152 On painting Linen Cloth in Oil Colour w. 



vative to red, yeiiow, and black paints, when ground in oil 

 and put in casks. When the oaints were examined at the 

 expiration of such time, they discovered no improper hard- 

 ness ; but when laid on the work with a brush, il\ey dried 

 in a remarkable manner, without the addition of any or the 

 usual drying articles. I still preserve some of these paints 

 for future trials, and I believe this plan of preserving co- 

 lours will be of essential use to colourmen, and other per- 

 sons who purchase colours for exportation. The ingredient 

 I use is perfectly simple, being a solution of yellow soap ; 

 and the composition for painting is made in the following 

 manner : 



To one pound of soap I add six pints of water in a vessel 

 over the fire ; in a few minutes after the boiling of the water 

 the soap will dissolve ; whilst hot it is to be mixed with oil 

 paint, prepared as hereafter directed, and is then fit for im- 

 mediate use. The above quantity of soap solution will be 

 sufficient to mix with one hundred weight of paint. The 

 first coat to be laid upon the canvass is to be entirely of this 

 composition, without first wetting the canvass in the usual 

 way. A very small proportion of it, or none, is necessary 

 in the second coat ; and the third coat should be of oil paint 

 alone. 



4 The method heretofore practised in his majesty's dock- 

 yards for painting canvass, was as follows : The canvass 

 was first wet with water, then primed with Spanish brown ; 

 a second coat given it of a chocolate colour, made from 

 Spanish brown and black paint ; and, lastly, finished with 

 black. This mode is destructive, and more expensive than 

 mine in the proportion before mentioned. In my method, 

 to ninety-six pounds of English ochre ground in boiled oilj 

 I add sixteen pounds of black paint, being one-sixth in pro- 

 portion of the ochre; this, when mixed, forms an indif- 

 ferent black. The solution, made of one pound of soap and 

 six pints of water, is to he added to this paint, and well 

 united therewith ; and will, out the canvass being previously 

 wet, this composition is to be laid upon the canvass as stiff 

 as can conveniently be done with the brush, and this first 

 coat will form a tolerably smooth surface. The second coat 

 «5v i ;. is 



