, per foot .06 .01½ - 10 to 12 inches, per foot .07 .01¾ - 12 to 14 inches, per foot .08 .02 - 14 to 16 inches, per foot .09 .02¼ - 16 to 18 inches, per foot .10 .02½ - -Other members in proportion. - -Graining edges of shelves, per foot, 1½ cents. - -Graining sash, double the price of plain painting. - - -MARBLING--SQUARE MEASURE. - - White, per yard $0.75 - Other kinds, per yard 1.00 - Varnishing, each coat, per yard .12 - - -LINEAL MEASURE. - - _All members_ ----_Per foot_---- - _from_ _Marbling._ _Varnishing._ - 1 to 8 inches girth $0.08 $0.01 - 8 to 10 inches girth .12 .01¼ - 10 to 12 inches girth .16 .01½ - 12 to 14 inches girth .18 .02 - 14 to 16 inches girth .20 .02¼ - Larger members in proportion. - - -CLEANING AND KALSOMINING. - - Ceilings and walls, per yard $0.16 - Plain cornices, 1 to 2 feet girth, per foot .02 - Plain cornices, 2 to 4 feet girth, per foot .03 - - Add to the above for each color, if more than one, 1 cent per - foot. - - -DEDUCTIONS. - -The price of any work measured and not specified in this list shall -be fixed by the measurer. - -The measurer is hereby authorized to deduct from 5 to 20 per cent. -from the price of any work that in his judgment is not first-class. - - -FEES FOR MEASURING. - - Jobs amounting to $150 or less 5 per cent. - Jobs amounting to over $150 and less than $500 4 per cent. - Jobs amounting to over $500 and less than $1,000 3 per cent. - Jobs amounting to over $1,000 2 per cent. - - -_Sign Painting._ - - -FACIA SIGNS. - - _Gold._ _Plain._ - 12 feet long $ 8.00 $ 4.00 - 14 feet long 9.00 4.00 - 16 feet long 10.00 5.00 - 18 feet long 12.00 6.00 - 20 feet long 15.00 7.00 - 24 feet long 16.50 8.00 - Above includes two coats of paint. - - -BRASS SIGNS. - - 3 × 14 inches $ 3.50 - 4 × 20 inches 5.00 - 6 × 8 inches 4.00 - 6 × 12 inches 4.50 - 8 × 14 inches 5.00 - 10 × 14 inches 5.00 - 12 × 17 inches 6.00 - 14 × 20 inches 7.00 - 18 × 25 inches 10.00 - 24 × 30 inches 15.00 - Sill signs, per square foot 3.50 - Square signs, per square foot 3.00 - - -TO MAKE HARD PUTTY. - - -_For Carriage Work._ - -Mix equal parts of dry __________ and keg white lead with equal -parts of rubbing varnish and gold size japan; mix thoroughly and -pound well. - - -_For Hurried Work._ - -Mix dry white lead with equal parts of rubbing varnish and gold -size japan. Keep hard putty covered in water when not in use. - - -TO MAKE AND APPLY KALSOMINE. - -Soak one pound good white glue in cold water until soft, then pour -off the cold water, and dissolve the glue in hot water. Mix twenty -pounds of good whiting in water to a thick paste; dissolve one -pound of alum in water, and add it to the mixture. Before mixing -the glue and whiting, put in your tinting colors, which should be -ground in water. Test your color by dipping in a piece of paper -and letting it dry. After you put in the glue, test in the same -way to see if there is enough glue to bind it well, then set your -kalsomine aside to get cold. - -Thin to good workable consistency with cold water. - -Have in enough glue to hold it from washing up when you have to -put on a second coat. Too much glue will cause the kalsomine to go -on hard, and crack and scale off when dry. If it dries too fast, -add two ounces of glycerine to one gallon of kalsomine. Have good -staging, and two men for a good sized room. Use good kalsomine -brushes, and work fast. Lay on the kalsomine freely; the beauty of -the work will depend upon how you lay it off, and level it up. Put -it on not as you would paint, _all one way_, but work your brush in -all directions, until your work is level, then carefully lay it off -with light strokes. - -For a white job put in a little blue. If you have never done a job -of kalsomining, and have no one to aid you, practice on the wall in -your shop or any other place, until you get the knack of it. Cover -a small space and see how it comes out. - -Always finish lightly with the point of your brush. If an edge -dries, stop and wet it with a clean brush and clear water; if -careful you can join to it without showing “laps.” If you find -you have missed any spots wet the edges in the same way, and -carefully touch them up with kalsomine. If you find after all your -precautions, a water stain has come through your kalsomine, wet -the place with a solution of sugar of lead, made in proportion of -1 ounce sugar of lead to 1 quart of rain water; it may kill the -stain. See article on wall sizing and water stains, page 39. - -Rough places in plaster take more color than a smooth wall, hence -they are liable to show spots; so it stands you in hand to make -such places smooth as possible; to do this take off the rough sand -with sandpaper and knife or trowel on a thin coat of plaster paris, -or give the rough places an extra coat or two or size. Fill all -cracks and holes, and give the filling time to dry before putting -on the size, because otherwise it will take more color than the -balance of the wall and your work will look spotted. - -In the kalsomining season have some large tubs and mix up as much -whiting in hot water as you will need for several days. Add your -color, glue, size and alum to _as much only_ as you want for -immediate use. In hot weather I use liquid glue. - - -LIQUID GLUE FOR KALSOMINE AND WALL SIZING. - -For use in hot weather, a liquid glue which will not decompose and -smell badly is very desirable to the workmen and the inmates of the -house. - -_No. 1._ To make such a glue fill a bottle a little more than half -full of broken up good white glue, and fill the bottle with common -whisky or equal parts of alcohol and water. Let it stand a few days -and it will dissolve the glue; this glue will keep for years. Keep -the bottle corked. - -_No. 2._ Melt your glue in the usual way, thick as you will want -it for any purpose, then put in ½ or ¾ ounce _nitric acid_ to each -pound of glue used; enough to give the glue a sour taste, like -vinegar. The acid keeps it in a liquid state, and from spoiling. If -you melt the glue in an iron kettle pour it into a wooden vessel, -before you add the acid, otherwise the acid will act on the iron -and blacken the glue. When wanted for use it can be thinned as -desired with cold water; a cask full of this made up and kept air -tight so the water will not evaporate will be found very handy -to draw from, when you want a little in a hurry for glue size or -kalsomine. When you make it up in this way put in at least 1 ounce -of acid to the pound of glue to make sure it will keep liquid, so -you can draw it from the cask. - -Acetic acid will answer the same purpose as nitric acid, but it -will take more of it and make the liquid glue more expensive. - - -TO PREPARE AN OLD WALL FOR PAINT OR PAPER. - -First cut out all the cracks V shape, clean out the holes and bevel -the edges same as the cracks. Then fill with fine plaster paris -mixed with thin glue size. Fill with care; when dry, sandpaper the -filling smooth and level. If the wall is sandy or rough, sandpaper -it smooth as you can. If the holes are large, have a plasterer -stop them, if you can; if you fail in that, and the job must be -done soon, fit in thin boards, fill around the edges with plaster, -and paste on cloth, or extra paper; but to do a nice job you must -insist on having the large holes plastered. If the _hole is up out -of reach_, and too large for you to fill, cement the edges with -plaster, stretch a piece of cloth, or extra thickness of paper over -it, and it will look all right, because the paper will shrink tight -when it dries. If you find places where the clinches are broken, -and the plaster is loose, press the plaster back to its place if -you can, and cut small holes through the plaster and turn small -broad headed screws into the lath even with the plaster and cement -around the screws with plaster paris. - -If it is a smooth wall with rough, sandy patches, sandpaper down -the patches a little below the level of the wall, sweep out the -loose plaster, give a coat of glue size, and knife or trowel in a -coat of plaster paris mixed with glue size or vinegar, and when -dry, sandpaper until smooth and level. - -There are several points to be considered and provided for in -filling cracks in a plastered wall preparatory to painting. First, -are the edges of the cracked wall level? To determine this, lay -your rule across the crack, and if you find the plaster on one -side of the crack higher than the other, it shows that side of the -wall has sprung out of place, because the laths are loose or the -clinches are broken. The first thing on the program is to get the -highest edges back to “place.” Failing in that, the next best thing -is to raise the other side. If that scheme don’t work, the next -method is to use sandpaper on a block and rub down the highest -side with a wide bevel to match the lowest, otherwise your filling -will be at an angle more or less acute with the general surface -of the wall, and cast a shadow or reflect the light according to -which way the light falls upon it, and the place where the crack -was will “show” in spite of your best efforts to conceal it. If -you find one edge of a crack higher than the other, gently press -against it, and if it goes back to place, cement it with plaster -paris wet up in clear water, and it will set in three minutes hard -enough to hold the plaster in place. If the loose edge will not go -back by gentle pressure, lay a piece of board over it and push hard -as you dare to and not crush the plaster. If it is still obstinate, -drill out a piece and insert a bent wire or other instrument made -on purpose, and see if you can feel the obstruction and remove -it. Failing in this, see if you can raise up the lower side to a -level with the highest and cement it fast. If the last scheme is -too much for your patience and ingenuity, resort to the block and -sandpaper, and rub down the high side with a wide bevel to match -the other. The next point is to prevent the paint near the edges -of the crack, and on the filling which we put in, from drying flat -while the balance of the wall bears out a gloss. To do this we must -find out the cause of the “flatting” near the edges of the crack -and over the “filling.” If we examine into the matter, we will find -that when the wall cracked the plaster adjacent was more or less -fractured and made more porous than the uninjured portions of it. -Hence, more oil is drawn from the paint near the crack than where -the wall is solid. Now, for the remedy: With a small pointed brush -wet the edges of the crack with linseed oil until they will take -no more in. Let the oil dry, and fill the crack with plaster mixed -with thin glue size, but have the top of the filling one-sixth of -an inch below the surface of the wall. Let the filling dry, and -with a fine pointed brush paint over the top of the filling and the -edges of the crack. Let the paint dry, and finish filling with hard -putty. Let the putty dry, and sandpaper the job smooth and level. -If you have to bevel the highest edge with sandpaper, first fill -the beveled portion with oil. Let the oil dry, and fill the pores -with hard putty, because the part beveled with sandpaper will be -more porous than the balance of the wall. Treat and fill all small -holes by the same method. Filling cracks in this way is a little -tedious, I admit; but it is the only way that I know of to stop a -crack in plaster, so it will stay stopped and not show after it is -painted. - - -HOW TO PAINT A PLASTERED WALL. - -Prime with lead and raw oil, tinted like succeeding coats. Have the -prime thin, not more than five pounds of white lead to the gallon -of oil; add a little benzine or turps to make it more penetrating. -If the room is cool, warm up your prime before you add the benzine -or turps. The idea is to have it penetrate as much as possible; -brush the prime well into the wall. If it is a sand wall, brush -off the loose sand. If it is a smooth one, putty coated or hard -finished wall, see that there are no lumps or grains of sand left -on the surface. It is a good idea to pass the hand over the wall to -feel the lumps, and to knock off lumps and grains of sand by going -over the work with sandpaper. - -For second coat use glue size, made as directed on another page. - -_Third coat._ Mix so as to dry with a gloss, have the body fairly -thick, and spread it well out. Mix with 3 parts linseed oil to 1 -part turps. - -_Fourth coat._--If this coat is to be flat, mix it thick enough to -cover well; mix mainly with turps, if the weather is hot, or from -any other cause the paint don’t work well, add a little linseed -oil. For an egg shell gloss, use about 1 part oil _and 3 parts -turps_. - -If the wall is to be finished in stipple, mix the last coat half -oil and half turps, rather thick, and add a little japan. To -stipple strike the paint evenly and continuously with the square -end of a large brush, made for the purpose; a new clean duster will -do. Let the stippler follow the painters. The coat of glue size -saves two coats of paint. It is put on after the prime to keep -moisture and air from the glue, otherwise it would be liable to -decay. - -Use boiled oil in all coats except priming coat. Have only enough -difference in the color of the different coats, so you can see -where you have painted, and not leave holidays; especially in rooms -where the light is not very good. - -Some painters advocate (especially on hard finished wall) a good -filling of clear linseed oil, before any paint is put on to keep -the surface from fire cracking. - -It is risky business to paint a _new hot_ wall; in such cases if it -must be done before the lime has become somewhat neutralized, give -it a coat of vinegar, and let it stand a day or so before you put -on the prime. The vinegar will neutralize the lime and not hurt the -priming. - - -TO PREPARE A ROUGH SANDY WALL FOR PAINT OR PAPER. - -If you have a rough brown mortar wall to paper and want to make -the job look smooth as possible, first go over it lightly with No. -2 paper to knock off the loose and most prominent grains of sand; -then with No. 2 paper rub down all “cat faces” and trowel marks; -level up all hollows with plaster paris wet up in thin glue size -or vinegar, and you will be ready to put on the lining paper. This -paper should be soft and porous so that it will quickly absorb -paste and not blister; good white blank wall paper having but -little color will answer very well for this purpose. Start in to -hang it with half a strip in width so as to break joints with the -next coat; use sufficient paste to make the paper stick to the -wall; butt the edges and be sure when the paper is dry that there -are no loose places. Right here is the turning point of your job -for “good or for bad.” - -Pound the lining paper down so closely that all the prominent -grains of sand will show through, and be sure to make it stay there -until dry. When the lining paper is dry, go over it with good sharp -No. 1½ sandpaper and cut out all the prominent grains of sand -which show through the paper, being careful to rub no more than is -necessary to take out the sand; the idea being to cut through to -the prominently projecting grains of sand, and rattle them out. -Some walls will need a second coat of lining paper and another -sandpapering, before they are smooth enough for anything like a -fine job. If the owner refuses to stand the expense of putting -on lining paper, glue size the wall, and when dry, knock off the -prominent grains of sand with sandpaper and knife in plaster paris -putty on the rough places. In either case, take extra pains with -portions of the wall where there are side lights, which always -magnify rough places. Sandy walls may be leveled and smoothed -somewhat with a coat of kalsomine to hold light bodied paper. - -Make a kalsomine of good white glue, 1 pound to 15 pounds of -whiting and half a pound of alum. Dissolve the glue and alum in the -usual way. When the kalsomine is dry, give the surface a thin coat -of glue size to stop the suction. Let the glue size dry, then put -on the paper; use light paste, and be sparing of it as you can and -make the paper stick. I have often noticed that too much or too -little paste is used in paperhanging; some walls and some papers -require more paste than others. Too much paste on a smooth wall, or -too little on a rough one, makes bad work. If you use a roller for -seams have it covered with short plush. To paint on a wall covered -with lining paper as above described, first put on a coat of glue -size. - - -TO PAINT OVER NEWLY PLASTERED CRACKS IN WALLS. - -When the painter has to paint over holes and cracks in walls -recently filled by the plasterer, he will be likely to have to -deal with plaster made in part of fresh lime. In such cases, it -is always best to soak the newly plastered places _with strong -vinegar, to kill as much as possible the caustic properties of the -lime_. Put on the vinegar plentifully and let it soak in; when dry, -give the new plaster a coat of size made of linseed oil, japan -and turpentine; when dry, put on a coat of white shellac before -painting. - - -FLASHED GLASS SIGNS. - -Flashed glass is clear on one side and colored on the other; -the colored glass forming only a thin film on one side of the -clear glass. We can make elegant signs on this glass by etching -the letter through the colored portion of the glass, making the -letters clear and the background colored; or by etching out the -background and leaving the letters colored. Lay out the letters on -paper, and place it under the glass as a guide to work by; then, -with asphaltum varnish cover the background and leave the letters -free and clear; in other words, “cut around them.” If you want a -clear background with colored border and colored letters, cover -the letters and border and leave the background free and clear. -Then melt some beeswax, and when it begins to cool, take up a small -portion of it with a putty knife and scrape it off on the edge of -the glass, and repeat the operation until a wall or dam is made -all around the glass, to hold the acid you are about to put on -the glass, from running off; then pour on a little hydrofluoric -acid, and it will etch out the colored glass not covered by the -asphaltum in about one hour; then you can pour the acid back into -your bottle, to be used again. Next wash the glass by pouring water -over it; then scrape off the wax, and take off the asphaltum with -turpentine. Some painters use a varnish made by melting together -equal parts of paraffine and asphaltum and thinning to working -consistency with turpentine. - - -FLUORIC ACID, TO MAKE FOR ETCHING PURPOSES. - -You can make your own fluoric acid (sometimes called hydrofluoric) -by getting the fluor spar, pulverizing it and putting as much of it -into sulphuric acid as the acid will cut or dissolve. - -Druggists through the country do not keep this acid generally, but -they can get it in the principal cities. One ounce will do at least -fifty dollars worth of work. It is put in gutta percha bottles or -lead bottles, and must be kept in them when not in use, having -corks of the same material. Glass, of course, will not hold it, as -it dissolves the glass, otherwise it would not etch upon it. - - -LIQUID WOOD FILLERS FOR CHEAP WORK. - -Corn starch and cheap varnish are the principal ingredients of -many cheap wood fillers; the corn starch is mixed with the varnish -and thinned with turps until workable. _You can experiment on this -idea._ - -_Corn starch in shellac_ in proportion of 1 pound to the gallon -_doubles its capacity as a filler_. I have made and used a filler -for cheap work in this way: Pale rosin, 2 pounds; boiled oil, 1 -gallon; japan, 1 pint. Melt the rosin in the oil, take the kettle -outside, and add ½ gallon turpentine; stir and when cold add ½ -pound of corn starch. Thin with turps until workable. Add more -or less starch, according to the surface you want to fill. These -mixtures are all the better if run through a paint mill. - - -ANOTHER PASTE FILLER. - -Corn starch mixed to a paste with one part linseed oil, two parts -each japan and rubbing varnish; thin to working consistency with -turpentine. - - -CARRIAGE PAINTING IN THE VILLAGE SHOP. NEW WORK. - -Prime with white lead, mixed thin in oil, add a little japan -and turpentine to make the paint dry hard and quick; when the -priming is dry and hard, putty up with hard putty as directed on -another page. Then follow with two coats of keg lead thinned with -turpentine; add a little japan to make it dry hard, and a little -oil to make it work well. Carefully mix and strain your paint. -Give the body five coats of rough stuff, made as directed on page -144 and a guide coat, and when dry, proceed to cut down the rough -stuff. For this purpose your tools will be several pieces of pumice -stone, a pail of water, a large flat file, a good sponge and a -chamois. Flatten one side of your stone for a grinding surface -and have no thin edges, because they will keep breaking off and -be liable to get under the stone, and scratch your work. Now, two -of the most important things you will have to guard against is -cutting through the rough stuff and lead coats, and scratching the -surface. There is a great difference in pieces of pumice stone. -Some are hard and full of flint like particles, which will scratch -the work; others are softer and of more even grit; the light -colored and fairly open grained pieces are the safest to use. You -can tell a fast cutting stone by its open grain and lightness. The -finer grades of German rubbing brick and English rubbing stone are -also used in rubbing rough stuff. A stone with a broad surface is -preferable for large surfaces. - -Have small pieces to rub around the bolt heads and other places -which are difficult to get at with the large stone. The practiced -workman can tell the moment a stone begins to scratch, both by -the sound and by the feeling to the hand, and you may train your -ear and nerve to this degree of sensitiveness; until you do so, -you will have to look sharp, and frequently rub your stone on the -file, and clean off your work with a sponge full of water to see -the condition of the work. Also by passing your hand back and forth -across it to determine the condition of it, or if there is any -large grit on it, liable to get under the stone and scratch. Rub -until the brush marks are gone, etc., which your guide coat will -show you. Use plenty of water while rubbing. Thoroughly wash the -body inside and out. When dry, sandpaper lightly over the body to -remove any grit which may be left on, and to clean out around the -irons and panels, also to sand off the irons which you have not -rubbed. Dust and wipe well, and when ready, put on a coat of drop -black, ground in japan. In mixing your drop black, stir it before -you add any turps, then add a little turps, and stir again until -it is beaten to a smooth, soft paste; then add sufficient turps to -make a workable paint, thin enough to go on easily with a camel -hair brush, which for body work on buggies should be not less than -one and one-half inches wide and double thick. Painters disagree -as to the use of oil in this coat. I like to use a very little good -raw oil, say a teaspoonful to a pint of color. It is a good idea -to keep a brush on purpose to coat the inside of the body, because -it is not usually made as smooth as the outside. Some practice -putting on the color coat in the morning and the color varnish -towards evening, but I prefer a longer time, say twenty-four hours -at least, and more, too, especially when I use a little oil in -the color coat. Rub the color with curled hair or hair cloth, -dust well, and put on your color varnish; some say with a bristle -varnish brush, but I prefer to mix it so I can use a camel hair -brush. For this coat mix drop black to a workable paint with equal -parts of turps and good body varnish. When this coat is dry, give -the body a coat of good rubbing varnish, using a fine bristle -varnish brush. Flow on a free coat, lay off to right and left, and -finish with up and down strokes across the work. Never put a full -brush at the lower edge of the body, because in that case, you will -be apt to get a fat edge. Watch for sags or runs, which you can -brush out, if discovered before the varnish sets. If a sag or run -should get the start of you on this coat, and you see it after the -varnish begins to set, squeeze the varnish out of your brush, wet -the point of it in turps, and carefully work out the sag or run. -Now, dust off the running parts, and put on a coat of color. Some -say, have a little more oil in the color for the gear than for the -body, but I would not advise the use of more. When dry, put on a -coat of color varnish. When dry, rub down with hair or hair cloth, -and your gear is ready to stripe. - -To paint a wheel, paint one spoke at a time, paint both sides and -the edge next to you, then take your brush in your left hand and -paint the back edge, and so on, until the spokes are finished. -Next paint the hub, then the outside and inside of the felly, then -finish the gear, being careful to leave no laps. Use only fine -lines for striping a buggy. On the springs, bars, spoke faces, hubs -and tongue is all the striping needed. Orange chrome, red, gold, -bronze and light green, all harmonize with black, and either may -be used for striping a black rig. When ready to varnish, set your -gear on trestles. Varnish the wheel with a fine bristle varnish -brush, and flow on a full coat. When done with a wheel, set it -running on the spindle, and commence the next, and start it off -again two or three times, while working at the next wheel, and so -on with all the wheels; by this method you may avoid runs, and -be able to flow on a fuller coat than you otherwise could. For a -finer job, give the gear a coat or two of clear rubbing varnish, -and rub each coat down with curled hair or hair cloth. For a cheap -job, rub down the body with hair cloth, but for a finer one, rub it -out with finely powdered pumice stone in water. For this method, -you will need a pail of clear water, some finely powdered pumice -stone and a felt pad. The object of this work is to take the gloss -off the rubbing varnish, and leave a smooth coat for the finishing -varnish. The particular knack is to rub just enough, and then -stop; a little too much will cut through, and spoil the job; and -not enough will not give you the best possible foundation for your -finishing coat of varnish. Keep the work washed off as you go, so -you can see defective places, and rub them out. When done rubbing, -the next thing is to wash the body perfectly free from grit. Your -water brush comes in play here to wash around irons, etc., where -the pumice might lodge; then with a pail of clear water, rinse the -body and wipe dry with a chamois skin. Right here is a good time -to give the inside of the body a coat of color varnish, and to put -on your transfers, if you use any. Some painters use a barrel for -a body stand, but one made on purpose, of boards, is better. You -want to look out for dust in every stage of the work, but right -here you must be especially careful, because you are about to put -on the finishing coat, which can neither be sandpapered nor rubbed -down. You will learn from experience, if not before, that you -cannot rely altogether upon the dust brush to free your work from -dust and specks. A large soft dry chamois kept for the purpose, -and never wet, can be used to advantage to wipe off the dust left -by the brush. A hand bellows is very effective in taking dust out -of corners where the brush or wiper cannot be worked. When you -have done all you can with the brush and wiper, rub the work over -with your _hand_ and the sensitive nerves of your fingers will -detect any specks which may still adhere to the surface. Some other -essentials to a good job of varnishing are a clean room, free as -possible from dust, clean brushes, and cups, and the person of the -varnisher so dressed that he will not shed material for specks. -Have one cup to hold your varnish and another to wipe your brush -in. Use good varnish and never try to varnish a body with the -temperature below 70 degrees F. Have a quill sharpened to a point -to pick out any specks which you may discover on your work, because -it requires very favorable conditions, and a mighty slick workman -to prepare and varnish a body, and not have it show _at least a -speck or two_. Use a fine chiseled bristle brush and know that it -is absolutely free from specks before you commence. Now, when you -are ready, don’t be timid or try to see how far you can make your -varnish go. Keep in mind from the start that the nearer level--that -is, a uniform thickness--you can have your coat of varnish the less -liable it will be to sag or run. Put on your varnish with a full -brush, laying it on right and left, and brush as level as you can, -then finish with up and down strokes, being careful to chisel off -the surplus at the lower corner to avoid a flat edge. _Note_--A -friend of mine, after laying on his varnish right and left, -finished with diagonal strokes across the surface at an angle of -45 degrees, then crossed it again at the same angle in an opposite -direction. He had uniform good success. - -For an extra fine job, give the work more coats of rubbing varnish, -and rub each coat with curled hair, or hair cloth; or you may knife -on a coat of putty made of keg lead and equal parts of turps and -japan; rub it well in with the flat blade of the knife, and when it -sets or flats, scrape off all surplus. Sandpaper when dry. This may -go on in the place of third lead. You may, when the job requires -it, knife on a coat of hard putty, work it down smooth, let it dry -and cut down with sandpaper. - - -OLD WORK. - -There are so many degrees of badness in repair work, that it is not -possible to cover the entire ground in a work of this kind. They -run all the way from the touch up and varnish job, to the cracked, -scaled and almost paintless old rigs. For a touch up and varnish -job, at least one which is in decent shape for such work, wash the -body, give it a rubbing down with fine powdered pumice stone, clean -off and carefully putty cracks, dents, etc., if any; then touch up -with color, using a small camel’s hair pencil, and cover only where -necessary. When dry, give a full coat of body varnish. For a better -job, give the body a coat of black rubbing varnish (provided the -body is black), then finish with a good coat of wearing body. The -gear may be treated the same as the body if in like condition, but -if the felloes are worn bare, lead them up and color as you would -new work, then touch up the balance and varnish. - -The great plague of the paint shop is cracked work, which is -otherwise solid. Where the varnish is hard but peeling, take it off -with ammonia; to do this, take a side of the body at a time, pour -out some ammonia in a cup, and put it on with a clean brush kept -for the purpose. Keep the side wet, until you can slice off the -varnish with a putty knife; if it fails to come off, you must keep -it wet longer. If the varnish is dead and soft, sandpaper down to -a solid foundation, then if cracks show sheet up with quick _hard -putty_ made soft enough to put on with a brush, and scrape off with -a knife when set. When dry, sandpaper and if the cracks are not -full, give it a second application of putty in the same way. Then -for a cheap job give it a coat of color varnish, a coat of rubbing -and a coat of body varnish. - -If you are to do a fine job, and can get pay for it, and you find -the body cracked, burn off the old paint, and commence at the -foundation as in new work. For a cheap job, lead up the bare places -on the gear and wheels, give a coat of color and a coat of color -varnish and finish with heavy gear varnish. For a fine job, if the -old paint is cracked or scaled, take it off and work up from the -wood as on a new job. - - -ROUGH STUFF. - -1. To make one coat per day rough stuff, take three pounds of -RENO’S filler and one pound of keg lead. Mix to stiff paste with -equal parts of rubbing varnish, and first-class japan, thin with -turps. Some painters add a little raw oil. Grind the filler fine. - -2. French yellow ochre dry, 5 pounds; keg lead 1½ pounds. Mix to -stiff paste with equal parts gold size, or best brown japan and -rubbing varnish; thin with turps and add a gill of raw oil. _Grind -fine._ - - -CLEANING PHAETON CUSHIONS. - -This old phaeton cushion is too dusty for any use, did you say? I -agree with you; the old cloth-covered phaeton cushion is one of the -unmitigated nuisances which we are often compelled to tolerate in -the paint shop. When such a cushion is once filled with dust its -capacity for “shedding” seems to be unlimited. The more you beat it -and the longer you brush it, the more dust comes to the surface. -You can take off a buggy cushion and relegate it to the backroom, -but the genius who invented that complicated vehicle called a -phaeton, nailed the cushions fast to the body, and we must take -them along with the job, dust and all, from the cleaning floor to -the varnish room. - -When I am so unfortunate as to have an old phaeton brought to my -shop, about the first thing I do after cleaning it up is to go -for the cushions with the sprinkler and wet them down with clean -water, repeating the operation as often as may be necessary to keep -in the dust. - -Spoil the cushions? No! When you run the rig out of the shop the -owner will wonder what you have done to his cushions to make them -look so bright. The same operation works well on an old cloth-lined -top. After you have brushed all you think you can afford to, and -the dust keeps coming to the front, turn the top bottom side up and -give it a shower from the sprinkler, and I will guarantee the dust -to lie still long enough for you to dress the top and paint the -bows. Dust is the natural enemy of the paint shop, and water is one -of our best weapons to fight it with. - - -MIXING QUICK COLOR. - -A quick-drying color can be slowed up and made to dry to any -required time without injuring it, while if ground in a slow drying -preparation, it cannot possibly be quickened without injuring -more or less the working and covering properties. The working -is certainly important, and the covering more so. The covering -property should be strong, because the fewer coats of color on a -job the better. Thus a quick dryer saves both labor and time. - -Japan colors are best when ground stiff, or with barely enough -liquid to bind them firmly, because after being reduced to thinness -with turpentine alone they will cling to the surface and will not -smut. The color will then have its greatest covering power. Now, -by the addition of sufficient pure raw oil to give the best working -property, and being also made to dry flat, the color is as near -perfection as possible, and the further addition of _anything_ -weakens the covering power. When an excess of japan is used in -grinding, the color is thin, there being less pigment to the pound; -and it is of less value to the consumer, while it affords more -profit to the manufacturer than when prepared as it should be. - - -BLACK VARNISH FOR GASOLINE STOVES, ETC. - -Asphaltum two pounds, boiled linseed oil one pint, turpentine two -quarts. Melt the asphaltum in an iron pot, heat the oil, and add it -to the asphaltum while hot. Stir well. When partly cool, add the -turpentine and four ounces of good japan. - - -BLACK STENCH INK. - -Shellac two ounces, borax two ounces, soft water twenty ounces, -gum arabic two ounces, lampblack and indigo sufficient. Boil the -shellac and borax in the water until dissolved, then add the gum -arabic; dissolve and take the mixture from the fire; when cold, add -enough lampblack to give it color and proper consistency, and a -little powdered indigo. Keep in glass or earthenware vessels. - - -BRONZE FOR BRIGHT METALS. - -Red aniline (fuscine) ten parts, purple aniline five parts, alcohol -95 per cent. one hundred parts, benzoic acid five parts. Add the -anilines to the alcohol, and dissolve by placing the vessel in a -sand or water bath. As soon as dissolved, add the benzoic acid and -boil for five or ten minutes, or until the greenish color of the -mixture is turned to a brilliant light bronze; spread with a brush -on bright metal. - - -VARNISH TO FIX PENCIL DRAWINGS. - -Gum mastic three ounces, alcohol one pint. Dissolve and apply with -a brush. - - -RUST SPOTS ON MARBLE. - -Apply a mixture of 1 part nitric acid and 25 parts of water, then -rinse with 3 parts water and 1 part ammonia. - - -WHITEWASH TO SOFTEN. - -To soften old whitewash which you wish to take off, wet it -thoroughly with a wash made of 1 pound of potash, dissolved in 10 -quarts of water. - - -WATER GLASS FOR FLOORS. - -Clean the floor, fill cracks with water glass cement made of -water glass and whiting, then put on a coat of water glass, to be -followed by second coat; when dry rub the last coat with pumice -stone and oil. - - -TO FINISH REDWOOD. - -Take one quart of spirits turpentine; add one pound of corn starch; -quarter of a pound burnt sienna; one tablespoonful raw linseed -oil and one tablespoonful brown japan. Mix thoroughly, apply -with the brush, let it stand, say, fifteen minutes, rub off all -you can with fine shavings or a soft rag, let it stand at least -twenty-four hours that it may sink into and harden the fibers of -the wood; afterward apply two coats of white shellac, rub down well -with fine flint paper, then put on from two to five coats best -polishing varnish; after it is well dried rub with water and pumice -stone ground very fine; stand a day to dry; after being washed -clean with a chamois rub with water and rotten stone; dry; wash as -before clean, and rub with olive oil until dry. Some use cork for -sandpapering and polishing, but a smooth block of hardwood like -maple is better. When treated in this way, redwood will be found -the peer of any wood for real beauty and life as a house trim or -finish. - - -MARKING INK. - -Asphaltum, dissolved in turpentine to a thin fluid, will give you -an excellent marking ink for all purposes; dries quickly, does not -spread, and is nearly indestructible. - - -FORMULAS FOR MIXING COLORS. (SELECTED.) - -It is impossible to give infallible recipes for mixing colors, -on account of the difference in the tone and color strength of -pigments, both dry and in oil, many samples having as high as fifty -per cent. of barytes or other white makewright material, which not -only lessens the color strength of the mixture in proportion to -their volume, but weakens the color, in a small measure, by their -presence as white material. Hence, color formulas are made subject -to modification, not only to please the taste of the mixer, but on -account of the presence of poor, weak and adulterated pigments. - -The writer has selected a few formulas from which the learner -may gain some knowledge of colors, which he can improve upon by -experiment. - - - NOTE.--Part means in bulk, not by weight. - -_Plumb._--White lead 2 parts; Indian red, 1 part; ultramarine -blue, 1 part. If too dark, add more white lead. (Outside.) - -_Brick._--Yellow ochre, 2 parts; Venetian red, 1 part; white lead, -1 part. If too dark, add more ochre. Don’t depend upon the common -ochre of the stores. It has but little tinting power. Use French -ochre ground in oil. (Outside.) - -_Bronze Green._--Chrome green, 5 parts; lampblack, 1 part; burnt -umber, 1 part. If too dark, use more green. (Outside.) - -_Jonquil Yellow._--White lead tinted with chrome yellow and -vermilion. - -_Lead Color._--White Lead, 16 parts; ultramarine blue, 1 part; -lampblack, 2 parts. (Outside.) - -_Light Buff._--White lead tinted with yellow ochre (Outside.) - -_Lemon._--Lemon chrome yellow, 5 parts; white lead, 2 parts. -(Outside.) - -_Brown._--Indian red, 3 parts; lamp black, 2 parts; yellow ochre, 1 -part. If too dark, use more ochre or less black. (Outside.) - -_Chestnut._--Venetian red, 2 parts; lamp black, 1 part; medium -chrome yellow, 4 parts. (Outside.) - -_Lilac._--Light Indian red, 3 parts; white lead, 3 parts; -ultramarine blue, 1 part. - -_Purple._--Light Indian red, 4 parts; white lead, 3 parts; -ultramarine blue, 2 parts. - -_London Smoke._--Burnt umber, 2 parts; white lead, 1 part; Venetian -red, 1 part. - -_Brown._--Venetian red, 3 parts; drop black, 2 parts; chrome -yellow, 1 part. (Outside.) - -_French Gray._--White, tinted with ivory or drop black. (Outside.) - -_Olive Yellow._--Burnt umber, 3 parts; lemon chrome yellow, 1 part. -For lighter shade, add more yellow. - -_Pearl._--White lead, 6 parts; Venetian red, 2 parts; lamp black, 1 -part. If too dark, add more lead. (Outside.) - -_Olive._--Lemon chrome yellow, 10 parts; ultramarine blue, 1 part; -light Indian red, 1 part. - -_Cream Color._--White lead, 8 parts; French yellow ochre in oil, 2 -parts; Venetian red, 1 part. (Outside.) - -_Tan._--Burnt sienna, 5 parts; medium chrome yellow, 2 parts; raw -umber, 1 part. If too red, add more raw umber. - -_Pea Green._--White lead, 5 parts; chrome green, 1 part. Vary the -proportions to suit. - -_Drab._--White lead, 10 parts; burnt umber, 1 part. Vary to suit. - -_Canary._--White lead, 6 parts; lemon chrome yellow, 2 parts, or -less, as you like it. (Outside.) - -_Fawn._--White lead, 8 parts; chrome yellow, 1 part; Indian red, 1 -part; burnt umber, 1 part. (Outside.) - -_Grass Green._--Lemon chrome yellow, 3 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part. - -_Peach Blossom._--White lead, 1 part; light Indian red, 1 part; -ultramarine blue, 1 part; lemon chrome yellow, 1 part. - -_Light Gray._--White lead, 10 parts; ultramarine blue, 1 part; -lampblack, 1 part. Make lighter or darker by using more or less -white lead, as the case may require. - -_Purple Brown._--Dark Indian red, 4 parts; ultramarine blue, 1 -part; lampblack, 1 part. Light up with white lead to fancy. If too -purple, use less blue; if too red, use more black. (Outside.) - -_Leather Brown._--Venetian red, 2 parts; yellow ochre, 4 parts; -lampblack, 1 part; white lead, 2 parts or more, to suit. If too -dark, use less black. (Outside.) - -_Dregs of Wine._--Tuscan red with a little lampblack and white lead. - -_Leaf Bud._--Equal parts white lead, orange chrome and chrome -green. If too dark, add more lead. (Inside only.) - -_Coral Pink._--Vermilion (English), 5 parts; white lead, 2 parts; -chrome yellow, 1 part. (Inside.) - -_Maroon._--Tuscan red, 3 parts; ultramarine blue, 1 part. If too -red, add more blue. - -_Myrtle._--Dark chrome green, 3 parts; ultramarine blue, 1 part. -Light up with white lead. - -_Stone._--White lead, 5 parts; French yellow ochre, 2 parts; burnt -umber, 1 part. Tint to desired shade with raw umber; a very little -will do. (Outside.) - -_Snuff._--Medium chrome yellow, 4 parts; Vandyke brown, 2 parts. - -_Rose._--White lead, 5 parts; carmine, 2 parts. (Inside only.) - -_Portland Stone._--Raw umber, 3 parts; yellow ochre, 3 parts; white -lead, 1 part. (Outside.) - -_Ashes of Roses._--White, lightly tinted with black, blue and lake. -(Inside only.) - -_Silver Gray._--Tint white lead with lampblack and indigo. - -_Fine Chocolate._--Tint the best burnt umber with Munich lake. -(Inside only.) - -_Fine Maroon._--Tint any deep red lake with a little orange chrome -yellow. - -_Vienna Smoke._--Tint fine burnt umber with lemon chrome yellow and -a little Venetian red. - -_Quaker Green._--Chrome green, 3 parts; lampblack, 1 part; Venetian -red, 1 part; medium chrome yellow, 1 part. - -_Chamoline._--Lemon yellow, 1 part; raw sienna, 3 parts; white -lead, 5 parts. - -_Clay Drab._--White lead, raw sienna, raw umber, equal parts. Tint -with chrome green. - -_Pearl._--White lead, tinted with ultramarine blue and lampblack. - -_Copper._--Medium chrome yellow, 2 parts; Venetian red, 1 part; -drop black, 1 part. - -_Buttercup._--White lead tinted with lemon chrome yellow. - -_Flesh._--White lead, 8 parts; light Venetian red, 1 part; orange -chrome, 2 parts. - -_Olive Brown._--Lemon chrome yellow, 1 part; burnt umber, 3 parts. - -_Deep Buff._--White lead tinted with yellow ochre and a little -Venetian red. (Outside.) - - -SOME EXPENSIVE COLORS. - -_Claret._--Carmine, 2 parts; ultramarine blue, 1 part. - -_Carnation Red._--Carmine lake, 3 parts; white lead, 1 part. - -_Chocolate._--Fine burnt umber, 5 parts; carmine or lake, 1 part. - -_French Red._--Indian red and English vermilion, equal parts, -glazed with carmine. - -_Rose._--White lead, 5 parts; carmine, 2 parts. - -_Yellow Lake._--Burnt umber and white lead, equal parts; tint with -chrome yellow and lake. - - -SUGGESTIONS FOR TINTS AND COLORS. - -_Delicate Flesh Tints_, white predominating.--1st, white and light -red; 2nd, white, Naples yellow, vermilion; 3rd, white, vermilion -and light red. - -_Gray and Half Tints_, white predominating.--1st, white, vermilion -and black; 2nd, white and terre verte; 3rd, white, black, Indian -red and raw umber. - -_Deep Shades_, color predominating.--1st, light red and raw umber; -2nd, Indian red, lake and black. - -_Carnations._--1st, white and Indian red; 2nd, white and rose -madder; 3rd, white and lake; 4th, white and Naples yellow. - -_Carnations_, color predominating.--1st, rose madder and white; -2nd, Indian red, rose madder and white. - -_Green Tints._--1st, white and ultramarine blue, with any yellow; -2nd, white and terre verte; add a little raw umber. - -_Gray Tints._--1st, ultramarine blue, light red and white; 2nd, -Indian red lake, black and white. - -_Pearly White_, white predominating.--1st, white, vermilion and -black; 2nd, white, vermilion and black; 3rd, white and black. - -_Gray._--White, Venetian red and black. - -_Yellow._--Yellow ochre and white. - -_Olive._--Yellow ochre, terre verte and umber. - -_Sky._--French blue and white. - - -PAINTING CARS AT HOME. - -Probably no other subject dealing with the problem of the motorist -has been so little, or to be correct, so unsatisfactorily treated -as the home painting of cars. Most of the literature dealing -with the subject is written in a technical vein, purely for the -delectation of the professional painter. This naturally leads the -novice to believe, owing to the great number of coats these writers -say is essential for good work, that it is entirely out of the -question for a car owner, without previous experience in painting, -to repaint his car satisfactorily. - -Fortunately this is not true. In the first place, the fewer number -of coats that can be applied and still accomplish the desired -result, will make far the most durable and lasting job of painting. -I maintain, and have proven, times without number, that if a -motorist really is in earnest about wanting to paint his cars, -the battle is more than half won. Give this class of motorists -the proper material mixed ready for use with the proper brushes -for their application, and tell him how they should be used, and -99 times out of 100 he will paint his car so well that he will be -sorry he had not done it before. - -The quality of the material used in this kind of painting is of -vital importance and unless they are the very best will give but -limited wear. And the proper brushes to use with the different -coats is of equal importance. About four-fifths the cost of -automobile painting is labor, so that a few dollars saved in buying -the materials is false economy. - -The general purpose enamels for sale in stores have no place on -a motor car. They belong to the home. Probably no other vehicle -excepting a locomotive has harder service for paint to withstand. -Hence, the necessity for the very best materials. - -There is one reputable concern selling repainting outfits to -car owners so that greatly simplifies the painting problem, if -one wishes to do it himself. These outfits include everything, -materials, brushes, and instructions, and range in price from $6 -for a small runabout to $8 and $10 for a roadster and touring car. -Compared to $35 to upwards of $100 that one has to pay a regular -painter, if one wishes to economize, the painting affords a grand -opportunity. - -The fenders and hood of a car are subjected to severe wear and -the time is coming when these parts will always be painted black, -regardless of the body color of the car. In fact, a great many of -the new cars will be painted this way. There are thousands of cars -in use that hardly need repainting, but if the hood and fenders -were done over in black it would make them look almost like new -cars. There is one concern making these hood and fender outfits and -a novice can do a really creditable job of painting with them. They -range in price from $3 to $5 and are in two coats with a suitable -brush. - -The gases from the motor are a big factor in dulling the paint on -hoods. It has the same effect that ammonia fumes from a stable has -on horse-drawn vehicles. This is one reason why the black painting -of hoods is mighty sensible. When your hood gets dull, instead of -laying up your car you can paint the hood yourself with little -trouble and no loss of time. - -For the novice to repaint the average car, for instance a 30 H. P. -touring car, it would require in labor only a few hours on four or -five different days. The hardest part of the whole operation is -preparing the car for paint. It is absolutely necessary to have -it thoroughly clean before applying any paint. It should be well -washed first, and then given a gasoline bath to the parts on which -dirt and grease have been allowed to accumulate. It is really not -so complex a proposition after all. If a woman can paint furniture -with enamels that are no better than they should be, a man can -surely paint a car if given the proper materials to do it with, and -if he be instructed in their use. - -Now as to striping. This is of course out of the question for the -novice. But you can black the mouldings of the body, seats, doors, -hubs and rims of wheels so that the absence of striping is not -noticed. So far as the striping goes, the tendency is away from -it--in fact, the most expensive cars have hardly any striping. -The blacking of the mouldings, etc., mentioned makes a harmonious -contrast and takes the place of striping. It looks in no ways -amateurish--rather like the handiwork of the professional painter. - -In addition to the saving that can be effected by repainting your -car yourself, there is the feeling of personal pride when the job -is finished, of having done something well yourself. - -As the majority of the new cars have enameled lamps instead of -polished brass as in years past, I believe a few words on the -subject will not be amiss. In my experience of twenty years in the -painting of vehicles, locomotives and automobiles, I have never -had a harder proposition to solve than the enameling of polished -brass lamps, particularly gas headlights. - -An enamel for this purpose must of necessity be made highly -elastic, so that it will contract and expand with the metal and -stick on the polished brass surface without any previous roughing. -This means that only the most expensive materials can be used in -the making of such an enamel. There is one enamel of proven merit -for this purpose on the market and it does not have to be baked. -I have seen a great many motorists who have used general purpose -enamels on their lamps and the experience has usually been that -the enamel leaves when the lights are lighted. If I were buying -an enamel for use on the brass parts of my car, I should be very -careful to buy the one that had been long on the market, for there -will undoubtedly be a large number of new ones offered. - -I have made some pretty strong statements in the foregoing article, -and it is no more than right that I tell you that they are based -on my experience of twenty years in the painting of carriages, -locomotives and automobiles, two years as the expert for the -largest paint and color house in the world, and several years in -the manufacture of the highest class of motor car paints. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added, - when a predominant preference was found in the original book. - - Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, - and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. - - Pg iii: removed duplicated line ‘Black Varnish for Iron’. - Pg iv: line ‘Oak Wood Stain’ moved from page v to here, under - ‘Oak Stain’. - Pg 39: ‘gold againt the’ replaced by ‘gold against the’. - Pg 45: ‘bottle 1-3 full’ replaced by ‘bottle ⅓ full’. - Pg 60: ‘dissolve 90 gains’ replaced by ‘dissolve 90 grains’. - Pg 105: missing letter ‘W’ inserted into alphabet caption. - Pg 119: removed duplicated line ‘Shaded oak’. - Pg 121: a blank space has been replaced by __________. 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