Household Discoveries and Mrs. Curtis's Cook Book

Household Discoveries and Mrs. Curtis's Cook Book, (c)1914 — the great household encyclopedia: cleaning, curing, building, baby care, and a whole cookbook bound in.

HomeAdhesives, Paints, and Varnishes › Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes: Coat

Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes: Coat

First Coat.-When the priming is dry, put on a second coat. The work is now said to be "primed and one coat," and is ready for painting, which requires one or two coats more.

Second Coat.-Fill up all nail holes and the like, and lay on a regular coat of the desired color. Let dry for two or three days.

Third Coat. Finally add the third ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES coat, if desired, of the same character as the second coat. Or the third coat may be thin, with a larger proportion of turpentine than the second coat, giving the paint a dull surface and a delicate bloom. This is called flatting.

Painting Woodwork Indoors. - Careful landlords go over the inside woodwork of a house frequently with paint and varnish. This preserves the woodwork and saves labor, strength, and time. It is not economy to wait until the paint or varnish cracks or wears off. The more frequently it is painted the longer the woodwork lasts, and the easier it is to keep in good order.

If there is grease or soap on the woodwork the paint will not adhere.

Hence, before painting, the surface should be cleaned by scrubbing with ammonia water or water containing kerosene or sal soda, and rinsed off thoroughly.

Apply a second coat, if necessary, to get a smooth, hard surface.

Window Sills and Sashes. - These should be "drawn" or painted frequently, as the rain outside and the steam inside collect on the glass and settle about the casings, causing them to rot unless kept in good order by fresh paint and varnish. If putty cracks or shows signs of decaying, it should be removed and new putty applied before painting.

To Apply Paint. - The proper stroke in painting is short, say 8 or 10 inches. The brush should strike the surface nearly at right angles and in the middle of the stroke; that is to say, the painter deposits the added load 4 or 5 inches in advance of the unpainted surface, and not at the end of the last stroke, and works the color back and forth with the brush.

The brush shouid be deep, so as to take up the paint through the hairs, and not merely on their ends, and the surface should be wiped so that it will not drip before using. But a brush should not be wiped on a cutting edge, or the bristles will be split and tend to curl backward.

Hence paint should be taken from a pail or can having a wire fastened across the top or a smooth edge turned over to wipe the brush on.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR PAINTING White Lead - Specifications for New Work Outside. -The following specifications were very carefully prepared by an architect of great experience for a leading manufacturer of pure white lead, and may be regarded as absolutely reliable:

Before Painting. - All woodwork must be thoroughly dry before any paint is applied. No painting is to be done when rain or snow is falling, or until after the dew or moisture which may be on the surface has completely disappeared.

Knot Killing.-Immediately after the woodwork is in place, all knots and sappy streaks shall be varnished with pure grain alcohol orange shellac varnish (knot killer). It is very important that only the best grain alcohol shellac should be used, as preparations of wood alcohol (deadly poisonous), cheap shellacs, rosin, etc., are dangerous to health and apt to cause the knots to turn yellow after the work is completed, thus spoiling the appearance of the work. - Priming Coat. One hundred pounds of pure white lead; 6 to 7 gallons of pure raw linseed oil; 1 gallon of pure turpentine; 1½ pints of pure turpentine japan.

On white pine, poplar, and basswood (which more readily absorb oil) use 7 gallons of linseed oil.

On yellow pine, spruce, and hemlock use 6 gallons of linseed oil. In winter and damp weather from pint to pint additional turpentine japan should be used. A range of from 6 to 7 gallons of linseed oil has been specified to allow room for the painter's judgment; there may be circumstances where as much as 8 gallons of linseed oil to 100 pounds of white lead may be used to advantage, but they are rare, and as a rule 7 gallons may be taken as a safe maximum.

The painter may in some special cases find it advisable in the priming coat to increase the quantity of turpentine from gallon to 1 gallon, but where this is done a corresponding decrease should be made in the specified amount of linseed oil.

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