Or, to make cheap red paint, mix Venetian red with skimmed milk and apply with a paint brush. This is suitable for gates, stone walls, and outbuildings.
Or use oxide of iron mixed with a little boiled linseed oil. This is cheap and gives a very durable stain.
Blue Paint.—The blues are usually Prussian blue, ultramarine, smalt, Thenard blue, verditer, etc.
To make Prussian blue pigment take 1 pint of nitric acid, and add slowly as much iron shavings from the lathe or iron filings heated, but not red hot, as the acid will dissolve. After the acid has dissolved all it can, add to it 1 quart of soft water, and continue to add iron shavings or fil ings as long as the acid dissolves them. Make a strong solution of prussiate of potash in hot water, and slowly add this to the iron and acid until the right tint is obtained. Strain through muslin, dry the sediment to powder, and grind or mix with boiled linseed oil.
Or dissolve separately equal quan tities of sulphate of iron (copperas) and prussiate of potash. Mix the two solutions, strain through muslin, dry the sediment to powder, and mix or grind with oil.
Green Paint.—The greens are usu ally verdigris, Paris green, verditer, borate of copper, chromate of copper, oxide of chromium, cobalt green, and green lakes. The most common green paint is a mixture of chrome yellow and Prussian blue.
To make chrome green pigment, mix in the form of powder 6/ pounds of Paris white, 3/ pounds of sugar of lead, 3/ pounds of blue vitriol, 10/ ounces of alum, 3/ pounds of Prus sian blue, and 3/ pounds of chrome yellow. Stir these powders slowly into 1 gallon of water. Let stand 4 hours, filter or strain through muslin, dry the sediment to powder, and mix or grind with boiled linseed oil.
Or dissolve separately chrome yel low and Prussian blue. Mix the two solutions to get the desired shade, and add spruce yellow to the proper con sistency.
Or slake the best quality of stone lime with hot water, covering to keep in the steam. Strain through a fine sieve, let dry, and reduce the sediment to powder. Make this powder into a thick paste with a saturated solution of alum, and add, until the desired shade is produced, enough solution of bichromate of potash to produce a yellowish green, and solution of sul phate of copper to produce a bluish green.
Or mix thoroughly in powdered form 5 pounds of •blue vitriol, 6i pounds of sugar of lead, 2i pounds of arsenic, and 1 ounces of bichromate of potash. Add 3 pints of water, mix, and let stand 4 hours. Strain or filter, dry the sediment to powder, and grind or mix with boiled linseed oil.
To make cheap green paint, dissolve 4 pounds of Roman vitriol in hot water. Add 2 pounds of pearlash and stir until dissolved. Add pound of powdered yellow arsenic. Mix and apply with a paint brush. Two or three coats will be necessary. A dark er or a lighter shade may be pro duced by adding more or less of the yellow arsenic. This paint contains no oil. Hence, while it looks well, it does not protect wood as does an oil paint, but is suitable for stone walls and similar places.
Or mix powdered charcoal with lin seed oil, and add litharge as a dryer, using 1 gill to 1 gallon of oil. Add ocher to produce the required shade of green.
Brown Paint.—The browns are usu ally umber, bole, terra di Sienna, bis tre, sepia, etc.
To produce a brown pigment, make a solution of sulphate of copper in hot water, and separately a strong solution of prussiate of potash. Mix the two solutions to the desired shade. Filter or strain through muslin. Dry the sediment to a powder. Grind or mix with boiled linseed oil.
Black Paint.—The blacks are usu ally lampblack, bone black, anthra cite, graphite, powdered charcoal, etc.
Lampblack is very commonly used both for black paint and also to mod ify the brightness of tone in other colors in producing various tints and shades.
To make a cheap black paint, mix powdered charcoal with linseed oil, and add as a dryer 1 gill of litharge to 1 gallon of oil.
Or take ivory or lampblack, 10 pounds; sifted road dust, 20 pounds; lime water, 2 gallons. Grind in raw linseed oil. Mix with boiled linseed oil.