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. | ||||
| Priming | Old 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.
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.
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.