Practical House, Wagon and Automobile Painter / including sign painting, and valuable hints and recipes

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:

PRIMING AND GLAZING SASH.

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.

GLASS SIGNS ON WINDOWS AND DOORS.

DRUM SIGNS.

MUSLIN SIGNS.

OIL CLOTH SIGNS.

BOARD SIGNS.

WALL SIGNS.

Two coats of paint and lettering. Extra coat, 1 cent per square foot additional.

SHOW CARDS.

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.