FARM MANAGEMENT 65 



For interior work the same directions apply as to outside paint- 

 ing, but it is not so important to have the final coating contain such 

 a large amount of oil as to give a glossy finish. A dull finish is pre- 

 ferred by many people, and since this paint is not to be exposed to. 

 severe weather conditions, a larger amount of thinner may be used 

 than for outside work. Also, paint for inside work should dry 

 faster than one for the outside, and a somewhat larger amount of 

 japan drier is generally used. 



Painting of Metal. Tin or other metal roofing, also galvanized 

 iron such as gutters and rain spouts, are very difficult to paint, as 

 often the paint does not stick well. This is probably due to a very 

 thin film of grease left on such material from the process of manu- 

 facture, and before attempting to paint a tin roof it is best to scrub 

 it perfectly clean with soap and water or with cloths moistened with 

 benzine, and then thoroughly dry before applying the paint. Gal- 

 vanized iron may be treated in the same way, but it is much better 

 to let this material stand for some time exposed to the weather before 

 painting. The metal portions of machinery are generally cast iron 

 or steel ; wrought iron is rarely used. There is perhaps nothing that 

 actually needs paint for protection as much as the steel and iron 

 portions of machinery. Before painting such material the greatest 

 care should be taken to get the surface perfectly clean. Do not 

 apply paint over rust, but clean thoroughly down to the bare metal 

 with scrapers or wire brushes, and finally with dry scrubbing brushes: 

 It is a mistake to spare labor in preparing a metal surface for paint. 

 All oil and grease should be scrupulously removed, and the metal 

 surface should be absolutely clean and dry before painting. The 

 paint should be well brushed on, carefully filling all cracks. 



Two or three coats of any good paint may be used. The paint 

 which is generally supposed to protect iron from rusting better than 

 any other is red lead. The addition of a small amount of lampblack 

 improves the color and the working quality of red-lead paint. A 

 paint made of basic chromate of lead (so-called scarlet lead chromate, 

 or American vermilion) is even better than red lead as a material 

 for protecting iron. 



Composition of Paints. A very good rule to follow in purchas- 

 ing mixed paints is to buy nothing which does not bear the name 

 of the manufacturer. If the manufacturer's name does not appear 

 on the label this is very good presumptive evidence that he is not 

 particularly proud of his product. Many state laws require that the 

 composition of paints should also be stated on the labels, and a large 

 number of the best manufacturers do this whether their products are 

 sold in a state requiring such labeling or not. 



The most expensive paints are generally white paints or very 

 light tints. The reason for this is that there are comparatively few 

 white pigments which have covering power, i. e., the property of 

 hiding the surface of the material painted. All of the cheaper white 

 pigments are more or less transparent in oil and are, therefore, de- 

 ficient in covering power. White lead, zinc white, sublimed white 

 lead, zinc lead, and lithopone are practically the only white pig- 



