886 THE farmers' handbook. 



Colouring Pigments generally used for common colours. 



Stone colour: Burnt Turkey umber, raw Turkey umber, yellow ochre. 



Drabs: Burnt umber and yellow ochre. 



Buffs: Yellow ochre and Venetian red. 



Greys: Lamp black, Indian red, ultramarine blue, vermillion. 



Brown : Burnt sienna, Prussian blue, yellow ochre. 



Greens: Brunswick greens, dark and light; with blue and chrome yellow. 



Mixing. 



The white lead is ground to a paste in oil, ready to mix with more oil. &c, 

 as stated, to prepare it for use. The colouring matter is mixed in a similar 

 way and added to the white lead and oil until the required tint is obtained. 

 The whole is then strained, either through a piece of canvas (usually a piece 

 of chaff bag tied over the mouth of an oil drum), or a fine-mesh wire 

 strainer, the paint being w T orked through with an old brush. If found to be 

 too thick for immediate use, a little oil and turps may be added. The 

 strainer when finished with should be placed under water, to keep it soft and 

 fit for future iise. If mixed paint has to be laid aside for a few days, it- 

 should be covered with a little water to prevent a skin forming on the 

 surface. 



Brushes. 



The most useful brushes for ordinary work are the flat type, in sizes from 

 1^ to 5 inches wide. They may be used for all work, including cutting in 

 around sashes, mouldings, &c, or for painting of broad surfaces, such as 

 weatherboards. New brushes should be set for a few hours in clean water 

 or raw oil before being used. At no time when out of use should they be 

 exposed to the air, but set into clean water, say, 2 inches deep, sufficient to 

 keep the ends of the bristles soft. To clean a dark colour out of a brush so 

 that it can be used in a lighter colour, work it briskly in a little raw oil, 

 which can afterwards be used in other paints. To clean a brush that has- 

 been neglected, soak it in hot turps, kerosene, or a strong solution of washing- 

 soda. 



Application. 



See that the surface to be painted is cleaned down — that is, all dust 

 brushed off and anything that requires rubbing down is attended to, as 

 previously recommended, either with pumice-stone or glass-paper. 



Start at the top and work downwards, so that if any paint falls off the 

 brush it will not injure the finished work. Apply quickly and; evenly, 

 leaving no brush marks, and finish with the grain of the wood. If the paint 

 seems to run, it is either too thin or the surface is not clean — probably 

 greasy, if you are painting old work. This should be given a coat of hot 

 lime-wash, and allowed to dry before paint is applied. Always allow one 

 coat to be thoroughly hard and set dry before applying the next. 



If doing outside work, select fine weather when neither dust nor flies are 

 about, as nothing makes the painter more annoyed than to have a dust- 

 storm rise when he is applying the flushing coat. 



It is a general idea that the first coat should have only a small proportion 

 of white lead in it. It should really be just the opposite, and have rather 

 more than the next coat, because white lead clings to the wood with far 



