Lfornia 
 
 >nal 
 
 ity 
 
EVERYBODY'S 
 
 PAINT BOOK. 
 
 A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE ART OF 
 
 OUTDOOR AND INDOOR PAINTING. 
 
 DESIGNED FOR THE SPECIAL USE OF THOSE WHO WISH Tu 
 DO THEIR OWN WORK. 
 
 AND CONSISTING OF 
 
 PRACTICAL LESSONS 
 
 PLAIN PAINTING, VARNISHING, POLISHING, STAINING, 
 PAPER-HANGING, KALSOMINING, ETC., 
 
 AS WELL AS OIRECTIONS FOR 
 
 RENOVATING FURNITURE, AND HINTS ON ARTISTIC WORK 
 FOR HOME DECORATION, 
 
 TOGETHER WITH 
 
 4 FULL DESCRIPTION OS THE TOOLS AND MATERIALS USED 
 
 PRECISE DIRECTIONS ARE GIVEN FOR 
 
 MIXING PAINTS FOR ALL PURPOSES. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 BY F. B. GARDNER,. 
 
 Author of" Tht American Method of Carr 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 M. T. RICHARDSON CO., PUBLISHERS, 
 
COPYRIGHTED BY 
 
 4. T. RICHARDSON, 
 
 1884. 
 
sao 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Is the following pages an effort has been made to 
 record the experience of the author, gained by close 
 application to painting for over thirty years. To attempt 
 to impart technical knowledge to one not possessing even 
 a primary schooling in the art, it must be admitted, is no 
 easy task. If, after a perusal of these pages, therefore, 
 and a trial of the many methods described, the would-be 
 painter fails in his endeavors, he will, I believe, feel chari- 
 tably inclined, and give me credit for a conscientious en- 
 deavor to explain everything clearly. Failures, should 
 they occasionally occur, will generally be found to be the 
 result of unskilful combinations or manipulations, and 
 should by no means discourage the student. A second or 
 third trial, after a careful study of tne directions, will, no 
 doubt, usually bring success. 
 
 I desire herewith to express my obligations to Miles 
 
 (ili) 
 
IV PKEFAOE. 
 
 Bros. & Co., manufacturers of brushes, and also to 
 Bradley & Smith, manufacturers of brushes, both of 
 this city, for their courtesy in permitting the use of the 
 cuts employed to represent the different styles of brushes 
 recommended in this work. 
 
 F. B. GAKDNEBL 
 NEW YORK, Xorch 15, 1884 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 GENEBAL REMARKS. 
 
 WE all know how difficult it is sometimes for the farmer 
 and even the resident of a village or city to get a small 
 job of painting done properly at a reasonable cost. He 
 may be able and willing, for reasons of economy, to do 
 the work himself, but lacks the knowledge requisite to 
 mix the paint, or to purchase the proper materials for 
 such work, and through fear that he will not succeed, or 
 as former experience has taught him, that " the paint won't 
 dry," or " is a poor, unsatisfactory color," he abandons the 
 idea of improvement by paint or varnish, and the conse- 
 quence is, that his buildings, farming utensils, vehicles, 
 and household furniture go to ruin quickly, and he sinks 
 many hundreds of dollars, when a few hundred cents 
 would have saved all, and have made his place to use an 
 inelegant, but expressive phrase "as pretty as a red 
 wagon." 
 
 The " women folks " often have little jobs of painting 
 to be done ; and many a one is capable of wielding the 
 brush well enough if she " only had the paint" There 
 
2 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 are the churn, tubs, paiis, the pump, wood or brick- work 
 around the stove, or shelf, and a hundred and one little 
 things which constant use makes unsightly, and the cost 
 of painting them would be trifling. But how to accom- 
 plish it with the limited knowledge they possess is a prob- 
 lem which it seems almost hopeless to attempt to solve, 
 and so much of the sunshine of their home is shadowed 
 by a desire to do, without the means at hand to carry out 
 their wishes. 
 
 It is the purpose of this volume to supply, in plain lan- 
 guage, divested of all technicalities, the information 
 required to enable every man and woman who may feel 
 so inclined, to do their own painting. The author brings 
 to the work an extensive experience in the various 
 branches of painting and varnishing, and f eols confident 
 that those who follow his directions carefully will have nc 
 cause to complain of the result 
 
CHAPTER II 
 WHAT is PAINT? 
 
 LET us first consider what paint is. Paint is simply a 
 mixture of one or more colored pigments and liquids; 
 tlie former being in some instances common earth, clay, 
 or pulverized stones ; in others, products of the vegetable 
 world ; and again in others, products of the mineral 
 world. All pigments, however, are presented to us in the 
 form of a dry powder, in lumps, of variable hardness or 
 in coarse grains. 
 
 The liquids commonly used are : 
 
 1st. LINSEED OIL, in its raw state, or after it has been 
 boiled with chemical agents to hasten its drying prop- 
 erties. 
 
 2d. JAPAN DBYER, for hastening the drying of oil paint, 
 or for mixing with pigments to form paini 
 
 3d. TURPENTINE, a volatile thinner or vehicle, which rap- 
 idly evaporates, leaving the oils to oxidize or harden. 
 
 With these materials we are enabled to make paint of 
 any color, or for any purpose ; durable paint for outdoor 
 wear, either with or without a coating of varnish over it ; 
 
 (3) 
 
4 EVERYBODY 8 PAINT BOOK. 
 
 or a ready drying paint to be used indoors, which would 
 not be durable if exposed to the weather. 
 
 There are a few of the pigments which require nc 
 further preparation than a simple stirring, or possihlv 
 straining through a coarse cloth after they are mixed 
 while others must be crushed and ground in a paint-mill 
 to bring them to the necessary degree of fineness. It will 
 not be amiss just here, to enumerate those pigments which 
 require no grinding for ordinary work, so as to enable 
 those who are not provided with a mill, or with a marble 
 slab and other conveniences, to choose a color to suit their 
 requirements. 
 
 PIGMENTS WHICH REQUIRE NO GRINDING. 
 
 WHITE PAINT is made by mixing white-lead, which may 
 be purchased already ground in oil, at from ten to fifteen 
 cents per pound; any offered below that price will gener- 
 ally be found to be adulterated with chalk or other in- 
 ferior substances. 
 
 OUTDOOR WHITE. For durable outdoor white, mix the 
 white-lead to a milk-like consistency, with linseed oil, 
 either boiled or raw, the latter being preferable. A small 
 amount, say, of turpentine may be added to cause it to 
 spread easily, or a little Brown Japan may be mixed with 
 it to hasten the drying. This paint is suitable for houses, 
 fences, and like purposes. 
 
 . - ju8 WHITJJ, White paint for the inside of a house 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 5 
 
 should not be mixed with oil, for if it is, and the room be 
 closed or darkened, the paint will turn dark, or yellow. 
 Turpentine alone should be used, except that a very little 
 Japan dryer may be added to make it dry quickly. Some 
 house-painters use oil in first coats on interior work, but 
 it is not considered a good plan. 
 
 WHITE-LEAD GROUND IN OIL, known to many by the name 
 of " keg-lead," is the base or principal ingredient in a 
 variety of colors, and serves well as a durable paint on 
 many kinds of work We will consider it, however, as a 
 white paint before entering upon the mixtures by which 
 tints are formed. 
 
 White-lead, being a dry pigment mixed with linseed 
 oil, and ground fine in steam mills, is ready when diluted 
 to the consistency of milk, with turpentine, to be spread 
 upon any ordinary work where white is desired ; but if it 
 be used for the first coat, or " priming " on new wood, for 
 either inside or outside work, it is better to dilute with 
 raw oil rather than with turpentine, and the addition of 
 one gill of Brown Japan (a dryer) to each quart of the 
 mixed paint, will also be found of value, where time is an 
 object After the first coat has become dry, or hard, and 
 a second one is necessary, the lead may be diluted with 
 turpentine only, and a small quantity of dryer say one 
 gill to a quart of paint be used. 
 
 PATENT DRYER. In the opinion of the writer, all such 
 dryers as litharge, patent dryer, sugar-of-lead, etc,, ar 
 
6 EVERYBODY S I'AINT BOOK. 
 
 unreliable and unfit for use, while a liquid dryer, such aa 
 brown japan or japan gold-size may be used to advan- 
 tage in mixing any kind of paint. 
 
 WHITE PAINT mixed by the latter method will answer 
 for the interior of houses, or work not to be exposed to 
 the weather without varnishing; but where it is to be ex- 
 posed, and not to be protected by varnish, more oil than 
 turpentine should be used in mixing. 
 
 BOILED LINSEED OIL. Many have a preference, based 
 upon hearsay, or ignorance of the matter, for boiled lin- 
 seed oil in mixing paint, and there may be some places, 
 or some kinds of work on which it will work best ; but 
 the writer has yet to learn where. 
 
 RAW LINSEED OIL not fish oil, nor cotton-seed oil, bu 
 the " simon pure " article if aided in drying, or oxidiz- 
 ing (the proper term) by brown japan, will invariably give 
 perfect satisfaction. 
 
 PATNTiNa A PUKE WHITE. 
 
 To paint a pure white, and have it " flat " or " dead, 
 t. e., without gloss, take from the keg the desired amount 
 of white-lead, and thin it to the consistency of milk, by 
 the addition of turpentine. Then set it away to settle ; 
 the white-lead being heavy, will go to the bottom of the 
 vessel, leaving a large portion of the oil and the turpen- 
 tine which has not evaporated on the top. This should 
 be poured off carefully, and the sediment mixed to a 
 
proper consistency for spreading with turpentine. Such 
 paint is used by carriage-makers in the painting of white 
 hearses, stages, etc., and must be protected by varnish. 
 
 VARNISHING OVER WHITE. In varnishing white work the 
 best way is to use varnish mixed or colored with a small 
 quantity of the white paint. This is called " color-and- 
 varnish." It is seldom, if ever, that varnish can be had 
 clear enough to lay over white without discoloring it. 
 
 DAMAR VARNISH. Many think that white Damar varnish 
 can be used over white, and so it may, if the work is not 
 to be exposed to the weather or to be handled frequently, 
 but it is poor stuff, at best, and should be discarded from 
 all ordinary painting. Any first-class carriage finishing 
 varnish is excellent for covering white as described above. 
 
 After the coating of white " color-and-varnish " -is dry, 
 it should be rubbed to an egg-shell gloss, and perfectly 
 smooth with pulverized pumice-stone and water a pro- 
 cess which will be fully explained under its proper head. 
 (See page .) 
 
 PAINT THAT KUBS OFF OR "CHALKS." We frequently 
 see white paint on the exterior of buildings, on wagons, 
 and other things, which can be easily rubbed off in fine 
 dust, and were we in ignorance of the cause we might 
 experience a feeling of surprise. One of the causes ifl 
 loss of oil. The wood being porous, absorbs or draws in 
 the oil, leaving the white-lead on the surface without suffi- 
 cient binding quality IT our rambles, gentle reader, 
 
8 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 through these pages, we shall see further on how this 
 difficulty may be overcome. 
 
 WHITE-LEAD, #s before said, forms the basis for all tints 
 of color, when a pigment is mixed with it, as will be seen 
 in the following list: 
 
 How TINTS AKE FORMED WITH WHITE. 
 
 STRAW COLOR. Add chrome yellow to white-lead. 
 
 SILVER-GRAY. Add lampblack and indigo. 
 
 ROSE COLOR OR PINK. Add carmine or lake. 
 
 PEA-GREEN. Add chrome green. 
 
 LEAD COLOR. Add lampblack. 
 
 WOOD COLOR. Add raw umber. 
 
 DRAB COLOR. Add burnt umber. 
 
 SALMON COLOR. Add umber, red and yellow. 
 
 PEARL COLOR. Add blue and black. 
 
 CREAM COLOR. Add yellow and red. 
 
 Each of these will be considered hereafter, so that 
 any one may procure the ingredients and mix them in 
 proper proportions. The amateur will find in mixing 
 paint, that a pigment and oil alone will not work as well 
 as when there is a dryer (brown japan) mixed with it; the 
 oil having a tendency to run away from the pigment and 
 produce streaked work. This is particularly noticeable 
 with lampblack. 
 
 BROWN JAPAN AS A DRYER. A small quantity of a liquid 
 dryer say one gijl of brown japan to a quart of paint-? 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 9 
 
 will prevent tbe trouble. Paint which has run, as spoken 
 of, and is not yet dry, may be made quite perfect by rub- 
 bing the brush over it, filled with a little- japan and tur- 
 pentine. 
 
 There is one pigment, and but one, which is prevented 
 from running by the simple use of water, and that is 
 ultramarine blue. 
 
 The use of oil in paint, except in a very few cases, 
 should be confined to outdoor work entirely. There is no 
 good reason for indoor paint being mixed with anything 
 so durable, for, as before mentioned, the desired dura- 
 bility can be imparted by coats of varnish. 
 
 BLACK for ordinary work may be made of lampblack, 
 which is simply the soot from burning oils or vegetable 
 substances, and not only is it an impalpable powder, but 
 being pure carbon it is unaffected by the elements, and 
 therefore the most durable of all pigments. 
 
 LAMPBLACK does not possess the jet color of Ivory 
 Black or bone black, but it serves a very good purpose, if 
 those colors are not brought in close contact with it. It 
 may be mixed with linseed oil, but being of a greasy na- 
 ture it does not dry well when so mixed, and it is best, in 
 most cases, to use brown japan, or carriage rubbing var- 
 nish and turpentine in mixing ; see chapter on mixing 
 paint Lamublack (dry) costs about eight cents per 
 pound. 
 
 RED. There are several red pigments which may l>e 
 1* 
 
10 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 used without grinding. The first and brightest being 
 Vermilion, of which there are several kinds. 
 
 ENGLISH VERMILION is used on carriages, and for any fine 
 work, while American vermilion is suitable for wagons, 
 farm implements, etc. 
 
 COLOR FOR FARM TOOLS AND WAGONS. 
 
 INDIAN RED is an excellent dark red color, and is suit- 
 able for wagons and machinery or farm tools. 
 
 COLOR FOR BRICKWORK AND OUTBUILDINGS. 
 
 VENETIAN RED is a red ochre or earth, suitable for any 
 common work, or for brickwork and outbuildings. 
 
 COLOR FOR IRONWORK. 
 
 RED-LEAD is a bi-product in the manufacture of white- 
 lead, and an excellent pigment for ironwork. Either of 
 these reds may be mixed with oil, japan, or varnish and 
 turpentine without grinding. 
 
 COLOR FOR MACHINERY OR HOUSEHOLD AND FARM 
 IMPLEMENTS. 
 
 GREEN. All green pigments may be mixed and used 
 direct, except on fine work. The most useful green is 
 Chrome Green, of which there are three grades, the light 
 medium and deep. This color is well adapted for ma- 
 chinery, or for household and farm implements. 
 
EVERYBODY 8 PAINT BOOK. 11 
 
 YELLOW. Chrome yellow comes in several shades, viz, 
 light, medium, deep, lemon, orange, etc. It may be mixe d 
 without grinding, but it is bes*. when having passed 
 through the mill 
 
 ULTRAMARINE BLUE is considered the best in the list of 
 blues, and almost any shade can be made by simply alter- 
 ing the ground over which it is put, for it is a transparent 
 color, and is generally put upon a blue ground formed of 
 Prussian blue; but Prussian blue is a hard pigment, and 
 must be ground in a mill, or on a marble slab. 
 
 There are several other pigments which may be mixed 
 without grinding, but all of these will be mentioned ID 
 their propel places. 
 
CHAPTEK HL 
 
 THE TOOLS REQUIRED IN PAINTING. 
 
 IT is not necessary to give a full list of the brushes 
 used by the painter, for they are numerous, and only a 
 few are required for ordinary work. A brush may be 
 kept in good order for a year or more, and again be 
 ruined in a very short time, for if once the paint or var- 
 nish is allowed to dry hard in the bristles or hairs, it will 
 be a poor tool ever after. Many believe that they can 
 wash the paint from a brush, dry it, and have it as good 
 as new, but it is a fallacy. No brush washed with soap 
 and water will have the same elasticity as before, and if 
 it droops like a wet rag, in handling, good work can not 
 be done. For painting around the house or on the farm, 
 there is no necessity for the purchase of such fine brushes 
 as a professional requires, and those only will be described 
 which will be found serviceable and inexpensive. 
 
 For. certain kinds of work, as, for example, to paint the 
 outside of a building, or fence, a large-sized bristle brush 
 and possibly a small " tool " will be needed. If it be a 
 large job, that is, should there.be a prospect of your 
 using the tools for some time, it would be better to " get 
 (12) 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 13 
 
 good oiies," for they are the cheapest in the long run. If, 
 however, the job you have in hand is a short one, you 
 will find brushes in the stores that will serve your pur- 
 pose, and can then be cast aside, for a trifling sum. 
 
 A brush for such work is designated by the brush- 
 mflker according to its size: as 1 naught, 2 naught, '6 
 naught, etc. ; the 4 or 5 naught sizes being about the re 
 quired one, costing from $2.12^ to $2.50 each. 
 
 The small brush or "sash-tool" may be, say, No. 4, 
 costing from fifteen cents to twenty-five cents. 
 
 The brushes suitable for such work as will be described 
 in this book only will be noticed, for to give an illustra- 
 tion and description of all the tools used by the artist or 
 the painter would swell this volume to twice the size con- 
 templated. 
 
 The selection of a brush requires great care, for a poor 
 brush is one of the most useless things one can think of. 
 It not only spoils the work, but causes the loss of much 
 material, excites the temper of the user, and is virtually 
 so much money thrown away. It is our purpose at this 
 point to describe the proper kind of brush to buy to in- 
 sure satisfactory work 
 
 HOWS AM ORDINARY PAINT BBOML 
 
 The ordinary paint brush used by painters, for 
 outside or inside work, is shown in Fig 1. 
 
n 
 
 EVERYBODY'S PALNT BOOK. 
 
 It w made either from selected Russia bristles or uith 
 gray centre and fine white bristles, the former being most 
 expensive and a far better brush ; but for common work 
 the gray centre brush will answer every purpose. They 
 are bound with wire, and the prices range according to 
 
 Fig. 2 SHOWS CHEAP BRUSH BOUND WITH TWINE. 
 
 size from No. 6 down to (naught), and from 'J (one 
 naught) up to 0000 0000 (eight naughts). A four-naught 
 brush, costing about $2.00, is about the size for general 
 work. 
 
 Brushes bound with twine, as shown in Fig. 2, are 
 cheaper, and suitable for painting outbuildings, fences 
 and work of that kind. The cost is about $1.00 for .a 0000 
 brush. 
 
 3 REPRESENT? A SASH ToOl,. 
 
 A sash tool, or small brush, shaped like that shown in 
 Fig. 3, is necessary in all cases for cleaning up around 
 corners, or for doing work where it is impracticable to use 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 15 
 
 the large brush. These are bound with twine, and cost 
 from 15 cts. to $1.00 ; the size No. 6 being most useful, 
 costing perhaps 25 cts. 
 
 Flat paint brushes are preferred by some (see Fig. 4) 
 These are " chiselled," or ground off on the sides to fonr. 
 a thin edge. They make excellent varnish brushes, and 
 much of the work spoken of in subsequent chapters may 
 be well done if such a brush is used. They are graded in 
 
 Fig. 5 SHOWS AN OVAL VARNISH BRUSH. 
 
 size by their width as one inch, two inches, etc. a 2^-inch 
 brash being large eiough for most work, costing from 50 
 to 75 eta each. 
 
16 
 
 EVEKYBODY'IS PAINT BOOK. 
 
 The oval varnish brush (Fig. 5) is made of fine French 
 bristles, and in the hands of a professional will last a long 
 time on best work. We have known a brush of this de- 
 scription to be in daily use for three years; but where they 
 
 Fig. 6. ROUND OR FLATTENED B :I-'ILE I.BUSH. 
 
 are used only a little they can not be expected to last so 
 long, for they would not in such cases have the same care 
 given them. The 0000 brush is a good size for general 
 work 
 
 A good brush for fine and small work is the bristle 
 brush, round or flattened, as shown in Fig. 6. It may 
 be used for painting, or as a companion to the oval bruslt 
 just spoken of to clean up around co-ncrs, etc. 
 
 Fig. 7. A CAMKL'a-HAiB BKUSH. 
 
 For fine color, such as ivory black, green, red, etc., a 
 eamel's-hair brush is best. (See Fig. 7). These are made 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 17 
 
 of camel's hair, bound in tin, and well fastened with 
 rivets. They lav the paint very evenly and smooth, but 
 wo too soft for varnish 
 
 Pig. 8. CAMEL'S-HAIR BRUSH IN FLATTENED FERBCLK. 
 
 For small work a brush shaped as shown in Fig. 8 will 
 be found excellent. They are made of camel's hair, 
 bound in a flattened round tin ferrule, and are not expen- 
 sive. 
 
 Striping pencils are shown in Fig. 9. These are made 
 of black sable hair, camel's hair, ox hair, and fine bristles, 
 
 Fig. 9 SHOWS THREE SIZES OP STRIPING PENCILS. 
 
 bound in quills or in tin ferrules. The best ar* of sable 
 hair, with the hair from If to 2 inches in length. Camel's- 
 hair pencils will answer most purposes, and they are quite 
 inexpensive, generally selling for from 5 cts. to 25 eta 
 <iach, according to size. 
 
is 
 
 EVERYBODY'S I-AINT BOOK. 
 
 Lettering pencils are made in a similar manner, but the 
 hairs are much shorter. Fig. 10 will give a general idea 
 of their appearance. They are fitted to wooden handles, 
 which may be purchased separately. 
 
 The hairs of a lettering pencil should not be over one 
 inch long, and many prefer them even shorter. Black 
 sable-hair pencils are best, and expensive, owing to the 
 
 Fig. 10 SHOWS THREE SIZE* OF LETTE 
 
 scarcity of the hair from which they are made, which 
 comes from the tip of the tail of the Russian brown sable, 
 an animal of the weasel family. 
 
 Ox-hair pencils are now extensively used by manufac- 
 turers of cheap furniture, and to some extent for other 
 purposes. As the sales are constantly increasing, it is fair 
 to suppose that they are giving satisfaction. But for fine 
 carriage work they are rather too stiff and unyielding. 
 
 The lettering pencil is used for laying size, or color in 
 scrolling ; but for shading a scroll, a pencil with shorter 
 hair is preferred. 
 
 SELECTING PENCILS. 
 
 Many people even professional painters when choos- 
 ing pencils of camel's hair or sable, put them in the mouth 
 
19 
 
 and draw them between the lips to judge of the shape 01 
 point ; but this is a very injurious proceeding, for the 
 warm spittle causes the hairs to crinkle and " crook up," 
 in many cases spoiling the pencil. To choose a pencil, 
 press the dry hair between the thumb and finger to flattc-n 
 the pencil, then draw it downward, holding it up to tlu 
 light meanwhile. You will find the hairs of a good pointed 
 pencil to be of nearly uniform length, gradually thinned 
 down, until a square end is formed ; but if the hairs ap- 
 pear ragged, as if broken off no two of a length reject 
 it as a poor tool. 
 
 The ends of striping or lettering pencils should never be 
 cut across to square them, for the blunt end thus made 
 makes a poor end, and good work can never be done 
 with such a tooL 
 
 THE CAKE OF PENCILS. 
 
 All pencils, either of hair or bristles, should be well 
 rinsed, after use, in turpentine, and then well greased 
 with a mixture of sweet oil and tallow to prevent them 
 from drying hard ; after which they should be put away 
 in a covered box, out of the way of dust. 
 
 If by any means a pencil becomes crinkled or crooked, 
 it may be made straight by simply greasing the hair, and 
 then drawing it between the finger and a warm iron sev- 
 eral times. 
 
 To soften a sable or camel's-hair pencil when it nas 
 
20 
 
 been allowed to dry up hard with paint, put some turpen 
 tine into a shallow dish and set it on fire. Let it burn 
 for a minute until hot, then smother the flame and work 
 the pencil between the fingers, dipping it frequently into 
 the hot spirits, which will soften and remove the paint. 
 
 To make a striping pencil shorter, without unfitting ii 
 for its original use, take a piece of writing paper, about 
 three-fourths of an inch wide, and wrap it around the pen 
 oil in the same way as in making a lamp-lighter, leaving 
 the lower end rather loose, the upper end tied. By this 
 method a pencil may be made as short as desired ; and 
 
 Fig. 11. BUOAD STRIPING PKNCIL. 
 
 when you are done using in this form, remove the wrap- 
 per and grease the pencil before putting it away, and it 
 will be as good a striping pencil as ever. 
 
 To make a broad stripe where the pencil is not large 
 enough, tie two or three pencils together, using splints of 
 wood to fill the space between the quills. It does not al- 
 ways pay to buy a broad pencil, such as shown in Fig. 1 1 , 
 for only one job, and by joining two or three as described 
 a pencil may be made to suit the work and then be sepa- 
 rated as before. 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 21 
 
 A painter's duster (Fig. 12) is a very useful tooL A 
 paint brush should not be used for dusting off work, foi 
 if used dry they quickly go to pieces, while an inexpen- 
 sive duster will last a long time. 
 
 Having given a general idea of the brushes best adapt- 
 ed for the class of work treated upon in these pages, the 
 manner of preserving them when not in use will next bt 
 described. All paint brushes should be kept suspended 
 in water. Take a small tub and drive long nails through 
 
 Fig. 12. A PAINTER'S DUSTKR. 
 
 the staves, near the top ; then bore a hole with a gimlet 
 or small bit in the handle of the brush, and suspend the 
 brush on a nail in the tub (see Fig. 13) with the bristles 
 or hairs a few inches from the bottom. Put water in the 
 tub until it just covers the hairs, not the binding. The 
 water will prevent the paint in the brushes from drying, 
 and with a little care brushes may be preserved for a 
 long time. 
 
 Another plan is to have a tin box with a cover to it, the 
 brushes being suspended upon a wire running through s 
 hole in the handle, just so that the liquid in which the 
 
22 
 
 EVKRVBODTS PAINT BOOK. 
 
 brush hangs shall come a very little above t~e tin Rinding 
 of the brash. '(See Fig. 14). 
 
 It may be well enough, where varnish brushes are used 
 for common work or farm implements, to keep tl^sm sus- 
 pended in raw linseed oil, but no fine varnishin can be 
 done with brushes preserved in that manner. 
 
 A varnish brush should never be put in wate. Water 
 
 Fig. 13. DKTICE FOR PRESERVING 
 PAINT BRUSHES. 
 
 Fig. 14. ANOTHER METHOD OJT PRB 
 SERVING BRUSHES. 
 
 causes the varnish remaining in the brush to turn white 
 and form little white scales which are detrimental to clean 
 varnishing, and when once in a brush it is next to impos- 
 sible to remove them. The carriage varnisher would make 
 sorry work of it if his brushes were taken from a bath of 
 oil when about to varnish a coach body. "Pitting" (small 
 holes in the surface like honeycomb), enamelling, and a 
 dozen other troubles arise from having oil, turpentine. 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 23 
 
 or water come in contact with the brushes used for var- 
 nishing. 
 
 To PRESEKVE VARNISH BRUSHES. 
 
 The usual method of keeping a varnish brush is to sus- 
 pend it in varnish by a wire running through a hole in 
 the handle (as shown in the engraving, Fig. 14) within a 
 tight-covered tin box, so suspended that the varnish in 
 which it hangs comes just above the binding, all the hairs 
 being covered. The same varnish as that in which the 
 brush is commonly used is considered the best for the 
 purpose, so that no foreign substance will be incorporated 
 with that put upon the work. There are several good 
 brush-keepers in market, and these are quite inexpensive, 
 while some varnish-makers supply them gratis to their 
 customers. 
 
 Varnish brushes should never be rinsed in oil or tur- 
 pentine ; but if by accident they get dirty, work them out 
 on .a clean board or- painted surface. If the brush has 
 become dirty by an unlucky fall to the floor, hold it at an 
 angle toward the floor, in such a manner that when tur- 
 pentine is poured upon it the spirits will not run up into 
 the hilt of the brush, but will flow off, carrying with it the 
 greater part of the dirt. After rinsing in this manner, 
 strike the tin binding several sharp raps upon some hard 
 substance, when the recoil or spring of the hair will cleanse 
 the brush ot turpentine ; then rinse in varnish. In mak 
 
2i EVERYBODY S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 ing a ho e in the handle care should be taken not to per- 
 forate the tin binding, for by so doing there is a liability 
 that varnish will be admitted to the cement and soften it, 
 causing the hairs to fall out. 
 
 To BRIDLE A BRUSH. 
 Nearly all the brushes used for plain painting requiie 
 
 Fig. 15. SHOWING A BRIDLED BRUSH. 
 
 an extra binding or "bridle ": that is, the extra binding is 
 extended out over the bristles, about one-half their length, 
 in order to prevent them from spreading as wide as they 
 would otherwise. There are several ways of putting on 
 this bridle. One is to wrap a short cord around as far as 
 desired (see Fig. 15), and then secure it to the handle ; 
 but a better way is to take a piece of muslin just large 
 
 Fig. 16. SHOWING ANOTHER METHOD OF BRIDLING A BRUSH. 
 
 enough to go around the brush, and wrapping it around, 
 tie it at the place where the binding is to come, then tiun 
 it- back toward the handle as you would turn a coat-sleevt 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 25 
 
 or stocking, and fasten all securely by tying a cord around 
 the handle. Cut off the sui-plus muslin, and a neater 
 binding could not be desired. (See Fig. 16.) 
 
 There are several patent brush-binders in market which 
 serve a very good purpose some of rubber, others of 
 metal, but the muslin plan appears to be best ; and when 
 the brush is -worn down too short, the extra binding can 
 be removed, and you will have a brush as good as new 
 again. 
 
 How TO HANDLE A BRUSH. 
 
 There are but few outside of professionals who fully 
 understand how to manipulate a paint-brush, so as to make 
 smooth work with ease. 
 
 Some grasp the handle in an awkward manner, and with 
 a stiff wrist and long movement of the whole arm make 
 what they think is the correct motion for spreading the 
 paint; or perhaps they bear too lightly upon the bristles, 
 and instead of producing a smooth coating, they " rag " 
 and roll the paint up in streaks and patches. 
 
 We illustrate in the accompanying engravings, Figs. 17 
 and 18, first, the manner of grasping a large, round paint 
 brush, and passing it over a perpendicular piece of work 
 from top to bottom ; and, secondly, from the bottom up- 
 ward. It will be noticed that the hand is partly turned 
 in moving upward, and the principal movement is in the 
 wrist 
 
 The wrist must not be Leld rigid, but be allowed all the 
 
EVERYBODY 8 PAINT BOOK. 
 
 freedom possible; then, when the knack is once acquired, 
 a good job of brushing can be done with the greatest 
 
 Paint should not be put on too sparingly nor too plenti- 
 fully ; a medium quantity laid and smoothed over nicely 
 is all that is required. A uniform coating should be 
 made, not daubs of material in one place and very little 
 in another, neither should the paint be worked after it has 
 
 Fig. 17. SHOWING PROPER MANNER or HOLDING THE BRUSH FOR THE DOWN 
 
 STROKE IN PERPENDICULAR WORK. 
 
 begun to "set" or harden, otherwise it will be streaked 
 or show brush-marks. 
 
 The brush being dipped and filled with paint, it 
 should be gently struck against the inner side of the 
 tub to prevent the paint from running in streams from 
 it when about to put it on the work, and the pot should 
 be kept well wiped down upon its sHes. 
 
EVERYBODY S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 27 
 
 Always brush the work with the grain of the wood ii 
 possible, or the longest way of the part or panel, using 
 the largest brush for wide parts, and finishing up around 
 moldings in corners or on small parts with the sash-tool 
 or small brush. The small brush is held in a very similar 
 way to the holding of a pen, i. e., between the thumb and 
 
 Ftg. 18. SHOWING PROPER MANNER op HOLDING THE BRUSH FOR THE UP 
 
 STROKE IN PERPENDICULAR WORK. 
 
 fingers, but the large brush could not well be handled in 
 that manner. 
 
 Care should be taken to make as few laps as possible, 
 and a panel or other part should be completed before 
 another part is begun. 
 
 In painting ceilings, wainscoting, and woodwork where 
 there are cracks to form a boundary, this should be taken 
 advantage of, for then 10 laps will be made. 
 
28 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 Tho varnish brush should be held as shown in Fig. 19, 
 but varnish is laid on far more plentifully than paint, and 
 must be worked less. 
 
 In painting a wagon gear, wheels, etc., it will be best 
 to grasp the brush at the binding with the thumb and 
 
 Fig. 19. SHOWING PROFKU METHOD OF HOLDING THE VARNISH BRC 
 
 fingers, so as to have a better command over it. By a lit- 
 tle practice and a careful study of the engravings, one 
 may soon become familiar with the best method of hold- 
 ing a brush. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 PAINTING FARM IMPLEMENTS, ETC. 
 
 THE mower, reaper, harrow, plows, and hay-rakes of a 
 farm should be kept well painted to preserve them from 
 decay, and in this chapter it is proposed to disabuse the 
 mind of the expense attached thereto, as well as to give 
 directions how such work may be done. 
 
 GREEN is the most fashionable color for such tools, and 
 we will tell you how to apply that first. Procure, say, two 
 pounds of chrome green, medium shade (dry), costing 
 about twenty cents per pound. Mix it to a thick, mush- 
 like consistency with carriage-rubbing varnish ; then thin 
 the mixture with turpentine just sufficient to have it work 
 well with the brush. Do not make it too thin or the bind 
 ing of varnish will be killed and the paint may be easily 
 rubbed off when dry. A good plan is to test the paint on 
 a piece of board, and add varnish or turpentine until it 
 dries with a slight gloss not too dead. 
 
 Green paint may be purchased ready mixed in either 
 oil or japan, but I advise the use of dry color prepared as 
 above directed, as it is less expensive and generally gives 
 better satisfaction. 
 
BROWN is a very good color for farm implements, and is 
 made by mixing a little lampblack with Indian red. 
 Lampblack costs from three to ten cents a pound, and 
 Indian red about twenty cents per pound (dry colors). 
 It is generally best to mix tlie colors separately, then add 
 the black to the red in small quantities until the desired 
 shade is obtained, using carriage-rubbing varnish and tur- 
 pentine as with the green. 
 
 BLUE is made with ultramarine blue and white-lead. 
 Ultramarine usually costs about fifty cents per pound, 
 but it is light, and a pound will cover a large extent of 
 surface. Prussian blue is less expensive, but unless pur- 
 chased ready mixed it will have to be ground in a mill, 
 and it will be better for those having no mill to use the 
 ultramarine. 
 
 In order to give the reader a fair idea of the colors 
 which can be used on the work under consideration as 
 well as on most other work, a list with the average price 
 per pound of colors ground in japan, and wliich require 
 Dimply a thinning with turpentine to make them wori 
 uicely under the brush is given below: 
 
 LIST OF COLORS GROUND K JAPAN, WITH PRICES PER POUND 
 
 PRUSSIAN BLUE, . . . . . $1.20 
 
 ULTBAMABINE, . . . 1.00 
 
 CHROME GREEN, . .65 
 
 MTLORI GREEN, . 1.05 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 31 
 
 TUSCAN BED, . ... .70 
 
 AMERICAN VERMILION, .... .50 
 UMBER, Baw and Burnt, . . . .37 
 SIENNA, " " ... .35 
 
 CHROME YELLOW, .50 
 
 GOLDEN OCHRE, ..... .45 
 
 VENETIAN KED, 12 
 
 PARIS GREEN, 30 
 
 FRENCH OCHRE, 18 
 
 LAMPBLACK, 25 
 
 IVORY BLACK, ..... .50 
 
 CLEANING BEFORE PAINTING. 
 
 In painting farm implements care should be taken to 
 thoroughly clean every part from dirt, scrape off any 
 loose paint with an old knife, and rub each part well 
 with No. 2 sand-paper. Then, after a good dusting off, 
 begin the painting, laying the paint evenly and with no 
 more brushing than just sufficient to cover the surface. 
 Many people think that it is necessary to apply but a 
 trifling amount of paint, and then to rub it well in with 
 the brush, but that is not the proper way. Apply the 
 paint freely and level it down (this rule applies to any kind 
 of pairing), after which apply a coat of medium qualitj 
 carriage-finishing varnish. 
 
32 *TKBYBODY'8 PAINT BOOK. 
 
 To PAINT A BUSINESS WAOON. 
 
 The painting of a wagon is a more particular job than 
 the painting of farm implements, for a wagon to be well 
 done must be varnished, although it is best to varnish 
 anything which is painted with " quick color," i. e., the 
 paint described above, for durability can only be se- 
 cured by varnishing. 
 
 To paint a wagon, first place a barrel or other support 
 under each axle, so that the wheels may be free to turn ; 
 then take off the wheels and set them aside, while the 
 running parts and body are being prepared by sand-pa- 
 pering sufficient to thoroughly clean them with No. 2 
 sand-paper. This part of the work should not be neg- 
 lected, for the better the first cleaning, the better the 
 painting will be. 
 
 The body and running part being well sand-papered, 
 put on the wheels and give them a good rubbing with 
 sand-paper; clean off all grease which may be on them 
 with benzine or turpentine ; and it is an excellent plan 
 where shellac varnish is at hand to coat over the hubs 
 and such other parts where grease has been, with that be- 
 fore painting. It dries quickly, and prevents all trouble 
 from the grease working through the paint A thorough 
 dusting now brings the work up to the painting. 
 
 The colors best adapted for wagons are as follows: 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 88 
 
 COLORS FOB PAINTING WAGONS. 
 
 BODY Green, . . GEARS Yellow or Bed. 
 " Brown, . . " Vermilion. 
 " Bed, ... " Cream-color. 
 " Olive Green, " Indian Bed. 
 " Indian Bed, " Yellow or Cream-color. 
 
 " Black, . . " Bed or Brown. 
 
 To make the paint for such work there should be a small 
 quantity of raw linseed oil added to cause the color to spread 
 nicely, but too much oil will be found worse than none at 
 all, and its use is restricted to no more than a gill of oil 
 to a quart of paint Carriage-rubbing varnish or brown 
 japan and turpentine are the principal vehicles employed, 
 and the paint may be mixed as heretofore directed for 
 farm implements. 
 
 Begin the work by painting the body, the wheels hav- 
 ing been removed, after which the axle-beds, bars, reach, 
 etc., and lastly the wheels. Let the job stand until the 
 next day to dry. It is perhaps needless to remark that 
 the work should be done under cover, and in a place as 
 free as possible from dust. 
 
 Now, with putty made by mixing some dry pigment 
 (as near the color used as possible) with brown japan to 
 a stiff dough, putty up every imperfection, such as chipped- 
 off spots, cracks, and dents, using a square-ended putty 
 knife. Smooth down and level over all such places ir 
 2* 
 
34 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOE.. 
 
 both body and gears, and let the putty dry. After the 
 putty is well dried, rub all the putty spo's over to smooth 
 them, with No. 2 sand-paper, and apply the second or fin- 
 ishing coat of paint, mixed as before. Let the second 
 coat dry well, which it will do in from eighteen to twenty- 
 four hours. Then take some carriage-rubbing varnish in 
 a cup, and add to it a little of the paint as used on the 
 body, and in another cup of varnish add a little of the 
 paint as used on the gears. This forms what has before 
 been described as " color-and-varnish," and it should be 
 applied in the same manner as clear varnish, i. e., with a 
 varnish brush. 
 
 A coat of " color-and-varnish " over the paint prepares it 
 for striping, lettering, or ornamenting, if these are de- 
 sired.* 
 
 The striping, etc., being done, a coat of varnish wiV 
 complete the work (see Chapter on varnishing). 
 
 * " The Complete Carriage and Wagon Painter," price $1, M. T 
 Richardson, publisher, New York, gives full details for striping 
 lettering and ornamenting. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 MIXING AND APPLYING COLORS. 
 
 HAVING mentioned most of the pigments, the vehicles 
 for mixing paint, and the tools necessary for plain paint- 
 ing, directions will now be given for making the various 
 colors and applying them. It should be understood, how- 
 ever, that no definite rule can be laid down regarding the 
 quantity of any one pigment to be added to another to 
 form a certain color, for the strength of pigments varies 
 greatly, and what might answer well in one case would 
 not do at all in another. 
 
 The eye of the paint-mixer must be the judge, and it is 
 always best to add one ingredient to another in very small 
 quantities until the desired shade of color is reached. 
 The formulas here given will serve as a good general 
 guide, and any one may, after a little experience, learn to 
 change the proportions to suit either the strength of the 
 pigments, or his own taste. 
 
 BBOWN is described in scientific works as "a warm, 
 broken color, of which yellow is a principal constituent "; 
 and under this classification we find Umber, Sienna, ami 
 
 several other earthy pigments ; but the color called brown 
 
 (35) 
 
00 E\^<YBODY8 PA TNT BOOK. 
 
 by the majority of people, is virtually a dark re.l. If a 
 red pigment, say Indian red, Tuscan red, Venetian red, 
 Vermilion, etc., be added to black (either lampblack or 
 ivory black), the result will be what is generally known as 
 brown ; and as this volume is intended more particularly 
 for the use of those who are not professionals, and conse- 
 quently not expeiis in the " tone " of a color, it will, per- 
 haps, suffice to say, that to make a nice brown, take of 
 Indian red a sufficient quantity (ssy a half pound, for it is 
 a very strong-bodied color), mix it to a cream-like con- 
 sistency with brown japan, and stir all well togethei. 
 Next, take a half pound of lampblack and mix that with 
 brown japan in the same manner. Now add the black to 
 the red in small quantities, stirring it briskly meanwhile, 
 until the shade of brown suits the eye. 
 
 The more black that is added the darker the brown will 
 be, and vice versa. When the proper color is obtained, 
 add turpentine to the mixture until it is of a consistency 
 to be easily spread with the brush. This paint will dry 
 hard in half an hour, and will be " dead"; that is, have 
 no lustre, and it should be varnished over with carriage- 
 rubbing varnish to bring out its beauty. 
 
 This brown paint is suitable only for inside ivork, unless 
 two or more coats of varnish are put over it ; but to make 
 it durable on work to be exposed to the weather, and then 
 to be varnished with but one coat, add to the mixture 
 one gill of raw Unseed oil to each pint of paint. 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 37 
 
 BEST PAINT FOR ORDINARY HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE. 
 
 For household goods such as chairs, tables, or other 
 furniture, the paint described above cannot be excelled, as 
 it has the appearance of hard wood ; but if a more elabor- 
 ate job is desired, proceed as follows : 
 
 After the " dead " color has been applied and is dry, 
 take a piece of sponge or 9, rag, and dipping it into the 
 black paint, lightly touch it here and there, to make a sort 
 ( f grain or dark spots as seen in rosewood. Then, after 
 all is dry, varnish over it with No. 1 Furniture Varnish. 
 A still richer effect may be given to furniture as follows : 
 
 IMITATION OF ROSEWOOD FOR FURNITURE. 
 
 Paint the work with a light shade of brown (that is, 
 don't add so much black), grain rt*\&h the sponge dipped 
 in black ; then, instead of applying clear varnish, add to 
 the varnish just enough carmine or lake (ground in japan) 
 to color the same, and apply it the same as if it was clear 
 varnish. This "glazing" being transparent, docs not 
 solidly cover the groundwork, and the result will be a rery 
 f;iir imitation of rosewood. 
 
 PAINT FOR FLOWER-STANDS. 
 
 Many entertain the idea that a flower-stand should be 
 painted green, but those who have used .brown instead, 
 have generally been pleased with the result. Bright 
 g-veen will cause many plants to present a dull and lifelesa 
 
38 EVERYBODY'S TAINT BOOK. 
 
 appearance, while the brown color brings out in pleasing 
 contrast the green foliage of the plants. 
 
 WASH-TUBS, PLOWS, RAKES, ETC. 
 
 Wash-tubs and many other useful household fixtures 
 are improved in appearance by this same brown color, 
 and upon all such work the " quick-drying " or " dead " 
 color should be put, and then it should be varnished with 
 carriage-rubbing varnish. 
 
 For plows, rakes, and other farm implements, the oily 
 color, as previously described, should be used, for they are 
 to be exposed to the weather, and unless several coats of 
 varnish is applied, the paint would soon wear off. 
 
 BROWN PAINT FOR FLOORS. 
 
 BROWN for floors may be made to wear well by simply 
 adding a little No. 1 Furniture Varnish (say in the pro- 
 portion of one quart of varnish to three quarts of paint) to 
 the " dead" color previously described (not the oily color), 
 for oily paint on a floor is sure to scratch easily, and nib 
 off. 
 
 GREEN comes next in order, and it may be used on many 
 household fixtures in preference to brown, as well as on 
 farm implements and machinery. 
 
 CHROME GREEN, as purchased in the dry state, will give 
 an excellent shade for ordinary work. There are three 
 shades of chrome green, namely: light, medium, and deep; 
 
KTERTBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 39 
 
 and the purchaser should look well to it that he gets the 
 proper shade. Chrome green may be mixed in the same 
 manner as in the instructions given for brown, i. e., with 
 japan as a base, and then thin with turpentine. If for 
 outside work add a gill of raw linseed oil to each pint of 
 paint 
 
 MILORI GREEN is a very handsome bluish shade of 
 green, and this may be purchased dry, or ground in japan. 
 The latter is best, for the superior grinding given the 
 paint by the paint manufacturer causes it to spread nicel} 
 and to be free from all grit. 
 
 GREEN may be made by mixing chrome yellow and 
 Prussian blue. The two colors should first be ground or 
 mixed separate, and then added together until the proper 
 shade of green is obtained. Prussian blue must be 
 ground, for it comes in hard lumps from the manufactur- 
 ers. The use of ready-ground blue is therefore recom- 
 mended. The yellow may be crushed fine, but it will also 
 be better for the purpose if ground in a mill. 
 
 COMMON GREEN may be made by mixing chrome yellow 
 and black. In making a green by the use of yellow and 
 blue, the yellow should be as free from red, or orange, as 
 possible, and therefore lemon yellow will be found best 
 
 OLIVE GREEN is made with chrome yellow, black and 
 red. For a cheap olive green, take yellow ochre, lamp- 
 black, and Venetian red. For a rich color, use orang 
 chrome yellow, Prussian blue, and vermilion. 
 
AO EVERYBC JY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 GREEN AND LEATHER COLOK FOB FARM IMPLEMENTS. 
 
 For farm implements or machinery, a bright green is 
 an excellent color; the nuts and bolt-heads being madf 
 black, and the principal panels or large parts striped with 
 gold bronze or its imitation, i. e., yellow and white mixed 
 to the proper shade. A perfect gold color is made with 
 white-lead and orange chrome yellow, tinted with blue 
 and red. 
 
 A very neat and fashionable color, known as Le Cuir or 
 leather color, is extensively used on farm wagons and im- 
 plements. It is made by mixing two pails of Burnt 
 Sienna with one part Burnt Umber, and tinting it with 
 white. The Umber and Sienna are mixed together and 
 " wet up " with brown japan to a thick paint-like consist- 
 ency, then white-lead is added to bring about the proper 
 shade. 
 
 VERMILION (English) should be mixed with a quick-dry- 
 ing carriage varnish, and in no case with oil, as the oil 
 tends to darken the color. Japan may be used if it be of 
 a very light color; but the ordinary brown japan will in- 
 jure the purity of the color, and therefore pale carriage 
 varnish is best. When mixed quite thick with varnish, 
 thin with turpentine. 
 
 VERMILION (American) produces the best results when 
 diluted with whiting, for then it works better, and covers 
 more solidly, one coat often being sufficient, where two 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 41 
 
 soats would be necessary if the whiting was not added. 
 To mix American Vermilion for a farm or lumber wagon, 
 mix the dry vermilion with brown japan and raw linseed 
 oil, equal parts, to a mush-like consistency; then thin it 
 with turpentine. Next take one-half the quantity of whit- 
 ing in bulk (not weight) and mix it to a stiff mush with 
 raw linseed oil, and add it to the vermilion. Vermilion 
 being a heavy pigment, settles rapidly to the bottom of 
 the vessel, and also separates from the vehicles with which 
 it is mixed; but the whiting prevents this, and prepared 
 as described, it may be laid as smoothly as any paint 
 
 INDIAN BED FOR FARM WAGONS AND IMPLEMENTS. 
 
 INDIAN RED, or Tuscan Red, one and the same thing, is 
 an excellent paint for wagons and farm implements. It 
 is a dark red, nearly approaching maroon. It may be 
 used without grinding on such work, mixed with brown 
 japan and a little raw oil. 
 
 PIGMENTS WHICH MAY BE USED WITHOUT GRINDING. 
 
 The following list comprises those pigments which may 
 be mixed directly, without the necessity of grinding them 
 in a mill. A good plan, however, will be to strain such 
 paint through coarse muslin or flannel, to take out the 
 lumps if any remain after a good stirring: 
 
42 EVEKI BODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 ALL DRY PIGMENTS. 
 
 VENETIAN BED. VERMILION. 
 
 ULTRAMARINE BLUE. INDIAN RED. 
 
 CHROME GREEN. CHROME YELLOW. 
 
 MTLORI GREEN. UMBER (Burnt and Haw.) 
 
 QUAKER GREEN. SIENNA (Burnt and Raw.) 
 
 LAMPBLACK. YELLOW OCHRE. 
 
 MIXTURES. 
 
 WHITE-LEAD. Mixed and ground in oil 
 
 STONE COLOR. Five parts white-lead, two chrome yel- 
 low, and one burnt umber. 
 
 DRAB COLOR. Add burnt umber to white until the 
 desired shade is reached. 
 
 LILAC COLOR. Tint white-lead with vermilion and ultra- 
 marine blue until suited with the color. 
 
 PURVLE-.COLOR. The same as lilac, using more red and 
 .blue. 
 
 VIOLET COLOR. The same as purple. 
 
 CHESTNUT COLOR. Two parts red, two chrome yellow, 
 and one part black. 
 
 FLESH COLOR. Tint white-lead with yellow and red. 
 
 FAWN COLOR. Tint white-lead with yellow and red, and 
 add a little burnt umber. 
 
 PLUM COLOR, Mix ultramarine blue and vermilion, and 
 add a little white-lead 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 43 
 
 BRONZE GREEN. Add a little umber and black to chrome 
 green. 
 
 OLIVE BROWN. Add a little burnt umber to lemon 
 chrome yellow. 
 
 CREAM COLOR. Tint white-lead with red and yellow. 
 
 LEMON COLOR. Add lemon yellow to white lead. 
 
 COPPER COLOR. Add a little red and black to orange 
 chrome yellow. 
 
 LEAD COLOR. Tint white-lead with a little black and 
 ultramarine blue. 
 
 GRAY COLOR. Tint, white-lead with lampblack. 
 
 FRENCH GRAY. White-lead tinted with black and red. 
 
 OAK COLOR. White-lead colored with yellow ochre. 
 
 BRICK COLOR. Add yellow ochre to Venetian red. 
 
 A list of many more colors might be presented, and 
 can be found in " The Complete Carnage and Wagon 
 Painter ";* but as they require grinding in a paint-mill, it 
 is not deemed necessary to make mention of them here. 
 
 All the above formulas should be carried out by mixing 
 each color separately, then combining them, for if done ID 
 any other manner no definite result will follow. 
 
 * M. T. Richardson, Publisher, New York. 
 
CHAPTER VL 
 To PAINT THE SIDE WALLS OF A ROOM. 
 
 To paiat the side walls of a room is to many a labo- 
 rious and expensive job; but when one is acquainted with 
 the work, it does not seem to be so great a task, and 
 therefore we will endeavor to tell just how to begin and 
 how to finish a wall. 
 
 Supposing the wall to have been kalsomined or white- 
 washed. As much of the old coating as can be removed 
 must first be taken off. Kalsomine can be washed off 
 with water, but whitewash must be scraped with a putty- 
 knife if thick, or sand-papered over with No. 3 sand-paper, 
 if thin. The cracks and holes, if any exist, should be 
 neatly filled with plaster-of-paris, wet with water to a 
 mush-like consistency, and smoothed down. Then, hav- 
 ing dissolved half a pound of glue in a quart of water by 
 boiling, reduce it with water to a water-pail full, and with 
 a kalsomine or whitewash brush, give the wall a good 
 coating of the size thus formed. This will prevent the 
 paint from striking in in spots, and, furthermore, it is an 
 economical proceeding, for less paint will be required 
 (44) 
 
EVERYBODY A PAINT BOOK. 45 
 
 Give the size ample time for drying hard, and meantime 
 get the paint ready. 
 
 Take white-lead ground in oil, and thin it to a working 
 consistency with turpentine, ?'. e., so it will spread easily 
 with the brush; but not too thin. Add one gill of brown 
 japan to every quart of the mixture; stir all well together, 
 and the paint for the first coat is ready. 
 
 The size being dry, begin at one corner of the room, 
 laying on the paint plentifully, and brushing it just suf- 
 ficient to spread it evenly and smooth. If the paint be 
 rubbed too much with the brush, it will show brush-marks 
 and streaks, which should be avoided as much as possible. 
 The best brush for wall painting is the flat bristle brush 
 about four inches in width. (See chapter on Brushes.) 
 Go over every part of the wall carefully, laying on and 
 spreading the paint, until all is done ; then give at least 
 twenty-four hours for drying. 
 
 The second, and finishing coat (for a good job can gen- 
 erally be made with two coats), is now in order, and it is 
 possible that a " tint " is desired. Tints are colors added 
 to white, and to mix them the white-lead should first be 
 thinned to a cream-like consistency with turpentine, and 
 the staining ingredient that is, any desired dry color- 
 should be mixed in a similar manner in a separate vessel 
 Then add the stain little by little to the white until the' 
 tint required is obtained. It must be remembered that 
 some pigments are very strong, and a single drop wilJ 
 
^ EVKKVBODYS I-AI.NT BOOK. 
 
 change the tint, while other pigments being weak, will re- 
 quire a much greater quantity to produce the desired 
 effect 
 
 TINTS FOR A WALL. . 
 The tints best adapted for a wall are : 
 White tinted with Ultramarine blue. Blue. 
 
 " Raw Umber Drab. 
 
 " Chrome Green Green. 
 
 " " " Orange Chrome Cream. 
 
 " " " .. Burnt Sienna Light Buff. 
 
 " Black and Blue Gray. 
 
 Either of these being chosen, mix the paint as directed 
 for the first coat Then add a gill of carriage-rubbing 
 varnish to every quart of the mixture to cause it to dry 
 with an egg-shell gloss, i. e., neither " glossy " nor " dead." 
 Lay the paint on evenly, and the work will be complete. 
 
 To PAINT THE INSIDE WOODWORK OF A DWELLING. 
 
 The woodwork of a dwelling is painted white in the 
 following manner : Take from the keg of white-lead 
 enough to complete the room, and put it in a paint-pot 
 Cover well with turpentine, stir into a thin milk-like con- 
 sistency, and set aside to settle. The white-lead mil set- 
 tle to the bottom, leaving a good share of the turpentine 
 and much of the oil it contained upon the top. Pour the 
 liquid off, and thus you " wash " the oil from the lead. 
 
EYERYBODY'S, PAINT BOOK. 47 
 
 White-lead mixed with oil will, when put upon interiors, 
 turn yellow, particularly if the rooms be darkened, as par- 
 lors usually are, and by washing out the oil much of that 
 trouble is obviated. When the lead is thus prepared, 
 thin it with turpentine, and add, say, a teacupful of any 
 light-colored carriage vamish to each quart of the paint 
 to give it the necessary binding qualities. 
 
 This paint may be put on for all the coatings necessary 
 to cover the ground solidly, although it is a different mix- 
 ture from that used by the professional house-painter. 
 He would use more oil, perhaps, but the method described 
 will give better results than any other way of procedure. 
 
 Some desire a better white than white-lead will pro- 
 duce ; if so, take zinc white instead, and use it in the 
 same manner ; and then, if it is desired to have a glossy 
 surface, mix with the zinc white an equal quantity of 
 white damar varnish (the mixture is then called China 
 gloss),and apply it as the finishing coat, over either the 
 white-lead or zinc white. 
 
 The panels of doors, etc., may be tinted to give a good 
 effect, and by referring to Chapter V. the reader will 
 learn ho'v to mix tints. It is fashionable just now to lay 
 oo a pale French gray to the principal parts of the wood- 
 work, and then make the panels a shade or two darker. 
 
 WHITE FOB EXTERIOR USE. 
 For white work on houses, etc., to be exposed to the 
 
48 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 weather, mix white-lead as it conies from the keg, with 
 either raw or boiled linseed oil, and add brown japan, in 
 the proportion of a pint to a gallon of paint, to cause it 
 to harden welL 
 
 WHITE FOR WAGONS, SLEIGHS, ETC. 
 
 To paint a wagon white, great care must be taken to 
 keep it white from the start, and to be clean in all the 
 operations. The priming should be white-lead mixed 
 with raw oil and a tablespoonful of brown japan to each 
 pint. The rough stuff if any be used should be made 
 of white-lead (dry), one part ; pulverized soapstone, two 
 parts ; ground pumice-stone, one part ; and mix with 
 brown japan and turpentine, equal parts ; then add a 
 gill of raw oil to each pint of paint. 
 
 When the job is rubbed out of rough-stuff (see chapter 
 on Painting Buggies), apply two coats of pure white-lead, 
 washed, as before directed. Follow this with " color-and- 
 varnish " made of keg lead one part, zinc white one part, 
 and grind in rubbing varnish. When that is dry, and has 
 been nicely rubbed with pulverized pumice-stone, apply a 
 second coat of " color-and-varnish " made in the same 
 manner, but substituting a finishing varnish for the rub- 
 bing varnish. When this coat is dry, give the work a 
 gentle rub with pumice-etone and water until a nice egg- 
 shell gloss is obtained ; wash off ; put on the striping 
 lettering, or whatever is desired, and then pencil-varni ?} 
 
EVERYBODYS TAINT BOOK. 
 
 the stripes or letters, leaving the white grpund untouched 
 Tliis will give a beautiful white job, and one far more 
 durable than if varnish was spread over it as with other 
 colors. 
 
 The directions given for brown, green, white, etc., are 
 sufficient to enable the student to use any of the colors 
 which require no grinding ; but the finest colors are made 
 by mixing and grinding them in a paint-mill. If much 
 painting is to be done, that is, fine work, it will be well to 
 either purchase a paint-mill (the prices of which range 
 from $5 to $25), or to use the ready ground colors put up 
 by manufacturers in tin cans, ranging from one-half a 
 pound up 
 
 PREPARED COLORS. 
 
 The prepared colors best adapted for general work are 
 ground fine, mixed in brown japan (not oil), and to make 
 them ready for use it is only necessary to observe the fol- 
 lowing rules : 
 
 Take from the can enough paint to do the job in hand, 
 and stir well in the cup or tub before thinning ; then add 
 a small quantity of turpentine, stirring all the time, and 
 adding little by little until the paint is smooth and uni- 
 formly liquid. Next, add a very little raw linseed oil 
 say two tablespoonfuls to a half-pound of paint ; or, ii 
 preferred, the same quantity of carriage-rubbing varnish 
 may be used in place of the oil. 
 
50 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 Colors of this class should be limpid enough to spread 
 nicely with a camel's-hair brush. The prepared colors are 
 excellent in forming tints, for being ground fine thev 
 readily assimilate with white, and a lesser quantity will bo 
 required. However, where much work is to be done thev 
 are too expensive, as, for example, ultramarine blue (dry) 
 can be bought for 25 cents per pound, the japan neces- 
 sary to make a pound of dry color into paint is worth, say, 
 25 cents, but the price of a pound of prepared ultramarine 
 blue is $1. You can make two pounds of this paint for 
 50 cents. 
 
CHAPTER VH 
 
 CLEANING HOUSE. 
 
 WHEN the time for the annual house-cleaning comes 
 around it frequently becomes necessary to have rooms 
 painted and kalsoniined, and perhaps papered. In the 
 absence of a professional it is often found impossible to 
 have such work properly performed, and even when the 
 professional is present, it may be desirable, from motives 
 of economy, to do the work yourself, provided you know 
 how. 
 
 KENOVATINa THE WALLS AND CEILINGS. 
 
 The first thing that demands attention is the thorough 
 renovation of the walls and ceilings. These may be either 
 painted, kalsomined, or whitewashed. The first being the 
 best and most expensive; the second generally preferable, 
 on account of its ready application and durability of col- 
 or ; the last objectionable, except in the poorer class of 
 rooms, or as a disinfectant. 
 
 PAINTING A PLASTERED WALL. 
 
 The painting of a plastered wall or ceiling calls for 
 some skill in the manipulation of the brush so thai 
 
 (51) 
 
52 EVERYBODY S TAINT BOOK. 
 
 streaks, runs, or heavy flows may not appear. The paint 
 for such work has been fully described in the chapter on 
 Mixing Paint, to which the reader is referred. 
 
 The kalsomining of a wall or ceiling is quite a simple 
 task, notwithstanding the endeavors of professionals tc 
 create the impression that such extreme care and skill are 
 required as to make it impossible for an ordinaiy work- 
 man or workwoman to make a respectable-looking job. 
 
 Kalsomine is simply the name given to a mixture of 
 size and whiting, or other pigment, and this is still fur- 
 ther dignified by the high-sounding title of "Fresco 
 Painting." 
 
 True fresco painting is seldom, if ever, seen in this 
 country. It consists in intimately intermingling coloring 
 substances with the plaster while the latter is still wet. 
 The work is laborious, and requires a great amount of 
 time to execute, as well as a thorough knowledge of the 
 art ; the plaster being spread in patches no more being 
 put on at one time than can be nicely colored before it 
 dries then an additional patch of plaster is joined to 
 the first and colored, and this process is continued until 
 the wall is covered. 
 
 Kalsoruine is a sort of " distemper painting " when left 
 plain, and when ornamented with flowers, vines, lines, etc.. 
 it is called " fresco," as before mentioned. 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 53 
 
 PREPARING THE WALLS. 
 
 To prepare the wall or ceiling the old coloring matter 
 must first be removed. If this is kalsomine, it may be 
 washed off with water ; if lime, it should be scraped 01 
 sand-papered off, after which the wall should be well 
 brushed over with " size,''' to prevent the muddy or streaky 
 appearance frequently seen. 
 
 RECIPE FOR PREPARING THE "SizE." 
 To make a " size " that will neither rub up or scale off 
 under the kalsomine, take one pound of good bar soap, 
 one pound of light-colored glue the powdered, or com- 
 minuted glue, will be found the handiest to use and one 
 pound of alum ; dissolve each ingredient separately in 
 one quart of boiling water ; strain the soap and glue in a 
 bucket, and add the alum solution slowly, so that it will 
 not effervesce too much ; then add one quart of clear 
 cold water, and the " size " is ready for use. When put on 
 properly it should cover 500 square feet of surface. The 
 " size " thus made is put upon the wall plentifully with a 
 flat brush, such as is used for kalsomining (see engraving, 
 Fig. 20), and should dry thoroughly before any attempt 
 is made to apply a coat of kalsomine over ii 
 
 To MAKE KAJ^SOMIKE. 
 
 Take 15 pounds of good Paris white, mix it jp with 
 wann water, using the hands to crush the lumps* and k 
 
54 EVERYBODY S PAINT HOOK. 
 
 thorovghly intermingle the particles until it presents a 
 creamy appearance. Then add a half pound of light- 
 colored glue previously dissolved in about three pints of 
 boiling water, and strain all through a fine sieve; dissolve 
 a half pound of bar soap in one quart of hot water, and r- 
 
 Fig. 20 SHOWS A KALSOMINE BRUSH. 
 
 half pound of pulverized alum in a pint of cold water 
 add the soap and alum solutions to the white. To im- 
 prove the whiteness, or take off the yellowish hue, wet 
 up a little ultramarine blue in water and add it to the 
 
55 
 
 mixture, until the color is quite bluish ; for the mixture 
 will dry out many shades lighter than it appears in the 
 bucket. Or, if any particular tint is desired, any colored 
 pigment may be thus wet up and added to produce the 
 desired effect 
 
 The following colors may be obtained of almost any 
 large dealer in paints, etc., ground in water and ready foi 
 use : 
 
 To MAKE TINTS. 
 
 PINK. Add rose pink or lake to the white. 
 
 GRAY. Add celestial blue and rose pink to the white. 
 
 ORANGE. Add Dutch pink and lake to the white. 
 
 GRAY. Add ultramarine and black to the white. 
 
 STRAW. Add Dutch pink or yellow to the white. 
 
 Either whiting, dry white-lead, or Paris white may be 
 used as a base in distemper tints ; but we are now con- 
 sidering more particularly the coloring of kalsomine, aa 
 mixed above. 
 
 In addition to the tints there are several varieties of 
 "self-colors," or tones, obtainable by admixture with 
 white, viz.: 
 
 PEA GREEN. Add chrome green or Brunswick green to 
 white. 
 
 SAGE GREEN. Add yellow ochre and Antwerp blue tc 
 white. 
 
 DDCK'S-EGG GREEN. Add Milori green (deep) or ultra 
 marine blue and chrome green to white. 
 
5C EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 OLIVE GREEN. Add yellow ochre and Prussian blue, or 
 yellow, black, and red to white. 
 
 BLUE. Add a large share of ultramarine I Ine to white, 
 
 BLUE. Add indigo to white. 
 
 PURPLE. Add ultramarine blue and lake or rose pink 
 to white. 
 
 The proportions must in all cases be determined by the 
 requirements, and are generally decided by the furniture 
 or hangings. The strength or body of each pigment 
 should also be taken into account, a very small quantity 
 of one variety of pigment doing the work of a much larger 
 quantity of another. As, for example, Prussian blue will 
 be found much stronger than Ultramarine blue ; but the 
 tint will verge on to a greenish blue when the former is 
 used, while Ultramarine will give a clear rich sky blue. 
 
 The kalsomine having been mixed as directed, and col- 
 ored if desired, should now be set aside to cool, when it 
 will assume a jelly-like appearance ; if not, the glue is not 
 of the best, and more should be added, although it is not 
 well to have too much glue in the mixture. 
 
 PREPARED KALSOMINE. 
 
 In this connection it may be well to add that of late 
 years an extensive business has grown up in what is called 
 "Prepared Kalsomine." By a special process the glue nn<l 
 tints are mixed with the whiting in the dry state, and tlie 
 kalsomine is put up in small packages all ready for instant 
 
57 
 
 ;:,c, ;uul can be obtained of almost any tint desired. ID 
 using prepared kalsomine, which can be purchased in 
 almost any paint store, there is this advantage, that no 
 time is lost in mixing, and should it happen that riot 
 enough is wet up to complete your job, no difficulty will 
 arise in matching tints, an important point with the 
 amateur kalsominer. 
 
 The brush shown on page 54 (Fig. 20), is, as will be no- 
 ticed, unlike the common whitewash brush. Its whole 
 width is well filled with bristles, and forms simply a very 
 wide, flat paint brush. The usual width is from 6 to 8 
 inches, and prices range from $1.50 to $4.00 each. 
 
 The movement of the brush in kalsomining should not 
 be the same as in painting or whitewashing, i. e., in par- 
 allel lines with the surface worked upon. A small quan- 
 tity, yet sufficient to wet over a space say a yard square, 
 should be taken upon the brush, and well spread over the 
 wall in every conceivable direction, that is, the brusL 
 should be moved in curves, circles, and irregular lines, 
 never straight, and when the space is well levelled down, 
 in the manner indicated, it should be left to dry, and an- 
 other space next adjoining be taken in hand, continuing 
 thus until all is done. Never allow one part to dry before a 
 connecting space is coated, or laps will be apparent. On 
 a very large ceiling or side wall it is always best for two 
 or more to work, and the quicker the work is done the 
 better it will appear. The ceiling should always be k;il- 
 
58 
 
 somined first, for there is a liability of spattering the 
 side walls, and if these be done first and spattered over, 
 no after-operation will entirely remedy the trouble. 
 
 The plain work of kalsomining being now complete, it 
 may be that the operator will desire to indulge in a little 
 ornamentation, and this is "a knack" easily acquired if 
 one will set his mind upon it. It is not expected that 
 every one possesses sufficient artistic taste to design and 
 ornament, and it would be a waste of time to endeavor to 
 teach the art in so small a space. It will be best, there- 
 fore, to give directions for the use of designs ready pre- 
 pared in stencil, and these may be procured for a very 
 trifling sum, say from 15 cents to 50 cents each. A few 
 such designs are shown on page 59. The stencils are cut 
 in heavy paper, and with care will last a long time. 
 
 To MAKE STENCILS FOB ORNAMENTING CEILINGS. 
 
 To make a stencil, providing the operator is competent 
 to draw a fair design, take a sheet of well-calendered 
 paper, such as highly finished writing paper or foolscap. 
 Fold it in the centre. Then, with the crease thus formed 
 for the centre of the design, draw on one side of the fold 
 one-half of the pattern with a soft lead-pencil. Fold the 
 sheet with the marks inside, and laying it on a smooth 
 surface rub over the pencilled poziion with any smooth 
 hard substance, and the marks of the pencil will be trans- 
 ferred, making the whole pattern. Or, the marks firsi 
 
EVERYBODY'S i AINT BOOK. 59 
 
 made may be cut out of the folded sheet if preferred, but 
 the single cut will generally give the best results. Now 
 lay the paper on a piece of glass, and with a very sharj 1 
 penknife cut out the different parts, being particular tc 
 
 4 
 
 Fig. 21. STENCIL DESIUNB. 
 
 leave bars (as shown in the engravings, Fig. 21) to hold 
 the several parts together. 
 The brushes best suited for stencils may be purchased 
 
60 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 at the paint stores ; but in case they are not easily pro 
 cured, take a good-sized camel's-hair pencil and cut it 
 square across, leaving the hairs about one-half an inch in 
 length. A shaving brush may also be used, by simply 
 wrapping around it a strong cord until the bristles are 
 made the proper length. 
 
 Where a stencil pattern is to be frequently used, it ia 
 best to varnish the paper with shellac varnish to prevent 
 the absorption of liquid from the colors and the rotting 
 of the paper. 
 
 The colors for stencilling are best purchased ready 
 ground in size. The following list embraces those best 
 adapted for the work, and the average price therefor : 
 
 CHROME YELLOW, 35 cents per pound. 
 
 SILK GREEN, 35 " 
 
 INDIAN RED, 25 " " 
 
 DROP BLACK, 20 " " 
 
 VANDYKE BROWN, 20 " " 
 
 BURST SIENNA, 18 " 
 
 R\n SIENNA, 18 " " 
 
 BURNT UMBER, 18 " " 
 
 RAW UMBER, 18 " " 
 
 VENETIAN RED, 15 " 
 
 FRENCH OCHRE, 10 " 
 
 In using the colors it is a good plan to have at hand a 
 piece of pasteboard, or a dry pine board, on which to nil: 
 
EVERYBODY'S PUNT BOOK. 61 
 
 the brush, to prevent so much color being applied as to 
 make the edges of the stencil thick or ragged. 
 
 The stencil plate should be frequently cleaned, and this 
 work must be carefully done, or the small bars or points 
 may be injured and the stencil ruined. 
 
 Long stripes of any width may be run on, not as a car- 
 riage striper would run them with a striping pencil, but 
 by the use of a straight-edge and a flat, bristle pencil, 
 known in the trade as "artists' pencils" (see Fig. 22). 
 
 Fig. 22 SIKH 
 
 The practiced hand can draw a very correct stripe. This 
 should not be attempted by the novice until by repeated 
 practice he is certain of good results. 
 
 A plaster cornice may sometimes be colored in tints to 
 greatly improve it, and this work will be found quite easy, 
 owing to the sharp edges it presents to form the bound- 
 ary of the lines. 
 
 The wall and ceiling having been completed, the paint- 
 ing of windows and doors is now in order, and the reader 
 may learn how such work is done by referring to Chapter 
 V., in which the mixing of tints, etc., is fully explained. 
 
62 EVERYBODY'S TALNT BOOK. 
 
 It may be desirable to paper the side walls, and a fe-w 
 words on the hanging of paper will not be amjss, just 
 here. Most wall-paper is provided with two margins, and 
 the first thing in order is to cut from the right-hand side 
 all the margin, leaving the left side to form the under-lap. 
 The matching of figures must next be taken into account, 
 particularly if it be a large figure, otherwise a waste 
 would occur on each length cut off. A very little study 
 will enable one to know just how to begin the cutting. 
 
 PASTE FOH HAXGIXCS PAPER. 
 
 The paste for this purpose is best made of rye flour, 
 but ordinary flour will do very well. Mix the flour with 
 water to the consistency of milk, being particular to crush 
 out every lump, or else strain the mixture through coarse 
 muslin or a fine sieve; put it into an iron or copper ves- 
 sel, and set it over the fire to boil; stir constantly until it 
 thickens and turns yellowish, then take it from the fire, 
 and add cold water until the mass is about the consistency 
 of cream. Allow it to become perfectly cold before using, 
 for warm paste will penetrate the fibre of the paper toe 
 quickly. 
 
 Now, having a long table or wide board several feet IL 
 length, lay upon it one of the cut pieces, back up, and 
 quickly spread tlic paste evenly over every part wiili :i 
 
large flat brush, similar 1 o those used for kalsomining. The 
 ends of the paper may be folded over, the pasted sides 
 together, so that it can be lifted and carried to the waT 
 without difficulty. Placing the top edge near the coiling 
 (a proceeding which need not be done in a particulai 
 manner, for the frieze or border will cover the ends of the 
 paper at the top), gently unfold the paper and allow it to 
 hang down; then with a soft cloth, a clothes brush, or a 
 whisk broom smooth out and pat down all wrinkles, etc., 
 until the paper lies smooth and in its proper place. The 
 bottom end which abuts the base-board, may then be 
 scribed off with the point of the shears, and afterward 
 cut to conform with any irregularity at that point. Where 
 a dado is to be put on, the lower end of the paper may 
 be left long enough to be covered by the paper forming 
 the dado, which is in many cases at least two feet in 
 width The frieze or border is generally printed with 
 from four to eight strips on one width of paper, and to 
 cut these properly, the paper should first be cut in lengths 
 of, say, six feet, then laying it upon the pasting-board or 
 table, spread on the paste over all the paper. Now care- 
 fully fold one end over to one-half the length of the 
 paper, and then the other end, this brings the borders 
 back to back, when they may be trimmed and cut, giving 
 in this manner but one-half the work of cutting, and 
 allowing the narrow strips to be handled easily. The bor 
 der being put on, th work is complete. 
 
64 EVERYBODY'S PAENT BOOK. 
 
 Where flocked paper is to be hung, the edges or mar- 
 gin on both sides must be cut off and the paper put up 
 with the edges abutting not lapped, for the extra 
 thickness would be plainly seen. Great care must be 
 taken not to get any paste upon the surface of this kind 
 of paper. 
 
 "With these directions the economical housewife may 
 prepare the walls of her home in a satisfactory manner. 
 And we will now consider another kind of wall renova- 
 tion, which will be found excellent where the walls are 
 rough or cracked bad!} . 
 
CHAPTER 
 
 HOUSE CLEANING, CONTINUED. 
 
 MAKING DAMASK WALLS. 
 
 WHEN the side walls of a room are in such a roughened 
 condition that much labor would be necessary to make 
 them smooth, proceed as follows: 
 
 First sweep down or otherwise dust off the wall. Then, 
 with a stencil plate, either one purchased ready-cut, or 
 cut by yourself, go over the wall stencilling the design on 
 in geometrical lines thus: 
 
 * * * * * * * * * 
 ******** 
 
 using for the paint a mixture of white-lead and car- 
 riage-rubbing varnish to form a sticky composition. Be- 
 fore the paint dries, throw over it some finely-sifted white 
 sand. The sand will adhere to the paint, and if properly 
 done, the figure will appear quite prominent or thick 
 upon the surface of the wall Complete the work in thii 
 
 (65) 
 
66 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 \vay, and allow all to dry perfectly hard, say twenty-foui 
 hours. Then lightly dust off the loose ennd, and proceed 
 to paint the wall, over all, sand and smooth parts, with 
 " dead " or " flat " pa'ut as described in Chapter V., using 
 any tint desired. A pale green gives a good effect. If 
 one coat does not cover well, apply a second coat when 
 the first is well dried, being sure to prepare the paint 
 
 Fig. 23. PATTEHN FOB WALL DECORATION. 
 
 according to directions given elsewhere, so that it will not 
 dry with a gloss. 
 
 This method of renovating an old wall is not only inex- 
 pensive, but novel and durable. 
 
 If it is not desired to go to the expense of paint for 
 this kind of a wall, kalsomine will answer every purpose, 
 and, in fact, many prefer it, as it holds color better. If 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 67 
 
 the wall is to be kalsomined, a coat of size must be given 
 after the paint and sand are well dried, and directions for 
 such work will be found in Chapter VIL 
 
 ANOTHER METHOD. 
 
 Clean the wall nicoly, and spread upon it a coat of paint 
 made of yellow ochre, and auy cheap furniture varnish 
 
 Fig. 24. A GBAINENS COMB. 
 
 no oil, and but little, if any, turpentine. Go over but a 
 small space, say two yards square, laying the paint as 
 heavily as possible. Then prepare several dozen pieces of 
 strong writing paper, cut uniformly to some particular 
 pattern, say like Fig. 23, or any other geometrical figure 
 that can be easily cut with a knife or shears. 
 
 Lay the pieces of paper upon the fresh, sticky paint and 
 
68 
 
 EVERYBODY S J'ATKT BOOK. 
 
 press them smoothly. The figures should be put on in a 
 similar manner to the plan previously described, and 
 arranged regularly, as shown -in Fig. 25, and the work 
 continued until one side of the wall is done. No\v, 
 the paint being still fresh, or not yet dry, take a coarst 
 graining comb (see Fig. 24), and pass it over the paint in 
 a diagonal direction, both ways, as shown, thus giving the 
 
 Pig. 35. METHOD OP ARRANGING STARS OB FIGURES ON WALL. 
 
 appearance of the warp and woof of damask. When ah 1 ia 
 dry, either paint over all with flat color, or kalsomine it. 
 With taste and judgment some very handsome effects 
 may be produced by the damask, and to give the reader 
 all the points regarding this work, I will describe a third 
 plan of operations, viz.: 
 
STILL ANOTHER METHOD. 
 
 The wall having been dusted off, lay out with a pattern 
 and a soft black-lead pencil, figures, vines, flowers, or 
 whatever fancy dictates, as shown in Fig. 26, making the 
 lines strong in color so that they may be seen through the 
 paint which is put over them. Then with some yellow 
 
 Fig 26. DESIGN TOR WALL DECORATION. 
 
 ochre mixed with equal parts of boiled oil and varnish, to 
 which is added a little melted beeswax, so that it has no 
 body or covering power, paint over the wall, and proceed 
 as before to comb it diagonally. 
 
 When the combing is finished, and before the paint is 
 dry, take a sharpened stick and go over the marks first 
 made upon the waU inside the figure to obliterate on 
 
70 EVERYBODY'S TAINT BOOK. 
 
 those parts all signs of combing. Continue thus ovei 
 every part, and let all dry hard, when it may be painted 
 in flat tints or kalsomined. This latter method gives more 
 labor, but it is the nearest approach to damask hangings 
 of any spoken of. 
 
 A very pretty effect may be given a room by making 
 the side walls smooth to within two and a half feet of 
 the floor, then adding a wainscoting of the damask, put- 
 ting a gilt moulding as the top- rail or dividing line be- 
 tween the wall and wainscoting or dado. 
 
 WHITEWASHING. 
 
 One of the worst features of lime whitewash is the 
 rubbing off, and it is therefore giving place to kalsomine; 
 but with a little care in the selection of good lime, and the 
 addition, of a quart of salt to five gallons of whitewash 
 no rubbing off need be feared. Another remedy for rub- 
 oing off, is molasses: one quart to five gallons of wash is 
 generally sufficient. Lime is preferable to kalsomine 
 where the room needs disinfecting, and for stables and 
 outhouses there is nothing better. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HoUSE-C/LEANINa, CONTINUED. RENOVATING FuBNITDEB. 
 
 RENOVATING bedsteads, bureaus, chairs, and other furni 
 ture is one of the accessories to cleaning house, and should 
 be well understood by those who aim at perfection and 
 economy. 
 
 Supposing the furniture of the parlor to be of hard 
 wood, mahogany, black-walnut, etc., finished in oil, with 
 no lustre, save here and there a small varnished panel, it 
 is not our desire to change the appearance from that it 
 possessed when new. The first step therefore must be to 
 thoroughly cleanse each piece from grease, finger-marks, 
 and dust, by a good washing with soap and water, and 
 drying off well with clean rags. Then having at hand 
 some boiled or raw linseed oil, pour it into a saucer or 
 other flat dish, and dipping a woolen rag into the oil 
 rub it over every part of the " dead " wood, bearing on 
 quite hard, and rubbing until the hand may be passed 
 over it without soiling it. No perceptible amount of oil 
 must be left on the surface. 
 
 (71) 
 
72 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 The oil will restore the original appearance of the wood, 
 but the small panels if any that are glossy must be 
 varnished to restore their lustre. To do this nicely, pro- 
 cure say a pint of ordinary furniture varnish, costing 
 about thirty cents, and spread it plentifully but not 
 enough to run or flow into festoons with a small varnish 
 brush or sash tool, which may be purchased for from 
 twenty-five to fifty cents, and which, with care, will last 
 for several seasons. The varnish should be put on with- 
 out adulteration of any kind, and be brushed or levelled 
 down only so long as it appears limpid, for if worked 
 too much, or until it has begun to thicken or " set," the 
 panel will be streaked. It is a good plan, if convenient, 
 to arrange the piece of furniture so that the parts to be 
 varnished will He horizontally, to ensure against runs in 
 the varnish. 
 
 If the furniture was originally varnished, and still shows 
 a gloss, or is scratched and made to appear white in spots, 
 a different plan of renovating it must be pursued, viz. : 
 
 Procure, say, a half pound of pulverized pumice-stone 
 (costing about eight cents), and placing it in a shallow 
 dish, wet it with clean water. Then, with a soft rag dipped 
 into the pumice preparation, give the surface of the var- 
 nish a good rubbing, until all gloss, dirt, grease, etc., is 
 removed. Wash off all the powder, and dry the work 
 well with either rags or a chamois-skin the latter is best 
 Carved portions, or moldings and bead** may be nicely 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 7$ 
 
 nibbed with a stiff brua.i dipped in the wetted pumice- 
 stone. A tooth-brush will answer if no other is at hand. 
 
 When the furniture has thus been cleaned, the varnish- 
 ing is in order, and this may be done in the same mannei 
 as directed for panels above. Furniture varnish should 
 dry hard in twenty-four hours. Carnage varnish is unfit 
 for furniture, owing to its oily nature and consequent slow 
 drying or hardening qualities. 
 
 Care must be taken in applying the varnish not to get 
 it on too heavy, or it will flow down from the projecting 
 points, carvings, etc., and give the work a very bad ap- 
 pearance. The knack is one quite easily learned, and one 
 must not go at a job of varnishing in a tremulous or uen 
 ous manner. When a portion of the work has been one 
 gone over and "laid off" or finished, it should not b 
 touched again with the brush. 
 
 IMITATION BLACK EBONY FURNITURE. 
 
 Black ebony furniture is just now quite fashionable 
 and this is made by soaking the wood, generally maple 
 and ash, in a solution of vinegar, iron- rust, acids, and 
 other coloring substances, when first it comes from iho 
 manufacturer, but it is my province to tell how black 
 ebony can be imitated and old furniture be made to look 
 like that eraamting from the factory, and to ah 1 appear- 
 ance quite new The old or antique chairs, tables, etc 
 
74 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 of our forefathers may thus be modernized at trifling ex- 
 pense if the following directions be followed : 
 
 Take a chair for illustration. We will begin by giving 
 every part of it a thorough sand-papering with No. li 
 sand-paper which is quite fine (supposing that the 
 chair had been painted or varnished when new) ; the 
 sand-paper serving to clean as well as to smooth it on 
 every part, for an ebony job must be smooth. Now, after 
 a good " dusting off," it is ready for the coloring. 
 
 Procure from the dealer, say, a one-pound can of 
 "Ivory-black ground in japan," and after opening it care- 
 fully, take out, say, one-half a teacupful of the color, 
 stir it well with a stick, then add turpentine, stirring all 
 the time, and adding little by little until the paint is 
 smooth, uniformly liquid, and of the consistency of 
 cream. A few drops, say a teaspoonful of furniture var- 
 nish, will also improve the binding qualities of the paint, 
 but it is not absolutely necessary. This mixture will dry 
 hard in half an hour, and is superior in every respect to 
 that paint usually sold in country stores, which is mixed 
 and ground in boiled oil. Oil paint finds no place in the 
 work of cleaning house. 
 
 The black being ground extremely fine, will cover 
 almost any colored ground thoroughly, and it may be 
 applied with a bristle-brush, but a far better job can be 
 made with a soft hair brush, and if the Camel's-Hair 
 Brush (see Chapter ILL, Fig. 7) shown on page 16 bo 
 
EVEKYBODT S 1'ArNT LOOK. 
 
 75 
 
 purchased, a less quantity of paint will be used, a smooth- 
 er job be made, and greater ease be secured in covering 
 the work. 
 
 The paint should bo spread on plentifully, and be just 
 levelled down with the brush no more ; it must not be 
 rubbed, nor touched again after it has once been left. In 
 one hour, the second coat may be applied, and this coat 
 should consist of a mixture of one-half Ivory-black as it is 
 taken from the original package, and one-half furniture 
 varnish. This is called " color- and- varnish," and it not 
 only helps to color the work, but it gives a slight lustre or 
 
 Fig. 27. BAIKIKK-HAIK FLOWING BKUSH. 
 
 gloss. This coat being stiffer than the previous one owing 
 to the varnish, it can not well be put on with the cam el 's- 
 hair brush, .and therefore to make a good job, the "Bad- 
 ger-Hair Flowing Brush " shown on this page (Fig. 27) 
 should be used. These brushes are soft, yet sufficiently 
 elastic to lay the " color-and-varuish " evenly. If one of 
 these can not be easily procured, use a bristle varnish- 
 brush. - 
 
~(\ EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 " Color-and-varnish " should be laid on as heavy as pos- 
 sible, and be well brushed around the corners to prevent 
 runs. It should dry hard in twenty-four hours, when, in 
 order to make the work look like ebony, the gloss must lie 
 rubbed off, and this is done by nibbing every part with a 
 woolen rag dipped in pulverized pumice-stone and water 
 prepared as previously described. Plenty of water should 
 be used, and the rubbing continued until there is no spot 
 which has a gloss. Care must be taken not to rub through 
 on the sharp corners and edges; but if so, the spots may 
 be retouched with " color-and-varnish," and when dry, 
 rubbed again carefully. 
 
 Gold stripes are frequently added to this class of work, 
 and if considered desirable, procure a small bottle of 
 " gold paint " (gold bronze mixed in quick-drying japan), 
 and with a small pencil brush pass it over those pails re- 
 quiring gold. Vermilion stripes may be substituted for the 
 gold if desired, and a coat of furniture varnish will com- 
 plete the job. In the following chapter the painting of 
 the mantel, fire-board, etc., will be fully described. 
 
 A very handsome effect can be produced by painting 
 ordinary chairs with Vermilion, mixed as described in 
 Chapter V. on Mixing Paints. Light English Vermilion is 
 preferable, but American Vermilion will do very well. 
 The second coat of Vermilion should be prepared with 
 furniture varnish, forming " color-and-varnish," in the 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 77 
 
 manner just described for Ivory-black. If one lias a taste 
 for decoration, the rounds and back can be striped with 
 black, using a striping-pencil and Ivory-black mixed witli 
 turpentine and Brown Japan. A coat of ordinary furni 
 ture varnish will finish the work. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 HOTJSB CLEANING, CONTINUED. PAINTING AND MARBLING A 
 
 MANTEL-PIECE. 
 
 BLACK mantels well varnished or glossy are fashionable 
 in most country towns ; and to prepare such, the operator 
 may follow the directions given in reference to painting 
 black ebony furniture, leaving out, of course, the removal 
 of the gloss. Black marble may be imitated thus: After 
 the mantel has been painted black, as above, have at hand 
 some white, green, orange, and red mixed separately with 
 carnage-rubbing varnish, so that neither of them possess 
 much body, or in other words, appear transparent; then 
 with a feather dipped in the white, put in streaks or 
 crooked lines running in all directions and connecting 
 with thin, vapory patches here and there. Next, with a 
 feather dipped in the green, run lines, at times parallel 
 with the white, and again crossing them and mingling f he 
 green tints in the patches before alluded to. A very little 
 orange and red may now be added, using a separate 
 feather for each color. Now, having the colors all on, 
 pass over all lightly with a dry dusting brush to soften 
 (78) 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 79 
 
 the lines and blend them with the black groundwork. 
 When dry, give a coat of hard drying furniture varnish. 
 
 For a white mantel, follow the directions given in Chap- 
 ter V. for white painting and finishing with China gloss, 
 which is zinc -white mixed with white demar varnish to 
 the proper consistency for spreading. 
 
 To MAKE A WHITE MARBLE MANTEL. 
 
 After the mantel is painted white as above, take a com- 
 mon tallow candle, and holding the lighted end quite 
 near the painted surface, allow the smoke to form figures 
 upon it. Some very delicate tints and shades may thus 
 be made, and these, if supplemented by a few judiciously 
 made fine lines of black and pale green, will give a beauti- 
 ful effect, and afford a very good imitation of white 
 marble. 
 
 For iron fire-boards, hearth irons, etc., the best black is 
 "Locomotive Smoke-stack Japan," to be obtained of 
 most dealers. It will burn and produce a disagreeable 
 odor at first, but it soon wears away, and a beautiful 
 glossy black will remain. 
 
 To RENOVATE ZENC. 
 
 The zinc which serves as a protector under the stove 
 may be made to look like new, by washing it with a di- 
 luted solution jf Muriatic Acid say five cents' worth of 
 
80 
 
 acid lo one pint of clean water. Sapobo and other scour- 
 ing materials can not be made to give the newness to the 
 metal which the acid imparts, for they simply scratch 
 the surface to brightness, while the acid acts upon every 
 part without scratching or injuring the metal in the least 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 CLEANING HOUSE, CONTINUED. FIXING UP THE BRONZE WORK. 
 
 THERE are many little things around the house that are 
 made of metal and coated with bronze to imitate gold, 
 silver, or real bronze, and which becoming tarnished, 
 require re-coating ; but how this can be done is to most 
 people a mystery. 
 
 The chandelier, gas brackets, lamp-stands, clock and 
 such like fittings, may be made to look like new, at a very 
 trifling expense, if the following directions are strictlj 
 followed: 
 
 Bronze powder is simply the metal or alloys, ground to 
 a fine dust, by rolling, beating, cutting, and then mixed 
 with honey, to form it into a mass. It is ground on mar- 
 ble slabs in the same manner as paint After the grinding 
 is done, the honey is washed away, and the powder dried, 
 forming 'what is known as "bronze." 
 
 There are many varieties of bronze as well as manj 
 
 colors, viz.: pale, deep, lemon, copper, fire, silver, orange, 
 
 etc., but for ordinary work the medium shade of gold 
 
 bron?e is all that will be required. The prices range from 
 
 4* (81) 
 
82 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 twenty-five cents to one dol.ar per ounce, and it is always 
 best to buy the highest priced, for it will cover five times 
 as much surface, being extremely fine, and will wear much 
 longer than the cheap qualities. 
 
 Bronze is applied both as a powder dusted over a size 
 or mixed with size and put on the same as paint. A mix- 
 nire of this kind may be purchased under the name of 
 "gold paint," and it will be found quite handy by the 
 housewife in fixing up; but if she be economically in- 
 clined she will purchase the bronze powder and mix it 
 with some japan-gold-size-dryer herself, thus saving 100 
 per cent. 
 
 The " size," or material on which to dust the bronze 
 powder, may be ordinary furniture varnish or japan 
 dryer. The article to be bronzed is first cleaned from 
 dust and dirt. Then with a small brush or l< sash-tool," 
 costing from ten to twenty-five cents, the varnish is put 
 on very sparingly, and well rubbed over every part. In a 
 few moments it will be " tacky " or slightly sticky not 
 quite dry and with a small piece of velvet or plush 
 formed into a sort of pad or dauber dipped into the dry 
 bronze powder, the simple rubbing over or dusting on, 
 will cause the article to assume a beautiful metallic ap- 
 pearance, and when dusted off the work is complete. 
 
 It is a good plan on some work, such as chandeliers or 
 gas brackets, to varnish over the bronze with "White 
 French Shellac varnish," to enable one to wash them with 
 
EVKiiY BODY'S PAINT BOOK. 83 
 
 soap and water when they become dirty; but varnish will 
 take off in a certain degree that metallic brilliancy so 
 much admired on bronzed work 
 
 PAINTING IKON RAILINGS. 
 
 Bronzing may be done on iron railings, etc. ; and while 
 on the subject of bronze, etc., it will not be amiss to refer 
 more particularly to that class of work. Iron railing 
 should first be painted a deep bronze green. The green 
 is made by mixing chrome yellow with lampblack to the 
 desired color, with carriage-rubbing varnish and turpen- 
 tine. Then, before the paint is dry, take the velvet dauber, 
 and dipping it into the bronze rub it gently over the most 
 prominent parts, or those which project from the surface, 
 or the tips of the rods or spear heads, etc. 
 
 To BRONZE STATUETTES OR PLASTER CASTS. 
 
 To make a statuette or plaster cast look like bronze: 
 First, coat the plaster or dip it in a strong solution of 
 starch, to prevent the size from striking in or else coat 
 it with size, two or three times. Then size, and bronze it 
 as before directed. After the bronzing is done, take a 
 short camel's-hair pencil, and dipping it into a mixture of 
 Paris green and japan dryer, coat the deepest hollows in 
 the figure, blending the color off to the clear bronze on 
 the outer edge. Then increase the depth of color in the 
 
84 
 
 deepest parts by adding a little black to the green and 
 re-coating those parts. . 
 
 Silver bronze seldom retains its brilliancy long, turning 
 as it does to a bluish copper color. 
 
 Steam pipes or radiators are greatly improved by sizing 
 and gold bronze, and there are many other fixtures about 
 a house that maj be made to look far handsomer by 
 its use. 
 
CHAPTER XH 
 
 CLEANING HOUSE, CONTINUED. THE KITCHEN. 
 
 THE parlor, sitting-room, and bed-chamber having been 
 " put to rights," we must now look into the kitchen. Let 
 ns first consider the contents of the stock-room or pantry. 
 Here we find several vessels of tin, of various shapes and 
 sizes for holding bread, cake, sugar, tea, coffee, spices, etc. ; 
 each of them was once nicely japanned and lettered, but 
 they have become dingy, the japan is partly worn off by 
 repeated use, and it is now our desire to make them look 
 'ike new, and perhaps better. 
 
 To do this, procure from the paint-store a one-quart 
 can (the smallest quantity put up by the manufacturer) 
 of Black Japan such as is used by carriage-makers 
 using a brush, such as described and illustrated in Chap- 
 ter IX. (the Badger-hair brush). Place the tins upon a 
 table, in a comfortably warm place, and lay on them a 
 nice smooth coat of the japan. It is similar to varnish in 
 its consistency and working, but it must be laid evenly 
 and quickly, flowing on a goodly supply, and never touch- 
 ing any part after it has once been laid off smooth. This 
 
 (35) 
 
80 EVEKYBODi's PAINT BOOK. 
 
 will give at one operation a jet-black, glossy surface, and 
 should dry hard overnight 
 
 If a brown color is desired instead of black, add a very 
 little vermilion (dry) to the japan. If an olive green, add 
 a little chrome yellow. 
 
 The plain color having been put on, and dry, the next 
 in order is the ornamentation, and this is easil}' done with 
 transfers or decalcomania. Transfers may be purchased 
 at most any artists' stores or stationers. 
 
 The beautiful scrap-book pictures now so plentiful may 
 also form an active part in the ornamentation of such 
 work. Simply varnish the japanned tin with furniture 
 varnish, and when it is nearly dry that is, sticky lay on 
 the neatly-cut-out pictures carefully, and press them into 
 the varnish. These may be used in conjunction with the 
 transfers and some excellent results will follow. 
 
 Full directions for putting on the transfers are given in 
 another part of this work, to which the reader is referred. 
 
 Besides the tin vessels there is a nest of round, neatly 
 made, and covered boxes, for holding salt, soda, saleratus, 
 etc., and th'ese will look well if painted and ornamented 
 in a similar manner. 
 
 Green is a favorite color, and such a color will give 
 variety to the contents of the store-room. To make a 
 bright green, take chrome green (dry) and mix it to a 
 stiff paste with brown japan, then dilute with turpentine 
 until it can be easily spread with the brush. 
 
EVERYBODY'S I^INT BOOK. 87 
 
 Brown is another good color for boxes 'of this kind, to 
 make which, take Indian red and mix it the same aa 
 directed for green, and then add dry lampblack until the 
 desired shade is reached. The paint thus mixed will dry in 
 ten minutes, dead or flat, and it must be varnished over to 
 give a gloss. Furniture varnish is good enough for any 
 work of this kind, and it should not cost over $1.50 or 
 $2.00 per gallon. Transfer pictures may now be put on 
 to improve the appearance of the boxes, or stencils such 
 as shown in Fig. 21 may be cut out and made to form 
 a border around the bottom and top edges, using gold 
 bronze instead of paint. 
 
 After the boxes have been varnished, and are very 
 nearly dry, the stencil may be laid on, and the bronze 
 carefully rubbed over it with a piece of velvet ; the var- 
 nish being sticky enough to receive and hold the bronze, 
 some very nice work can be done. 
 
 Another simple manner of ornamentation for the boxes 
 is, to cut a piece of wall-paper border, and fit it around 
 the box edge; then before the paint is varnished, stick the 
 border on with paste and let it dry ; then varnish over all 
 paint and paper to help hold the paper in place as well as 
 to give a lustre to the whole work. 
 
 The sink and stationary wash-tubs are frequently in need 
 of repainting owing to the constant use of soap and hot 
 water thereabouts, and these may be kept in order with a 
 very little exertion If the color is a light one, such as 
 
88 
 
 oak graining, mix some white-lead with turpentine, theB 
 add burnt sienna mixed with furniture varnish, until the 
 color of deep cream ; paint the work with this, and let it 
 dry, which should not be longer than overnight ; when 
 dry, mix a little raw sienna with ale, and with a sponge 
 rub over the paint a very thin coating, giving at the same 
 time the necessary appearance of grain, knots, etc. The 
 color being mixed in ale, it may be washed off, or thinned 
 with water, repeatedly, until the desired grained appear- 
 ance is obtained. Then as soon as it is dry, a coat of 
 furniture varnish will bind all fast, so that water will not 
 remove it 
 
 If graining is not in order, and a plain color is desired, 
 there is none better than a medium shade of lead color ; 
 to make which, mix white-lead with turpentine to a, 
 cream-like consistency, and add one-half a pint of car- 
 riage-rubbing varnish to each quart of white paint, then 
 drop in a little lampblack to form the desired color- 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 PAINTING OUTBUILDINGS, FENCES, ETC. 
 
 IN painting a new building the first thing to be don<j is 
 to " kill the knots," that is, to coat each knot over with 
 shellac varnish, to prevent the sap from striking through 
 the paint to disfigure it. The commonest shellac varnish 
 may be used for this purpose; and if the varnish can not 
 be easily procured, it may be made by putting some gum 
 shellac in alcohol. Set it in a warm place and shake it 
 occasionally, until the gum is dissolved. 
 
 The paint for a building should be mixed with oil prin- 
 cipally. If white, take white-lead from the keg and thin 
 it to a good working consistency with boiled linseed oil, 
 then add one pint of Brown japan (a dryer) to each gallon 
 of mixed paint. The japan not only hastens the drying 
 of the paint, but it prevents the " crawling " or " wrink- 
 ling up " of the paint after it has been spread. Some 
 colors, such as Venetian red, Yellow ochre and mineral 
 paint, are apt to separate from the oil and make streaked 
 work, but the addition of Brown japan causes the paint to 
 stay where it is put 
 
 (89) 
 
90 
 
 Where an economical job is desired, a paint may be 
 made from the following formula : 
 
 Take of Yellow ochre 50 Ibs. 
 
 Sifted road dust, 100 Ibs. 
 
 Mix to a stiff paste with cheap paint oil (resin oil), and 
 add soft soap until the mass is in a condition for spread- 
 ing with a brush. The color will be a dark stone color. 
 If red is preferred use Venetian red instead of ochre. 
 Such paint will answer a good purpose on barns, sheds, etc. 
 
 Fences may also be painted with the above paint, and 
 it will be found extremely durable. 
 
 ROOFING, ETC. 
 
 There is a great diversity of opinion regarding roofing 
 what constitutes the best roof ; how put on, and how 
 kept in repair ; and although it is one of the accessories 
 of painting, I shall only call attention here to one or two 
 facts respecting roofing. The majority of roofs in cities 
 are flat and covered with tin (some with asbestos, and 
 others with felting, sand, gravel, and coal tar substitutes), 
 showing that preference is given to tin for a flat roof ; 
 but the tin roof must be well painted, and be kept painted 
 
 PAINTING A TIN ROOF. 
 
 To paint a tin roof, the following plan will be found to 
 give good results : If a new roof, it is best to let it re- 
 main for a few days or until a rain-storm or night dew has 
 caused a slight rust of the metal ; or it may be immedi- 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 91 
 
 ately clone if washed over with vinegar and allowed to 
 dry. The paint known as "Grafton paint," "Mineral 
 paint," " Fire-proof paint," and by a dozen other names, 
 is a sort of earth or comminuted slate dug from mines 
 in Indiana and Illinois. It comes in different colors, viz., 
 gray or slate color, salmon, grayish red, dark red, etc. 
 The average price is from 2 to 4 cts. per pound. 
 
 Fig. 23 SHOWS A ROOFING BRUSH. 
 
 This dry color is mixed with boiled oil, witb a trifling 
 amount of Brown japan to harden it, and applied with a 
 brush made expressly for this work (see Fig. 28). One 
 ioat will not be sufficient for .a good job ; but plenty of 
 time must be given for the first coat to harden before the 
 second is pni over it. Two coats will make an excellent 
 job. Care must be taken before any paint is put upon 
 
92 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 such a roof that all signs of resin used in soldering be 
 scraped off, otherwise the paint will chip off at those 
 spots. 
 
 If it is desired to make the tin roof cooler on account of 
 being near the ceiling of rooms below, it may be painted 
 with yellow ochre instead of the Grafton paint. The ochre 
 being a lighter color, will not absorb the rays of the 
 sun to the same degree. "White would be best, perhaps, 
 but white-lead forms a very poor paint for metal roofs, 
 and is also very expensive compared to those recommended. 
 
 Tar and gravel roofs may be well enough for some, but 
 the writer has no use for them. 
 
 Shingles are best for peak roofs or inclines, and although 
 we frequently see shingles painted after they are laid, it is 
 a very bad proceeding, for the paint when dry forms a 
 sort of dam for the water, which soaks just under the butt 
 of the layer above, and holding the water there, the shin- 
 gle is soon rotted away at that point, and leaking begins. 
 
 How SHINGLES SHOULD BE PAINTED. 
 To make the best shingle roof, have a large pot filled 
 with what is called paint oil (possibly made of fish oil and 
 i-esin) heated just enough to bear the finger in it ; then dip 
 the shingles in the warm oil and lay them out on the lawn 
 or elsewhere to partially dry. When shingles thus pre- 
 pared are laid upon the roof, water will not penetrate 
 them nor cause them to warp and twist out of place. 
 Slate roofs may be painted if desired, but shingles never 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE AMERICAN METHOD OF CARRIAGE PAINTING. 
 
 THERE is a plan of painting carnages which dispenses 
 with the numerous coats of paint formerly put on to 
 make a solid foundation, and one of the many fillers for 
 wood is substituted. When properly done, this method 
 gives general satisfaction to both the builder and his cus- 
 tomer. 
 
 The wood fillers mentioned are liquids similar in ap- 
 pearance to varnish (they are, possibly, gum and oil), and 
 *heir office is to seal up the pores of the wood against the 
 entrance either of moisture or the liquids from the paint 
 put over them. 
 
 Supposing that a new buggy is to be painted and the 
 work is required to be done quickly, cheaply, and well. 
 We begin say on MONDAY. 
 
 Take the woodwork, (that is, body, wheels, bars, beds, etc.,) 
 smooth and clean from the woodworker, and apply a coat 
 of the wood filling with a brush, and immediately proceed 
 
 to wipe off with a rag. "Rub in all that will not readily 
 
 (93) 
 
04 EVERYBODYS PAINT BOOK. 
 
 come off, leaving the wood apparently stained only. A 
 sufficient quantity has after this operation gone into the 
 pores of the wood to prevent the water used in setting 
 the tires, and the oil, grease, and dirt of the smith-shop 
 from entering, and the gear pails may be sent to the 
 smith to be ironed. 
 
 TUESDAY. The body being kept in the paint-shop, and 
 having been given plenty of sun and air, or been left near 
 the stove, is now ready for " rough-stuff " (a coarse paint 
 designed to fill up all unevenness in the wood). This 
 " rough-stuff " is generally made by mixing Grafton paint, 
 or, as some call it, Mineral paint, with equal parts of car- 
 riage-rubbing varnish and brown japan. Then thin with 
 turpentine so as to spread nicely, and add a teaspoonful 
 of raw linseed oil for first coat. 
 
 This paint should be laid on as smoothly as possible, 
 and care taken that the " rough-stuff " is not too thick, 
 else brush-marks will be liable to show, even after the job 
 is finished. No matter how well the work may be rubbed 
 uid levelled down, any streaks in the "rough-stuff" coat- 
 ings will surely be seen in the finishing coat. "Rough- 
 stuff " may be put on with common bristle brushes. 
 
 WEDNESDAY. Putty up all imperfections in the body in 
 the morning, and late in the afternoon the second coat of 
 "rough-stuff" (with no oil added) may be applied. The 
 putty used for this job may be made by a mixture of 
 equal parts of rubbing varnish and japan, thickened tc 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 95 
 
 the proper consistency with equal parts of dry lead and 
 whiting. 
 
 THURSDAY. The gears being ironed, the body may now 
 be given to the smith for hanging up. It is always best 
 to have the body ironed before the rough-stuff is rubbed, 
 for, if the smith happens to burn or otherwise injure the 
 paint, it can be easily repaired; and there are few who 
 can iron off a job without a " shop-mark " on some part. 
 The third coat of "rough-stuff" may be given in the 
 smith-shop late in the afternoon. 
 
 FRIDAY. To-day the job is in the smith's hands, and we 
 have time to note down a few timely remarks. It is sel- 
 dom that we see a carriage gear " cleaned up " as it should 
 be for the painter. The smith, so long as he gets the 
 irons on and screwed up, seems to care for nothing more. 
 We see clips drawn into the beds, nuts turned down into 
 the rims, making a hole for the painter to putty up, and 
 many other " actual deeds of carelessness " left for the 
 painter to "smooth over." Can't we do better on this 
 job ? The carnage being ironed now returns to the paint- 
 shop, where it is filed and sand-papered until the whole is 
 clean and smooth. The better the condition of the gears 
 at this stage the easier it will be to make a good finish. 
 
 SATURDAY. The gears should now have a second coat of 
 the wood filling (the first coat having done its mission, 
 the coating now put on is viii lally they?rs of the paint- 
 ing). This coat may be put on the same as the other 
 
96 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 that is, wiped over with rags until only a thin film covers 
 all. Remember that a good wiping-off will hasten opera- 
 tions, for the material will be ready for the next coat 
 much sooner. A coat of " stain " (lampblack and japan 
 made very thin with turpentine, to enable the rubber to 
 see when he has made a level surface), may be put on late 
 this afternoon, and all left to dry hard over Sunday. 
 
 MONDAY. The gears are now ready for putty, which 
 should be made as before directed, but a little softer, so 
 that open-grained places may be "glazed over." When 
 this is done, take the body in hand and rub the surface with 
 lumps of pumice-stone, sawed, filed, and shaped to con- 
 form to the shape of the panels or mouldings of the body 
 Keep plenty of water on the work while rubbing, for if the 
 stone is allowed to get dry it will be apt to scratch the sur- 
 face. The pumice dirt should not be allowed to dry on 
 the body, and a sponge should be in hand all the time to 
 keep it clean. When the black stain is all rubbed off, 
 you may be sure that the surface is level, providing the 
 pumice lumps were of respectable size; if too small they 
 might make hollows in the surface. 
 
 TUESDAY. Putty up any imperfections in the gears, and 
 smooth all down nicely with fine sand-paper. The putty 
 being quick-drying, and there being but little used, a 
 good dusting off prepares the g^ars for color (say black). 
 This we will lay on as smoothly as possible, with a camel's- 
 hair brush (see chapter on brashes). 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 97 
 
 WEDNESDAY. The body being rubbed and well dried out> 
 is now ready for color. A coat of lampblack will serve 
 well for a foundation or ground coat for any dark color 
 and this, mixed with japan and turpentine, we apply with 
 a camel's-hair brush. The gears are ready for the firsi 
 coat of " color-and-varnish " (to make which, see page 
 98), which may be laid on plentifully with a varnish 
 brush. The " color-and-varnish " should be quite strong 
 with color. Any good carriage-rubbing varnish will an- 
 swer well for the " color-and-varnish." 
 
 THURSDAY. This morning, a coat of ivory-black color 
 (see for mixing, Chapter V.) may be put upon the 
 body, after it has been well rubbed over with some half- 
 worn No. 2^ sand-paper. In the afternoon, dust off 
 lightly, and lay on a medium coat of black " color-and- 
 varnish," using varnish brushes, and laying it as clean as 
 possible. 
 
 FRIDAY. The gears should now be lightly rubbed with 
 pumice-stone and water, and prepared for striping or 
 ornamenting. Eastern builders make all their work quite 
 plain, and would no doubt, in this case, stripe the gears 
 with a single fine line of red or blue, or some simple 
 color, while fashion in the West demands light colors and 
 much ornamentation. The face of the spokes, the ends 
 of the spring-bars and bolt-heads, would probably l>o 
 gilded, or broad stripes take the place of the Eastern fine 
 lines. 
 
 5 
 
98 EVERYBODY'S PAIXT BOOK. 
 
 SATURDAY. To-day, flat down the " color-and- varnish * 
 on the body with pulverized pumice-stone and water. 
 Do not rub too much. If, as you should have done, you 
 have got a clean coat on, a very light rub will remove the 
 gloss, and prepare the surface for a coat of Black Japan. 
 When the body is flatted, put on a coat of the japan, 
 having, say, ten per cent of finishing varnish added, to 
 increase its flowing qualities and to make it more durable. 
 
 MONDAY. Give this day for the drying of the japan on 
 the body, and the striping on the gears. The trimmer 
 may take measurements for cushion, fall, carpet, etc., and 
 it is also a good plan to have the shafts trimmed before 
 the finishing coat is put on. 
 
 TUESDAY. This will be a good day for putting on the 
 final coat of varnish, using medium drying body varnish 
 on the body, and gear varnish on the gears. Look to it 
 that the heat and ventilation of the room is all that can 
 be desired, and no trouble will follow. 
 . WEDNESDAY. Hang up the job ; black off bolt-heads 
 And run the carriage into a warm room, or in the shade if 
 in summer, to harden. 
 
 A FEW POINTS OF VALUE. 
 
 COLOR-AND-VABNISH. When about to make " color-and- 
 earnish," the painter should be careful not to use oily 
 color, for varnish will not readily assimilate with oil, and 
 the consequence would be that the deviltries known aa 
 
EVERYBODY'S i AINI BOOK. 9H 
 
 "silking," " pitting," and " crawling," would appeal- in tlu 
 coating before it became dry. " Color -and- varnish '' 
 should be made by mixing quick color with the varnish, 
 or better still, by mixing the dry pigment with the var- 
 aish, and grind it in the paint- mill. Where several pig- 
 ments are employed to form a color this can not be done 
 so well, and in that case use quick, or japan color oil 
 color never. 
 
 GENERAL RULES. 1st. Have the ground or surface to be 
 painted, at the start, perfectly clean, smooth, and well 
 dried. 2d. See that your colors are well ground and 
 properly mixed. 3d. Do not mix much more or any less 
 paint than is necessary for immediate use. 4th. Keep 
 the paint well stirred while the work is going on. 5th. 
 Have your paint of the proper thickness, and lay it on as 
 evenly as possible. 6th. Do not apply a coat of paint 
 until the preceding one is dry. 7th. Do not, if possible, 
 employ a light color over a darker one. 8th. Do not add 
 dryers to colors long before they are used. 9th. Avoid 
 using an excess of dryers. "Enough is as good as a 
 feast," should be the motto in this connection. 10th. 
 Always keep dry pigments in a dry place, as dampness 
 will affect the shade of color, and also their drying 
 qualities. 
 
 VARNISHING. When varnishing bodies that have small 
 panels, it will be found best to flow on a medium heavy 
 coat to several panels before attempting to lay it off 01 
 
IOC EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 " dress it," dse a greater amount of time will be neces- 
 sary to complete the work, and then it w>Il aot be done so 
 well. Finishing varnish may be flowed ah 1 over a wheel 
 before laying it off, providing the varnish is of the proper 
 kind, and the room of the right temperature. 
 
 The principal things to be looked after in varnishing, 
 are the perfect cleanness of everything connected with 
 the work, the room, cups, brushes, and even the clothing 
 of the operator. Pour out the varnish (if for finishing) 
 at least fifteen or twenty minutes before commencing to 
 varnish. The varnish should be applied heavily, levelled 
 by repeated brushings, and carefully examined dining the 
 operation to detect any foreign particles that may appear. 
 A picker is used, made of quill or whalebone, sharpened 
 to a point, for removing any small specks of dirt or lint. 
 Having brushed on your varnish, let it stand a few mo- 
 ments, when the bubbles will disappear and show the dirt 
 remaining, which can be removed by the picker. The 
 finishing strokes are then given very lightly, and when 
 possible finish the strokes up and down. Do your varnish- 
 ing in a bold, confident manner, and use the brush no 
 more than is necessary to produce an even coat. 
 
 IMPROVING THE LEATHER ON CARRIAGES. 
 
 The best preparation in use for dressing or refinishinp 
 old leather carriage tops and trimmings is known in the 
 trade as Enamelled Leather Varnish or " Pressing." It 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 101 
 
 is a thin, black suustance like varnish, and may be applied 
 to the leather with an ordinary paint brush. The leather 
 should first be well washed with Castile soap and water, 
 to remove grease and to soften it; then a single applica- 
 tion of the " Dressing " will give the leather the appear- 
 ance it had when new; and in half an hour it may be run 
 out into the street. 
 
 Care should be had in varnishing the cushions to pre- 
 vent the " Dressing " from gathering around the buttons, 
 for being in a mass it would not dry hard in a long time, 
 and would possibly ruin a dress or other clothing. 
 
 PAINTING AN OLD, CRACKED CARRIAGE BODY. 
 
 The impracticability of effectually concealing the cracks 
 in a painted s\irface by the application of putty or paint 
 has been fully demonstrated by many of the best carriage- 
 painters in the country, and yet there are those who be- 
 lieve they can do such work successfully. There has been 
 several " crack-fillers " or rough-stuffs put in the market 
 which it was said would fill up the old cracks in a car- 
 riage-body so that they would not again appear, but we 
 have yet to see a job done with any of these nostrums 
 that will not show cracks in time. 
 
 The best method of repainting, is to remove the old 
 paint by scraping, burning, or eating off with detergent, 
 and then to paint again as if the job was new. Old cracks 
 
102 EVERYBODY'S PAINT ROOK. 
 
 will make their appearance very shortly after the job it 
 repainted. They can not be entirely hidden from sight. 
 
 TOUCHING UP AND VARNISHING A BUGGY. 
 
 The villager or farmer has frequent occasion to " do up ' 
 his buggy or family turnout ; for country roads, particu- 
 larly in the spring, are extremely hard on a varnished sur- 
 face. If he could do such work himself, he would no 
 doubt be greatly pleased, as it would save him many dol- 
 lars. The directions below, if carefully followed, will pro- 
 duce an astonishing improvement in a dirty and dingy 
 buggy or carriage. 
 
 First, give the carriage a thorough washing from mud 
 and dirt, and this must be well done around the bottom 
 of axles, nuts, clips, etc., for the least dirt left there will 
 impair the looks of the varnish. After washing, put pul- 
 verized pumice-stone in a flat dish or saucer and wet it 
 well with clean water. Then, with a woolen rag dipped 
 in the mixture, give the body and gears a good nibbing, 
 using plenty of pumice-stone and water, and bearing on 
 lightly, being careful not to rub through the paint to the 
 wood or iron on sharp edges. Do not let the pumice- 
 stone dry on the job. A panel or small part should be 
 done at a time, then washed off clean and dried well with 
 a " shammy " (chamois-skin) ; another portion may then be 
 taken in hand until the whole carriage looks clean and 
 has a smooth egg-shell appearance. The " touching up " 
 
103 
 
 is now in order. And hero is where a knowledge of colors 
 is demanded. If the job be black, it will be easy to get 
 that color at once, ready prepared. If it be some other 
 color that is wanted, the reader is referred to the chapter 
 on colors, and he may find therein a formula for mixing 
 a nearly perfect match for the work in hand. A small 
 part of the work should be varnished over to bring out 
 the color, so that the matching color can be definitely set- 
 tled upon. Mix the color, whatever it may be, with 
 brown japan and thin with turpentine. With a small 
 camel's-hair brush similar in shape to the one illustrated on 
 page 16, Fig. 7, three-quarters of an inch wide, and cost- 
 ing about twenty-five cents, touch over every spot that is 
 bare or bruised, paint the edges of springs and tires, etc., 
 and in a few minutes the paint will be dry enough to 
 varnish over. 
 
 In varnishing the carriage, begin by setting the axles 
 on barrels or boxes, so that the wheels may turn, and 
 commence varnishing the wheels. First lay a plentiful 
 supply of " One Coat Coach " varnish on the spokes with a 
 large oval varnish brush (see chapter on brushes). Lay 
 off or spread the varnish with the same brush well wiped 
 out on the edge of the cup, and clean out between the 
 spokes with a varnish tool, or small brush. Next, do the 
 hub and lay that off, then the inside of the rim between 
 the spokes, and lastly the sides of the rim. Be careful 
 about the ends of the spokes, that there are no runs left ; 
 
104 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BCDK. 
 
 keep tlie wheel turning slowly while the other wheels are 
 being clone, until the varnish sets. Take off the wheels 
 and set them aside against the wall while the under gear 
 is being varnished. After tins is done, take clean brushes, 
 or thoroughly clean the ones in use by rinsing in turpen- 
 tine, and go on to the body, beginning with the upper- 
 parts and working down to the bottom, so that no drop- 
 pings from the brush will injure what has been done. 
 The " laying off " of the varnish on the body is a very par- 
 ticular piece of work, but as the amateur will not be apt 
 to flow on so heavy a coat as the professional, there is lit- 
 tle fear that he will have any runs or heavy flows in the 
 j6b. Close up all doors and windows and leave the job to 
 dry. 
 
 The varnish best suited for such work is what is known 
 as "Hard-drying Carriage varnish," costing $400 per 
 gallon, for the gears, and " One Coat Coach " varnish, cost- 
 ing $4.50 per gallon, for the body. Of course there are 
 better varnishes, costing $6.00 per gallon, but the ones 
 recommended will be as good as any one would require 
 when the work is done as described. Ordinarily one and 
 a half pints of varnish will cover both the gears and body 
 of a buggy. 
 
 To MAKE AN OLD CARRIAGE LOOK LIKE NEW. 
 
 The carriage having been cleaned and rubbed down 
 smooth with pumice-stone, touch up the bare places 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 10ft 
 
 with a similar color to the ground, but the matching need 
 not be so particularly done. Then take, say a pint of Black 
 Japan a sort of black varnish much used by carriage- 
 makers and put on a flowing coating, in the same man- 
 ner as varnish. This will give you a jet-black and glossy 
 surface ; but as it would not be durable it must be var- 
 nished over with good " One Coat Coach " varnish. When 
 the japan is dry, rub the gloss off (only) with pumice- 
 stone and water, as before, then apply a coat of "One 
 Coat Coach " varnish. 
 
 If it is desired to make a brown, add a little vermilion 
 or other red to the japan. If olive-green, add a little 
 yellow and a drop or two of red, and use. the same as if it 
 were clear japan, the color not affecting it in the least. 
 The beauty in the use of Black Japan is, that it being a 
 sort of varnish and very elastic, the under surface will not 
 cause it to crack, as it would do, perhaps, if dead quiet 
 color was put over it 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PAINTING A FARM WAGON. 
 
 THESE are many clays during the year that outdoor 
 work can not be done, owing to inclement weather, :n d 
 Buch days could be profitably spent in painting up t!:e 
 wagons used on the farm. Many, no doubt, would be 
 glad to do this did they know just how to mix the paint 
 and apply it Almost any one can put on the material if 
 it is properly mixed. 
 
 The first thing in order is to run the wagon into some 
 convenient place, the wagon-house, barn or shed, and to 
 set the axles upon barrels or blockings, so that the wheels 
 can be turned, or taken off which should be done so that 
 the body can be got at easily. Next, a thorough clean- 
 ing of all grease from the axles, hubs and fifth wheel, and 
 the sand and dirt from all parts is in order. . The best 
 way to prepare the wood and iron is to sand-paper every 
 part well with No. 3 sand-paper. Cut it down smooth; 
 don't go over the work as if it was of no consequence, fo i 
 if paint be put over dirt you may rest assured that it wil' 
 not stay very long. 
 (100) 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 107 
 
 If the wagon is a platform spring, you may take the 
 nut off the king-bolt and remove the front gear, setting 
 the top fifth wheel on a barrel. If it be a bolster wagon, 
 the body may be taken off and set up separate. The 
 sand-papering done, a thorough dusting should be given, 
 when the painting of the work may be begun. 
 
 The colors for a farm wagon may be chosen from the 
 following list, viz. : 
 
 Style No. 1. Body, chrome green, or Milori green. Gears, 
 cream color. Mix the green with Brown japan to a stiff 
 mush, then add raw Unseed oil until it is of a consist- 
 ency to spread nicely with the brush ; but do not put too 
 much oil in the paint. A little turpentine may be added 
 if the paint is too stiff or gummy. The gears may have 
 more oil, for they receive the hardest usage. Mix white- 
 lead with oil thin enough to use, then add chrome yellow 
 mixed in japan until the desired shade of cream is 
 reached. A 'few drops of red will improve the color. 
 Now add one gill of Brown japan to a quart of paint, and 
 tlnn if necessary with turpentine. 
 
 Style No. 2. Body, Indian red, mixed the same as di- 
 rected for the green of No. 1. Gears, vermilion, mixed 
 as follows: 
 
 Take American vermilion and mix it with Brown japan 
 and raw oil equal parts to the proper consistency for 
 spreading. Now add whiting to the mixture until it is of 
 a thick, mush-like consistency; then thin with turpentine 
 
108 EVEKYBOUY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 The whiting prevents the vermilion, which is quite heavy, 
 from settling to the bottom of the cup, and it also makes 
 the paint spread easier. The paint should be put on as 
 quickly as possible, for it is apt to roll up into streaks if 
 this is not done. 
 
 Style No. 3. Body, deep English vermilion. Mix for a 
 first or ground coat white-lead and American vermilion 
 to form a pink, with raw oil and japan equal parts, and 
 thin with turpentine. When the ground coat is dry, give 
 it a light sand-papering, and apply a coat of the vermilion 
 color, mixed with carnage-rubbing varnish to a thick 
 mush, and thinned with turpentine. Vermilion should be 
 put on with a badger-hair brush (see chapter on brushes) 
 where economy is studied, for such a brush will enable 
 the workman to lay a solid coating very thin, while a 
 bristle brush will not do so. 
 
 The Gears, of a red body, may be cream color, brown 
 or red (American vermilion). 
 
 Oln a green is a cheap and a very good color, for either 
 body or gears. It is made of lampblack, chrome yellow, 
 and red. 
 
 Sienna and white also forms a nice salmon color and 
 one that will wear well. But the best color of all, we 
 think, is brown. Take Indian red and add lampblack to 
 form the color, and mix it as described for green in No. 1. 
 
 The colors chosen, lay them on as evenly as possible, 
 being careful to wipe the brush around every bolt-head 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 109 
 
 and nut, and it is well to paint the under part of the 
 gears. Though not seen, painting will prevent decay, and 
 the trouble will be well repaid in wear. 
 
 If striping is to be done, now is the time for it, if the 
 paint be well dried; after which, lay on a heavy coat of 
 wagon varnish, not black, sticky furniture varnish, but a 
 good article, costing perhaps $3.00 per gallon. A quail 
 of varnish ought to be sufficient for the job. 
 
 If the wagon be a new one, and never before painted, 
 the wood and iron must first be primed. Take white-lead 
 and color it with lampblack to a clean lead color (if the 
 color is to be a dark one), or leave the lead uucolored if a 
 light color is to be used over it. Mix it with raw linseed 
 oil, and add one gill of Brown japan to each quart of 
 paint, then spread it as smoothly as possible. If too 
 thick add turpentine, but not too much. 
 
 Ornamental work on both body and gears may be nice- 
 ly done either by the use of decalcomania or transfers, 
 which may be purchased from dealers in painters' sup- 
 plies, or direct from the manufacturers. A beautiful 
 scroll and landscape for the sides of an omuibus or 
 wagon (consisting of an oval centre and six parts of 
 scroll, which can be put either in a straight line, or com- 
 bined to fit any curve ; 14 inches wide and 92 inches in 
 length), will cost but $7.50. Scrolls 18 or 20 inches long, 
 in gold and colors, are now no rarity, and when well ap- 
 plied to a job give elegance at a trifling expense. Large 
 
110 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 transfers are more particularly referred to, and their use 
 is advised where such designs can not easily be drawn, 
 because they are not so likely to be known as transfers, 
 owing to their size and beautiful workmanship. They 
 are, indeed, very different from the ornaments such aa 
 every little school-boy had at one time stuck on every- 
 thing both at home and at school. 
 
 A transfer ornament may be so changed in appearance 
 that it would never be known as such, by a few touches 
 
 Fig. 29. SHOWING HOW STENCILS AEK MADE. 
 
 of the pencil, the slight addition occupying but little time. 
 Stencilling is another method by which a wagon may be 
 ornamented, and when the workman is not capable of 
 making a fair job of striping, he may complete the job 
 by stencilling. 
 
 The accompanying engravings (Fig. 29) will give the stu- 
 dent a fair idea of how stencils are made, i. e., more par- 
 ticularly the bars which hold the pattern together. To 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. Ill 
 
 make a stencil for this work proceed as follows : Procure 
 some thin hard calendered pasteboard that known ;is 
 "printers' press-packing" being best of a leather color, 
 and very strong in fibre, and draw upon it any desired 
 pattern. Lay the pasteboard upon a piece of glass, and 
 cut out the figures, leaving bars to hold the parts togeth- 
 er. When cut, coat the pattern over with shellac varnish 
 to prevent the paper from absorbing the oils of the paint. 
 For small patterns, a good quality of writing paper will 
 answer the purpose well enough. 
 
 Fig. 3<\ A STENCIL BRUSH. 
 
 These patterns when cut should be kept in a covered 
 box to preserve them, for they may be used many times. 
 
 The brush for stencilling is a short stiff bristle or hair 
 brush, and in order that no mistake may be made in its 
 selection, it is shown in Fig. 30 of the illustrations. 
 
 If one of these can not be easily procured, a sash tool 
 (Fig. 3, page 14) may be cut square across in the mid- 
 dle, making a very good substitute for the real article. 
 A piece of pasteboard or soft pine should be used to ru*i 
 the color out on, so that the brush may not be too heavilj 
 
112 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 charged before putting it on to the stencil. Borders 
 corners, or centre-pieces may thus be put on in oil col 
 ors very quickly and well after a little practice, and tlien 
 be varnished over the same as any other ornamental 
 painting. 
 
CrfAPTEK XVI 
 
 GILDING, BRONZING, SILVERING, AND LACQUERING. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the laying of gold leaf and bronze has 
 already been mentioned, the subject is of sufficient im- 
 portance to give a more complete description of the four 
 branches of trade named above, which seem to belong to 
 one family. It does not seem necessary to explain the 
 process of manufacturing gold leaf or bronze, any fur- 
 ther than to give readers an idea of what they are about 
 to use, and we will only say that gold leaf is the purest 
 of the foliated metals, which, owing to its ductility, may 
 be beaten so thin that one ounce will make 1,600 leaves, 
 covering a surface, if laid together, of 105 square feet. 
 Gold leaf is alloyed with copper and silver not so much 
 to cheapen it as to change its color copper deepening it 
 or giving it a reddish hue, and silver lightening it or 
 giving a pale yellowish hue. Consequently we have three 
 grades, viz.: light or lemon gold, medium and deep; the 
 hitter being considered by most painters the best for 
 wagon or carriage work. 
 
 Silver leaf is fast becoming obsolete, owing to the di- 
 
 (113) 
 
114: EVERYBODY'S TAINT BOOK. 
 
 covery of aluminum leaf and nickel leaf, which do not 
 tarnish like silver. Nickel leaf is beaten out very nearly 
 as thin as gold leaf, and is now coming into general use. 
 
 Dutch metal is a very inferior sort of foliated alloy, 
 and only fit for theatrical scenery and other like uses. 
 
 Bronze is a finely comminuted metal or metallic dust, 
 made of gold, silver, and alloys, by grinding the metals 
 on porphyry stones, while mixed with honey to form a 
 sort of paste. When the grinding is completed, the mass 
 is washed in several waters until the honey is removed, 
 then the powder is dried on shallow pans. There are 
 many colored bronzes, viz. : gold, rich gold, lemon, orange, 
 copper, carmine, fire, dark and light gold, crimson, violet, 
 brown, lilac, silver, white, light and dark green, with which 
 an ingenious workman may make very handsome orna- 
 mental work; but, as a general thing, the colored bronzes 
 tarnish far too quickly 
 
 The ground of either paint or varnish must first be 
 prepared to receive the leaf or bronze, otherwise it would 
 adhere to every part of the work, and this is done in 
 several ways. 
 
 First, and probably the best, is to cover the ground 
 \\ith fine dust from a "pounce-bag," which is made by 
 tying up in a piece of coarse muslin or woolen rag some 
 dry pigment, whiting being generally the best. 
 
 Second, by washing the surface over with the white of 
 eggs, and allowing it to dry before laying on the size. 
 
EVI.RYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 115 
 
 Third, by cutting a potato in halves, and rubbing the 
 fieslily-cut surface over the work, which, when dry, givea 
 a thin film of potato starch. 
 
 Fourth, by nibbing the work over with whiting mixed 
 with water, and allowing it to dry. Either of these pre- 
 ventives of sticking may be resorted to with good results 
 on painted work. When the ground is prepared, the 
 preparation of the size is in order, and the following 
 formulas will bs found excellent: 
 
 For quick-size to dry tacky that is, very sticky or ad- 
 hesive mix equal parts of carriage-rubbing varnish and 
 brown japan together. 
 
 For size to dry tacky in five hours, mix two parts best 
 carriage-finishing varnish with one part japan. 
 
 For size to dry in twelve hours or overnight, mix equal 
 parts light permanent wood-filling with brown japan. 
 
 For extra jobs, purchase Harland's English gold size. 
 For still better, that is, more durable 'work, take boiled 
 linseed oil, and putting it in a shallow dish, set it on fire, 
 and allow it to burn a few minutes, then cover the dish to 
 extinguish the flames; add to this thickened or fat oil, 
 sufficient brown japan to cause it to dry in the time de- 
 siied, which may be determined by a little practice. 
 
 Gilding is well known to take its brilliancy, or imitation 
 burnish, from the surface and sizing over which it is laid. 
 
 Gilding on plate-glass has more brilliancy than the same 
 quality of gilding upon common sheet-glass; aud gilding 
 
116 EVERYBODY'S PAINT HOOK. 
 
 upon a finely-prepared surface, and over the most bril 
 liant and glossy size is equally superior to that done ovei 
 a poor surface and poor sizing. To produce good work, 
 therefore, the surface must be smooth, and the sizing one 
 that will flow smootlily and without fat edges. The for- 
 mulas given above are as applicable for silver or nickel 
 leaf, and for the various bronzes, as for gold leaf ; but it 
 should be borne in mind that sizing on which bronze is 
 to be put must be much drier or " tackier " than that for 
 leaf, otherwise the %ne powder is apt to penetrate the size, 
 or settle and become darkened or devoid of brilliancy. 
 
 GILDING CAKVED WORK. 
 
 For gilding carved work or on glass, it is necessary to 
 use a " cushion " or partly-covered palette on whicb to 
 spread a leaf of gold for cutting the same to the desired 
 size or shape; a smooth-edged or dull "gold-knife" for 
 cutting with, and a " tip " with which the pieces are lifted 
 from the cushion and deposited upon the work. 
 
 The "tip" (shown in Fig. 31) consists of two thick- 
 nesses of cardboard, between which the ends of a thin 
 layer of camel's-hair is glued. It is a very useful im- 
 plement in gilding on glass, as it is impossible to gild 
 glass if the hand or book touches it. For striping and 
 other fancy work on plain surfaces, gilding may be done 
 directly from the book. Hold the book of gold leaf iij 
 the left hand, and with the forefinger of the right hand, 
 
EVERYBODY 8 PAINT BOOK. 
 
 117 
 
 lift tho first paper leaf, leaving the gold on the opposite 
 side; then, holding the book close tu the work, with its 
 front edge pointing downward or toward the bottom of 
 the letter or ornament, lightly touch the size, and roll the 
 book upward, pressing lightly upon the back of the booii 
 
 Ktg. 31 nU'KESENTS A GlLDER'S TlP FOB LIFTING GOLD LEAF. 
 
 with the side of the forefinger, until the top edge of the 
 sizing is reached, or the whole leaf laid on; repeat this 
 till the whole of the sizing is covered, then wipe it over 
 gently with a bunch of cotton. 
 
 Another plan is to first cut off the back of the book so 
 that each leaf is separate, then, lifting the first paper Jo;if, 
 
118 EV LHYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 lay it upon a smooth surface and draw a camel's-hah 
 brush filled with turpentine over it; return it to its place 
 and the. gold will be found to adhere closely to it ; Lay this 
 leaf aside and proceed with the other leaves in the same 
 manner; then, holding the book as before described, lay 
 the leaf on to the sizing. The turpentine will cause the 
 leaf to adhere to the paper so that any part of the work 
 not covered with sizing will not remove it, and thereby 
 less waste will occur. This is a good plan where the 
 work is to be done in a windy situation. Another plan is 
 to cut the back of the book as before, and to rub very 
 lightly a piece of paraffine candle or a piece of white 
 beeswax over the paper; after the gold has thus been 
 fastened to the paper the book may be cut to any desired 
 size, and as the gold will adhere to the waxed paper until 
 it touches the size, thus a very trifling waste will be made. 
 
 The refuse gold and the cotton with which it is cleaned 
 off should be carefully saved, as it is valuable and can be 
 sold to any gold-beater. The foregoing rules apply to all 
 leaf, but the Dutch metal and nickel are not worth the 
 trouble of saving. 
 
 Bronze, being a fine powder, must be treated differently. 
 The sizing being in readiness to receive it, take a piece of 
 plush, velvet, or chamois-skin, and folding it into a small 
 wad or ball, dip it into the bronze powder and gently rub 
 it on to the sizing; afterward clean off the surplus metal 
 with a bunch of cotton. For carved work a soft camel's- 
 
EVEliY BODY'S PAINT BOOK. 119 
 
 hair brush may be used to apply the bronze. Silver and 
 nickel leaf is frequently made to look like gold by simplj 
 flowing over it a lacquer. Most of the gilt frames we see 
 are done by this process. A formula for the lacquer I 
 give below : 
 
 Gamboge ... 3 parts. 
 
 Mastic 4 " 
 
 Dragon's blood 1.5 " 
 Saffron. . 1 " 
 
 Sandarac. ... 4 parts. 
 
 Shellac 20 
 
 Spirit of wine. 100 " 
 
 However, it may be far less trouble to procure the lac- 
 quer already made from the picture-frame manufacturer, 
 and this is advised, to make certain of good results. 
 
CHAPTEK XV1L 
 IMITATION GROUND GLASS 
 
 To make imitation ground glass that steam will not 
 destroy, put a piece of common window putty in muslin, 
 twist the fabric tight, and tie it into the shape of a pad ; 
 clean the glass first, and then pat it over with the pad. 
 The putty will exude sufficiently through the muslin to 
 render the stain opaque. Let it dry hard, and then var- 
 nish with white damar varnish. If a pattern is required, 
 cut out the figure in paper and stick it to the glass lightly 
 with gum, then press the pad or dauber over it ; when all 
 is dry, remove the paper figures and varnish to make the 
 figures slightly opaque. 
 
 Another plan is to stipple that is, strike the ends of 
 the brush against the glass, with a very thin white-lead 
 paint mixed with varnish principally. 
 
 BLACKBOARD PAINT. 
 
 One quart of shellac dissolved in alcohol ; three ouncos 
 
 pulverized pumice-stone ; two ounces pulverized rolfm- 
 
 stone, four ounces lampblack; mix the last three ingie- 
 
 dients together, moisten a portion at a time with a little of 
 
 (120) 
 
EVKRYBODY'S PAINT fiooK. 121 
 
 the shellac and ajcohol, grind as thorouglily as possibl' 
 with a knife or spatula ; after which pour in the remaindf- 
 of the alcohol, stirring often to prevent settling. One 
 quart will furnish two coats for eighty square feet of 
 blackboard not previously painted. The preparation dries 
 quickly, and the board may be used within an hour if 
 necessary. No oil should be used. 
 
 STAINING OAK-GRAINING. 
 
 If it be desired to change a piece of oak-grained work, 
 as in house painting, to a black-walnut color, take the 
 Enamelled Leather Dressing before spoken of for leather 
 and apply an even though thin coating over the oak- 
 grain, which will stain it a beautiful black-walnut color, 
 and require no further attention, for the " Dressing " or 
 varnish acts as a stain and gives a good gloss at the same 
 time. 
 
 MAHOGANY STAIN. 
 
 To stain black-walnut, or any dark-colored woods, a 
 m:\hogany color, mix half an ounce of dragon's blood with 
 two ounces of good alcohol, and shake occasionally. When 
 dissolved, put as much of this stain into alcohol as will 
 make the wood, the color desired, and go over with a 
 brush. 
 
 For light-colored woods, such as pine, beach, etc., add a 
 little burnt umber to the above stain. 
 6 
 
122 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 ROSEWOOD STAIN. ' 
 
 To stain in imitation of rosewood, apply to any light- 
 colored wood a coat of aspkaltum thinned wiih turpen- 
 tine, and when dry, stain with dragon's blood. There 
 will be no grain merely the color. If a grain is desired, 
 mix lampblack with stale beer and with a sponge inako 
 
 Pig. 32 SHOWS METHOD op LATINO OUT AN OVAL OK ELLIPSE. 
 
 the black streaks or grain. Then finish with furniture 
 varnish. 
 
 LAYING OPT AN OVAL OK ELLIPSE. 
 
 It is frequently the case that the painter is called upon 
 to lay out an oval, ov, more properly, an "ellipse"; and 
 not knowing the simple rule by which his lines may be 
 drawn, he goes to work with compasses, etc., and if he 
 strikes anything approaching his ideas of an oval, after u 
 
EVERYBODY'S TAINT BOOK. 122 
 
 dozen or more lines are drawn, he is content, but in most 
 cases his lines are sadly " out of true," and he becomes the 
 laughing-stock of those who have an eye for correct forma 
 To enable any one to lay out a perfect oval, any desired size, 
 the following directions should be observed : Supposing 
 that it is desired to make an oval ten inches long and six 
 inches wide. First draw a horizontal line, as shown at 
 N, N, in the drawing, and cross it with a perpendicular 
 line H, H. Now, with a rule measure from the centre or 
 intersection of the lines at M, five inches each way, on 
 line N, and mark the distance ; next, measure three 
 inches each way from the centre on line H, and mark that, 
 which gives the exact space that the oval must fill. Next, 
 take the distance between the centre M, and the mark on 
 line N, which is five inches, and placing one leg of the 
 dividers on the mark on line H, turn the other leg until it 
 strikes line N, on either side, making the points O, O, in 
 diagram. Now, stick a pin in the two spots thus made, 
 O, 0, and another pin in spot H, and tie a string around 
 the pins quite tight. Next remove the pin from JI, and 
 in its stead place the point of a lead-pencil, and keeping 
 the string taut move the pencil along. You will find that 
 the string directs the course of the pencil point, and the 
 result will be a perfectly-drawn ellipse. If the oval is to 
 be long and narrow, or otherwise, it makes no difference, 
 it will be a perfect oval, and the measurements on lines 
 H and N will give the proper boundary. As a time-saver, 
 
124 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOR. 
 
 as well as for correctness, this method can not be excelled 
 by any geometrical drawings with instruments. 
 
 To LAY OUT A STAR. 
 
 The star pattern is another useful and oft-called-for 
 design, and, although it may seem strange to some that 
 there are hundreds of mechanics who do not know how to 
 lay out a star, it is nevertheless a fact. Proceed at follows : 
 First, draw a circle with the compasses to the size you wish 
 the star to be, and, if a five-pointed star, set off on the cir- 
 cle line five points at equal distances, then simply draw a 
 line from point to point across the plane. For a six-pointed 
 star, the compasses, when set to form the circle, will be ex- 
 actly right to mark the six points, and lines drawn as bo- 
 fore mentioned will give the desired result. A star may be 
 drawn having any number of points, but it is seldom that 
 more than five are used. 
 
 To MAKE A DRAWING UNIFORM. 
 
 It is sometimes necessary to make a drawing uniform 
 .m each side of the centre, as, for example, tfhe drawing of 
 a vase, an ornamented column, a scroll, etc., and where 
 this can not be done by a free-hand, the following plan 
 may be resorted to : Take a sheet of paper, and fold it at 
 its centre, then with a soft lead-pencil draw one-half the 
 clesign, allowing the fold of the paper to form the centre. 
 A'hen this is done, reverse the fold . that is, fold the pa- 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 125 
 
 per with the pencil-marks inside, and laying it on some 
 hard surface, rub the back of the drawing with an ivory 
 paper-cutter, or other smooth instrument until the lines 
 are plainly seen on the clean paper. Open out the paper, 
 and the whole design will be found faintly outlined, and 
 by simply following the lines it may be completed. 
 
 Another plan of copying is to take some soft thin paper 
 and rub it over with lampblack and tallow until it is well 
 saturated, then wipe off all that will readily come off with 
 a soft rag. By laying this under a drawing, upon clean 
 paper, and following the lines with a hard ivory or bone 
 point, the black will be forced from the copying-paper, 
 and a good copy result. 
 
 COPYING WITH SENSITIZED PAPER. 
 
 Sensitized paper has of late been put in market, by 
 which accurate copies of a drawing may be made by sim- 
 ply laying tl.e drawing upon the prepared paper and ex- 
 posing it to sunlight as in the case of a photographic neg- 
 ative. The instructions given by the manufacturers 01 
 fiiis sensitized paper may not be amiss just here : 
 
 1. Provide a ^at board as large is the tracing to be 
 copied 
 
 2. Lay on this board two or three thicknesses of com- 
 mon blanket, or its equivalent, to give a slightly yielding 
 backing for the paper. 
 
126 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 3. Lay on the blanket the prepared paper with the sen 
 sitive side uppermost. 
 
 4. Lay on this paper the tracing, smoc thing it out aa 
 perfectly as possible. 
 
 5. Lay on the tracing a plate of clear glass, which 
 should be heavy enough to press the tracing close down 
 to the paper. 
 
 6. Expose the whole to a clear sunlight by pushing it 
 out on a shelf from a window from four to six minutes; 
 if no sunlight can be had the exposure must be longer. 
 
 7. Remove the prepared paper and wash it for one or 
 two minutes in clear water and hang it up to dry. This 
 produces a white-lined drawing on a blue ground, and it 
 will be found excellent for some work. The paper comes 
 in tubes, secured from the light, and it must be kept in 
 tho dark as much as possible before use. 
 
 To MAKE TRACING PAPER. 
 
 Tracing paper may be made by saturating some thin 
 " iper with oil, or grease, or with turpentine; the latter 
 Ueing excellent where the copy is to be on clean paper, 
 for the turpentine will evaporate and leave the paper quite 
 clean. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 MAKING PUTTY. 
 
 PUTTY FOR WINDOWS. 
 
 Mix whiting with boiled linseed oil to a stiff dough, and 
 work it or knead it as a baker does his bread until it is of 
 the proper consistency and is free from lumps. 
 
 POTTY FOR PLATE-GLASS IN WINDOWS, WAGONS, OB 
 
 Take a piece of plush or velvet and draw out the warp, 
 leaving a fine flocking (short threads) ; mix this flocking 
 with equal parts of whiting and dry white-lead in brown 
 japan and carriage-rubbing varnish equal parts, and knead 
 all into a stiff dough. The short threads serve the same 
 purpose as hair mixed in plaster by the mason, binding 
 the particles together and effectually preventing chipping 
 or breaking out of small pieces. The large glasses in 
 hearses should be allowed to rest on a rubber strip, and 
 then be puttied in place with putty made as above in con- 
 nection with a small strip of wood screwed solidly to the 
 
 frame. 
 
 (127) 
 
1 28 KVEBTBODY fi PAINT BOOK. 
 
 POTTY FOR FABM- WAGONS AND MACHINES. 
 
 Mix whiting to a stiff dough with brown japan ; then 
 add one-third in bulk of white-lead ground in oil ; knead 
 and work the mass smooth, adding whiting if necessary to 
 thicken it 
 
 PUTTT FOR FINE CARRIAGE WORK. 
 
 Mix equal parts of dry white-lead and whiting in equal 
 parts of carriage - rubbing varnish and brown japan. 
 Pound the mass into a stiff dough with a wooden mallet, 
 using whiting to thicken if necessary. 
 
 Keep all putty in water when not in use, to prevent it 
 from drying hard. 
 
 To SOFTEN OLD PUTTY. 
 
 Wash it over with a strong solution of potash or sal- 
 oda and lime. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 TOUCHING UP HOUSEHOLD ARTICLES. 
 
 THERE are a hundred and one little things about a house 
 that may be improved in appearance by a slight rub over 
 with varnish. The furniture, in most cases, is oiled and 
 polished. The stair-cloth and hall or kitchen oil-cloth 
 flooring may be varnished over at night and be dry for 
 use the following day, but the knowledge of just how such 
 work is to be done prevents many from attempting it. 
 Directions for varnishing many household articles have 
 already been given, but there is yet opportunity for going 
 into more minute details. . 
 
 VARNISHING FLOOR OIL-CLOTH. 
 
 The varnish best suited for a floor-cloth is known in the 
 trade as "No. 1 Furniture." It dries hard and quickly, 
 and is not so readily removed by the repeated washings 
 of soap and water. This varnish should cost abovit $2.00 
 per gallon, and it may be kept bottled so that at intervals 
 the cloth may receive a coating and thus be kept bright 
 and clean. It is hardly necessary to explain that before 
 6* (1*0 
 
130 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK 
 
 varnishing, the oil-cloth must be washed clean. It is bet- 
 ter to use no soap in washing or at leasi but a little, be- 
 cause strong soap will remove the coloring. 
 
 STENCILLING. 
 
 The figures in a floor-cloth may be brightened up by 
 the stencil process if need be, and to do this take a pioco 
 of thin paper and copy the figure originally on the cloth, 
 then lay the pattern thus obtained upon some thick paper 
 and cut it out (see page 59 for directions about making 
 sten/jils). After the new paint has been put on, and this 
 will probably not be necessary upon every square, the 
 varnishing will complete operations. 
 
 Stair-cloths may have the centre stripe, where most 
 worn, painted with a plain color, say dark brown, leaving 
 the original edge-stripe, and a very nice job be made of 
 it See chapter on Mixing Colors for method of preparing 
 paint for this purpose. 
 
 PAINTING STAIES. 
 
 The stairs may be painted either in full, or on each 
 side, say eight inches from the edge, with yellow ochre or 
 brown, but we would not advise varnishing any paint upon 
 floors. A little carriage-rubbing varnish may be added 
 to the paint to give it a slight gloss, and the reader will 
 find full directions elsewhere in these pages for floor 
 painting. 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOCK. 13i 
 
 BALUSTER RAILS. 
 
 A banister or baluster rail should not be varnished. It 
 should be rubbed well for several nights with boiled lin- 
 seed oil, leaving on the wood a good supply of the oil : 
 then in the morning' rub off all that has not soaked in. A 
 week's work will produce something in the way of a polish 
 that can be produced in no other way. The newel post 
 and banisters may be varnished with No. 1 Furniture 
 varnish, or oiled, as desired. 
 
 VARNISHING THE FRONT DOOR, 
 
 The front door of a dwelling, if of hard wood or grained, 
 is one of the most difficult things to be kept in repair, 
 that is, if the occupant is anxious to have it look well at 
 all times. Fumiture varnish will not answer the purpose 
 for a front door, for being exposed to the elements, far 
 more even than a carnage, it requires the best varnish. 
 The hot sun of summer is liable to cause blistering, while 
 the cold of winter, with sleet and rain, causes the surface 
 to crack. A good plan is to fill the grain of the wood, if 
 it be hard wood, with the best carriage-rubbing varnish, 
 then apply Wearing body varnish (the best carriage-fin- 
 ishing) costing at least $6.00 per gallon. Great care 
 should also be taken not to dilute the varnish with oil or 
 turpentine, as these would impair its durability. 
 
 " Hard oil finish " has been recommended for outside 
 doors, but, being simply a resin varnish, it can not be said 
 
132 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 to bo durable. This " hard oil finish " may answer well 
 in place of the No. 1 Furn. tiire varnish before spoken of 
 for unexposed work, but the writer will not warrant it for 
 front doors. 
 
 To varnish a front door properly : The old varnish 
 should first be rubbed with pulverized pumice-stone and 
 water until every pail is clean and smooth. A thorough 
 washing is next in order to remove any of the pumice 
 powder that may remain in the creases of mouldings or in 
 corners, and where a chamois-skin is at hand, it should be 
 used. Otherwise, clean rags will be found excellent in 
 drying the surface. When this has been done, and a 
 thorough dusting off been given, the operator should pour 
 into a clean cup or other vessel, some of the varnish (best 
 carriage-finishing) to be applied, and with a flat or an 
 oval varnish-brush, begin the spreading of the varnish at 
 the upper part of the door, laying the material on as 
 heavily as possible, for a thin coating will not be of value. 
 
 Varnish should be put on plentifully, so that it may 
 flow, but yet not so heavy as to run in festoons or heavy 
 patches. Varnishing is unlike painting, for in one case 
 the material is rubbed well with the brush, while in the 
 other the varnish is laid as level as possible and plenti- 
 fully, then carefully passed over with the brush, tl "nigh 
 not sufficient to disturb it after it begins to "set." 
 
 A good idea of the requirements in laying varnish 
 might be gained, if one had an opporturuty to see a car- 
 
138 
 
 nage varnisher at work for none know so well how fa 
 handle it. The work of laying the under or rubbing 
 coats requires just as much care as is bestowed on the 
 finishing coat, for the cleaner and smoother they are put 
 on, the more satisfactory will be the finish. A large 
 brush, say 0000 (four naughts) and a tool, L e., a small 
 brush for " cleaning up " or brushing around mouldings 
 find the edges of panels should be used, for no good var- 
 nishing can be done with a miserable, small, flat, half- 
 gummed-up tool. Everything must be clean, and to in- 
 sure cleanliness, it is an excellent plan to first get the 
 door, and casing too, if that is to be done, well cleaned, 
 and then to tack a large sheet of muslin over the whole 
 front to exclude dust and sun while the varnish is drying. 
 Then opening the door from inside, lay the varnish, and 
 close the door. 
 
 Doors may be painted in a similar manner, but as a rule 
 it is not so necessary to exclude dust while painting. 
 
 VARNISHING THE VESTIBULE. 
 
 The vestibule should be as well done as the outer face 
 of the main door, for in many cases the outer door is to 
 be left open, and poor varnish would simply be vexatious. 
 The side walls of- the vestibule should also be painted or 
 papered, for the dampness of so exposed a place would 
 oon ruin kalsomine or fresco, 
 
134 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 IMITATING GROUND GLASS. 
 
 The lights around a front or hall door, if any, not of 
 ground or colored glass, may be made to look well by 
 simply daubing the glass over with a small dauber ma<l< 
 by tying some soft glazier's putty up in a piece of coarse 
 cloth. The putty will ooze through the meshes of the 
 muslin and give a very good imitation of ground glass. 
 A stripe may be added by scratching through the glass 
 with a sharpened stick, passed along a straight-edge. 
 
 TRANSFERRING PRINTS. 
 
 Many beautiful pictures may be inexpensively made by 
 the transfer process, not that known as decalcomanie, but 
 the fixing of an ordinary print, steel-plate, lithograph, etc., 
 by varnish to glass or a painted surface. 
 
 The method is as follows : To fasten the picture to a 
 prepared ground, say a white painted surface, first wet 
 the paper well with clean water or, if a colored print, 
 with salt and water and lay it carefully between some 
 newspapers or the leaves of a book to allow all the outer 
 moisture or wet to be absorbed. Next, prepare the painted 
 surface to receive the paint by varnishing it with carriage- 
 rubbing varnish, laying on a good coat, for a thin, sparse 
 coat wo.ild not be suitable. When the varnish has be- 
 come nearly dry (that is, when the hand may be passed 
 lightly over it without its sticking to it, but when if the 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 135 
 
 finger be pressed directly upon it, it will appear quite 
 "tacky,") take the print and place it carefully, face dovm, 
 upon the varnish, and press every part down smooth, or 
 place several layers of newspapers upon it, together with 
 a weight to keep them in place, and let all remain until 
 the varnish is dry. Next dampen the paper with clean 
 water, and begin to rub it off, using the ball of the mid- 
 dle finger as a rubber, dampening and rubbing until all 
 the paper is removed and nothing but the varnish and 
 ink of the print remain. The picture is then varnished 
 over with the same kind of varnish previously used, and 
 all is complete. 
 
 To TRANSFER ENGRAVINGS ON GLASS. 
 
 To transfer a print to glass, the glass must first be well 
 cleaned and varnished with a clean thin coat of carriage- 
 rubbing varnish, and be allowed to dry hard. A picture 
 will not transfer well to glass without two coats of varnish 
 are put on. The second coat the same as the first be- 
 ing put on and allowed to get "tacky," as before spoken 
 of for a painted surface, the print is dampened and laid 
 on as before described, and when the paper is rubbed 
 from the back, the picture will be transparent, and by 
 coloring on the back, coarsely, a beautiful effect will be 
 given to the whole picture. Wood engravings, litho- 
 graphs, or any similar picture can be transferred by tliie 
 process. 
 
136 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 Something of this kind was introduced some years ago 
 under the name of " Grecian Painting," in which the pa- 
 per was rendered transparent by coatings of Balsam of 
 Fir varnish, but no such effect could be given as in tlip 
 process described above. 
 
 VAENISHINO RUSTIC WORK. 
 
 There is frequently occasion to renovate a rustic chair, 
 hanging basket, or some other piece of rustic work, for as 
 a rule the varnish used by the manufacturer soon disap- 
 pears if the articles be exposed to the weather. 
 
 Procure for this work some carriage-rubbing varnish, 
 for filling up or making a foundation for a better quality 
 of varnish. One coat will generally be sufficient for this. 
 After it is dry, flow on a heavy coat of " One Coat Coach " 
 varnish, which will dry hard and wear well even if ex- 
 posed to the elements or frequent wetting. Carnage- 
 rubbing varnish costs about $3.50 per gallon, and a pint 
 will cover a far greater area of surface than many im- 
 agine, so the actual expense of varnishing such things ifi 
 trifling. Cheap furniture varnish ($1.50 per gallon) may 
 do for inside work, but it will turn white and decay when 
 
 FBET-WOBK, 
 
 such as brackets and fancy ornaments, may be oiled 
 with boiled Unseed oil, or be varnished, the latter we think 
 best, and good shellac varnjsh is excellent for such work, 
 
137 
 
 For white hollywood, white clamar varnish may be used, 
 but for other woods shellac will be found good enough. 
 It must be remembered that in varnishing sawed or fret 
 work, great care is necessary not to have the varnish gather 
 in the corners and run down upon the face of the work. 
 A small bristle brush, such as described for drawing 
 stripes in fresco painting, will be found excellent, for witb 
 it the small places can be well wiped out. 
 
 VARNISHING CLOCK CASES. 
 
 In many instances a clock case may be made to look 
 like new by simply rubbing it with raw linseed oil and a 
 woolen rag to reproduce its color and lustre ; but if toe 
 much worn to look well, it may be varnished either with 
 furniture varnish or shellac varnish, the former being pref- 
 erable. Simply wash the case with soap and water, and 
 when dry flow on the varnish. 
 
 The face of the clock should not be tampered with, save 
 to carefully clean it ; the hands may be coated with black 
 j ipan, or be bronzed over with gold (see Chapter XVI., 
 uu Bronzing). 
 
 PLAQUES AND CHKOMOS. 
 
 To preserve the beautiful pictures now so plentiful from 
 age and fly-dirt, take them when new and clean, and flow 
 over them a coat of white French shellac varnish, or to 
 improve a faded chromo-lithograph, wash it carefully with 
 clean warm water (no soap), and then varnish as above. 
 
138 
 
 Oil-paintings are also sometimes improved by a ver} 
 thin coat of the French shellac varnish; but when the var- 
 nish has dried, the lustre sLould be dimmed by rubbing 
 with anything that will remove the gloss and not scratch. 
 
 Glut MOULDING, OR FRAMES. 
 
 The majority of what is called gold-frame or gilt-mould- 
 ing, is made by covering a prepared pine-moulding with 
 silver leaf, which is then lacquered with gold-colored 
 lacquer. This is not water-proof, and consequently 
 frames and mouldings should not be rubbed hard with a 
 wet cloth, although a little washing will do no harm. To 
 renovate a gilt frame it is best to do it all over rather 
 than to touch it up in spots, for the ground can seldom 
 be matched. However, gilt-work is now so cheap that it 
 will hardly pay to attempt to fix it up. A coat of French 
 shellac varnish will brighten up an old frame, but we 
 think it best to either paint, bronze, regild them or dis- 
 card them entirely. 
 
 SANDING IN IMITATION OF STONE. 
 
 There are many parts of a store or dwelling which may 
 bo improved by giving them the appearance of stone 
 The cornice, window-sills and caps, iron or wood railing, 
 and in some cases the whole front of the building may 
 thus be coated. To do this, mix paint as near the color 
 of the stone desired as you can with boiled linseed oiL 
 Two coats of paint will Generally be necessary, allowing 
 
139 
 
 the first coat to dry well before putting on the second one 
 When the last coat is spread and while yet wet, fine white 
 sand should be sprinkled over it plentifully. 
 
 To IMITATE GRANITE. 
 
 Mix white-lead and oil, and after the sand has been 
 sprinkled on, take a little lampblack and oil, and dipping 
 a brush into it, strike the brush against a stick held in the 
 other hand, to throw a trifling amount of fine black speaks 
 upon the sanded surface. Care must be taken not to put 
 on too large spatters, nor too much. A good plan is to ex- 
 periment on a board until the knack of spattering is gained 
 
 To IMITATE PORTLAND-STONE. 
 
 Mix white-lead, yellow ochre and a drop or two of 
 black to make the color, with oil, then sand it with no 
 spattering of black 
 
 To IMITATE BROWN-STONE. 
 
 CTse Grafton paint, or yellow ochre and Venetian red 
 mixed with oil. 
 
 At almost any dealer's one may purchase a "sanding- 
 cup," consisting of a conical-shaped tin vessel having a 
 hinged lid in which there are a number of small holes 
 like a pepper-box, with which a uniform coating of sand 
 may be put on. 
 
 The sea-sand should be well dried before any attempt 
 is made to sift it, or it will not work well. In sanding a 
 
140 
 
 EVERYBODY 8 PAINT BOOK. 
 
 flat smooth wall or boarding, a better imitation of stont 
 may be given by laying it off in blocks, as shown in Fig. 32, 
 by simply scratching through the sanded paint before it 
 dries, with a stick, say, one-half an inch in width on the 
 point, using a straight-edge, to govern the markings. 
 
 For fine work of this kind on the interior of a dwelling. 
 procure some "flockings" a fine lint made in cutting 
 plush and velvet quite inexpensive and after spreading 
 
 Fig 32, BHOWISQ METHOD OF LAYING OFF SANDED WORK TO IMITATE 
 BLOCKS OF STONK. 
 
 a coat of any cheap varnish, dust on the flockings, wheu a 
 sort of velvet imitation will result Don't disturb the wall 
 until all is dry, when all loose particles may be dusted off. 
 SMALT, a sort of powdered glass or fine sand, may be 
 procured in various colors, and be used in a similar man- 
 ner, although it is best for sign work. To use smalt, first 
 paint over the ground with oil paint as near the color of 
 the smalt as possible, then while still wet sift on the smalt 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. i4J 
 
 and lei dry. Black and blue smalt makes excellent 
 grounds for signs. 
 
 The letters are first marked out and gilded, then care- 
 fully painted around with oil black or oil blue?, e., C.>!OT 
 mixed with boiled oil and the smalt is dusted on. 
 
 Some very handsome work may be done on signs by 
 first painting the sign-board smooth, then stencilling on a 
 lot of figures as directed for painting walls, outside of the 
 letters, and coating the figures with smalt ; when dry, gild 
 the whole over, leaving the lettering black. 
 
 To RENOVATE PICTURE-FBAMES. 
 
 Many picture-frames are made of black-walnut or other 
 hard wood, and simply boiled to bring out the color of 
 the wood, and these become dusty and time-worn. To 
 make them fresh again, they may be rubbed over with a 
 woolen rag and raw linseed oil, or be varnished ; the latter 
 will generally make the best finish. Clean the frame 
 thoroughly with soap and water, and dry it well, then with 
 a small brush (a " sash-tool " as shown in Chapter III., 
 Fig. 3, will answer), and a gill of furniture varnish the old 
 frame may be made to look as good if not better than 
 ever. Any oiled wood may thus be improved upon. If 
 furniture varnish can not be readily obtained, shellac var- 
 nish will answer just as good a purpose and even better 
 in many cases, as it does not dry so glossy and by many 
 would be preferred on that account. As soon as you are 
 
142 
 
 through using your brush in shellac varnish, it should be 
 immediately washed in strong alcohol, never with soap 
 and water or in turpentine. 
 
 FLOORS FOB BED-CHAMBERS. 
 
 Floors may be made to look well and wear a long tinio 
 by first cleaning them nicely, then flow on a heavy coat 
 of boiled linseed oil, let dry, and then give two coats of 
 brown shellac varnish. 
 
 ORNAMENTAL FROSTING FOR WALLS. 
 
 When kalsomining or painting a wall, before the mate- 
 rial applied is dry, sift upon it powdered mica (known aa 
 diamond dust), and a beautiful crystallization will result^ 
 which in the gas-light will glisten like thousands of dia- 
 monds. Try it 
 
 T. PREVENT DAMPNESS IN BRICK WALLS. 
 
 Take a pound of mottled soap and dissolve it in a gal 
 Ion of boiling water, and spread the hot solution with a 
 kalsomine-brush over the outer surface of the wall using 
 care that it does not lather. Allow twenty-four hours for 
 drying ; then apply a second coating made by dissolving 
 a pound of alum in two gallons of water. The soap and 
 alum mutually decompose each otlv/. dud form an wsolu- 
 ble varnish which the rain is un&lile to penetrate. The 
 work should be done in dry, settled weather. 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 143 
 
 REMOVING HABD AND DRY PUTTY. 
 
 A careful and experienced glazier sometimes runs more 
 risk of damaging the wood of a window-frame than the 
 glass, because when the putty is very hard it adheres with 
 such tenacity to the wood that it is almost impossible to 
 separate it without taking some of the wood, which is 
 much softer. It has been recommended to put on the 
 putty a caustic paste made of quicklime and caustic pot- 
 ash or soda ; but this works slowly and does not penetrate 
 quickly enough to the required depth. The best thing is 
 to take a soldering-iron, heated a little below red-heat, 
 and pass it slowly over the putty where it touches the 
 wood ; be careful not to touch the glass in case this is to 
 be saved. The putty will then become so soft that it 
 can be separated easily from the wood. 
 
 CLEANING MARBLE. 
 
 Take washing soda, crush it fine, and mix with pulver- 
 :'.cd quicklime ; mix this with water to a paste, then rub it 
 on the greasy surface, and on this let it dry. When dry 
 scrape it off and wash the marble with soap and water 
 This is also gocd for sand or any porous stone. 
 
 STAINING WOOD. 
 
 Put some oil in a pot or dish, and stir in a little of the 
 pulverized paints mentioned ; try it on a small spot of the 
 
144 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 cabinet to be stained ; if not dark enough, put in more 
 paint ; if too dark, dilute with oil ; if too red, put in more 
 Van Dyke brown. To imitate walnut you Avill want mostly 
 Van Dyke brown, with very little sienna. To give pro- 
 portions of quantity would be useless, as it depends on 
 the nature of the wood to be stained and of the dry paint 
 you use, which will vary considerably. Just try until it 
 suits your purpose, and you will not encounter the le&at 
 difficulty. 
 
CHAiTEU XX. 
 
 MODERN STYLES OP HOUSE PATNTINQ. 
 
 is no reason why a house should be paintod ifl 
 the orthodox style of white, with green blinds, or^n drat 
 colors with darker trimmings ; and it is now deemed quite 
 proper to launch out into dark greens, black, red, etc., on 
 city buildings, more particularly on store-fronts No bet- 
 ter advertising medium can be had, sometimes, than the 
 showy color, say vermilion, on a store-front, for it can be 
 noticed a long distance off among rows of brick, marble, 
 and dull-colored buildings, and we believe the plan, if 
 properly carried out, so far as harmony of colors is con- 
 cerned, will be found excellent, on dwellings as well, not 
 so much to advertise them, but to distinguish them from 
 others without the trouble of seeking the street number. 
 Harmony by analogy, which has already been mentioned 
 in previous pages, will possibly aid in choosing suitable 
 tints and shades ; for it would be an endless task to enu- 
 merate all that could be used upon such work. 
 
 Dark green, made by adding yellow and black, as de- 
 scribed in the chapter on mixing paint, may be made to 
 7 (145) 
 
146 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 look well with trimmings of black or gold, and the same 
 may be said of red, either Indian red or vermilion. 
 Many store-fronts are painted with lampblack, then light- 
 ened up with touchings or slripings of gold, and they cer- 
 tainly prove attractive landmarks by their color. 
 
 Dwellings in a village or town could not be thus dark- 
 ened in color, and tints of light or dark green, drab, buff, 
 or salmon-color would prove, in most cases, superior tc 
 the monotonous white. 
 
 On page 8 the reader will find instructions for mixing 
 tints, and from which may be chosen a suitable one for 
 the work he has in hand. If a light green, or any other 
 similar tint is desired, such as drab, light blue, cream, etc., 
 first mix white-lead from the keg with either raw or boiled 
 oil to the proper consistency for spreading with the brush 
 not too thick, nor too thin then add, say, one pint of 
 brown japan to each gallon of paint, and afterward stir 
 into the white thus made, a little at a time, the color re- 
 quired to make the tint (as mentioned above). The color 
 used should first be mixe 1 thin with oil so that it will 
 readily assimilate with the white. When the desired tint 
 is formed the paint will be ready for putting on. It must 
 be noted, however, that most any tint will fade or become 
 lighter after a few months' exposure, and it is therefore 
 best to make all mixtures a little darker than you wish to 
 have them, in order to make allowance for this peculiarity. 
 
 Tints of light olive-green upon the sides of a dwelling 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 147 
 
 may have a trimming of darker olive, and the blinds, cor- 
 nice, and even the roof may be a tint of red, made with 
 Indian-red and white ; or perhaps still better taste would 
 be displayed if these were a solid Indian-red color, with 
 no white added, to make a stronger contrast. 
 
 To IMITATE BRICKWORK. 
 
 Coat the surface to be painted with a mixture of Vene- 
 tian red and a little yellow ochre, to take off the bright 
 red glare, with boiled Unseed oil, and a pint of brown 
 japan to each gallon of paint Two coats of this will be 
 necessary in most cases, and when these are dry, the pen- 
 cilling, either white or black, may be put on. The coloi 
 for pencilling is mixed in the same manner as the red, but 
 with a little turpentine added to cause it to run freely 
 from the pencil. Pencils for brickwork may be obtained 
 at any dealer's, and the lines are drawn by passing the 
 pencil along a straight-edge, using great care to get the 
 lines a proper distance apart and the joints of the brick 
 well broken. 
 
 Stonework may be done in a similar manner, using the 
 desired colors for gray, brown, Portland-stone, etc., the 
 mixtures for which have already been mentioned in Chap- 
 ter XIX. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 HOME DECORATION. 
 
 WE will now enter the field of decoration, and endeavoi 
 bhow how the interior of the home may be beautified 
 
 Fig. 83. SHOWING SUITABLE LEAVES TOR SPATTKB WORK. 
 
 There are many little things that the mother or daughter 
 can do in leisure moments which will serve to break the 
 monotony of the ever-present knitting, crocheting, and 
 (148) 
 
sewing or embroidering. The first to be considered is the 
 making of a handsome wall decoration in spatter-work 
 not the usual white and black attempts but a real good 
 picture, if the directions be well followed. 
 
 The leaves of the oak, maple, geranium, and other plants 
 and trees, ferns, etc., should first be gathered and placed 
 
 
 Fig. 34. BRUSH FOR SPATTER-WORK. 
 
 between the leaves of a book, and under a heavy weight 
 to press them perfectly flat. 
 
 Next procure some fine quality drawing paper, say 
 royal, 19 x 24 inches, costing $1.00 per quire, a paper of 
 very small pins, and several sticks of India ink. 
 Break the India ink into small pieces and put it into a 
 small bottle with a little warm water, and shake it re- 
 peatedly until it is all dissolved and the liquid is some- 
 
 Fig. 35 SHOWS A SPATTER-STICK. 
 
 ^vh at thicker than writing ink. Next procure a good qual 
 ity tooth-brush and a stick shaped something like Fig. 35, 
 from four to six inches long. These constitute all the 
 requirements for making the picture. Upon a smooth 
 
150 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 board, large enough to take on a sheet of drawing paper 
 or a soft pine table, fasten the paper down smooth by 
 tacks in each corner. Now open the book of leaves and 
 lay them out carefully, so that in arranging them you can 
 ((uickly see which leaf or vine to choose. 
 
 Begin at the bottom if you decide upon making a 
 wreath, and laying the largest leaves with their serrated 
 edges turned outward, one lapping over the other ; con- 
 tinue, sticking a little pin here and there to hold each part 
 in place, until the wreath is formed to your satisfaction 
 with the leaves. Care should be taken to place the largest 
 leaves at the bottom centre, and diminish in size as you 
 approach the apex or top. All the leaves must point out- 
 ward. Having pinned down and securely fastened every 
 leaf, the work of spattering begins. 
 
 Pour into a saucer or other shallow dish some of the 
 India ink, and with the fore-finger of the right hand 
 dipped into it, apply a very small quantity upon the ends 
 of the bristles of the tooth-brush. Hold the brush bris- 
 tles upwards in an inclined or nearly perpendicular posi- 
 tion directly over the leaves and paper, and at least six 
 mehes above them, and with the stick pass over the bris- 
 tles from bottom to top very gently. The movement of the 
 stick will cause the bristles to bend and spring back again, 
 while the ink will fall in a fine spray over all beneath 
 The operation should be repeated until the paper is 
 colored slightly gray nearest the edges of the leaves, and 
 

152 EVERYBODY'S TAINT BOOK. 
 
 blended off to nothing as it recedes from them. The 
 darkest shade should be given the bottom. Caw must 
 be taken not to drop a large spot, or to spatter so much 
 in one place that one spot will run into another and make 
 a blot. When this is done take the pins out of one or two 
 leaves at the bottom and remove the leaves ; then care- 
 fully spatter the edge of those leaves which were under 
 the ones taken off. Continue taking off the leaves, going 
 from the bottom upward, and spattering each edge as it 
 is exposed. One side of each leaf may be spattered a 
 little darker by holding the brush in a certain position a 
 knack easily learned. When all the leaves are thus spat- 
 tered and removed, take a pen and with the India ink 
 lightly sketch in the veins of the leaves. Fig. 36 represents 
 a wreath done in the manner described. The original 
 picture from which our engraving was made measured 
 11 x 9 inches. 
 
 Some beautiful work may be done by the addition of a 
 cross, a monument, or some other figure, and these may 
 be cut out of paper, und arranged in the same manner as 
 the leaves, the thickness of the cross being cut off after 
 the first spattering, and the white face of the cross re. 
 placed, until all other parts are done. The spatterinp 
 should be darkest at the base. When all is done arvl 
 your picture nicely framed it will present a very neat ap- 
 pearance if you have performed the work properly (see 
 Fig. 37). The original from which our engraving wag 
 
Fig. 37 BKPB 18ENT8 A SPATTER-WORK C'ROBS. 
 
AMOTBXB SPECULEN Of S i'ATTU 1 V ). 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT DOCK. 155 
 
 made measured 9 x 12 inches. Fig. 88, which represents 
 another specimen of spatter-work measured 10 x 12 inches 
 before reduction. 
 
 Spatter-work may also be done on fine satin or linen, 
 and thus form very handsome pin-cushions, wall-pockets 
 etc. 
 
 Again, a white door may be taken from its hinges, and 
 laid horizontally while the panels or stiles are ornamented 
 in this manner; after which a very thin coat of shellac 
 varnish should be put over it, with a soft varnish brush, 
 exercising great care not to touch the work but once, and 
 thai very lightly or the figures might be disturbed. 
 
CHAPTER XXIL 
 
 QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED. 
 
 IN the foregoing pages a fair description of " What can 
 be done, and the way to do it," has been given ; but there 
 are many items of interest connected with the subject 
 which it may be well to impress more forcibly upon the 
 reader's mind in order that those who undertake to carry 
 out any of the many formulas, may not after one or two 
 trials fail on account of some misunderstanding. 
 
 The foregoing chapters, after being placed in type, were 
 submitted to those who could readily comprehend what 
 had been written, for criticism, and many questions 01? 
 points which to them seemed somewhat vague have been 
 propounded. 
 
 The first of these series was from a lady in reference 
 to the 
 
 RENOVATION, OB REPOLISHING OF A PIANO. 
 
 The case of a piano only, will be found to be polished, 
 while the legs, especially carved ones, are varnished. The 
 varnish used on this work is called by the manufacturer, 
 (158) 
 
157 
 
 ' Piano-polishing," for the case, and " Piano-flowing;," for 
 the legs and stool. It is seldom that a piano becomes so 
 badly dilapidated that it is unfit for refinishing ; but when 
 one does get scratched or bruised so badly as to be unfit, 
 the varnish should be wholly removed. This may be 
 done by scraping with a steel scraper, such as is used by 
 carpenters, or the varnish may be softened with a solution 
 of ammonia and then be scraped or washed off. 
 
 Take, say, two ounces of spirits of ammonia and add 
 two ounces of water ; then with a rag tied to a stick, sop 
 over the surface, and allow it to set a few moments, when 
 the varnish will be found to soften. Take a part of the 
 work in hand at a time, say the back of the piano, and 
 complete that before going to other parts, and care should 
 be taken that no ammonia gets upon the inner works. 
 When all has been cleaned in this manner, let the damp- 
 ness dry out, then with No. 1 sand-paper rub ah 1 parts 
 smooth, dust off, and apply a coat of varnish, known as 
 " Scraping or Filling " varnish. Two or three coats of 
 this varnish will be necessary to make a good foundation 
 for the " Piano-polishing " varnish, which is next in order. 
 The " Scraping " varnish having become dry and hard, 
 take a flat steel scraper and scrape over the surface, taking 
 most of the varnish off, but leaving the pores of the wood 
 well filled. Sand-paper lightly with fine sand-paper and 
 put the polishing varnish on plentifully, and as evenly as 
 possible. Two coats of polishing varnish will be enough. 
 
158 EVERYBODY'S TAINT BOOK. 
 
 When dry, say in two days, the work of polishing ia 
 begun. 
 
 First, rub the surface as smooth as possible with pul- 
 verized pumice-stone and water, wash off and dry well. 
 Next, have at hand a vial of brown shellac varnish and 
 another of boiled linseed oil. Then take a strip of list 
 several yards long, and roll it up into a flat roll, over 
 which tie a piece of cloth or flannel to form a flattened 
 rubbing pad. Now saturate the face of the pad by dip- 
 ping it into a shallow dish containing the shellac, then 
 drop a few drops of the oil from the vial upon the face 
 of the pad and begin rubbing the varnish. The use 
 of shellac and oil will become apparent, when the pad 
 does not pass easily over the varnish, showing that more 
 shellac and oil is necessary. Continue the rubbing in a 
 circular manner, so that any fine scratches may not be 
 seen, until the whole case has a smooth, even gloss. 
 
 The carved legs may be varnished with the " Piano-fin- 
 ishing " varnish, and the job completed. 
 
 Where the varnish is in good condition, it is only neces- 
 sary to repolish it; and the same operation as above may 
 be carried out. Not only is this a proper way to fix up a 
 piano, but an organ or any other piece of furniture may 
 be done in a similar manner. The polishing of the var- 
 nish on a carriage body is done by rubbing the varnish 
 with pulverized pumice-stone and water, then with pul- 
 verized rotten-stone and water ; afterward with rotten- 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 159 
 
 stone and sweet oil. The work upon a heavy job often 
 occupies one man from eight to ten days' time. It 
 should be borne in mind that this elaborate refinishmg is 
 only required where a piano is in very bad order. Ordi- 
 narily, a coat or two of "Piano-polishing" varnish for 
 the case, and " Piano-flowing " varnish for the legs will 
 answer every purpose of course, polishing the case as 
 described above. 
 
 RENOVATING COTTAGE FURNITURE. 
 
 A lady wishes to know how to improve the appearance 
 of a set of cottage chamber furniture, which is now 
 painted a cream color and ornamented with flowers. The 
 best way to clean up such work, where it is not too far 
 destroyed, is to rub every part clean and smooth with 
 pulverized pumice-stone and water; wash and dry well, 
 and lay on a coat of light-colored Carriage-Rubbing var- 
 nish. If the furniture is bruised so badly that it is neces- 
 sary to repaint it to make a good job, and the ornamental 
 work may be saved, 
 
 First dissolve some glue in hot water, so that it is about 
 the consistency of cream, then add enough whiting to 
 give it the body of paint. Keep it hot, and with a small 
 brush lay a coat over all the parts to be saved, that is, the 
 flowers, leaves, etc., and let dry. When dry, paint over 
 the furniture the same as if there was no ornamentai 
 work upon it, with any desired tint (see chapter on tints) 
 
160 EVERYBODY'S TAINT BOOK. 
 
 When the painting is done, take some warm water and a 
 soft rag or a sponge, and wash off the glue, which will 
 soften easy and come off, leaving the figures as if newly 
 painted upon another ground. 
 
 WHAT is PUMICE-STONE? 
 
 Pumice-stone is the lava from a volcano. It comes to 
 us in lumps of various sizes. It is exceedingly porous, and 
 most of it so light that it will lioat upon water. The 
 lumps are cut with a saw and file to any desired shape, 
 and it is then used in connectioi. with water for levelling 
 the surface of paint on carriage bodies. Pulverized 
 pumice-stone is the lumps ground fine in burr-mills, and 
 sifted or bolted to various degrees of fineness. It is used 
 with water in levelling varnish coats, or for cleaning paint 
 or metals. 
 
 FURNITURE AND CARRIAGE VARNISH. 
 
 " What is the difference between furniture and carriage 
 varnish?" Carriage varnish is made from the best gum- 
 i-opal, linseed oil, and turpentine ; the different giades 
 being formed by the different quantity of ingredients or 
 Lheir quality. The best quality is known as " Finishing," 
 and various names are given by the many manufacturers, 
 such as " Wearing Body," " Body Finishing," etc. Car- 
 riage varnish from England has for a number of years 
 held supremacy over otlipr makes; mt the Amei'icau var- 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAIJSTT BOOK. 161 
 
 nish-makers have at last equalled it, and although many 
 carriage-makers use the English brand upon their work, 
 the majority of those in this country give preference to 
 American varnish. 
 
 Furniture varnish is greatly inferior, being made from 
 inferior gums and resins. It is suitable only for inside 
 work, having no durability when exposed to the weather. 
 
 PAINTING WINDOW-BLINDS. 
 
 " Will the paint as mixed for a lumber- wagon answer for 
 window-blinds ? " No, window-blinds should be painted 
 with pure oil paint; a trifling amount of brown japan may 
 be added to hasten the drying; but good boiled linseed 
 oil will give the best results. Mix the dry color to the 
 proper consistency for spreading with boiled oil only, and 
 apply as evenly as possible. 
 
 VARNISHING WALL-PAPER. 
 
 "Can wall-paper be varnished ? " There is a certain class 
 of wall-paper made specially for varnishing, and used for 
 wainscotings, etc. ; but as a general thing the wall-papers 
 are unfitted to receive varnish, even when carefully sized 
 with starch or glue-water. 
 
 LEARNING TO LETTER. 
 
 ' Can I learn to letter signs and wagons from bo*bks ? " 
 Yes; you may gain a sufficient amount of information 
 
lt>2 EVERYBODY'S PAINT B;>OK. 
 
 from books to enable you to practice lettering, and by 
 practice you may become proficient An excellent book 
 for a beginner is " The Complete Carnage and Wagon 
 Painter," by Fritz Sckriber, published by M. T. Richard- 
 son, No. 7 Warren Street, New York, (price $1.00). In 
 this book rules are given for laying out and painting let- 
 ters for both wagons and signs, and the work is very com- 
 plete. If you have no taste for drawing a letter, and feel 
 too old to learn how, there are templets of brass, by the 
 use of which you may draw the outline of any letter. 
 Then, there are sets of the alphabet cut out of strong 
 pasteboard, that you can lay upon the work and mark 
 around; but, after all, the knowledge is quickly gained, 
 and the book spoken of fills the bill. 
 
 "WHAT is MEANT BY HARMONY OF COLORS?" 
 
 Harmony of colors is just as essential in pleasing the 
 eye, as the harmony of sound is to pleasing the ear. The 
 subject, if fully explained, would occupy too much space 
 in a book of this kind. However, it may be said: There 
 are three primary colors, viz.: Red, Blue, Yellow; and 
 these can not be made by the mixture of other colors; but 
 by mixing the primaries in pairs, other colors, called 
 " complimentary colors," are formed. For instance, red 
 and blue make violet; red find yellow, orange; and blue 
 and yellow, green. If green be placed beside red (the 
 primary not in green) the red will be improved, and vice 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 165 
 
 versa. If orange be placed beside blue (the missing pri- 
 mary), both colors will be intensified, and so on; but if 
 blue be placed beside green, without the interposition of 
 white or black, the eye would not be pleased, which showj 
 that the color combination is not harmonious. 
 
 AYhite and Black are known as neutral colors. 
 
 Harmony by contrast is the mingling of colors which 
 are quite different, as red and green, yet pleasing to 
 the eye. 
 
 Harmony by analogy is the mingling of colors very 
 similar in tone that is, a light green and a medium or 
 dark green. We often see an ornament painted in what 
 is called " Monochrome," i. e., one color, but in various 
 tints, as, for example: a monogram would be laid in in 
 pink, the dark shades in carmine, the middle shades ver- 
 milion, and the high-lights in white, tinted with red. This 
 is harmony by analogy, and the eye is generally pleased 
 with such a combination. See " Chevreul on Color," a 
 work by a noted French chemist 
 
 PAINTING TOYS. 
 
 " With what are toys generally painted ? " Toys are 
 painted with size or water-colors. The paint dries quickly, 
 and is then varnished with shellac, if a gloss is desired 
 The work is generally done by small girls, who become 
 yerj dpxterpus in the handling of the brugjj, 
 
164 EVERYBODY'S PAIXT ROOK. 
 
 AMMONIA, AND How rr INJURES VABNISH. 
 
 " We notice nothing in your proof-sheets about ammo 
 nia, that deadly enemy of varnish and paint. Will you 
 please give us a description of its action and of what il 
 consists of ? " 
 
 Ammonia, in its uncombined form, is an elastic gaseous 
 body. It is volatile and easily destroyed by heat, but it is 
 rapidly absorbed by water, which it takes in solution 
 about 780 times its volume. It is liberated whenever any 
 of the compounds of this alkali are acted upon by potash, 
 soda, lime, and many of the alkaline earths, lime being 
 one of the quickest to act. 
 
 Muriate of ammonia is produced by the decomposition of 
 vegetable matter and the excrement from animals. Lime 
 and other articles act upon the ammonia and liberate 
 the gases, the action of which is very serious on varnish 
 when the surface is not dry. 
 
 This is accounted for by the affinity of ammonia to 
 water, the two forming an alkali which acts upon the oil 
 in the varnish, and by absorbing it deprives the varnish 
 of the element so necessary for its life and lustre. 
 
 Owing to the volatile character of ammonia, it will dis- 
 tribute itself over a large space, and where the conditions 
 are favorable it will work permanent injury. In storing 
 carriages, therefore, care should be taken to select a loca- 
 tion as free from moisture as possible. If the carriage- 
 
EVERYBODY'S PArar BOOK. 165 
 
 house is kept dry, so that no moisture settles upon the 
 varnish, no injury will arise from ammonia ; but if the air 
 of the room is charged with moisture, the ammonia \fiB 
 destroy the varnish, even though the quantity is so slight 
 as to be imperceptible. Brick stables or plaster walls, 
 owing to the presence of lime, are far more injurious 
 than when the surroundings are wood. Some of the 
 earths are nearly as injurious as lime, and a varnished 
 surface covered with dust, if standing in a room where 
 the air is not absolutely dry, will act the same as lime, 
 and the volatile alkali will destroy the life of the varnish, 
 though this may not be apparent when the carriage is 
 first washed off. Ammonia exists wherever animals are 
 stabled, and the only real protection from its ravages is 
 by hot, dry air. 
 
 Recent improvements in varnish have made some kinds 
 less susceptible to ammonia than others, but in the absence 
 of these, or even with these, dry air is the main safeguard. 
 
 DETECTING ADULTERATION IN DRY COLORS. 
 
 "Please tell how we can detect adulteration in dry 
 colors, if it is possible to do so ? " 
 
 The adulteration of pigments, and in some cases their 
 imperfect manufacture, are conditions that it is not always 
 possible to guard against for the difference between good 
 and bad material is not discoverable until the work on 
 which the material is used is completed, and too late tc 
 
166 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 rectify the error. White-lead frequently contains a large 
 percentage of barytes, and vermilion of red-lead, or other 
 heavy pigment, and even though we have at our command 
 tests for proving their purity, we do not always feel dis- 
 posed to apply them until it is discovered that something 
 is wrong. 
 
 White-lead, if pure, when thrown on a piece of burn- 
 ing charcoal, will first turn yellowish, then melt down into 
 metallic globules. If impure, there will be a residue of 
 white earthy matter. Vermilion, if pure, will entirely 
 evaporate if thrown on a red-hot iron. 
 
 Chrome yellow may be tested by pouring on it a little 
 nitric acid ; if it effervesces, it is adulterated ; if not, it is 
 pure. 
 
 Ultramarine blue, if adulterated, will scarcely be affected 
 by nitric acid, but if pure will lose its color almost entire- 
 ly. If Prussian blue and indigo be used to adulterate 
 ultramarine, it may be detected by throwing some of the 
 blue on live charcoal, when, if a bluish vapor is given off, 
 having a smell of burning indigo, the adulteration is cer- 
 tain, otherwise it is possibly pure. 
 
 Cheap japans, used as dryers, are in part responsible for 
 a large class of paint troubles. A good japan will readily 
 assimilate with oil, while a poor, worthless one will be 
 found to coagulate or curdle, and resist every attempt tr 
 mix with it The fading of a color after it is upon the 
 work is generally due to the effects of sunlight, ammonia 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 167 
 
 from the si able, or in some cases to a mixture of pigments 
 which are inharmonious. In manufacturing pigments, it 
 is often necessary to combine two colors while in pure 
 and limpid solutions, rather than to mix the two dry pig- 
 ments, in order to arrive at a perfect tone or hue of color, 
 and the painter will find the same rule applicable in some 
 cases in mixing certain colors to form others. For ex- 
 ample, if he desires a rich shade of green, he will find it 
 advisable to mix Prussian blue with his vehicles, and 
 grind it fine in the mill ; then mix chrome yellow in a 
 similar manner and grind that ; and after this, to add the 
 blue to the yellow paint during a lively stirring with a 
 stick or spatula, until the desired shade is obtained. This 
 method will result in a better commingling of the parti- 
 cles of the pigments, and produce a better color than by 
 the more common method. 
 
 The durability of a color is in many cases dependent 
 upon the vehicles used in mixing the paint, or in the ex- 
 posure it receives. We are told by one writer who, per- 
 haps, had a single example set him that "zinc white 
 snould always be used in place of white-lead at the sea- 
 side, where it is especially durable. The action of the 
 salt air injures the lead." 
 
 While another writer tells us that "white-lead is the 
 more durable of the two zinc and lead in exposed situa- 
 tions at the sea-side, where salt air is present" 
 
 Another, and I believe the most sensible of the three 
 
108 EVERYBODY'S PAINT ROOK. 
 
 says : "The most durable \vliite for exteriors is a mixture 
 of white-lead and zinc in equal parts, mixed or thinned 
 with pale boiled oil, raw oil being more liable to be sucked 
 into the wood, leaving the pigment without sufficient bind- 
 ing." The reason of this is obvious ; the white-lead 
 possesses the most body, and consequently gives a better 
 covering, and the zinc being less affected by salt air (pre- 
 sumably) acts as a preservative to the lead, and thus du- 
 rability is extended. However, I am of the opinion that 
 the decision arrived at regarding the use of either, alone 
 or mixed together, is based upon insufficient testimony 
 coming from those, perhaps, who have an axe to grind. 
 
 Much of the durability of colors depends upon the 
 ground over which the paint is spread. If the ground be 
 porous to absorb the vehicles of the paint, the pigment 
 will be deprived of a sufficient amount to keep it in color 
 it will fade or turn gray. You will often see pigments 
 in lumps, which, if broken, present a deeper or more 
 brilliant tone upon the inside than upon the outside, and 
 this is the case with paint that has lost its vitality by the 
 absorption of the oil, 8 > that care should be had to form 
 a good foundation. 
 
GL )SSARY 
 
 Badger-hair Brushes. Brushes made from the hair of 
 the animal of that name, used for fine varnishing or 
 " color-and-varnishing " principally. 
 
 Benzine. A volatile spirits distilled from petroleum or coal 
 oil, used as a substitute for turpentine both as a vehicle 
 for paint, and as a thinner for varnish. It was, during 
 the rebellion, the only vehicle within the reach of moder- 
 ate means, turpentine being at one time $2.50 per gallon, 
 but it is now looked upon as worthless in the paint-shop. 
 It can be readily discovered by its pungent odor, and 
 care should be taken in purchasing turpentine, that it is 
 not used as an adulterant. 
 
 Black Japan. A solution of asphaltum or Jew's pitch in 
 linseed oil or varnish. It comes ready prepared at a cost 
 of $4.50 per gallon. 
 
 !5ris|Ie Brush. A brush made from the bristles of the 
 hog. The best are taken from the wild hog of Russia, 
 while the annual is alive. The hogs are allowed to roam 
 the dense forests, where thousands of nut-growing trees 
 supply them with food, and on which they fatten. Their 
 bristles grow to an enormous size. They are driven into 
 corals, seized by strong hands, one at a time, and their 
 bristles pulled out while suffering excruciating pain, as 
 their cries attest. They are then allowed to go free to 
 grow another crop of bristles. 
 
 8 ( 169 > 
 
170 
 
 Bronze. A Sue powder of various metals, made by first 
 comminuting the metal, then mixing it with honey and 
 grinding it exceedingly fine, after which the honey is 
 removed by washing and the metal dust dried on shallow 
 pans. 
 
 Camel's-lmir Brushes. Brushes made of hah- said to be 
 from the camel, but which for the most part comes fi-om 
 the tail of the Russian squirrel. They are soft yet elastic, 
 and have no superior for spreading fine colors such as 
 are used on carnages. 
 
 " Cbielled." A term used to denote that the bristles of a 
 brush are tapered down or worn off on the edge to a 
 chisel shape. This is done by the brush-maker to give 
 the brush a better shape for laying paint. It was former- 
 ly the practice to wear down a ue\v brush on some rough 
 surface to get it in order for good work, but chiselling 
 obviates that trouble. The bristles are drawn, back on 
 each side of the brush, forming a thin edge, and leaving 
 the split-end of the bristles intact. Those that are ground 
 off are not so soft and elastic. 
 
 Drying Dead. With no gloss; the paint will be of one 
 appearance throughout, with no lustre. 
 
 Egg-shell gloss. Paint drying with a very slight lustre, 
 in fact like an egg-shell not dead. 
 
 Glazing. The art of giving a ground-color a differeiu 
 shade or richness by coating it with a transparent glaze 
 or thin wash. The pigment, such as carmine, ultrama- 
 rine blue, etc., is mixed with varnish to form a sort of 
 colored varnish, not a solid covering, and then applied 
 the same as varnish to a ground quite near the color of 
 the glaze. For carmine, any dark or light red may be 
 used as a ground. For blue, any shade of blue made of 
 Prussian blue, may be glazed with ultramarine. For 
 green, use verdigris or Paris green, for a glaze. Foi 
 
175 
 
 yellow, 01 for dark bottle-green, use yellow lake or 
 Dutch pink for the glazing color. 
 
 Japan Drier, or Brown Japan. A drier for paints 
 made by boiling linseed oil with substances which give 
 it drying properties, such as manganese, sugar of lead, 
 red-lead, litharge, etc., and adding for a body, gum-shel- 
 lac or inferior varnish gums. Price generally $1.50 per 
 gallon. 
 
 Japan-Gold-sfzc. A superior quality of brown japan, in- 
 tended for a drier of paint, and not, as many suppose, a 
 size for metallic leaf or powder. It is of twice the strength 
 of brown japan, and its price is in proportion, i. e., $3.00 
 per gallon. 
 
 Leaf. Any metal rolled and beaten into thin sheets, as 
 gold-leaf, nickel-leaf, etc. 
 
 Linseed Oil. An oil expressed from flaxseed. 
 
 Pencils. The name given to all small brushes, less in size 
 than the sash-tool, as striping-pencils, lettering-pencils, 
 etc. Some pencils are made of sable-hair, and are quite 
 expensive, as the -hair is obtained from a small animal of 
 the weasel family, and that only from the tip of the tail. 
 Camel's-hair pencils are, as before said, made of Russian 
 squirrel-hair. Ox-hair pencils from the hair that grows 
 in that animal's ear. Pencils are bound in quills of all 
 si/es, in tin, and some are simply hair tied to a stick. 
 
 Pigments. Coloring substances generally in powdered 
 form, produced by chemical means or dug directly from 
 the earth. The list embraces many colors which may be 
 made by the painter, by combining simple pigments, and 
 would occupy too much space here, but a few only will 
 be noticed. 
 
 BONE-BLACK. An inferior black made by burning the 
 bones of animals, instead of ivory. 
 
172 EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 CARMINE. A blood-red color extracted from cochineal. It 
 is the most expensive pigment used in carriage painting, 
 and therefore seldom put on in the same manner as other 
 colors. Glazing is resorted to, to lessen the quantity of 
 pigment used. 
 
 INDIAN-RED. A deep red pigment, a chemically prepared 
 ochre, or earth. 
 
 IVORY-BLACK is made by calcining the chips and refuse of 
 ivory-workers. After being burned the charcoal thus 
 formed is ground in powerful mills, while mixed with 
 water. The best quality is known in the trade as " Ger- 
 man ivory-black," imported into this country in the form 
 of a fine powder, the price. ranging from fourteen to 
 twenty-three cents per pound wholesale. 
 
 LAMPBLACK. The soot from burning oils, fat, tar, vegeta- 
 bles and other like matter. Lampblack is the most dura- 
 ble pigment in use, being nearly pure carbon. 
 
 PRUSSIAN BLUE. A pigment made by chemically prepar- 
 ing the refuse of slaughter-houses, etc. 
 
 SIENNA. Similar to umber, but of a deep salmon -color 
 when burned. 
 
 ULTRAMARINE BLUE. Named from the precious stone 
 which was originally powdered to form the color, and 
 which came from "across the sea," ultra be3'ond, and 
 marine the sea. The Lapis lazuli, or precious stone, 
 was indeed too precious, and the pigment we now em- 
 ploy is made by chemical means. 
 
 UMBER. An ochre, the natural color of which is very 
 nearly that of iron-rust, but when burned it becomes 
 darker and of a rich brown color. 
 
 VERMILION. A bright red pigment made by combining 
 chemically, sulphur and mercury. There are several 
 brands of American vermilion, but English vermilion is 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 173 
 
 by far the best, the "light" being used extensively 
 Wherever a bright red is wanted, the "deep" for ordi- 
 nary work. 
 
 WHITE-LEAD. A pigment made by subjecting the metallic 
 lead to the fumes, or corroding influence of vinegar, 
 when it becomes a fine white powder. Much of this is 
 ground in huge mills while mixed with linseed oil, and 
 is then technically known as keg-lead or tub-lead. Dry 
 white-lead is the powder unmixed. 
 
 Pumice-stone. The lava from a volcano. The lumps or 
 pieces of stone are used for scouring down old paint or 
 for levelling rough-stuff on carriage bodies ; the powdered 
 or pulverized pumice-stone is simply the lumps ground 
 to powder, for rubbing varnish smooth. 
 
 Rough-stuff, as its name implies, is a rough - grained 
 paint designed to level over any hollows or imperfec- 
 tions in the surface to be painted and varnished, as a car- 
 riage body. It is composed of some cheap ochre or other 
 hard and gritty pigment, so that the stone with which it 
 is rubbed will grind it down smooth and not clog or fill 
 up. A good recipe for Bough-staff is as follows : 
 
 Take equal parts of dry white-lead and Grafton paint 
 or English filling (an earth), and mix them with equal 
 parts of rubbing varnish and brown japan ; grind loosely 
 through the paint-mill; then thin to a working con- 
 sistency with raw linseed oil one part, turpentine two 
 parts. 
 
 Size. A name given to any mixture which becomes adhe- 
 sive when partly dry, as "gold-size," the proper name of 
 which should be "gilding size," to distinguish it from 
 the paint drier gold-size. However, there is a gilding 
 size imported from England under the name of ' Har- 
 land's gold-si <?e," which is one of the best for laying leaf 
 or bronze upon. 
 
174- EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 
 
 Tint. A change of white by the addition of any other color 
 as pink, straw, gray, etc. 
 
 Turpentine. A volatile oil, generally called spirits of tur- 
 pentine, obtained by distillation from pine-wood, the 
 residue being tar and pitch. Pure turpentine evaporates 
 quickly, leaving no sediment, consequently it is not used 
 in paint to bind the particles of pigment together, but to 
 make the mixture more limpid, that it may be spread 
 easily with a pencil or brush. 
 
 Tarnish, Carriage. The varnish for carriages is made by 
 melting copal gum, mixing it with linseed oil and add- 
 ing a drier to it, then thinning to the proper consistency 
 with turpentine. The best quality is called Wearing 
 Body, at from $5.50 to $6.00 per gallon. This varnish is 
 very pale, and excels in freedom and safety of working, 
 as well as in brilliancy and durability. In good weather 
 it dries out of the way of dust in eight hours; hardens 
 free f rom tack in four days ; sets so slowly that it affords 
 ample time to make a perfect job on the largest panels, 
 and the job will be ready for use in five or six days. This 
 varnish is excellent for front-doors to dwellings. 
 
 Tarnish, Carriage-Rubbing. A varnish designed for 
 the first coats or under coats of varnish on carriages, 
 which is rubbed level with pulverized pumice-stone and 
 then varnished over with a finishing, or better grade of 
 varnish. It is excellent for some work in the house, 
 and for mixing in colors. 
 
 Tarnish, Damar. Made by dissolving damar gum in 
 spirits; it is quick-drying, very white (of a milky ap- 
 pearance), but the gum is soft and the varnish never 
 hardens well. It is used for mixing with white-lead or 
 zinc- white, to form what is known as "China gloss " for 
 interiors etc. 
 
EVERYBODY'S PAINT BOOK. 175 
 
 Varnish, Furniture. A mixture of inferior gums and 
 resins with linseed oil, or with inferior oils, such as cot- 
 ton-seed oil, fish oil, etc. It serves a very good purpose 
 on common furniture, or upon any work of a dark color 
 which is not to be exposed to the weather. Price vary- 
 ing from $1.50 to $3.00 per gallon. 
 
 Varnish, "One Coat Coacli." For finishing-coats on 
 ordinary work. This varnish, though not so pale or 
 durable as Wearing Body, is lieavy -bodied and especial- 
 ly adapted for finishing bodies or gears of carnages, 
 when a single coat only is practicable. In good weathei 
 it dries in seven hours with fullness and brilliancy, and 
 wears well. 
 
 Varnish, Shellac. A solution of shellac gum and alcohol. 
 There are three kinds in common use, viz. : brown shel- 
 lac for common work ; white shellac (a milky substance) 
 for white work, and pale French shellac (the color of 
 cider) for any kind of work. Shellac varnish dries in a 
 few minutes, and ranges in price from $2.00 to $4.00 pei 
 gallon. 
 
 Vehicle. Any liquid used in mixing paint. 
 
 White. Made by burning the metal zinc, ana con- 
 densing the smoke and fumes; it is a very pure wb'ta, 
 %nd preferred on some work to lead. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 PAfll 
 
 Adulteration in Colors 165 
 
 Ammonia 164 
 
 Baluster Rails, To Oil 131 
 
 Bed-chamber Floors 142 
 
 Bedsteads, To Renovate 71 
 
 Black 9 
 
 Blackboard Paint 120 
 
 Blaok Ebony, To Imitate 73 
 
 Blue, Ultramarine 42 
 
 Brick Walls, To Prevent Dampness in 143 
 
 Brickwork, Color for 10 
 
 Brickwork, To Imitate 147 
 
 Bronzing . . 113 
 
 Bronze- Work, To Renovate 81 
 
 Brown, Olive 43 
 
 Brush, Camel's-Hair. 16 
 
 Brush, How to Bridle a. 24 
 
 Brush, How to Handle a 25 
 
 Brush, Ordinary 13 
 
 Brusl Varnish 15 
 
 Brusnes, How to Preserve. 29 
 
 Buggy. To Touch up a 103 
 
 Buggy, To Varnish a 102 
 
 Carriage Body (Cracked), To Paint a 101 
 
 Carriage, Improving Lather on 100 
 
 Carriage Painting 93 
 
 Carriage, To make an old one look like new 104 
 
 Carriage Varnish 160 
 
 Ceilings, To Ornament 58 
 
 Ceilings To Renovate 61 
 
 (176) 
 
INDEX. 177 
 
 PA6B 
 
 Chairs, To Paint 71 
 
 Chandeliers, To Renovate 81 
 
 Chromes, To Varnish 137 
 
 Cleaning before Painting 31 
 
 Cleaning House 51 
 
 Cleaning Marble 143 
 
 Clock Cases, To Varnish 137 
 
 Color, Brick 43 
 
 Color, Chestnut 42 
 
 Color, Cream. ..- 43 
 
 Color, Copper 43 
 
 Color, Drab 43 
 
 Color, Fawn 42 
 
 Color, Flesh 42 
 
 Color, French Gray 43 
 
 Color, Gray 43 
 
 Color, Lemon : 43 
 
 Color, Lilac , 42 
 
 Color, Lead 43 
 
 Color, Oak 43 
 
 Color, Plum 42 
 
 Color, Purple 42 
 
 Color, Stone 42 
 
 Color, Violet 42 
 
 "Coior-and-Varnish" 98 
 
 Color, Cream 8 
 
 Colors, Detecting Adulteration in 165 
 
 Color, Drab 8 
 
 Colors for Business Wagons 83 
 
 Colors for Farm Implements 30 
 
 Colors, Harmony of 162 
 
 Colors, How to Mix 35 
 
 Color, Lead 8 
 
 Color, Pea-Green 8 
 
 Color, Pearl 8 
 
 Color, Rose, or Pink 8 
 
 Color, Salmon g 
 
178 INDEX. 
 
 MM 
 
 Colors, Silver Gray 8 
 
 Colors, Straw 8 
 
 Colors, Wood 8 
 
 Damask Walls, To Make 65 
 
 Dampness, To Prevent in Brick Walls 14'2 
 
 Decoration, Home 14S 
 
 Door (Front), To Varnish 131 
 
 Drier, Japan 8 
 
 Drier, Patent 5 
 
 Dutch Metal , 114 
 
 Ellipse, To Lay Out 122 
 
 Engravings, To Transfer 135 
 
 Farm Wagons, Color for 10 
 
 Farm Wagons, Indian Red for 41 
 
 Farm Implements, Color for 10 
 
 Farm Implements, Color for 40 
 
 Farm Implements, Color for 41 
 
 Farm Implements, To Paint 29 
 
 Farm Tools, Color for 10 
 
 Farm Wagon, To Paint 106 
 
 Fences, To Paint 89 
 
 Floor Oil-Cloth, To Varnish 129 
 
 Floors for Bed-chambers 142 
 
 Floors, Paint for 38 
 
 Flower-Stands, Paint for 37 
 
 Fret- Work 136 
 
 Furniture, To Renovate 71 
 
 Furniture, To Renovate 159 
 
 Furniture Varnish 160 
 
 Gilding 113 
 
 Gilding Carved Work 116 
 
 Gilding on Plate Glass 115 
 
 GiltMoulding 138 
 
 Glass (Ground), To Imitate 120 
 
 Glass (Ground), To Imitate 134 
 
 Glass, To Transfer Prints on 135 
 
 Glossary ...- ... 169 
 
INDEX. 179 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Gold Leaf . 113 
 
 Gold Leaf, To Apply .. 118 
 
 Granite, To Tuiitate 139 
 
 Green 38 
 
 Green, Bronze 43 
 
 Grten, Chrome 38 
 
 <j reen, Chrome 42 
 
 Green, Milori, 39 
 
 Green, Milori 42 
 
 Green, Olive 39 
 
 Green, Quaker 42 
 
 Home Decoration 148 
 
 Household Articles, To Touch up 129 
 
 Household Implements, Color for 10 
 
 House Painting, Modern Style 145 
 
 House, To Clean 51 
 
 Imitating Brickwork 147 
 
 Indoor White 4 
 
 Indoor Work, Paint for 9 
 
 Iron Railings, To Paint 63 
 
 Ironwork, Color for 10 
 
 Japan Brown 8 
 
 Japan Drier 3 
 
 Kalsomine ..... 52 
 
 Kalsomine, Prepared 56 
 
 Kalsomine, To Make 53 
 
 Kitchen, To Renovate 85 
 
 Lacquering 113 
 
 Lacquer, Formula for making 119 
 
 Lampblack 9 
 
 Lampblack 42 
 
 Lead (White), Ground in Oil 5 
 
 Leather on Carriages, To Improve 100 
 
 Letter, Learning to .' 161 
 
 Linseed Oil, Raw and Boiled 3, 6 
 
 Machinery, Color for 10 
 
 Mahogany, Stain 121 
 
180 INDEX. 
 
 MM 
 
 Mantel-Piece, To Paint or Marble 78 
 
 Marble, To Clean 143 
 
 Marbling Mantel-Pieces 78 
 
 Oak Graining, Stain for 121 
 
 Ochre, Yellow 42 
 
 Oil Cloth for Floors, To Varnish 129 
 
 Oil, Liuseed, Boiled 
 
 Oil, Linseed, Raw 3 
 
 Oil Paintings, To Varnish 138 
 
 Outbuildings, Color for 10 
 
 Outbuildings, To Paint 89 
 
 Outdoor White 4 
 
 Outdoor Work, Paint for 9 
 
 Oval, To Lay Out 123 
 
 Paint for Blackboards 120 
 
 Paint for Flower-Stands 37 
 
 Paint for Walls of a Room 44 
 
 Paint that Rubs Off 7 
 
 Paint, What is it? 8 
 
 Paint, Whi'e 4, 6 
 
 Painting Cracked Carriage Body 101 
 
 Painting Fences 89 
 
 Painting (House), Modern Styles 145 
 
 Painting Iron Railings 83 
 
 Painting Mantel-Pieces 78 
 
 Painting Outbuildings 89 
 
 Painting Plastered Wall 51 
 
 Painting Shingle Roofs 92 
 
 Painting Stairs 130 
 
 Painting Tin Roofs 92 
 
 Painting Window-Bttnds 161 
 
 Painting Woodwork of a Dwelling 4G 
 
 Paper-Hanging 62 
 
 Paper (Sensitized), To Copy with I2u 
 
 Paper (Tracing), To Make 126 
 
 Paper (Wall), To Varnish 161 
 
 Paste for Hanging Paper 63 
 
INDEX. 181 
 
 PAOI 
 
 Pencils, Care of 19 
 
 Pencils, Lettering 18 
 
 Pencils, Striping 17 
 
 Pencils, To Select 18 
 
 Piano, To Polish 156 
 
 Picture Frames, To Renovate . 141 
 
 Pigments which can be Used without Grinding 41 
 
 Plaques, To Varnish 13? 
 
 Plaster Casts, To Bronze . % 83 
 
 Plows, To Paint ." 38 
 
 Plastered Wall, To Paint 51 
 
 Polishing Pianos 156 
 
 Portland Stone, To Imitate 139 
 
 Print, To Transfer. 134 
 
 Pumice-Stone 160 
 
 Putty for Fine Carriages 128 
 
 Putty for Machinery 128 
 
 Putty for Wagons 127 
 
 Putty for Windows 127 
 
 Putty (Hard and Dry), To Remove 143 
 
 Putty, To Make 127 
 
 Putty, To Soften Old 128 
 
 Rakes, To Paint 38 
 
 Red 9 
 
 Red, Indian 42 
 
 Red, Venetian 42 
 
 Renovating Furniture 159 
 
 Renovating Picture Frames 141 
 
 Renovating Walls and Ceilings 51 
 
 Roofing... 90 
 
 Roof (Shingle), To Paint 92 
 
 Roof (Tin), To Paint 90 
 
 Room, Paint for Walls of 44 
 
 Rosewood, Imitation of for Furniture 37 
 
 Rosewood Stain 1 20 
 
 Rustic- Work, To Varnish H(i 
 
 Saudi is? in Imitation of Stone.. . . . . 13$ 
 
182 INDEX. 
 
 MM 
 
 Sash Tool 14 
 
 Sensitized Paper, Copying with 125 
 
 Shingle Roofs, To Paii.t 92 
 
 Sienna, Burnt 42 
 
 Silvering 113 
 
 Silver Leaf 118 
 
 Size, Quick 115 
 
 Size, How to Prepare 53 
 
 Sleighs, White for 48 
 
 Smalt 140 
 
 Spatter- Work 148 to 155 
 
 Stain for Mahogany 121 
 
 Stain for Rosewood 122 
 
 Staining Oak Graining 121 
 
 staining Wood 143 
 
 Stairs, To Paint 130 
 
 Star, To Lay Out 124 
 
 Stencils for Ornamenting Ceilings 58 
 
 Stencilling for Wagons 110 
 
 Stencilling Oil-Cloth 130 
 
 Stone (Portland), To Imitate 139 
 
 Stone, To Imitate 138 
 
 Tin Roof, To Paint 90 
 
 Tints for Kalsomining 55 
 
 Tints for Walls of a Room 46 
 
 Tints, How Formed 8 
 
 Tools required in Painting 12 
 
 Toys, To Paint 163 
 
 Tracing Paper, To Make 126 
 
 Transferring Prints ". 134 
 
 Turpentine 3 
 
 Umber, Burnt 42 
 
 Varnish, Damar 7 
 
 Varnish, Furniture and Carriage 160 
 
 Varnish Injured by Amm >nia. 164 
 
 Varnishing 99 
 
 Varnishing a Buggy 102 
 
INDEX. 
 
 MM 
 
 Varnishing Chromo*. 187 
 
 Varnishing Clock Cases 137 
 
 Varnishing Floor Oil-Cloth 129 
 
 Varnishing Front Door 131 
 
 Varnishing Oil Paintings 138 
 
 Varnishing over White 7 
 
 Varnishing Plaques 137 
 
 Varnishing Rustic- Work 136 
 
 Varnishing Vestibules 133 
 
 Varnishing Wall Paper 161 
 
 Vestibule, To Varnish 133 
 
 Vermilion 42 
 
 Vermilion, American 40 
 
 Vermilion, English 10 
 
 Vermilion, English 40 
 
 Wagon (Business), To Paint 32 
 
 Wagon (Farm), To Paint 106 
 
 Wagons, White for 48 
 
 Walls of Houses, To Renovate 61 
 
 Wall Paper, Varnishing 161 
 
 Walls, Preparing Kalsomine for 53 
 
 Wash-Tubs, To Paint 38 
 
 White for Exterior 47 
 
 White for Wagons and Sleighs 48 
 
 White-Lead 8 
 
 White-Lead 42 
 
 Whitewashing 70 
 
 Window Blinds, To Paint 161 
 
 Wood, Staining 143 
 
 Woodwork of Dwelling, To Paint 46 
 
 Yellow, Chrome 42 
 
 Zinc. To Clean .79 
 
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