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Home › Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes › Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes: Prussian
Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes: Prussian
White Paint. - White lead is usually the basis of white paint, but it is often adulterated with barytes, oxide of zinc, prepared chalk, whiting, lime, or road dust. All paint intended to show a pure white should have about 4 ounce of Prussian blue mixed with every 2 pounds of white lead, otherwise the lead appears as a stone color and not white.
To mix white paint, use pure boiled linseed oil, and thin as desired according to conditions with oil of turpentine. Yellow Paint. -The yellows are usu ally ochers, chromate of lead, and various adulterants.
To prepare chrome yellow pigment, dissolve in hot water 5 pounds of sugar of lead and 5 pounds of Paris white. Dissolve separately in hot water 61 ounces of bichromate of potash. Add the bichromate solution to ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES the former, mix, and let stand 24 hours. Strain through muslin and expose to the air to dry. Mix with boiled linseed oil.
To make a cheap yellow paint, take 60 pounds of whiting, 40 pounds of ocher, and 5 pounds of white lead ground in oil. Grind with raw linseed oil and mix with boiled linseed oil.
Red Paint. The reds are usually red oxide of lead, ochers, oxides of iron, red oxide of copper, vermilion, bichromate of lead, carmine, and madder and other lakes. Mix any of the above with boiled linseed oil and apply.
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 filings 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 quantities 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 usually 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, 31 pounds of sugar of lead, 31 pounds of blue vitriol, 10 ounces of alum, 34 pounds of Prussian blue, and 34 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 yellow and Prussian blue. Mix the two solutions to get the desired shade, and add spruce yellow to the proper consistency.