The tendency of white lead to premature chalking may also be corrected by the addition of almost any of the colored pigments used to produce tints; hence this rapid chalking is no ticed in tinted or colored paints only when the white lead is of exceedingly poor quality or when the color is produced by the addition of a very small percentage of staining color. Ocher, umber, sienna, Venetian or Indian reds, and lampblack, all have a very decided tendency to correct the chalking of white lead paint and to prolong its durability.
It might be said, in summing up, that where the services of skilled mechanics are not obtain able, probably the best results will be obtained by the use of mixed paint of the best quality, taking care to select one that experience has demonstrated perishes by powdering instead of by cracking and flaking.
Pure raw linseed oil should be used in mixing paints for exterior use, with only so much tur pentine as may be necessary slightly to deaden the gloss on the second coat. The last coat should be left with full gloss, no turpentine be ing added unless weather conditions make it necessary, and then only the least amount that will cause the paint to spread as freely as may be required. More turpentine is required in winter than in summer, as the oil has a tendency to thicken in cold weather. Boiled oil will cause paint to shrivel up, or "alligator," as the paint ers term it, from the resemblance it assumes to an alligator's hide.
Where strong, dark colors are used, such as dark greens, reds, browns, or yellows, of course no white base is used in mixing the paint, but the paint is made by thinning the pure colors down with raw linseed oil.
Blackening of paint is often caused by smoke or dust lodged on the freshly painted surface. When this is the cause, it may be cured by scrub bing with soap and water or by washing with water alone. Many cases of blackening are traceable to locomotive or factory smoke. An other cause of blackening, especially where the house is surrounded by foliage, is mildew. This is a minute water plant which finds a root in the fresh paint and grows with great rapidity, often covering the entire side of a house in two or three days, especially if the weather is damp. Mildew can also be scrubbed from the surface and will not reappear, or it can be avoided by painting in the winter time, if the location of the house causes a tendency to mildew.
Oil Polishing. There are certain places which are subjected to a good deal of wear and tear, to an extra amount of moisture or wet, or to the action of liquids, especially wines or alco holic liquors, that more or less affect the life of varnish or ordinary hardwood finishes. Such
places are table and bar tops, sink shelves in good houses, and similar locations in kitchens and pantries. The average house owner is un willing to spend the money needed for a perma nent and durable finish for such places. The hotel man, on the contrary, knows the value of a polished top to his bar that will defy the hard use, and is willing to spend the money needed to aet it. For such places there is no finish equal TO the old-fashioned oil polish, which is obtained by the use of linseed oil and plenty of rubbing. This is a finish that any one can produce, but it is so tedious and tiresome that the average journeyman dreads it and the painter who un dertakes it on any other basis than by the day is apt to find himself out of pocket. When an oil polish is properly done, it will stand hot dishes and hot liquids and the continual wetting that is almost unavoidable in such places as those mentioned, and still remain in good con dition. What is more, the polish can always be renewed without any of the troublesome re moval of previous coatings that is necessary when renewing a varnished surface.
If the surface to be polished is a new one, it should first be stained to the color desired, and then filled with a good silex paste filler that has been stained the color of the wood. When this is thoroughly dry, it is first given a coat of boiled linseed oil—although raw oil will answer —applied with a brush. Care must be taken not to use too much oil, but just about what the wood will absorb, and which can be worked in by the rubber without leaving any surplus on the surface.
As soon as the oil is applied, it must be rubbed in well with a rubber made by wrapping a piece of rubbing felt around a square stone, the heavier the better, as the weight of the stone relieves the operator's muscles somewhat from the tediousness of the rubbing. It is impossible to rub too much, and the longer the surface is rubbed the higher the polish that will be ob tained. After the first rubbing, the work should be allowed to stand for a few days, and it should then be given a second rubbing. This should be repeated again and again. It takes fully six weeks to get a satisfactory result, but when it is once obtained it is superior to any other finish. It may be renewed at any time by sandpapering the surface smooth, touching up with stain, if required, and again oiling and polishing. If only spots require renewing, it can be done by the application of oil to those spots only, with the necessary rubbing. The process is slow and expensive, but where hard usage is to be given there is no other finish that will take the place of oil polish.