Linseed Oil Paints 111 



best. If the house is built in the summer, the 

 second coat may be put on in the fall and the 

 third coat the following spring. The paint of 

 the second coat may be a little thicker than that 

 of the first, and that of the third a little thicker 

 than the second. If the best job is desired the 

 paint for all three coats should be mixed thin- 

 ner than is customary, in which case a fourth 

 coat will be required the following fall. The 

 house will now have a polish similar to the well 

 painted carriage body, and, like it, will resist 

 moisture and remain good for a long time. If 

 a building is to be painted at all it would better 

 be iDainted at the beginning and be kept well 

 painted, as it is the more economical in the 

 end. Better curtail the size of the house than 

 to build it so large that the outside covering 

 must be neglected. 



The oil used in j)aints is usually derived from 

 the vegetable oil found in flax or linseed. Al- 

 though many other kinds of oils have been 

 tried, nothing has been discovered which can 

 take the place, in paints, of linseed oil. This 

 is most remarkable, for there are many vege- 

 table oils which are very similar to this one. 

 Linseed oil is expensive as compared with sev- 

 eral other kinds, hence many attempts have been 

 made to find an oil equally as good for paint- 

 ing ; so far as I am able to learn, none have 



