Section H. 
ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE. 
1.— EXPERIMENTS ON THE WATERPROOFING OF BRICKS 
AND SANDSTONES WITH OILS. 
By A. LIVER8IDGE , M.A., F. B. S , , Professor of Chemistry , University of 
. Sydney, N'.S. W . 
The experiments given in the following paper were made with the 
view of ascertaining the length of time that bricks and sandstone are 
rendered waterproof or protected by oiling. The oils used were the 
three commonest and most readily obtainable for such purposes — viz., 
linseed oil, boiled linseed, and the crude mineral oil known as “blue 
oil” used for preserving timber. 
The weatherings were made upon a flat portion of the laboratory 
roof, fairly exposed to the sun and weather. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH BRICKS. 
Grood, sound, machine-made bricks, similar to those used in the 
building of the new Chemical Laboratory, Sydney University, were 
made use of. 
— 
No. 1. 
No. 2. 
No. 3. 
No. 4. 
Original weight of brick 
Soaked in water for 24 hours 
lb. oz. 
9 0$ 
9 10J 
lb. oz. 
8 loh 
9 9“ 
lb. oz. 
8 9 h 
it 6| 
lb. oz. 
8 lli 
9 6i 
Increase 
0 10 
0 9| 
0 13 
0 11 
They were then dried until they had acquired their original 
weight, when N os. 1, 2, and 3 were soaked in oil as follows : — 
No. 1 soaked in boiled linseed oil 
A'.u. * „ „ ,, 
No. 3 „ blue (mineral) oil. 
N o. 4 was not oiled, so as to serve as a check upon the others. 
Date. 
Experiment. 
Boiled Oil. 
No. 1. 
Baw Oil. 
No. 2. 
Blue Oil. 
No. 3. 
Not Oiled. 
No. 4. 
1889. 
lb. oz. 
lb. oz. 
lb. oz. 
lb. oz. 
Nov. 12 
Original weight 
9 0i 
8 15i 
8 9J 
8 11| 
Nov. 19 
After being soaked in oil 
for four days the oil ab- 
sorbed was 
gain 0 9J 
gain 0 9i 
gainO 13| 
Nov. 23 
Soaked in water for 24 
hours, water absorbed 
nil 
nil 
nil 
gainO 11 
Nov. 24, 
1889, to 
June 
28,1890 
Exposed on the roof of the 
laboratory to all weathers 
for 216 days, the difference 
in weight was 
nil 
nil 
loss 0 9 
loss 0 10 
June 28 
to Oct. 
30 
Kept in a dry place for 93 
days, and the difference 
was 
loss 0 4 
loss 0 2 
loss 0 4| 
loss 0 1 
Oct. 31 
In water for 24 hours — result 
nil 
nil 
gain 0 13 
gainO 9 
Nov. 8 
In a dry place for 8 days — 
difference 
nil 
nil 
loss 0 8| 
loss 0 9 
