Page:Cyclopedia of Painting-Armstrong, George D (1908).djvu/413

This page has been validated.
USEFUL INFORMATION
405

quick-lime, mixed with soda, which may be washed off with water the following day, carrying with it the paint, grease, and other foulness, so that, when clean and dry, the painting may be renewed as on fresh work.

Paint, Metallic. Break common resin into dust or small pieces, and dissolve in benzine or turpentine until the solution acquires the consistency of syrup or molasses, or, equal parts of each of the above hydrocarbons, and any other hydrocarbon that will dry and combine with drying oils, can be used instead of turpentine or benzine. "When the solution is complete, it is gradually added to oxide of zinc, which has previously been made into a paste with boiled linseed oil, until the whole mixture acquires the consistency of a paint suitable for-use. A white paint of a durable and glossy character is thus produced. Other pigments, such as sulphate of barytes, oxide of iron, Brunswick green, or red lead, can be added to make any desired color of paint. One great advantage of its use is its effectual resistance to heat and moisture. It never blisters or cracks even under the hottest sun or in the most inclement weather.

Painted work, To clean. When painted wainscot or other wood requires cleaning, soft soap and fuller's earth should be applied with a flannel. The work should proceed from the top downwards, and the water should be prevented from running on the clean parts as much as possible, or marks will be made which will appear after the whole is finished. One person should dry with a soft rag as fast as another has scoured off the dirt and washed off the soap. When the paint is soiled in parts only, and does not require a general cleaning, dip a sponge or a piece of flannel into soda and water, wash it off quickly, and dry immediately, or the soda will eat off the paint. When paint simply requires to have the dust removed from it, a cloth should not be used, but, after blowing off the loose particles with a pair of bellows, the operation should be completed with a long-