7b 85-B 9490 Ulrich Middeldorf THE PAINTER'S CABINET, AND COLOURMAN'S REPOSITORY; EMBRACING A NUMBER OF INVALUABLE INVENTIONS, DISCOVERIES AND IMPROVEMENTS, ACQUIRED BY HALF A CENTTRy's PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE. By T. H. VANHERMAN, Artist. A WORK OF IMPORTANCE TO THE TRADE, AND NO LESS SO TO NOBLEMEN, COUNTRY GENTLEMEN, FARMERS, MERCHANTS, BANKERS, MANUFACTURERS, SHIP BUILDERS, ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS, SURVEYORS, KLOOR-CLOTH MANUFACTURERS, CARPENTERS, BRICKLAYERS, PLAS- TERERS, PAPER STAINERS, AND ALL WHO HAVE OCCASION FOR PAINT OK PAINTING; THE WHOLE FORMINfJ A COMPLETE SYSTEM FOR THE AMELIORATION* OF THE NOXIOUS QUALITY OF COMMON PAINT, WITH VARIETY OP OTHER MATTER THAT RELXTES TO HOUSE-PAINTING IN GENERAL. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THK AUTHOR; AND PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. KMr.HT A .N D LACY, PATKRNOSTHR HOW; MR. TAYLOR, A K( H I FFCTL R A L I.IHRAKV, HOLfiORN ; MR. THOMAS, 2, YORK SlHEtT, COVENT GARDBN; Jnd maj/ be had of all the Bookietlen Im the ( HUed Kingdttn^ 1828. LONDON : PRINTED BY T. BRETTELL, RUPERT STREET, HAYMARKET. CONTENTS. Page Introduction . ix PART I. IMPENETRABLE OR ANTI-CORROSIVE PAINT. Observations on the utility of this Paint 1 How to Manufacture it in a large may. Implements required 5 Pigments employed 6 To prepare Olive Green 7 Invisible Green 8 Lead Colour 0 ■ Stone Colour ib. Chocolate 10 Black ih. Red ib. In a small nay. Implements required 11 Pigments employed IS To prepare Lead Colour ib. Invisible Green 13 iv CONTENTS. Page To prepare Brunswick Green 14^10& Olive Green ib. Stone Colour 15 Chocolate ib, . Red 16 Black ib. Sulphate of Lime ........ 17 Incorporated Oil 18 A more ecmomical and simple process* To prepare Stone Colour ; the same process answering for the other colours 19 To make Putty 20 Crotia, or Road-Dust . . . • 21 PART II. AROMATIC PAINT. Its superiority over common Paint 22 Implements required 24 Pigments employed, viz. — White Lead 26 Vermillion 27 Lake ib. Venetian Red 28 Rose Pink ib, Prussian Blue ib. Chrome Yellow ib* Patent Yellow .29 Spruce Ochre ib. Red Lead ib- Raw Umber SO Burnt Umber ib. Raw Terra di Sienna ib. Black ib' CONTENTS. V Page To prepare Aromatic Paint .SO Liquid for thinning Aromatic Paint 33 The manner of using Aromatic Paint ib. Directions for painting Old Work 36 To mix French Grey 38 Straw Colour ib. Crimson ib. • a Colour for a Picture Gallery ib. Lavender Colour 39 an excellent Colour for Entrance-Halls and Staircases ib. Pea-Green, Sage-Green, and Drab-Green . . ib. Wliite tb. Vine Wood 10 (jraining, in imitation of Woods ib. Marbles 41 Decoration of Apartments ib. Painting the Ornaments 4 1- Ceilings ib. Clouded Ceilings 45 Hints relative to '1 aste ib. PART IH. To prepare Zinc, as a Substitute for White Lead . . 49 the Flowers ib. To wash the Flowers 50 Royal White, for the interior of Mouses 51 for common Ceilings 5.^ To prepare Lac for painting ib. Grecian Paint 54 Carniola, or Venetian Paint 55 » ■ Crisp Conipound 56 vi CONTENTS. PART IV. GRAINING WOODS AND MARBLES. Page Materials required 58 To prepare the Work ib. Graining Oak in Oil , 59 bulbous Oak ib, Mahogany 60 Satin Wood 61 Rose Wood 62 Air Wood ib. Marble Graining, viz. — Verde Antique, Parian, Carara, Black, Grey, Aragon, Dolomite, Campan, Bardiglio, Valencia, Lumachelli, Schiola 63 PART V. OILS IN GENERAL. Method of imparting to them the requisite Properties . 65 To render Linseed Oil drying, white, and limpid ... 66 Another Process to purify Linseed Oil ib. Fish Oils 67 Sperm Oil 68 Southern Whale Oil 69 Seal Oil 70 Greenland Oil .... ib. PART VI. VARNISHES AND VARNISHING. Observations on the Method of making Varnishes . . 71 Essential Oil of Turpentine 73 CONTENTS. Vii Page Strong Drying White Oil 73 To prepare White Copal Varnish 74 Araber Varnish ib. ■ Mastic Varnish 75 White Spirit Varnish ib. • Lac Varnish . . , 77 Black Varnish 78 Baked Oil ib. French Polish 79 PART VIT. » HOUSE PAINTS. Manufacture of Paints 81 White Lead tb. Another Method S2 Anotlier Metliod ib. Prussian Blue 83 Carmine Si- Lake ib, Crotia ib. To prepare Crotia Mastic 85 Grvvn ib. Berlin Green 8(1 Olive Green ib. Saxon Green ib. Bremen Green 87 — . Another 83 Another fine Green ib. Chrome Yellow 89 Cement Paint ib. Black Wadd Paint 91 Cleaning and repairing the soiled and damaged Surface of the Paper in papered Apartments 92 viii CONTENTS. Page To prepare Cloth for Transparent Blinds 95 Materials for, and Preparation of, Scagliola . . . . 97 Album Perpetuus 99 To manufacture the Carbonate of Barytes 100 Imitation of Mother-o'-Pearl 102 Painting Charges 103 Brunswick Green 109 Vernix Universalis 110 Various uses of tlie Vernix Ill INTRODUCTION. It is a respect I owe the public, and justice to myself, to s^ate my motives for publishing my inventions, in opposition to the wishes of many in the trade, who imagine it will prove detrimental to their interest, by putting information into the hands of every one who may choose to be- come his own manufacturer and painter. If they feel sore on this account, they have only themselves to blame, having uniforndy decried my system whenever an opportunity offered, and practising every unfair means to circumvent mine by substituting their own, even where their emplovers have given orders to the contrary. A few of these I shall select as a sample from the numerous list. A gentleman at whose house my men were painting met a friend, who informed A X INTRODUCTION. him he was about to change his residence for a few months, in consequence of his present one being about to undergo the un- pleasant operation of painting. " Why quit your house?" asked my friend; why not employ the Aromatic Paint, by which you will avoid the expense and inconvenience of removing your family I have," said he, " consulted my painter, and he assures me it is all a hoax ; and so far from being in- noxious, that the journeymen employed in laying it on are seized with fits and spasms, and many drop suddenly." " Pooh, pooh !" he was answered, " it is a fabrication ; and if you will step with me to my house, which is at this time undergoing the necessary re- novation with this same Aromatic Paint, you will find all the family inhabitants as usual, suffering no annoyance or incon- venience." He therefore walked with him, and was perfectly satisfied ; and on his return home sent for his painter, and informed him of what he had been an eye-witness to, and insisted that he should use the Aromatic Paint ; and if he did not think proper, he would order the manufacturer to send his own people, "Oh, Sir!" he replied, if INTRODUCTION. xi it is your wisli, it can be of no consequence to me, but I have never used any of it ; however, it shall be as you desire." The next day this painter gave me an order for fourteen pounds, for wliich he paid, but declined saying where it was to be used. I heard nothing more of the matter until six months after, when my friend met tlie same gentleman at a dinner party, and inquired if he had had his house painted. ''Oh, yes!" he replied, ''I have liad it painted, and have been poisoned out wilh the d — d Aromatic Paint." " How so?" asked my friend ; '' have you employed tlic ])r(). prietor ?" " No ; but I had his paint, and was half inclined to advertise the public that it was an imposition." '* Then I will lay my life you liave been deceived by your painter. I will make incjuiry into the aflTair ; only give me his name." The next morning he called ui)()n me, and desired to know if such a painter had had any paint of me; when, turning to my order book, I found he had fourteen pounds, and no more; and this quantity to paint a house that must require at least four hundred weight. The con- sequence was, that he not only lost a good xii INTRODUCTION. customer by his endeavouring to bring my composition into disrepute, but also his recommendation. Three of the Government painters com- bined their talents and means to oppose me, by producing an Aromatic Paint of their own ; but having failed in the attempt, they endeavoured to persuade their friends for whom it was employed that it was mine, and not theirs ; so that, being unsuccessful themselves, they were determined, if possible, to make me responsible for the disgrace, by trying to attach odium to my invention. One master painter acknowledged he liad never used such an unexceptionable paint in the whole course of his experience, but candidly owned that he would not recom- mend it. " I am," he says, " employed by several public bodies, who have desired my opinion of your paint, but I have always recommended my own ; yet, wfiere I have been ordered to employ yours, I have, and shall ever do it justice, as I consider it would be wrong to do otherwise, for I should not like to be served so myself." This was a kind of a compromise, and therefore I could not well object to it. INTRODUCTION. xiii The next and last manoeuvre I shall mention has very recently occurred, and which has determined me to publish the present Work. A gentleman, of high respectability and well-known commercial celebrity, came to my counting-house to learn something respecting the Aromatic Paint, having purchased a mansion, the painting of which he wished to be attended with the least possible smell ; and I afforded him every information in my power. At his request, I permitted him to look over my books, from which he extracted the names of several high characters, to whom he meant to apply, by letter, i'or conhrmation ; one of these, I know, answered in terms of approbation, and counselled hin) to em- ploy the inventor, if he wished the painting to be properly executed ; but, contrary to this advice, he employed a painter who was recommended by his surveyor. It was now suggested that ocular demonstration was necessary to corroborate what had been advanced in favour of the Aromatic Paint, and a small room was chosen to be painted with it as a specimen. The chosen painter xiv INTRODUCTION. sent for a complement for the first coat, and then another quantity for the second, which was fourteen pounds ; a third parcel was ordered for the third, or finishing coat. About an hour after this was forwarded, I followed, being desirous of witnessing the completion; and, when I arrived, I found three men at work, and said to one of them, I am come to see how you get on, and to ask you how you like the paint he answered, ''Very much, indeed; we had but just enough of the fourteen pounds for the second coat; we had not a brushfull left, but we have not touched the last you sent; it is there, in the hall window." I examined it and found it untouched, yet these three men had each half a double pot of colour, which was not my paint, but their own common preparation, with which they were laying on the last coat. I now was convinced that the painter had determined to upset the business ; and, as it could have answered no purpose to enter into an alter- cation with the men, I left them to pursue their master's orders. It afterwards appeared, by tlie testimony of one of the three men employed, tliat, when they had finished, the INTRODUCTION. XV room was close shut up and locked, not to be opened until the arrival of the gentleman next morning, when the smell was so pow- erful and offensive, that he gave directions (not suspecting the imposition) for the old system. I should not have been so supine in this affair, but being about to give up business, and to publish my improvements, I would not give myself any trouble about the matter; but, should this account meet the eye of any of the party, I would not envy their feelings. The first question that I have been asked, by several of my subscribers, was, " What is the size of the book?" as if the quantity of paper and printing constituted its value. " What ! only one hundred pages for a sove- reign ? I never heard of such a thing ! " not considering that the useful information, con- tained in these few pages, is such as cannot be found in any other, however voluminous. It is certain that I might easily have drawn out the descriptions of the various inventions so as to have filled two quarto volumes, but I am sure that my readers would never have patience to get through one of them. What is more irksome and provoking than xvi INTRODUCTION. prolixity in representing a subject that we are anxious to obtain a knowledge of? In short, we should be led to these matters by the plainest and nearest path, and not by a rug- ged jumble of tautology and technicalities^ like a rude unfinished road of loose stones and gravel, over which we are stumbling at every step, and heartily tired long before w^e arrive at the desired end of our journey. As to high prices, there have been recently sold, by auction, books that have fetched from £. 150 to upwards of £.300 per volume, and these works (save their antiquity) of no real utility to society, but merely to be stuck upon the shelf of a library as a curiosity that no other is known to possess ; whereas my little octavo, in as few words as possible, disseminates a universal benefit, and which I am confident will be admitted by all who may peruse it, and that the remuneration for such knowledge is not overrated. I do not conceive that there is any occa- sion to apologise for publishing a useful work, particularly on a subject which, it is universally acknowledged, requires great improvement, and as nothing of the kind has ever been brought before the public liNTRODUCTION. xvii that could guide or lead lo the mystery of house-painting, so that this necessary branch might be managed with facility and economy. It is certain, that most people dread the idea of painting from three causes : — First, — The disagreeable and unwhole- some smell. Second, — Being obliged to quit their residence during the operation. Third, — The enormous charge of paint- ing by measure and value. In this enlightened age, when chemistry affords its powerful aid, it is strange that nothing has appeared from the pen of a practical house-painter lo point out a remedy for these just complaints. I liave anxiously looked for sucli an event, but finding a continuance of the vacuum, I determined to come forward, although it were to be wished tliat it had been taken up by an abler hand ; liowever, from long experience, and being master of the subject, if I can, by plain language, make myself understood, I shall feel perfectly easv with respect to the critics. I send it out homely dressed ; and, if it but answer the purpose xviii INTRODUCTION. intended, which is to amehorate the un- wholesome effects of paint, and to render house-painting less objectionable and more economical, I shall be content. I do not write for fame as an author — my only ambi- tion is that of being considered a useful member of the community. House-painting is not only one of the most ancient, but als6 one of the most essential branches attached to the building concern, and, consequently, is employed on all structures, from the royal palace to the humble cot ; it is the guard and protector of the exposed parts of the edifice, and the beautifier and finisher of the interior; it makes good and conceals all faults and blemishes, improves every object with which it is connected ; and, in fact, it is so absolutely necessary to the well-being of the structure, that it cannot be dispensed with, for an elegant fabric cannot be so designated until it has been embelUshed with paint ; and it may be truly named the drapery of the building, whose various tints, well disposed, unite and harmonise the whole. How much, then, is it to be deplored that paint, so useful and necessary, should be alloyed with a quality of so pernicious a INTRODUCTION. XIX ItMideiicy that thousands liave fallen victims at the shrine of its dire influence, and frequently without suspecting the cause ! Some attempts have been made, at dif- rent periods, to remedy the evil, but were abandoned, on account of the discouraging obstacle of not finding an article with suf- ficient body to compete with white lead ; and this is not to be wondered at, when we con- sider the qualities required, as a substitute, for that mischievous carbonate. White lead being the basis of all the other colours, sympathises with all ; and not only possesses a powerful body, but imparts it to such as are deficient of this essential property, and, at the same time, bestows solidity and also a display of brilliancy under the inilucnce of the light; and these requisites it dilVuses through all its coml)inations. It is soluble in oil, varnish, and water, easily levigated, works with facility, spreading free and smoothly with the brush under the painter's hand, drying quickly ; and, lastly, enduring the test of the scouring-brush when soiled. In all these requisites it excels all other ; be- sides, although the manufacture has hitherto been both tedious and expensive, the price XX INTRODUCTION. is much less than any other we can find at present to oppose it ; at the same time, it must be gratifying to know there are now several modes of obtaining this carbonate at a still cheaper rate, by abridging the labour, the time, and many heavy attendant ex- penses, by which means those employed will not be so long exposed to its injurious in- fluence as in the old process ; and this will render it still more difficult to find a sub- stitute, as the price in consequence must be further reduced in the market, so that we must submit per force until that period arrives when a chemical agency, or perhaps chance, may stumble on something that shall turn this unwelcome visitor at least out of doors, where it may be used, and its de- structive habits counteracted by the com- bined action of the air and sun. In the present state of things, liowever, although we cannot yet exclude white lead as a base, I, with the fullest confidence, assure meliora- tion, by neutralising its evil tendency, and destroying its disagreeable effluvia, by my process of preparing the Aromatic Paint; and I flatter myself, when this Work is ge- nerally read, the system will be universally INTRODUCTION. xxi adopted ; for if a house must be painted with while lead, who would not give the prefer- ence to that white lead which is divested of the annoying smell of common paint, and, consequently, less pernicious ? Beside the Aromatic Paint, there are receipts for several other compositions, which, although not so permanent, are much cheaper; and if carefully managed, accord- ing to the directions given, mav prove desirable and useful to many, ])arlicularly to those who are obliged to inhabit their houses during the operation of ])ainting, they being perfectly imiocent and free from smell : also for temporary works. The faculty have long inveighed against the use of white lead for inside work, as at present practised : but this tlie painters will not allow ; for they say it is impossible that smelling a little paint can injure any one, — for their part they never perceive any smell ; and if you ask them how it comes to pass that their men, more than those of other trades, are so liable to become invalids (in- deed so much so that no Benefit Society whatever will admit as a member a journey- man liouse-painter) r they will tell you they xxii INTRODUCTION. are such a dirty, slovenly pack, tliat they will not wash their hands and keep free from the lead, for a little soap and water was all that was necessary : but this is not all. Although it is admitted that cleanliness in such a calling is indispensably necessary, it is also inhaling the subtle particles of the poisonous metal, through the medium of the gases evolved in the operation, that chiefly afl^ects the unfortunate men who are employed in this pestilential business; and it is thus the inhabitants of a house newly painted, by the old noxious process, are often attacked, although their hands have not been bedaubed with paint ; and it is an universally known fact, that a pail of Avaler, placed for four and twenty hours in an apartment newly painted, by the present practice, shall cause the death of any animal that drinks of it; and this accounts for painters not being able to keep dogs or cats for any length of time ; as they are tempted, by its sweetness, to lap the water placed over their paint to prevent a pellicle or skin. I had formerly entertained an opinion that the master painters would gladly em- brace any opportunity, and, at almost any INTRODUCTION. XXlll sacrifice, assist in changing a system detri- mental to the health of their employers, their workmen, and themselves ; but here the old adage is applicable, use is second nature." Indeed, when we maturely con- sider the nature of the business as pursued at present, it ceases to be a wonder that so few well-informed members of it are to be found ; for what respectable man, with the feelings of a parent, would bestow on his son a liberal education, and then apprentice him for seven years to a house painter? He might as well send him to Smyrna, to encounter the plague ; and to this we may attribute the dearth of talent and lack of intelligence we meet among this order of tradesmen (there arc a few exceptions), who are certainly a century behind all others in improvement; and I fear they must remain so, unless the nobility and gentry, the scientific and well-informed of the com- munity, step forward and patronise a less annoying and a more wholesome system. The Painter's Cabinet will embrace every particular relating to this useful business, both interior and exterior, whicii will be found of importance to all classes xxiv INTRODUCTION. of the community, particularly noblemen, country gentlemen, farmers, merchants, bankers, brewers, distillers, manufacturers, ship and boat builders, owners and captains of ships, paper-stainers, painters, oil and colourmen, floor-cloth manufacturers, var- nishers and varnish makers, surveyors, carpenters, architects, cabinet-makers, up- holders, ornamental painters and artists, inn-keepers, tea-garden proprietors ; and, in short, tradesmen of every denomination will find their account in being possessed of a Work fraught with much useful and novel information. For the convenience of reference, the Work is divided into Parts or Heads, under which each particular will be found copiously treated, and minutely explained, so that a capacity of moderate extent may comprehend any of the formula, as laid down, with perfect ease. Most gentlemen have a handy man about their country residence — such a one I would recommend as a fit person to undertake and execute such a business. THE PAINTER'S CABINET. PART L IMPENETRABLE, OR ANTI-CORROSIVE PAINT. It is universally acknowledged, tliat all work exposed to the various changes of the weather runs into rapid decay, unless defended hy some covering capahle of resisting the corroding influence of tlie atmosphere. ^ Many are the mixtures employed for this purpose, coal and other tar paints have been and are still hut too much in requisition, from an idea that they are cheap ; whereas those who employ them will find them dear at any price, for at most they give a short-lived protection, being only varnishes, which the summer's sun melts, and evaporates tlie spirituous vehicle, leaving the resin; this, hi the winter, cracks with tlie frost, and the winds and rain drives it olTin flakes, producing innumerable cliinks, that admits ijepeated lodgements of the wet, and which is the cause of the continual perishing of all 2 work in exposed situations, being painted in this way. White Lead is not a much better protection, as it destroys the binding quality of the oil, by robbing it of its oxygen, and in less than twelve months it may be brushed off the work like dry whiting, and consequently this must absorb the rain every shower, and will soon show evident symptoms of disease. From the propensity of white lead brushing off as above, many gentlemen accuse their painters of adulterating the articles with whiting, which is not the case, for the purer the lead the more it is inclined to this fault, and the greater the sophistica- tion the more durable it will prove; for this reason, the less quantity of the lead, the less must the oil be acted upon. Where a light colour is desirable, such as gates, gate-posts, posts and chains, green and hot houses, melon and cucumber frames, window frames, and sashes, &c., stone* colour anti-corrosive, will be found a sure defence against all seasons; and superior to white lead. Besides the want of durability in white lead as an out-door paint, it is too dear, and on that account should be rejected, particularly when a much cheaper one can be so easily procured, and at the same time far superior in its durability, and not inferior in appearance. Noblemen, and country gentlemen, are at immense expense for the erection of various build- 3 ings, fences, iron-work, ^c. This black is less than Id. per pound. Having now finished giving the proportions of the several colours necessary for out-door painting, I shall treat of the oil requisite to mix these colours ; but first I must describe the preparation of the sulphate of lime, which is a component part of this oil. 17 TO PREPARE THE SULPHATE OF LfME. OR THE SATIN WHITE OF THE PAPER STAINERS, Two Firkins are required, about lO gallons each ; And two Pans, to hold about 4 gallons each. Into one of the pans put eight pounds of rock lime (to be had at Nine Elms Wharf, Lambeth), pour on it water, by degrees, until it falls into powder ; it is then to be filled up, and well stirred; permit it to settle for the space of a minute ; then place a fine hair sieve on the top of one of the firkins, pass the thin part of the solution of the lime through it, then add more water to the remaining lime in tlie pan, and agitate and stir it well ; then pour that also througli the sieve : this is to be repeated, until you have got six gal- lons. Into the other firkin you put eight pounds of alum, to which pour in six gallons of water, and, when dissolved, pour it into the firkin, with the solution of lime ; now stir and agitate it with a wooden stirrer for half an hour; let it rest for two or three hours, and then stir it again ; then let it repose until next morning, when it will be fit for use ; and when wanted, if too thick, water must be added, as it must be about the consistence of thick cream. c 18 The materials for preparing the INCORPORATED OIL. A horizontal Churn, to hold 221 gallons, fixed on a frame, - And a Half-Hogshead, to be placed under the churn, to receive the oil when it is finished. Into the churn pour galls. £. s. d. 15 Linseed Oil {2s.) ... cost 14 0 1 Boiled Ditto 0 3 0 3 Sulphate of Lime 0 1 0 16 £18 0 This oil, labour included, is not more than 1^. per gallon. The incorporated oil may be made, in less quan- tity, in a stone bottle, by observing the proportion of the materials. When the oils and sulphate are all in, the bung must be well secured by a hasp and staple, or any other safe contrivance. Then the churn is to be roused and whirled about for a quarter of an hour, when the union will be found complete ; you then empty the contents of the machine into the half- hogshead, where it is to remain till wanted. The proportion of this oil, with any of the Im- 19 penetrable Paints, is one p^allon to seven pounds of the powder, or one pint to one pound. THE THIRD PREPARATION OF THE ANTI-CORROSIVE PAINT, By a st'dl more economical and simple process^ ami not less effectual. Put into a painters double pot six pounds of ground white lead, and thin it with the prepared oil, or, instead, linseed oil, half raw and half boiled ; then throw in one pound of the road-dust, and add more oil to thin it fit for working. This is a good stone colour. The same process for any other colours — that is, one pound of crotia to every six, except the red, black, and cliocolate, which should have double, half colour and half crotia. I have given these three preparations for the outside paint, that gentlemen may make choice of that which may best suit their convenience, but the quantity of work retpiiring painting must guide him in providing a sufficient (piantity, cal- culating one pound to cover five square yards once over, and not less than two coats should be given to wood or iron, nor less than four over brick or compo. The incorporated oil may be used with any other common paint, and white lead, for the inside 20 of coach-liouses, stables, kitchens, passages, arjd all lower ofBces. Manufacturers may increase, and gentlemen may reduce the size of the churn, only observing the proportions of the composing articles. I shall conclude the first part with the making of putty, which is a necessary article in the busi- ness of painting, and also a few lines on the nature, utility, and preparation of the crotia, or road-dust. TO MAKE PUTTY. Take any quantity of whiting, made very dry, by placing it in an oven, or on the hobs of a fire- place, and roll and sift it through a forty-five hole wire sieve ; then put it out on a painter's colour- stone, and add as much raw linseed oil as w ill form it into a stiff paste, like dough ; tliis you must knead well, and then leave it in a heap until the next morning, when you are to divide it into small portions of three or four pounds, each of which you are to beat with a good-sized piece of wood, or a maul, till it is quite smooth, and in the proper state of putty. Should it appear too soft and sticky, you must work more whiting, to bring it to a proper temper. Putty is best kept in a glazed pan, and covered with a wet cloth ; but if it should grow hard and dry, it may be recovered by heating before a fire, or by pouring boiling water over it, and, when warm, turning it out on the stone and beating it, as before. 21 CROTIA, OR ROAD-DUST. Many, no doubt, will be surprised, and ridicule the idea of admitting filthy road-dirt as a compo- nent part in the composition of paint, but I beg leave to remind such critics, that the innbers, ochres, boles, &c., are earths, and what is earth but dirt, and is not road-dirt composed of all the earths, viz., silecious, argillacious, calcarious, allu- minous, ; nuist keep pace accordingly. 22 PART II, AROMATIC PAINT. It has long been a matter of regret, that of all the trades none have given more just cause of complaint than house-painting ; for if we trace it from the manufactory to the beautifying the noble edifice, or the humble cottage, we shall be sensible of the evil effects of its pernicious influence. The Aromatic Paint may, therefore, be considered an invention of public utility, being free from those noxious qualities so justly to be dreaded in com- mon paint, while it embraces, in a pre-eminent degree, all the good properties that paint should possess, viz. — brilliancy and durability of white-; ness, uniformity and solidity of texture, preserving the beauty and sharpness of the most delicate carved work, combined with little smell in the operation, and that little (which is not unpleasant) quickly dissipated ; and when soiled, like other paint, endures washing with soap and water. The Aromatic Paint, in fact, possesses every quality for the preservation and decoration of interior work, and will be found an acquisition to all those who take pleasure in the embelhshment of their mansions, without being compelled to remove during the operation. It is of importance to notice, that any paint, into the composition of which oil is admitted, must necessarily throw off some effluvia ; and where ^3 there is a variety of formula in a mixture of this kind, the chemical action of the ingredients upon each other, produces, with the assistance of the air, decompositions, which are the cause of different gases being evolved; and the slower this is effected, the more unpleasant it will prove. The purpose of the Aromatic Paint is to accele- rate these decompositions, as well as to neutralise the smell, and cause a rapid evaporation of the gasses. Of all the workmen employed about a building, the painter is most dreaded ; lie has scarcely began his labour when they wish to get rid of him, for he is looked upon as one who dispenses j)lagues and pestilence in every direction. Servants, in par- ticular, are his greatest annoyei*s, as they, being in the habit of moving about, feel the effect most, and are, therefore, in a perpetual state of dissatisfac- tion and warfare with the poor fellow, until he has made a fmish ; and, from being so worried and tormented, he is as much rejoiced to get away, as they are to drive him out. The gentry themselves are not quite so incommoded, as they are, or may be, confined to some apartment as far from the field of action as possible, or they are absentees altoge- ther, or they are so the greater portion of the day, by which they avoid much of tlie unwholesome smell ; yet still they dread the thoughts of ])aint- ing, as much on account of tlieir dependants a^ themselves, and, therefore, put off the evil day 24 until the soiled appearance of the interior forces them to it. A nobleman, one of my customers, would not suffer a brush of paint in his mansion for five-and-twenty years previous to his having my Aromatic Paint. From this statement, I mean to infer, that paint should be as free as possible from any unpleasant smell, and the execution of it should be hastened with all the dispatch the nature of the work will admit. By adopting this system, painting would be in more frequent requisition, and, therefore, the painter would be benefited. It is true, that his bills would not be so heavy, but they would occur much oftener ; for next to the molestation of paint- ing, the painter's charges are a serious drawback to giving an order. This I wish to impress on the minds of the mas- ter painters, that the quicker the work is executed, with the least possible smell, and on economical principles, the more business they will have, and be better paid for it. The materials necessary for the preparation of the Aromatic Paint : — Two empty Lead Firkins, such as white lead is sent out in ; if they have been in use the better. A sixty-hole wire Sieve. A small Spade. A quart iron Ladle. 25 Two or three Pans, to hold about a gallon each. A Painter s Stone and Muller. A Stone Knife, and two Pallet Knives. Two or three Ground Brushes, 0 0 0. Three or four Sash Tools, Nos. 5 and 7. A couple of long Hair Dusters ; these, when worn down, make the best brushes for painting. A few Hand and Double Pots. Pumice-Stone ; the lightest pieces are preferred. A few Sheets of fine Glass Paper. Putty and Stopping Knife. A few French T'ools. And also a few Fitch Pencils. The various Colours recpiircd for the prepara- tion of the Aromatic Paint : — A Firkin of ground White Lead. Prussian Blue*. Spruce Ochre. Vermillion*. Lake*. Venetian Red. Chrome Yellow. Raw Umber. Burnt Ditto*. Raw Terra di Sienna. 26 Burnt Terra di Sienna*. Patent Yellow. Verditer, the Refiners*. Those pigments with a *, are best ground in oil, when wanted, as they are apt to become fat or liverry. I have not included King's yellow in the above list, but I think it necessary to caution the use of it, unless any one has a wish to be driven out of house and home with his family ; in that case, he has only to order one small apartment to be painted with King's yellow, and he will be gratified; for the smell cannot be confined, but sends its vile effluvia into every corner of the house, and, in- stead of growing weaker, it gains strength every day, and the only remedy, should such a misfor^ tune occur, is to bestow on it two coats of patent yellow, and then two coats of light carriage varnish. This pigment is a combination of sulphur and arsenic, and should be excluded, not only on account of the above annoying quality, but also its antipathysing with most other colours. White Lead. — As the beauty and perfection of the Aromatic Paint depends much on the purity of the materials which compose it, it is absolutely requisite to be sure that they are not adulterated. White lead, which is the base of this composition, is frequently debased with Paris white, and other 27 cheap articles, which is one of the causes of change of colour in this carbonate. The following process will detect the imposi- tion : — Take one ounce of the dry lead suspected, half an ounce of pearl-ash, and a quarter of an ounce of powdered charcoal ; put these into a crucible, place it on a good fire, and give it a strong white heat ; then take it out, and, when cold, you will find a button of blue lead at the bot- tom ; now weigh this, and if the loss of weight is only one-tenth, the lead is pure ; for lead, in oxidation, gains ten per cent, which it loses on being reduced to the metallic state. Vkrmii.lion, — when genuine, is a beautiful warm colour, and a very useful one in house- painting, and adds brilliancy to all the other reds. It is a powerful colour, and should be used with caution. It is lowered with white, in all jnopor- tions, and harmonises with all others but l)lues and greens : with lake, it makes a bright scarlet, and with yellowy the orange and IjufTs. This metallic oxide is often adulterated with red lead, ^\ hich may be proved by putting a small portion into a crucible and applying a strong heat, which will cause the mercury to sublime in globules ; and, if adulterated, the red lead will be reduced and found at the bottom. The Chinese vcrmillion, if genuine, is to be preferred. Lake — is an expensive colour, and not nuich in use for house-painting, except apartments ot 28 the first order ; it is possessed of a fugitive quality, so that when a pink is required it should be rather stronger when laid on, to allow for flying off. Lake harmonises with prussian blue, and produces a variety of beautiful purples and, with chrome yel- low, brilliant orange, of various gradations. Venetian Red — is a bole, stained by the oxide of iron ; it is a sure standing colour, and very useful, as, with white and black, vermillion and ochre, it produces an infinity of tints, particu- larly of the drab kind, which are always admired, for their solid appearance and quiet tone. Rose Pink — is a substitute for lake, but is less to be depended upon. However, the rose pink of the present day, manufactured by a few houses, I am informed^ stands the test of time superior to lake. I have, at this time, several specimens in actual experiment, to ascertain the fact, but it will be some time before it can be proved. Prussian Blue — is a combination of the prussic acid with iron, and is the most general and useful blue we have, either for inside or out-door painting. Its combination with some of the reds, and most of the yellows, produces purples and greens, of numberless tints and gradations, but does not harmonise with patent yellow. Chrome Yellow — surpasses every other yel- low, for brilliancy, beauty, and intensity of colour, either as a full, or in its gradations when lowered with white. There are two sorts manufactured, 29 the orange and tlie lemon : the first is a rich warm tint ; the latter is cool, and elegantly delicate. They are hoth standing articles, when properly prepared, by the combination of lead with the chromic acid. As lead is the base of this yellow, those specimens which are light are to be rejected. Patent Yellow — is a good and pleasant colour, either full or weakened with white, and is a good ground for chrome yellow to finish on, but it is improper to compose green, as it is unfriendly with the blues. The coachmakers were the chief consumers of this article, but chrome now super- sedes it. Spruce Ochre — is a pleasant, warm, and friendly pigment in forming greens, buffs, and stone colours ; and, combined with reds or browns, pro- duce countless tints of pleasant drabs, sage, olive, tea greens, kc. Rv.u Lead — is seldom used as a colour in house- painting, except as a ground for mahogany grain- ing, or as a drier in the first coat of priming on new work, and with size to kill the knots. It is prin- cipally employed for waggon and cart wheels, and as a ground for vermillion on coach wheels. It is also used on implements of husbandry. To those wlio have occasion for this colour, I recommend to mix u[) no more at one time than is required, as it precipitates so quick, and adheres so strong to the bottom of the paint-pot, tliat it proves a troublesome task to liberate and bring it into a working condition again. 30 Raw Umbeii, — with white, produces a num^ ber of pleasant quaker tints ; with a little black, many more ; and, with the addition of any of the reds, increases the number. To burn this pigment, put into a crucible as much as will three parts fill it ; set it on the fire (covered), and bring it to a good red heat ; then take it out, and, when cold, it is proper. Burnt Umber — for warm drabs, and, when added to white, black, or yellow, being a semi- transparent colour, is employed in graining, and likewise in painting window-blinds on canvas. Raw Terra di Sienna — is principally used for graining, and also for transparent blinds. It is burnt like the umber, and used for the same pur- poses as the raw, principally graining. Black, — if lamp-black, care must be taken to burn it in an iron box, or covered crucible, giving it a strong red heat. Blue black may be employed equally well, and is less trouble. Having given a statement of the requisite pig- ments necessary for the Aromatic Paint, I shall now proceed to give instructions for preparing the same. Into an empty lead firkin, put one hundred weight of ground white lead, pour over the same one quart of raw linseed oil, and also one gallon of spirits of turpentine (usually named ,31 turps), then, with tlie spade, mix up the whole, until it appears smooth and well blended : if it feels too stiff, add more turps, until it is in the state of thick cream ; you now throw into it ten pounds of the satin white before described, but by small portions at a time (about a quart), mixing it up before you add another, and, when all is well mingled and united, it is fit to be passed through the wire sieve, which you place on the top of the other empty firkin, and, with the iron ladle, half fill it with the mixture ; then, with a ground brush, rub it through, and repeat the like until all has passed ; you now throw into your first firkin about half a pint of turps, to wash it clean, with your brush rub down the sides, and collect all at the bottom ; pour this into your sieve, and rub it through ; with another half pint, used in the same way, perfectly clean out the firkin, your sieve, brush, and knife ; the ladle may be kept immersed in the finished paint. When all has passed your sieve, it must be wiped clean with the brush, and placed, until wanted again, in a pan large enough to receive it, and covered with water; fur if suffered to become dry, it would be rendered useless. The last part of the process is, to add to the mixture half a pint of turpentine varnish, prepared as follows : — into a gallon stone buttle, pour in one pound of crude Venice turpentine, to which add half a gallon of turps ; place it on the hob of a 32 fire-range, and, when warm, shake it Well, and when dissolved it is fit : keep it stopped. The finished white paint, now in the firkin, will be found divested of the unpleasant smell of paint, being neutralised by the satin white. It must now be covered with water. The above-prepared Aromatic Paint will be found flat, which may be laid on successively with- out becoming glossy (unlike the old system); but should a gloss be required, it is only adding half a gill of drying oil to a pot of colour ; or, if the whole is wanted glossy, it may be made, in the first instance, by an additional quart of drying oil to the composition. The paint being now ready for use, it must have an article to thin it, when requisite, of such a nature that will not contaminate, or impart to it any unpleasant smell. We cannot admit oil as a thinner, for a greater portion than I have allowed would bring it back to the old system. Spirits of wine, by itself, will not combine ; and turps is, by itself, too strong and pungent for this purpose ; but by mixing the two last essential oils, in such a pro- portion as they shall unite, and, at the same time, adding a small portion of another essential oil, we shall have a liquid fit to thin the paint to any degree, and will likewise impart to it a shght agreeable aromatic scent (from whence it derives its name) ; but it is only to be added to the paint when wanted as a thinner. 33 TO PREPARE I^HE LIQUID TO THIN THE AROMATIC PAINT. To one gallon of Turps, Add half a pint of Rectified Spirits of Wine, And half a gill of Oil of Carraways. Shake it up, and agitate it for ten or twelve minutes, or till well united. The paint and all things being ready, I shall now give instructions to the painter, suj)posing him to be a novice. If new work, you are, in the first place, to cover, or (as it is called) kill the knots, to prevent the turpentine ouzing out, which would create an unsightly appearance not easily repaired. Red lead, finely ground in water, is to be put into a pipkin, with some double size, heated over the fire, and mixed u\) with a sash tool ; you then cover the knots, and, when dry, go over a second time, which will secure them. You must now have your ])riming ready for the first coat, which is prepared thus : — into a double paint pot, put Aromatic Paint, a quantity according to the extent of the work to be covered ; suppose six pounds, which ought to be the quantity for a surface of thirty yards, once over ; now thin this six pounds with a quarter of a pint of drying oil, and add a quarter of a pound of red lead, ground fine ; D 34 pour in a little of your liquid, and, having mixed all up with your ground brush, all is ready ; but you are to dust the work first with your duster, which must be done before the commencement of every coat ; you are also to place cloths on that part of the floor where you are painting, that you may not soil or stain the boards. You may now begin laying on your first colour, or priming, with the ground brush, not too much charged, as the colour must be rather thin, and it would be apt to run out of the brush if too full. Most painters begin with the backs of the shutters, and linings, then the sashes (but as new sashes are always primed before they are put up, they do not require a second priming) and the sofit, and shutter fronts ; after these, the cornice and frieze ; next commence the wall or wainscot, beginning at the top, and so proceed downwards to the dado, which you leave until all the four flanks, or sides, are gone over. You are now to cover the doors, and then the dado and skirting, and, lastly, the chimneypiece, if it is wood. When two men are employed in the same room, the work is executed with more facility, especially if the flanks are of great dimensions ; in that case, one takes the top and the other the bottom, so that both meet in the middle ; this is particularly essential, when an apartment, hall, or staircase, is to be flatted. I will suppose that you have finished your first colour, or priming; it will then be advisable to 35 give a day to harden before you commence the second. After a day's rest, you must begin with rubbing down with pumice-stone, but with a light hand ; this done, use your duster ; then stop up, with putty, all the nail heads and other open blemishes, and then lay on the second colour, w^hich must be rounder (thicker) than the priming, being thinned sparingly with the liquid, so tliat the paint runs off the brush, but not too quick ; however, a little practice will make this familiar. — Take notice, that red lead is only to be used in the priming. Having finished your second colour, and given it a day*s repose, you ])repare for the third, by rub- bing down the whole again with glass-paper, just skimming over lightly ; use your duster, and lay on the third colour, mixed as the second. This must also have a day's rest ; after which you begin as before, by rubbing down gently with the glass- paper ; dust again, and then lay on your fourth colour, or finish. You must observe, in laying on your colour, either on panels, stiles, or other flat work, that you cross the brush, both backwards and forwards, and in all directions, to equalise the paint, and then you lay it oft', by beginning at the top and drawing your brush firmly down, and then from the bottom upwards, to meet and make the joining good. Be careful not to leave any hair marks on 36 the work, or any puddles in the corners of mould- ings, carved work, or elsewhere. Many painters think it lost time to rub down so often ; but I can assure such, that there is no comparison between work executed in this way and the slovenly mode practised in general. When your work is done for the day, the paint pots must be wiped out with your brush, and then scraped with the pallet knife, and the brushes must be immersed in water ; and, when the work is quite complete, the colour (if any left) should be covered with water. Unlike the usual method adopted by painters, of keeping close shut up during the operation, it is necessary that all doors and windows should be open when the Aromatic Paint is used, as it is an erroneous idea, that affording air at this time injures the whiteness of paint ; it is quite the reverse — air and light bleach all colours. Having given directions for the completion of new work, I shall afford those for the painting of old. DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING OLD WORK. If the work is much soiled, it will be advisable to have it washed with soap and water, and the scouring brush ; or, if very foul with smoke and 37 ^^rease, it should be lime-washed, else the paint cannot, nor will not dry : this is principally directed for kitchens, passages, and under-ground offices. When the work is dry, you must rub the whole well with the pumice-stone ; and, after brushing off the dust, examine if there be any parts of the paint chipped off, or blistered, that require scraping off — these you are to bring forward, by touching them with colour three or four times before you lay any colour on the whole, and when these patches are sufficiently dry, you commence laying your second colour (by second colour is meant, that the old paint on the work is reckoned first colour), and when dry, stop up with putty, and rub down with glass paper, and })rocecd as was directed for new work. Many painters use clear cole, or distemper, which is often detrimen- tal; for if the sun or damp interfere, the first will surely blister, and tlic second detach the paint from the wood, so that this can be no saving. As we have hitherto been painting with white only, I shall give a few hints for staining this white into diflerent colours, for the decoration of interior painting ; that the variety of these, and their disposal being infinite, renders it useless to lay down rules, yet a few words may not be amiss in this place, with respect to the mixing of some of the most approved tints now in use. 38 ADMIXTURE OF COLOURS. French Grey. — To any quantity of the white Aromatic Paint put as much ground Prussian blue as shall make it to your mind, then add as much lake, or rose pink, as will bestow on it a faint bloom. French Grey should neither be dark nor yet too light, but a middle tint. Straw Colour, — Is chrome yellow lowered with white. Observe, apartments that are to be finished a certain tint, must have the ground (that is the coat previous to the finishing one) a shade darker ; for, if lighter than the last coat, the work (in the phrase of the painters) will look sheery, and appear not well covered. A Crimson — for libraries, a colour that agrees with books and their bindings. To one pound of rose pink, half a packet of Chinese vermilion, both ground in oil and tur- pentine, half and half, and stir in a quarter of a pound of the satin white, and, when well mixed, add half a gill of turpentine varnish ; when using, must be thinned with the aromatic liquid. Some gentlemen prefer having the colour subdued, by the addition of a small portion of black. The ground for this, is rose pink and Venetian red. A Colour for a Picture Gallery — that harmonises with paintings and gilt frames. Venetian red, white, and a little black, with a little tufpen- tine varnish. The tint you are to produce is the dark blotting-paper colour. Lavender Colour — is produced with lake, or rose pink, with a good portion of white, to bring it to a peach-blossom colour; you then add a little Prussian blue, sufficient to give it a cast. This is an elegant tint for a drawing room, and on ceilings it confers elevation, from its retiring ap- pearance. An excellent Colour for Entrance Halls and Staircases. — White, stained with spruce ochre, umber, &c., which will produce what is termed a warm stone colour. Its appearance is cheerful, and texture solid. Pea-Green, Sage-Green, and Drab-Green, — are formed with spruce ochre and Prussian blue, and then lowered with white; or, if black is substituted for the blue, you will have a variety of different greens ; and substituting raw umber, instead of the ochre, you will obtain another distinct set of greens. All these tints are chosen, and likewise all the middle-tint drabs, on account of their repose to the sight, and their solid and quiet tone. White Paint, — by itself, has been of late years universally disused, for two principal reasons — first, its staring, glaring colour; second, its fugitive quality : and it is certainly, for these defects, to be preferred when changed by the addition of the coloured pigments. 40 Vine Wood, — burnt to charcoal, in a close vessel or iron box, and ground in oil, confers on white a rich and beautiful satin tint ; but it must be used sparingly. I consider the above admix- tures are quite sufficient for the unlearned in house-painting ; and, if he can manage these, he * will be competent to form others by his own taste and judgment. Graining, — or imitation of woods and marbles, has for some years formed a considerable part of the decorative system, but is now giving place to the plain and simple. There are two causes assigned for this falhng off, namely, the additional expense to the painter's bill, and the short-lived beauty they exhibit; for, being generally executed in water colours, and then varnished, should this covering crack and chip, the work will consequently look shabby, ragged, and mean. I must, however, acknowledge myself an admirer of graining, when produced with a just resemblance to nature, judiciously employed, and in a suitable situation ; a little, and well executed, adds lustre to an apartment, where the other parts join in unison, and form a complete composition. Graining, like diamonds in portrait painting, should be sparingly employed, for its scarcity constitutes in a great measure its value. An elegantly-painted house or mansion should be what a good painted picture is — the entrance hall, the fore-ground, whose parts combine force and strength of colouring, n strongly marked and well connected, of a sober and warm hue : the staircase may be of the same tint, but two shades lighter. We now enter the suit of rooms on the first floor, where the skill and taste of the painter must be exerted, and the contents of his pallet consulted, and applied to give due effect without affectation, or overloading ; but, by a just combination, the eye may be pleasingly surprised, yet not dazzled by too many glaring lights. This being the principal or middle group, should be the most splendid, but of a mellow and calm tone ; brilliant, but not gaudy ; magnificent, but not heavy. As we advance higher, we should adopt the aerial tint; this gives a feeling of lightness that beguiles the labour as we mount — just as a traveller, rising a hill, is not sensible of the toil, being surroimded by enlivening objects. Marble Graining, — is only suitable for columns, pilasters, arches, dados, chinineyj)ieces, and such parts where the appearance of solidity and coolness is desirable. Decoration of Apartments, — depends chiefly on a judicious selection of appropriatecolours, such as harmonise; these will always produce a pleasing eflect. In the present plan of decorating, if the walls are stucco, each flank or side is first to receive a sufficient number of coats to brine them to a finish, on which it is usual to make one panel only on each side, which is effected by 42 shadowed mouldings, either raised or sunk, with ornaments at each corner, to relieve the angles. If wainscotted, and already divided by mould- ings, then the panel may be one tint and the mouldings another, to contrast more or less ; for instance, if the panels are a light pink, the stiles may be the same, and the mouldings between, a light reddish purple, of lake, Prussian blue, and white lead ; the upper member of the cornice should be light pink, the ogee under, light purple, the corona, light pink, and the ovalo, light purple ; and the upper member of the dado should be light pink, the ogee, light purple, the corona, light pink, the ovalo, under the corona, light purple, the die or dado light pink, the torus or top of the plinth, light purple, and the plinth or skirt- ing light pink. This decoration, with these two colours only, has a charming and elegant effect. A light yellowish buff and light plum colour also form a most pleasing union for wainscot panels : a lavender colour, and light blueish purple, also a light pink and light green, light orange and green, &;c. &;c. ; but I would recom- mend the beginner in painting to prepare a num- ber of tints of different gradations, of the same colour, on cards, and by placing with and against each other, he will soon perceive which agree most when put together. For apartments designed to have each side 43 formed into one panel, the same system is to be observed, namely, harmony. It is true, that oppo- sition in painting produces harmony, but not that violent contrast — that staring or extremity of difference, which must always offend the eye ; and you will notice that all colours that do not mix kindly, are unfit to be placed in opposition, unless on extraordinary occasions. House-painting, like other painting, has its lights, shadows, and re- poses — it has its approaching and retiring tints ; for if you paint a small room with dark or strong colours, you make that room appear still less ; so it is by painting a large one witli liglit colours — it will seem to increase its dimensions. For patterns of corners, and other ornaments for the decoration of the interior, painters can have choice at the paper-stainers' manufactories. If you have fixed on the pattern corner, you are to make an outline of it on white paper ; you then, with a needle, i)rick the w hole of the sketch : now liave some charcoal, powdered very fine, and tied in a piece of muslin ; next place your outline, with the pin-holes, properly on the corner of the j)anel, and dab your muslin bag against it, which, when you have done, remove the paper gently, and you will have the outline transferred perfectly on the panel, and ready for painting. 44 PAINTING THE ORNAMENTS. Having your coloured pattern before you, ob- serve the prevailing or middle tint, which you mix on your pallet, and go over with the same the whole of the ornament. Now mix your shade tint, and mark or lay in your shadows, taking notice where and how they are softened or blended. You next lay on your high lights, so far is called the dead colouring ; you, with a darker shade, strengthen the shadows, by spirited touches con- nected together ; you lastly touch up the lights in the same way by sharp touches with white, or white stained to harmonise with the middle tint. Some ornament artists suffer the dead colouring to dry before they give their finishing touches. The young practitioner should make trial on canvas or board before he attempts on the panel. If the ornaments on the panels are gilt, or bronze, the moulding should be burnished gold, as in all cases these assimilate. OF CEILINGS. Clouded ceilings have been in great request, but the rage has of late much fallen off; for it is alleged that it impresses the idea of being in the open air; therefore they have given place, in a great degree, to a general tint, as light pink, lavender, light purple, very light French grey, and, in short, of every colour, and frequently the same tint as the panels. For my part, I confess 45 myself friendly to coloured ceilings, on account of their giving altitude, from tlieir aerial property. However, I do not mean to dictate : matters of taste are best managed by the ladies on such occasions, who generally take pleasure in all that pertains to the interior arrangement, and display of elegance and taste. TO PAINT CLOUDED CEILINGS. Red orpiment and blue verditer for the shade tint ; and these, mixed eitlier separately or together with whiting, constitute the whole of this process, which has been and is still accounted a great secret. OF TASTE. I shall now conclude this chapter l)y giving the young painter some hints relative to taste, which I trust will not be unacceptable, as the attainment is most desirable, and on which the increase of his reputation as a painter depends. The purity of taste, I conceive, consists in dis- criminating with nicety, and, in a pre-eminent degree, the distinction between beauty and de- formity. Notwithstanding many think themselves competent, and profess the study of the graces, yet how few, how very few, know any thing of the matter ! The generality substitute fashion in its stead, which often partakes of the fantastical, 46 and frequently of the ridiculous: for instance, a lady sports a bonnet of a size perhaps some- what beyond that usually worn, but which, from the shape, colour, and the taste adopted by the wearer, harmonises with the complexion and contour of her face, and these, aided by a graceful person, render her an interesting subject, and she is deservedly admired ; Iput some of her female friends, who, peradventure, have no pre- tensions either to beauty or grace, nevertheless imagine the only difference between them and her is the new-fashioned large bonnet, which they all agree is kilHng, and must bestow charms on any face, however plain or ordinary ; therefore, not content with the size, or nearly so, of that by which they were so much enamoured, it is in- creased so considerably, that instead of becoming * an improvement, it is quite the reverse ; and their friends, who venture to tell them so, are accounted envious, and are censured for their lack of taste. Taste in dress is ever capricious ; and few there are who appear to advantage on the first display of a new fashion. The transition is generally so sudden, the contrast so great, that people seldom become reconciled to the change until the rage is nearly over ; for that which after some time be- comes familiar to the eye or ear, however disagree- able at first, offends less each time of repetition. I knew an actor, an excellent performer, whose only defect was a singular huskiness in his voice, 47 which, to a strange audience, would be at first disagreeable ; yet, after a few nights, and better acquaintance, he was sure to become a distin- guished favourite. I do not condemn change of fashion ; it is the life and soul of trade, and affords employment to thousands, and therefore claims the concurrence and encouragement of all ranks. It is the bad taste exhi!)ited by many of its votaries that I disapprove ; the injudicious selection, the discordance of colours, the extravagant desire of appearing conspicuously singular, without consult- ing shape, complexion, age, &cc. If the ladies would consult the flower garden, they would find that Nature attires all her subjects in tints appropriate, that always harmonise, and bestow such l>eauty and lustre that art can only imitate, but not equal. As in dress, there are likewise changes in house- painting ; and the taste to be pursued is the same, whatever the subject of the alteration. The system should be a good disposition of its parts, and a union and agreement of colours. There are two kinds of taste — classic and fashion- able ; and these are again divided into a variety of grades. The fashionable, as I before observed, is ever altering, and not always for the better. The classical is that handed down from the ancients, and must always cliarm, — it is ever consistent. Whether in their architecture, sculpture, painting, attire, or decorations, we must acknowledge the sublime in the highest perfection. The Greeks 48 have left us some lasting models of true taste; and they may be said to have studied the Graces with the most exalted ideas, and with intense labour and perseverance ; in which, no doubt, they were stimulated by their veneration for their deities, on whom they conferred dignity, grace, and beauty, and, withal, such just proportions and perfect sym- metry as cannot be found combined in any one human figure. The Romans, who succeeded to their works, have also left some noble and exquisite specimens of their taste, notwithstanding the over- whelming influx of the barbarians, who destroyed not only innumerable works of grandeur, but the empire itself. Taste is not hereditary : no one has yet been found to possess this talent by intuition. On the contrary, it is to be acquired by gaining a com- petent knowledge of the old, and an intimacy with the new — to associate the two by a judicious arrangement of the parts to compose a complete whole ; and this is to be obtained by an intimate acquaintance with good things, and having ad- mission into the mansions of the great, to see and consult all ; and, with a good resolution, intense application and study, a clear judgment, and a little facility in drawing and painting, you may perhaps arrive at the pinnacle of taste. 49 PART III. TO PREPARE ZINC AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR WHITE LEAD. Zinc, as a substitute for white lead, is certainly one of the most formidable hitherto opposed to that carbonate, possessing, as it does, most of the good qualities rec^uired, with the additional and de- sirable advantage of being perfectly innocent, but it is more expensive ; yet, should the Legislature take off the duty, zinc might then compete with lead. I shall, notwithstanding the present differ- ence in price, describe its i)reparation ; for, never- theless, admitting tlxis distinction, there are many who justly prize and value health before money, and therefore would not consider a trifling extra an object ; and I trust some active public-spirited gentlemen will come forward and establish a zinc paint manufactory, which, if properly managed, would prove not only a philantliropic but a lucra- tive speculation. TO PREPARE THE FLOWEI^S. Having put some zinc into a large deep crucible, placed in a furnace, inclining to an angle of forty- five, have a cover to shut up occasionally, to in- crease the fusion ; make up a strong fire, and when the metal is melted, take off the cover, and stir the mass with an iron rod, when, if the heat i« sufficient, on the contact of the air, a cru5t will i: 60 be formed, which must be removed by scraping it into a pan placed in front of the crucible. Stir the melted matter again, and a crust will be formed as before ; and this continue to repeat, until the whole of the zinc has been converted into an oxide. TO WASH THE FLOWERS. Put the flowers into a horizontal churn, with a good quantity of water ; rouse and agitate them well, to separate the oxide from the particles of metal not oxidised. It is now to be poured into a water-tight tub or barrel, open at top, and pro- vided with two cocks, one about one-third from the bottom, the other even with the bottom ; fill the vessel and stir all up, then let it settle a short space to give time for the metallic particles to subside (about five minutes); you now open the upper cock to run into a vessel placed for that purpose, which is likewise provided with a cock about one-third from the bottom ; and when this has been at rest ten or twelve hours, the water may be drawn off, and the precipitate put out on chalk stones for a few days, and then placed on shelves or racks to finish the drying, or they may be dried in a stove. When perfectly dry, these cakes are to be broken and rolled, and mixed with white linseed oil in the mash tub, and ground as the white lead, and kept in firkins, headed up. 51 Zinc combines and agrees with all the pigments, and dries best with sulphate of zinc (white cop- peras). The chief art in making these flowers consists in the management of the heat ; for if too violent, they will be discoloured ; and if too weak, a great portion of the metal will be unoxidized ; so tliat observation and practice are essential to their perfection. The principal objection artists and painters allege against zinc is, that it is what they call hungry, by requiring so much oil to render it sufficiently fluid to work pleasant ; but less oil may be used, just enough to grind it as stiff* as ground lead, and thin it for working with copal, mastic, or turpentine varnish and spirits of turpentine. ROYAL WHITE. The Royal White Paint, for the inte- rior OF HOUSES — is a cr)m position of value, from its simplicity and cheapness, and, managed with care and attention in tlie preparation and ap- plication, it will prove doubly so. This paint is particularly reconnnended to lodging-houses, shops, banking-houses, colFee-houscs, and offices of all descriptions where time is an object, as one day will be sufficient to complete an apartment, however great the dimensions. The Royal White is also valuable from its innoxious property, as the most delicate constitution is in no danger of the slightest injury, either in the preparation or 52 operation of using it as a paint. To prepare it, break down into apan one dozen pounds of the best whiting; pour cold water on it, barely to cover ; then leave it at rest for five or six hours, when you are to stir and mix it up with a piece of deal, and see that there are no lumps, but all smooth and fine : now melt two quarts of double size, and add to the whiting ; mix the whole well, and then set the pan out in the coldest situation you can find, to stand all night, that the mixture in the morning may appear a perfect jelly, and in this state it will work like oil paint, and with a little pains taken, may be laid on as smooth ; but unless prepared, and brought into this jellied state, it will be of no service, and had better be thrown away than used. Care must also be taken that the size is fresh ; if otherwise, a putrid smell may be the result. If red, blue, yellow, or any other colours are required, such pigments must be ground in water, with the muller, on the painter's slab, and then put into separate pots ; they are to be added to the white in the pan before the size is put in ; that is, you are to mix up as much of each colour as^ you may suppose you shall want, which you may judge tolerably near, by allowing one pound of this com- position to cover a surface of six square yards once over. If the work has received two coats, it may have one of size run over, with a quick hand; and then, to render it permanent, it may have a finish w ith a coat of light carriage varnish. 5S FOR COMMON CEILINGS. The Royal White is a most capital mixture for common ceilings, and, in short, for the best, as it can be stained to any tint required ; but it must be in perfect condition, as above stated. I shall, in this place, give the young painter some neces- sary instructions for preparing and perfecting old ceilings. If in a bad state with the old colour, or white-wash, in blisters, scales, &c., it must be well soaked with water, by means of the stock brush, and then all the old scales scraped off, and finally washing it as clean as possible. If there are any cracks or chinks, they must be stopped with fine stuff (plaster of Paris) ; and when done, the whole is to be bound down ; that is, to have a coat of double size ; and when dry, finish with the Royal White, and the work will look solid and flat, like a sheet of white paper : the same process is likewise meant for old plaster and white-washed wails inside. TO PREPARE LAC FOR PAINTING. Put half a pound of comfrey-root into a pipkin, with a quart of water ; suffer it to boil down to about half, then strain the extract into another pipkin, and add thereto a quarter of a pound of shell lac. Let the matter boil gently, until the colour of the lac is extracted, or left of a stone colour. After pouring off the liquor, add to the lac an ounce of borax in a pint of water ; permit the 54 solution to boil gently, until all the lac is dissolved ; then strain, and bottle it for use. This preparation may be used as a vehicle for all the colours required in house-painting, or for artists, possessing the desirable advantage of emitting no offensive smell ; and, if carefully pre- pared, will be as lasting as oil paint, and endure washing. It does not produce a perfect white, but inclines to what is called a French white. GRECIAN PAINT. Cut into slices a quarter of a pound of white curd soap, dissolve it in a quart of water, over the fire; now turn it out on the slab, and with a piece of wood, shaped like a trowel or spatula, work and rub down all lumps, until quite smooth ; when this is effected, add three pounds of the satin white of the paper stainers, mix and rub them well together; then leave the mass in a heap for twelve hours, when a decomposition takes place. When it is wanted for use, put to it a small portion of dissolved gum dragacanth (about a gill to three pounds), and when all has passed through a sixty -hole wire sieve it is ready for using, and may be stained with most of the pigments ; if too thick, it may be thinned with water, but very sparingly. I have known this paint to succeed in many instances, but it is not always to be depended on ; which I conceive rests in a great measure on the due pro- portion of the materials employed. I have given it in this place, that the painter may exercise his skill and ingenuity to render it more certain. — Query, whether a small addition of drying oil might not have the desired effect ? CARNIOLA, OR VENETIAN PAINT, For artists, and also i or house-paint- ing. — It has been the general opinion, that the Venetian artists employed and combined a large portion of water witli tlieir oil, to form a vehicle for colours, which accounts for tlicir freshness at this day; but the medium to unite these two fluids without an alkali has been long sought after, but without success ; it was there- fore considered a desideratum. I have, how- ever, ventured on tlie task ; and by a variety of experiments, instituted for this purpose, I have, by perseverance, succeeded, to my wishes. It is acknowledged, and well known, that the less of oil in the composition of paint, the longer it preserves its lustre and colour ; as an example, the flat white of the painters, in which spirits of turpen- tine exceed in quantity that of the oil. The Venetian masters attached great importance to this secret, and used every precaution to prevent its being made known, which ultimately expired with them. I shall now enter into an explanation of the process, without further preface. Into a (juart 56 white glass bottle, I poured one pint of raw linseed oil, to which I added two ounces of coarse litharge ; this I shook up every day, night and morning, for a week. I then poured it off the deposit into a bason ; then, with some turpentine poured into the bottle, I washed the white matter from the litharge, and then returned the oil into the bottle again, on the washed litharge ; it was then shook up twice a day, for another week, and the clear part poured into another bottle. Being now perfectly saturated with oxygen, and in a high drying state, to half a pint of this drying oil (in a clean bottle) I added half a pint of distilled water, by degrees, shaking the mixture on each addition of the water, until the whole was well incorporated. It is then a fit vehicle ; and all colours to be used with it should be first ground in turpentine, with the addition of a little mastic varnish, and thinned with the same when required, during the operation of painting. CRISP COMPOUND. I shall here notice a useful mixture, particu- larly for artists, who are often troubled to render their colours crisp, especially white, which, from its weight, will run and fall down, and is remedied by the addition of the Crisp Compound. To any portion of the last-mentioned drying oil (on a painter's slab) put about the same quantum of parchment size, and, with the muller, levigate 37 and grind them into a thick kind of paste, which keep in a galii-pot for use. When wanted to crisp white, or any other colour, mix on your pallet the one wanted (suppose white) ; then, with your pallet knife, take up a small portion of the paste, and add it to the white; and if you lay it on in tliis state, it will remain as you have placed it, in any form or thickness, without fall- ing down. Having now finished all that I conceive neces- sary for the instruction of the intelligent young painter, with respect to the exercising his calling with satisfaction to his emj)loyers and pleasure and profit to himself, I shall now give him some useful information relative to the art of graining, that, should he feel incHncd to ])ecomc a ])roficicnt in this pleasing part of decoration, he has only to follow these directions, and carefully to study nature, to succeed ; and he may be assured no art or science is to be acquired but by unwearied application and dihgence. 58 PART IV. GRAINING VARIOUS WOODS AND MARBLES. The Materials and Tools required for Graining, Graining tools, of various sizes. Badger-hair tools for softening, different sizes. Ivory combs, and pieces of cork, cut to various sizes. Sponge. A piece of stiff leather, about three inches in length and half an inch in breadth, to be fixed in the handle of a graining tool instead of the hair, and to project only a quarter of an inch from where it is inserted ; this is for forming the short waves. Pieces of cork, cut chisel shape, and points, &;c. The colours are all those already described for house-painting. TO PREPARE THE WORK. Professed grainers are very particular in having their ground carefully prepared, and on this depends much of the beauty of the work. It should be got up as directed for house-painting, that is, the colour must be laid on smooth, and when dry, rubbed down with glass paper after each coat; in short, it should be prepared like a coach panel. 59 GRAINING OAK IN OIL. There are two principal grounds for oak, viz. the orange lead and the buff; but these are rendered lighter or darker, to suit the wishes of the employer. Having laid your ground and suffered it to dry, you brush the whole over with burnt umber, or raw, according to the shade or depth of colour chosen ; this must be laid on thin in some parts, and more opaque in others, as you will perceive in your pattern (which you must have before you). You may use the comb if you want variety in the stry, or waving, and also the graining tool, and in other parts the points of the duster, to imitate the short grain, by dabbing. You are now to shape out all those lights that cross the grain in a serpentine form, of various lengths and sizes, with a bit of sponge, leather, or cork, observing to avoid formality, or redundance of these lights. You are now to sweeten the whole with the large badger-hair brush, but very tenderly : if there are any dark serpentines in the pattern, they must be put in also across the grain, as you notice in nature. BULBOUS OAR. The root of the oak, when cut and polished, is a rich and beautiful specimen, and not the easiest to imitate in oil ; there is, however, in water-colour, by a simple process, a good resemblance obtained, as follows: — Grind under the muller buriH umber, 60 in beer or weak size; it must be ground very fine. Then pour some into a plate (instead of a pallet), and having a good-sized bladder, made wet (but partially dried with a cloth), you dip it in the burnt umber, and apply it to the board or ground (which should be previously rubbed over with beer, to take off the sessing, or greasiness), in the state of a wisp, or handful ; and with this kind of brush you endeavour to imitate all the curls and zigzags you perceive in the pattern, by turning and twist- ing the bladder in every direction — by sometimes dabbing, sometimes training, pressing hard and gentle, until you produce the desired effect ; you may also, with the graining tool dipped in the umber, make out and mark the stry, as in nature. When the whole is dry, give a coat of varnish, and a second completes the business. I have grained drawing-room door panels and styles in this way, and added gilt mouldings, which produced a rich and superb display. The colours for graining, whether for oil or water, must be ground in the best manner, and kept in pots covered with water, and free from dust ; and the tools used for water-graining are not fit for oil. MAHOGANY. The ground is either buff, dark, or light orange, according to fancy or situation. If water-grained, the ground must be washed with beer; you then brush over the panel with 61 burnt terra di Sienna, w}iich has been ground in beer ; you then, having your pattern before you, imitate all turns and wavings of the curl, or flower, with the large graining tool, and take care not to destroy or stop out the lights, for every rich curl has a dark and a light side. The graining tool, prepared with leather, is suitable to express and mark the waves at the sides of the panel. You then sweeten the whole gently with the badger, and, when dry, varnish. A great advantage accompanies water-graining, for should not the disposition of the work appear to satisfy you, you may brush all again into a general tint, on which you can once more try to succeed better ; and it is much wiser to persevere until you please yourself, for you may rely, imless that is the case, you will not please your employers. If grained in oil, the process is nearly the same. Some grainers in the oil process add finish- ing touches with lake, and also strengtlien the shades with lake and black ; and these, when judiciously laid on, bestow great brilliancy on the work. SATIN WOOD. The ground for satin wood is a pale yellow, made with chrome and white ; and the stry or graining spruce ochre, in various shades ; and lastly, with the graining tool, to express the stry from the top to the bottom, waving occasionally, as you perceive 62 in your pattern. This is a most elegant and delicate subject for the grainer, and requires all his skill to render it a perfect representation of nature. ROSE WOOD. The ground may be the same as for mahogany. You first brush over the whole with a light trans- parent tint of lake, on which, with your graining tool, you lay in the large masses of stry with brown red, not too heavy, and then strengthen the shades with a mixture of lake and black, observing to keep the lights clean, and well defined ; for which, consult your pattern. Be careful, in blending or sweetening, that you do not lose the character. AIR WOOD. This wood is reckoned one of the simplest of the graining subjects ; notwithstanding, to give the just resemblance, it requires some care and attention in studying after nature, which is our best instructor. The ground of air wood is a very light grey ; and, after being brushed over with a somewhat darker grey, you imitate the stry with the graining tool, the lengthways, with a still darker waving, as your sample will show you ; with the same tool cross this first stry, which finishes the work. 63 ON MARBLE GRAINING. Imitation of marble forms a pleasing variety, and will be found useful and ornamental for many situations, particularly where weight and coolness are to be expressed. The following are a few of the number, viz. Verde antique With white and black patches, dark green, &c. Parian Pure white. Carura Ditto. Black With yellow, white, and brown. Grey Saxon blue. Aragon Yellow and orange. Dolomite Pale red, small globules. Campan Green. Bardiglio Blue. Valentia Violet. Lumachelli ... Shells, united with brown. Schiola White, orange, light and dark brown, and brown red. The above are foreign, but there is a great variety of the Irish and Scotch marbles, which do not yield, in beauty and diversity of colours, to any. To imitate marble, the young i)ainter has only to look for the general tint, or ground, on which he is to lay the lightest tint of the veins first, and then the darker, taking care to soften 61 with the badger tool; and lastly, if there are any sharp lights to surmount these. There are some marbles that seem to have dark places, to a great depth, in appearance, which is copied by laying on those dark patches first (suppose a dark brown red), next you lay on the general or middle tint (suppose a light red), to fill up the space between the dark patches, so that the extremities of each come in con- tact. You now sweeten the edges of the two, but preserve the centre of the dark places from losing their strength; you now lay a lighter (say a middle-tint yellow), on the centre of the light red, by a broad light mass, but uneven at the edge, running out in points of various lengths and thick- ness ; this done, you sweeten again, and on this you lay a lighter, and again soften and blend ; and the last may be finishing touches with white, as you will notice in nature. It is not an easy task, for the best informed, to give instructions in any art or science, by writing ; if this were the fact, there would be no room for the learner to exercise his genius, by which means he often excels his instructor. For my part, I have said as much on the subject as I am capable of; and if I have said too much, it has proceeded from an ardent desire of not omitting any thing that might be said, to promote and render the subject clear and attainable. 65 PART V, OILS IN GENERAL. On. being an essential article in the composition of paint, it will be necessary to describe those best calculated for that purpose, and also the method of imparting to tliem the requisite properties of drying, limpidness, and whiteness. There are three distinct classes of oil, viz. Mineral, Animal, and Vegetable: the first is not applicable to j)aint- ing ; the second is peculiarly adapted fur illumina- tion ; and the last, or vegetable class, is that from which we select such as are most fit as vehicles for paint. These are, linseed, hempseed, beech nut, and walnut — all equally good, but the first is in most general use. The component parts of oil are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen ; and the less it con- tains of the latter, the less it is inclined to a drying quality, which is so desirable. Linseed oil, although very tardy in drying in its primitive state, by adding any substance that will supply it with oxygen, remedies this defect; this oil also possesses a strong amber colour, that injures the brilliancy of several pigments, particularly white, and there- fore should be altered, to render it perfect for our purpose. I shall describe two eflectual processes for the attainment of these objects. Y 66 TO RENDER LINSEED OIL DRYING. Have a tin pan, about three feet square and one foot deep ; set it on the ground, and pour into it three or four gallons of linseed oil, to which throw- in a quarter of a pound of coarse litharge to each gallon ; stir this every day, for a fortnight, with a spade, two or three times a day, and be sure to agitate it well. At the expiration of the time it will have acquired a strong drying quality, equal to boiled oil, and without changing the colour or any loss, there being no heat employed. Having obtained a drying oil, I shall now show in what way it is to be made WHITE AND LIMPID. Expose this drying oil, in shallow pans, to the sun and air, for the space of three or four days ; and you will have a white drying oil, as clear and as limpid as water. It must, while undergoing this process, be guarded from the rain ; and, when finished, it must be strained and bottled for use. Another process for the same purpose of purifying LINSEED OIL. Put into a tub, or other vessel, six gallons of linseed oil, to which add half a pint of sulphuric acid by degrees, at the same time agitating it well. 67 so that the acid does not subside ; this agitation is to continue five or six hours, then let it rest until the next day ; it must then be transferred to the boiler, with two ounces of the acetate of lead (sugar of lead), and be kept boiling six hours at least ; then suffer it to rest three or four hours ; and, to finish, use the hand jet, which completes the process. The clear is drawn off*, and bottled, as the other. Some oilmen and painters, from prejudice and ignorance, maintain that the body of the oil is destroyed by extracting the colouring matter, as if the colouring were an essential component part. It is well known, that when linseed oil has been kept for a length of time (perhaps two years), this extrac- tive or colouring matter, without undergoing any process, will deposit the whole colour, and the oil will not be tlic least injured in its body, altliough perfectly white and limpid. It is then evident, that tlie means directed for the purpose of whiten- ing and rendering a drying property to the oil, differ only in the effect, being accelerated in a shorter time : if steam is employed for boiling the oil, it will be so much the better. Having nothing more to advance on the subject of painting-oil, it may not be unacceptable to many to be informed how the various Fish Oils mav 68 be purified for burning. The principal of these are : — Spermaceti, Southern, Seal, and Greenland Oil. SPERM OIL. To refine this, you must have a bag (these bags are to be had, ready made, at the oil merchant's) suspended over a large tin oil cistern, and fill the bag with the unrefined sperm oil, and leave it to pass through, without heat ; and if the weather is ever so severe, it is all the better, for, as the tempera- ture improves, the oil will run pure, and leave the solid sperm behind, which is to be removed, and a fresh supply put into the bag ; and thus you are to proceed, until the quantity you require is refined : it may still be more purified by passing again through the bag. If heat be employed in bagging, you may depend upon it the oil will not be pure, as the sperm, or a great portion of it, is melted in consequence, and passes through with the oil. If, before the oil is bagged a second time, it should receive a chill, your oil will be doubly pure : to give this chill, if in winter, exposure to the air will be suflftcient, and, in summer, to a freezing mix- ture, which must be confined in a tin cylinder, eight inches diameter, and not longer than the tin 69 cistern, with a cover ; tliis cylinder, cliargcd with the mixture, is to be placed in the centre of tlie cistern, which is now to be covered in and left, until you find, in a few days, the oil is quite thick, when the cylinder is to be removed, and the thick oil is to be bagged. Sperm oil, by tliis process, will burn like pure olifient gas, or spirits of wine. SOUTHERN WHALE OIL. The southern whale oil is still more difficult to refine than the s])erm, on account of being so loaded witli mucilage, or what the oilmen term foots. To deprive it of this matter, you must pour int(j a pail of water (three gallons) one pint and a liali' of muriatic acid, and tlnow tlie mixture into a cistern containing a tun of the oil; agitate this well for an hour, then throw in one hundred weight of ice, put on the cover, and leave it to refine. It is proper to have six cocks to the cistern, that, as the oil comes down, you may draw off from the first, and then the second, and so proceed down- wards, and the water and foots are to be drawn oif the bottom or lower cock ; after this jirocess, southern oil will not chill, and will burn as w ell as some sperm oil. Before this oil is ])ut into the cistern, it should be bagged, without heat, as heat is an enemy to the refining of any oil used for burning, and should never be employed for the j)ur- pose, although some quacks in the trade maintain otherwise. 70 SEAL OIL. The pale is to be preferred. The process to be employed for seal oil is the same as that of the last, omitting the bagging and the ice. When you pour into the cistern of oil the acid mixture, you are to agitate it well, and then leave it at rest until the next day, when you agitate it again ; now pour in two gallons of spirits of wine, agitate it well, and leave the cistern open and at rest until it refines, which will be seen in a few days, and the unpleasant smell evaporated. GREENLAND OIL, Except pilchard, is the most offensive-smelling fish oil we know, the reason of which arises from the ships being obliged to leave the North Seas or be icebound ; they therefore bring home the fish before it is boiled, to extract the oil, consequently it is in a putrid state by the time it reaches England ; and this accounts for the sweetness of the southern oil, which is all boiled before it is brought from the fishing station. Next to spermaceti oil, for burn- ing, is the Greenland, but it cannot be admitted indoors, on account of its disagreeable effluvia, without being purified, which, at this time, would not pay the cost of the process, sperm oil being so very moderate ; however, as that may not always be the case, I shall give the method of refining, as 71 I have practised, with success, when sperm oil was ten and twelve shillings per gallon. One tun of Greenland oil must have a double quantity of the muriatic acid mixture, that is — three pints of the acid and six gallons of water ; it must be agitated for three days, uncovering the cistern ; at the end of that time, give it a day to settle, and then draw off, from the lower cock, as much of the water as you can ; now throw in four gallons of spirits of wine, and stir all up, which repeat for three or four days, and then let it rest, leaving off the cover, when you will have, in a short period, a pure good burning oil, without any fetid or disagreeable smell. The best kind of stirrer, for the above purpose, is a churn dash (a round piece of wood, pierced with many holes, to which a long handle is firmly attached). In refining spermaceti oil, it is to the interest of the ])roprietor to piu'ify, as much as possible, the oil from the sperm, this article being more valuable than the oil. PART VI. VARNISHES AND VARNISHING. Volumes have been written on varnishes and varnishing, but to little purpose, for the receipts 72 are so complicated — so obscure — such a multiplied formula without principle, that little else can be obtained from them but disappointment, and loss of time and material. I flatter myself, that the system I shall adopt and recommend will prove not only satisfactory and profitable to those who are desirous of making their own varnishes, but also the amateur, who may be disposed to make experi- ments by way of amusement. I shall first notice the menstrua, or solvents, the principal of which are spirits of wine and the essential oil of turpentine : the first of these requires to be highly rectified before it is entitled to be named alcohol, not being capable of effectually dissolving any of the resins without this necessary rectification. The usual mode adopted for the purpose, is mixing the spirits with an alkali, and then distilling it off the same ; but the cure is worse than the disease, because much of the alkali remains in combination with the spirits of wine, and cannot be wholly got rid of. The most efficacious agent for obtaining a pure alcohol is by putting pure clay, well dried, into a retort, and pouring spirits of wine over it ; lute on a receiver, and set it in a sand heat, when the pure alcohol will come over, leaving the clay which retains the water, for which it has a stronger affinity. Alcohol produced thus is a perfect solvent of all the resins. 73 ESSENTIAL OIL OF TURPENTINE, If unadulterated, is a useful menstrua of resins ; it is therefore necessary to prove its purity, which is by brushing a little of it over a clean piece of writing paper; and, when evaporated, should the paper recover its former appearance without leaving any stain, the solvent is good ; but on the contrary, if the part is discoloured in the least, the turpentine has been sophisticated, and must be rejected. STRONG DRYING WHITE OIL Is another useful solvent ; and that oil for which I have given receipts for rendering white and drying is proper for the purpose : the first is the best, being the strongest dryer. Varnish makers in general discolour their copal and amber varnislies by dissolving these resins in the oil, with a heat little short of boiling ; whereas, if they were first melted in essential oil, the drying white oil might be added, and a tepid heat would be sufficient to imite and perfect a colourless copal varnish, without waste, oflcnsive smell, or danger in the operation. RESINS. The principal resins are : — (Hard.) (Soft.) Copal, Canada Balsam, 74 (Hard.) (Soft.) Amber, Elemi, Mastic, Capavi, Sandarach, Turpentine. Lac. The chief art of the varnish maker, and in which consists his superior skill, is to give a due proportion of these two kinds, hard and soft, that when applied they shall dry in a reasonable time, and not be liable to crack ; for if too soft or tender it will be tardy in drying, and, in consequence, will catch the dust, &c. ; that will spoil its lustre, and make it necessary to remove it, which in many cases would be attended with great risk, parti- cularly to oil paintings. TO PREPARE WHITE COPAL VARNISH. Bruise coarsely four ounces of copal and put it into a pan or bason, which place in a moderately heated oven (such as are attached to kitchen ranges) for twelve hours, when the whole will be melted, and again united in a solid mass : it must now be powdered, and then triturated with half an ounce of camphor, adding by degrees three ounces of white drying oil; mix all well in a pipkin, which place on a slow fire or sand bath, and when well incorporated add two ounces of essential oil of turpentine, and then strain and bottle close. This varnish is perfectly white. 75 PREPARATION OF AMBER VARNISH. Amber is treated in the same way as copal, by which a beautiful and permanent varnish is made, but it is high coloured. MASTIC VARNISH. This is an excellent and useful varnish, and one of the simplest in the mode of its preparation. It is only adding a quarter of a pound of mastic to a pint of essential oil of turpentine in a pipkin over a slow fire, until the whole is melted ; then strain and preserve it in bottles. This is a beautiful white varnish, fit for paintings, and is used as a vehicle with transparent colours for painting figures, flowers, and other ornaments on lamp glasses, Chinese lanterns, &c. &:c. ; and the artist's magelp is mastic varnish and tlic white drying oil, mixed half and half. WHITE SPIRIT VARNISH. Sandracli and Venice turpentine, in tlie pro- portion of one part of the latter to four parts of the first, dissolved in (three times the weight of the two) best alcohol, placed on a warm ho]), and frequently shaken up : when all dissolved, it must be strained and kept in bottles close stopped. This varnish is in requisition for prints and draw- ings, whether plain or coloured, for ladies' work boxes, and other fancy articles. It dries quick, 76 which admits of many coats in the course of a day ; but must be laid on warm, as it is apt to chil], that is, looks milky and opaque. I shall give some useful directions to the novice for using this colourless varnish, which may save much time, and prevent some disappointment. Suppose a handsome painted fire-screen in water colours to be varnished ; in the first place you must put half an ounce of isinglass into a pipkin with a pint of water, and suffer it to boil to half; strain it, and let it cool to about blood warm : now having a flat camel's-hair pencil (those in a tin), not broader than half an inch, you dip in the size, and give one light quick brush the whole length : you again dip the pencil in the size, and give another brush ; but you must beware of coming in contact with the first, as it would inevitably spoil the whole, so that you must leave a dry interval between the wet ; and when you have gone over the work in this manner, you leave it to be perfectly dry, and then go over with the size on those places you before omitted ; and when these are dry you give another coat over the whole, and this will finish the sizing, and the work is teady for varnishing. Pour some varnish into a cup or other vessel, and place it in a bason of hot water : you now hold the painting at a distance from the fire, just to take off the edge of the cold, and with your varnish brush (which should be also camel's hair, and about two inches broad), dipped in the varnish, you begin at 77 the middle and draw your brush to tlie end ; tlien return to the middle and draw the brush to the other end, observing to lay all smooth. You now proceed with another brushful, and lay it on in the same way, at the same time joining the first : in tliis manner you proceed until the whole is covered, when you leave it to dry for about an hour, and then may give it another coat ; but you are to cross with your brush the work ; and this must be done each time of giving a coat, ^^^ork executed with this varnish will recjuire twelve or fourteen coats, and then it is to be rubbed down with fine pumice-stone and water, to bring it to an even surface, and then with oil and tripoli ; and lastly, with flour, to clear it of the oil, and finish with an old silk handkerchief. la6 varnish. Five parts of lac and one of turpentine, dissolved in five times the weight of both of alcohol ; keep tliem in a gentle heat until the mixture is fluid : it is then to be strained as the other varnishes. This is a good hard varnish, but dark. All varnishes prepared with alcohol should be laid on warm ; if otherwise, they uniformly chill. Any of the spirit varnishes may be changed to a lacquer by the addition of dragon's blood, turmeric, gamboge, arnatto, &c. ; but the shell lac is the most proper for this purpose. 78 BLACK VARNISH. Asphaltum and spirits of turpentine, with a small portion of baked oil, makes an excellent black varnish. TO PREPARE BAKED OIL. Into an iron pot pour half a gallon of linseed oil, to which add half a pound of litharge, set the pot on the fire, and be careful not to let it boil over ; for when it first boils, it rises very sudden, and if not closely attended to, may do mischief: it is best prepared out of doors, and at a distance from any building. After it has began to boil, it must be kept at a gentle simmer, for fourteen or fifteen hours, or, until on trial, by putting a little on a piece of glass or tile to cool, it will draw out in a fine thread a yard long ; when it answers this test, it is done. This baked oil, dissolved in spirits of turpentine, is an excellent gold size or japan ; and with Frankfort black, or vermillion, two separate varnishes. If, in applying the spirit varnishes, a chill should occur, the remedy is to lay on the next coat with warm varnish, warming the work at the same time ; but take great care the fire does not blister it. Having said all that is necessary to initiate such as have had no previous knowledge of the subject, I shall dismiss the English varnishing and introduce 79 THE FRENCH POLISH. Six ounces of shell lac. Six ditto seed ditto, Three ditto juniper, Two ditto mastic, and Two quarts of alcohol. Put it into a large glass bottle, and set on the hob of a fire-place, and shake up often, easing the cork each time: when all is dissolved it is fit for use; and when you are about to use it, pour some into a phial for that purpose, and should the mixture appear thick (for it should be used ratlier thin) you must add spirits of wine to dilute it. The rubber is made by rolling up a piece of broad list to the size of a half crown, and tying it tight. Before you begin to operate, you must examine the work, if new, that it is not oiled or waxed; if the first, it must be rubbed with fine glass paper until (changing the paper often) you per- ceive the dust of the wood; it is then fit to receive the varnish : if wax, spirits of turpentine must be employed to remove it, and then the glass paper, as before. Having your rubber ready, apply it to the mouth of the varnish phial, and turn the bottle up ; when you see it has imbibed sufficient over the rubber, you are to cover the same with a piece of fine linen, in the centre of which, when 80 placed over the rubber, you put one single drop of linseed oil (but no more at a time) ; you now apply the rubber, thus prepared, to the article (suppose a table), rubbing, in a circular motion, a surface of not more than a foot at a time, and this rubbing must continue until you find the work begins to feel dry ; you now replenish the rubber as before, first removing the linen, and when it has absorbed as before, place the linen on it again, and then the drop of linseed oil, and you now commence at a fresh place ; and so continue till you have gone over the whole, when you are to begin again at where you first set out, and this must be repeated four or five times, or coats, or until you observe the polish make its appearance ; you are then to wet the rubber with spirits of wine, and rvm over the work to equalise the varnish ; this done, wipe and rub all dry, with a soft linen cloth, and the polish is complete. Whoever undertakes the French polish, should, in the outset, be possessed of a competent share of patience, and not be frightened at hard work ; but these trifles may be got over by practice, and a good resolution. / SI PART VII, MANUFACTURE OF PAINTS. I SHALL now enter upon the preparation of several pigments, as particularly connected with house- painting, which, perhaps, may meet the eye of the manufacturer, and, from their novelty, afford some serviceable hints ; and possibly, the painter may derive from the information a profitable knowledge. Those inclined to make experiments, will find a large field to range in ; and if they can bestow leisure, they will have, in return', abundance of gratifying amusement. As white lead is the basis of all paints, I shall begin with the manufacture of that article, without any of the expensive materials hitherto made use of, such as vinegar, horse litter, vinegar pots, stack houses, flooring boards, casting lead plates, tVc. WHITE LEAD, Wi/h 31uriate of Soda (common Salt). Put one pound of litharge on the painter's slab, and add half an ounce of salt, made into a solution with six times its weight of water; grind these two very fine, under the muller, in a state like soft mortar, and then leave it in a heap until the next day, when you will perceive it covered with white efflorescence, Vou x\o\\ G 82 separate the mass, and grind the whole, adding water, as it may require, but sparingly ; it may now be left for a few hours, but spread out on the stone, and then it must be turned, and spread out at each time of turning; each time the whiteness will increase, and, in the course of three or four days, will be a muriate of lead, which may be changed into a carbonate, by saturating in a vessel of water with the carbonic acid gas, by means of the sulphuric acid and carbonate of lime (chalk). ANOTHER METHOD Of 2^reparing the Carbonate of Lead, Put half a pound of blue lead filings on the stone, with half an ounce of white sand, add water, and with the muUer grind it for the space of an hour, when you will notice a decomposition has taken place, by changing to white ; and as you continue grinding it increases in whiteness, and in a few days you will have a white oxide of lead, which may be carbonized by the same means as the last. ANOTHER PROCESS For the manufacture of White Lead, Have two tubs, one open the other close, the last must be attached by a pipe from a small furnace in which charcoal is burnt, the gas of which is conveyed by the pipe into the close 8.S vessel, from which vessel there is another pipe, which passes into the open one, with a cock ; your charcoal being lighted, the gas is conveyed into the closed vessel, or gasometer, and you now pour some good vinegar (the pyrolignous), into the open vessel, into which you put gi^anulated blue lead ; you then turn the cock, and suffer the gas to mix with the vinegar, and you will have a carbonate of lead, which must undergo washing and drying in the usual way. PRUSSIAN BLUE. To prepare this in the small way, experimentally, put into a crucible a few ounces of dried bullock's blood, or clippings of skins, parings of horns, or other animal matter; add to this an equal quantity of pearl-ash ; place the vessel on the fire, and as it begins to melt, it must be stirred with a stiff knife, or spatula, till a combination takes place, wliich is known when the unpleasant vapour ceases ; it is then removed, and, when cold, thrown into water and dissolved, then filtered and concentrated by evaporation; you next make a solution of sulphate of iron (green copperas) and alum, put the mix- tures together gradually, and you will have a blue precipitate ; lastly, add a small portion of muriatic acid, which will brighten the colour and finish the process. 84 CARMINE. In two gallons of distilled water, boil for a short time two ounces of pulverised cochineal, and to these put half an ounce of rock alum ; let it settle, and pour off the clear, to which add a little of the solution of tin; throw the v^hole on a filter, dry it. in the shade, and put it up for use; some do not use the filter, but pour the clear off the precipitate. LAKE Is prepared in the same way, from madder, in cold water, extracting all the colouring matter by pressing and stirring ; then add about half an ounce of rock alum to three ounces of the madder : when the coarse particles subside, pour off the finer, add a few drops of the solution of tin, and the lake will be formed. Crop madder is to be preferred. CROTIA. In the former part of this work, describing crotia, I alluded to its being employed to another useful purpose. Mastic cement, or oil compo, is allowed to be the most durable for the exterior of buildings, but it is accounted expensive, yet gen- tlemen may procure a cheap mastic by employing crotia for that purpose, and adding one-fourth sand ; this, with boiled oil, will prove a superior compo for fronts of houses, roofs, gutters, &;c. ; and to 85 repair cracks in lead gutters or flat?, it is far more effective than solder, and the cost will not bear comparison. TO PREPARE CROTIA MASTIC. To three quarts of the crotia, add one of clean sand, in a pan or trough ; put to these half a pint of boiled linseed oil, and, with a spade or shovel, mix and turn the mass about, until every particle has had its share. It should have the appearance of bread-crumbs greased, such as the cooks strew over their meats ; but it must not be wet, like putty, but as an oiled powder, so that, n hen laid on with the trowel and pressed, it will adhere, observing to brush over, with boiled oil, the part before the mastic is applied. GREEN. Chrome yellow and Prussian blue are tlie basis of this colour, in various proportions ; the following are some of the principal : — No. 1. — lib. Chrome Yellow, ground in water. 121bs. Wet Blue. 41bs. White Lead, ... ground in water. No. 2. — lib. Chrome, wet. 121bs. Wet Blue. 41bs. White Lead, .. wet. lib. Raw Umber, .. wet. ^ib. Blue Black, ... wet. 86 Ng. S.- — lib. Chrome, wet. lib. Antwerp Blue, wet. lOlbs. Wet Blue. 41bs. White Lead, ... wet. No. 4. — lib. Refiner's Verditer, wet. lib. Chrome, wet. lOlbs. Wet Blue, wet. 21bs. Lead, wet. Np. 5. — Berlin Green. To 21bs. of No. 4, add |lb. Wet Blue, and 61bs. White Lead. No. 6. — Olive Green. To 2lbs. of No. 4, add ^Ib. Chrome, and 2lbs. White Lead. No. 7. — Saxon Green. To 21bs. of No. 4., add £lbs. Wet Blue, ^\h. Chrome, and 21bs. White Lead. These greens may be varied into an infinity of tints, by increasing or diminishing the blues and yellow, and also by adding blue black, raw umber, and white lead, in various proportions. 87 The green prepared with the Antwerp blue is the most brilliant, but dearer. The Brunswick green has been proved to resist the action of the sun and air superior to any other hitherto used for out-door work. They must be prepared in water, and passed through a sixty -hole brass wire sieve, and then i)ut out on chalk stones, and from thence transferred to the drying racks, l)ut not in tlie stove ; when per- fectly dry, the lumps are to be rolled, and sifted through the above sixty-hole sieve : it is now fit to be ground in oil, or, in short, the powder will be in a state that will not require any giinding, unless for very nice jmrposes ; as adding linseed, with dryers, to the powder, in a paint pot, and mixing it up with the brush, will be (juitc sufficient. For painting outside work, the Jirunswick green should be mixed wholly with boiled oil. BREMEN GREEN. Filings of copper are to be put into a vessel, un which pour nmriat of ammonia, and stop all close ; place the vessel on the hob of a stove, and add, as it may be required, the solution of ammonia ; and, when sufficiently oxydized (w^hich will require a month, or, perhaps, more), it must be ground in water, well washed, and carefully dried ; when ground in oil, it will bear lowering with white lead : 88 and, if acetate of lead, it will much increase its lustre, as will also a little Venice turpentine. There should be three-fifths muriate of ammonia to one of copper. ANOTHER BREMEN GREEN, lib. Sulphate of Copper, ... blue vitriol. ^Ib. Acetate of Lead, sugar of lead. ^oz. Resin, white. The sulphate of copper, and the acetate of lead, must have their water of crystalization driven out by heat ; and the resin must also be ground dry under the muller, and, when tolerably fine, add spirits of turpentine, and continue the grinding for some time ; then the addition of ground lead, to bring the tint to your mind, finishes the process. I have experienced this green to be one of the best, for intensity and durability of colour, and for solidity of body. ANOTHER FINE GREEN. To any quantity of sulphate of copper (blue vitriol), dissolved in four times its weight of boiling water, pour a solution of potash, to saturate the acid, and a solution of borax, until the colour is struck ; the precipitate must be thrown on a filter, and washed by repeated effusions of water ; then dried and ground, in oil, with acetate of lead. Crude turpentine and white lead give additional body and lustre. 89 Especial care should be taken in the preparation and grinding of all greens, without exception, to avoid contact with iron, as the smallest particle of that metal, or its oxide, will injure, if not totally spoil, a wliolc batch ; therefore a pallet knife of hard wood may be employed ; and if ground in a colour- mill, a substitute should be found for the iron with which that machine is fitted up. All the fine greens should have a French grey as a ground, before the green is laid on : any other tint is unfit. CHROxME YELLOW. To one pound of chromate of iron, dissolved in warm water (two gallons), add two pounds of white lead, ground in water ; stir and mix it up well, and throw in one pound of sugar of lead ; stir all up again and suffer it to preci])itate, and then you will obtain a deep chrome, which may be put on the filter and afterwards dried. If the colour is required to have a light, or lemon tint, by adding more of the acetate, it will answer the purpose. CExAIENT PAINT. As the purpose of the House Painter\s Cabinet is to render every information the Author is j)os- sessed of that can, in any degree, be useful, or add to the list of receipts before given in this work, all of which he has proved from long experience, as 90 well as the one about to be described for the pre- servation of wood and iron in exposed situations — a covering not to be surpassed for durability and resistance to all changes of the weather, and its cheapness stands unrivalled ; it possesses, however, one disadvantage, that is, that we can only have it of one colour ; but it is suitable (a dark chocolate) for barns, coarse paling, coach-house and stable doors, agricultural machines, carts, waggons, &c. ; and as a ground, or first coat, for the anti-corrosive greens, and, for all iron w^ork, it is a permanent protection. The following is the preparation for the com- position : — To a few pounds of Parker's cement, perfectly dry, in a paint pot, add as much prepared or incor- porated oil as will make it sufficiently thin to work with a brush, as paint ; and, in this state, it will cover a surface of four square yards to the pound, and does not exceed Id. per pound.. If the prepared oil cannot be conveniently pro- cured, raw and boiled linseed oil, in equal parts, may be used. Allowing one pound to cover four square yards once over, the expense will be only one farthing per yard ; and, adding one half-penny per yard for the labour (the price given for painting such work, in preference to engaging by the day), the whole cost will not exceed three farthings per yard; whereas a painter would charge, for his white lead 9t paint, ^cL per yard once over. Parker's cement may be had at 2^. per bushel. BLACK WADD PAINT. For all exterior work, particularly for iron, black wadd (an ore of Manganese) may be had in abun- dance in Derbyshire. It has been successfully employed to preserv e iron from rust ; but being of a dull and unpleasant black appearance, is not much employed for otlier out-works. The proper vehicle is tar oil ; for with linseed it is apt to take fire. The tar oil has a most dis- agreeable strong pungent smell, and is offensive if used near a dwelling. Having now finished the account of the several compositions for the purpose of guarding from decay all exposed works, \\ hether wood, iron, stone, brick, tile, or plaster, tliat in the erection are attended with considerable expense, which I wish to impress on the recollection of gentlemen who have occasion for this necessary business, to avoid too soon a rej)ctition of the same, by employing, at an inconsiderable charge, a covering which will not only afford them tlie satisfaction of a preservative, but also witnessing a pleasing appearance at all times. It may be asked which of the above preparations are to be preferred ? I answer, the coarsest ; for in this quality consists the durability : but paint for this purpose should not be prepared with such coarse particles as will not keep afloat in the oil 92 when mixed, but uniformly precipitate; that, should the painter leave such mixture in his paint-pot when he goes to dinner, on his return to work it may take him the greatest part of the afternoon to stir and work it up again into a proper temper, or else he must turn it out of the pot altogether, and throw it away. Such com- positions are dear indeed ; but the defect is soon proved, by mixing a small portion and leaving it at rest for a short time. Copper scoria, iron filings, and sand, on account of their subsiding, ought to be rejected. Crotia, or Parker's cement, are the only powders to answer the desired purpose. CLEANING AND REPAIRING THE SOIL- ED AND DAMAGED SURFACE OF THE PAPER IN PAPERED APARTMENTS. As papering rooms, &c., belongs to the decora- tive department, it may not be out of place to introduce here a few observations and directions, which may be acceptable to painters, and all who may have occasion for such information. If papered apartments require cleaning, the crumb of stale bread is the most effectual, first brushing off the loose dust; and lastly, after rubbing with the bread, wipe the whole with a perfectly dry linen cloth ; but should the paper be much soiled and stained, it will be advisable (unless papering afresh should be preferred) to treat the 93 work in the following manner : — in the first place, care must be taken that if any part of the paper is loose from the wall, wainscot, or canvas, it must be pasted down, and all rents, pieces, or bits torn or cut out, must be nicely mended ; and then having brushed off the dust, the whole must be bound down with double size, and when dry, a coat of the royal white, stained to any required tint, and prepared in the jellied state, as before described, of which one coat in most cases will be sufficient; and the expense will be trifling, com- pared with papering or painting. A border may be added, such as should har- monize with the general colour. If the apartment is panelled out \\ ith raised mouldings and styles, they may be finished according to the directions given in the article on Decoration, or the painter s taste, or his employer's ; but should it be required that each flank or side is to form only one panel, with raised or sunk mouldings, embellished corners, &c., the ornament artist must execute that part of the business, unless it be desirable to economise, as these corners, when painted, are expensive, being sixteen in number, at seldom less than five shillings each, and from that to a guinea. They may be supplied with elegant printed cor- ners, in oil or water, cheap, to imitate gold, silver, bronze, and in colours, at Messrs. Williams and Co.'s, West Smithfield. Should a more permanent covering ])e desirable, the aromatic, or any other 94 oil paint, may be employed after the paper is sized. Not less than two coats will render it complete in oil colour. Gentlemen are sometimes grossly imposed on by paper-hangers, in charging a greater number of pieces of paper than is necessary ; but by making a calculation by the following rule, they will ascertain the required quantity, and avoid the imposition. To find the quantity of pieces for papering a room. — Suppose an apartment twenty feet long and sixteen wide, which makes the girth seventy- two feet, and the height nine feet ; multiply the seventy-two feet by twelve, which produces eight hundred and sixty-four inches ; now divide this sum by twenty-one inches, and you have (which is the width of the paper) forty-one breadths ; mul- tiply the forty-one by three yards (the height of the room), and this gives a hundred and twenty- three yards ; now divide this by twelve yards (the quantity of yards in each piece) — the product is ten pieces and three yards, so that you may order eleven pieces, which will be enough and to spare. Printed papers of every description, and orna- mental, may be had of Messrs. WilUams, Cooper, Boyle, and Co., 85, West Smithfield, whose wash- able papers are superior to any hitherto produced. There being nothing more necessary to remark on the business of paper-hanging, it may be useful to say a few words on the preparation and painting 95 of transparent window-blinds, they belonging to the decorative system also, and are universally allowed to be preferable to the Venetian, by ad- mitting more light, less liable to require repairs, and in every respect less expensive, at the same time an amusing and cheerful picture ; the subjects chosen are Gothic architecture, vistas, landscape with cattle, the interior of cathedrals, ruins, antique buildings, &c. These blinds are both convenient and highly ornamental : the colours used are all the transparent pigments ground in oil, and tliinned, when using, with the mastic varnish and spirits of turpentine. TO PREPARE CLOTH FOR TRANSPA- RENT BLINDS. Having strained your fine linen on a frame, you lay on a coat of isinglass size (one ounce of isin- glass in a quart of water boiled down to a ])int ; strain and use it while warm), or brush over a coat of white wax, dissolved in spirits of turpen- tine ; the first is generally preferred : your cloth or ground is now in order for i)ainting. It cannot be expected that efficient instruction can be given here, to enable the unlearned or unpractised in painting to become what is required for this pleasing branch, namely, an artist ; for to excel in it he should be one of no ordinary talent. I do not mean to discourage those who have a wish to put their genius to the test, and who, from an 96 ardent desire, are inclined to try their skill, for wonders are effected by a good inclination and perseverance; and it is well known that the most celebrated have been self-taught. SCAGLIOLA. As an article of the highest order of decoration, I shall introduce the scagliola, or imitation of marble, and describe the secret of preparing this beautiful resemblance of the various specimens of these admired carbonates. To obtain a know- ledge of this factitious composition I trust may be acceptable to many, particularly those in the fol- lowing professions, who may be unacquainted with the nature of the process, as sculptors, stone masons, and plasterers ; and not less the amateur, who may find amusement in the small way, as the malachite (carbonate of copper) and variegated pebbles are successfully copied by this method, and are applied to ornament snuff, toilet, and other boxes, and elegant trinkets, &c. &c. The scagliola has been known and practised for ages throughout Italy, although the natural production abounds so much in that delightful country — a country that for centuries has furnished the whole world with the real article, particularly the Parian or white marble, which, they possess almost exclusively, and in lieu of the exported, supply the deficiency with artificial ; this is some- what similar to Ireland, who exports her native 97 productions of beef, bacon, and butter, and is con- tent to exist on potatoes. We knew nothing of the scagliola in England until 1770, about which period the then Marquis of Rockingham imported an Italian to scagliola the columns of his entrance hall, at Wentworth House. There resided in the neighbourhood of that noble mansion a young gentleman of small independence (about £.200 per annum), who, though of eccentric manners, possessed a strong thirst after knowledge of every description, yet seldom arrived at even the super- ficial, so rapid were his changes from the last to any other new mystery that j)rcsentcd itself. Among the rest, the scagliola engaged his attention, and he soon got introduced to the artist, with whom he became so friendly that he frequently assisted him in the progress of the work, so that in a short time he was master of the theory and practice ; and from this gentleman I received a copy of his memoranda, in return for some instruc- tion he had of me in drawins:. MATERIALS FOR, AND PREPARATION OF, SCAGLIOLA. Sulphate of lime (plaster of Paris) is the base of this composition ; and this sulphate may be stained with any of the coloured pigments in any proportion, according to the tint required. Having your plaster of Paris in powder and fresh (for this article loses its power or (juality of setting H 98 or solidifying quick, if long kept), put into a vessel the quantity you may have occasion for, pour hot water upon it and stir it up, adding water until sufficiently fluid to pour out on a dish or plate glass, with a border of wax, the height of the thickness required ; when dry, this cake is to be kept for use ; you now make another portion of the Paris, adding vermilion to your mind; then, as before, pour it on the glass, and when dry preserve it for use ; thus you pursue the same process with all other colours, and you will have a collection ready for your purpose. Having your table or slab, or other piece of work intended to be scagliolaed, made of good and well-seasoned wood, that it may not shrink, and put together that it may not warp, the surface must be left rough from the tooth plane; now having your specimen before you, notice the size and shape of the several masses or pieces of the various parts, which are divided by the veins, and sketch them with chalk on your board or table, and then cut out of your cakes the colours required, and of the dimensions and shape of the outline of the largest masses, and transfer them to their respective situations, fixing them to the prepared board with glue ; next the lesser pieces are to be placed in like manner, in their several stations ; and as you will perceive in the natural specimen small pieces, of various sizes, which may be broken off and inserted between the larger, when you have 99 finished laying in all these according to your pattern, you are to prepare what is called the sauce or sauces, if more than one, of the requisite colour or colours, as you perceive in nature. The Paris must be made fluid as usual, and brought to the colour (in that state) of the vein wanted, to correspond with the vein to be imitated ; and pro- ceed the same with the others. The work being now filled up in all its parts, must remain a day or two, when the whole is to be rubbed down with pumice-stone and water, to bring it to a face, then washed clean, and suffered to dry ; it is now to be examined, and all places missed are to be filled up with sauce, of the different colours necessary ; it must now rest till dry, and then again use the pumice and water, and after washing clean examine them carefully again, and this part of the process is to be repeated until the surface is perfectly filled up ; and it is then to be polished in the same way as the natural marlile. The scagliola may be prepared on stone or a metallic ground. ALBUM PERPETUUS. Barytes (or the ponderous spar), — is the only constant white in water colours. This paint deserves its appellation, being the only article yet discovered that retains a durable white as a water colour, which I have proved for upwards of twenty years confined in a book, 100 without perceiving the smallest diminution of lustre ; but as an oil paint by itself, it has no pre- tension, except as a stone colour, or mixed with white lead ground in oil, in the proportion of three-fourths of the latter to one of the former, which forms a good second for priming and second colouring ; if barytes could (by any chemical pro- cess) have imparted an additional body, it would soon become a formidable rival to white lead ; I shall now give the mode of its preparation in the large way. TO MANUFACTURE THE CARBONATE OF BARYTES. The spar is first pounded under iron stampers, and then ground under the stone on edge, in water, and the fine particles are to pass, as the grinding goes on, into a back (about three-fourths filled with water), attached to the trough of the edge stone by a pipe with a brass cock ; there is to be a second back to communicate by a pipe with the first, and in this the barytes is suffered to pre- cipitate ; when a sufficient quantity is collected, it is to be put out on the chalk stones, and from thence transferred to the drying shelves or stove. As a water-white for ceilings, it does not require grind- ing, being as fine and as soft as flour ; but, for miniature painting, it should be levigated and washed over, and then mixed with gum water. If made into cakes, like the other water colours, it 101 would be an acquisition to the box, and an addition long wanted. There are two kinds of tlic Barytes, or ponder- ous spar — the sulphate and carbonate ; the latter is only to be used ; the sulphuric acid of the first acts on gums and mucilage, and changes the white- ness. It may not be amiss to inform tliose who should be inclined to become manufacturers, where the carbonate is to be had. At a lead mine near Minsterly, a small village about twelve miles west of Shrewsbury, it is to be procured in any quantity. In 1814, I purchased at the above mine twenty tons, at ten pounds per ton ; but what the price may be at this peiiod, I am not aware, yet I expect it is much lower, as other mines have been recently discovered. To such as may require only a small portion, they may be supplied at Messrs. Knights', 41, Foster Lane, Cheapside, general dealers in fossils and metals. The sulphate is composed of shining silvery plates, and opaque; the carbonate is a lightish colour, inclining to yellow, striated like threads — sometimes white and semi-transparent. It is often found in large blocks, and is a close neighbour to the lead ore, being nearly of the same sj)ecific gravity. It is also necessary to caution all who may use it in any way (particularly miniature painters, who are in the habit of popping their camels-hair pencils into their mouths while painting), that carbonate of barytes is a deadly poison. 102 As a new ornament of decoration I shall here describe the IMITATION OF MOTHER-O'-PEARL. The ground for this elegant embellishment is to be prepared in the best manner, as for graining, on which you are to sketch the design you mean to introduce ; such as flowers, foliage, emblematical or other figures, urns, shells, &;c. These outlines are to be filled up with gold size, and when tacky, or that you may lay on your finger without the size adhering to it, it is fit to receive the silver leaf ; and when covered with the same, press it down with a ball of cotton wool, then brush off the redundant leaf, and examine if there are any omissions, which you must repair by putting on those places more silver, first breathing on the part. It is necessary the whole should be com- pletely covered, as the colours laid on after (being transparent) cannot conceal the smallest defect. The pigments employed are lake, Prussian blue, and yellow lake, ground in oil, and, when used, thinned with mastic varnish and spirits of tur- pentine. If you have a sample of mother-o'-pearl before you, you will not find much difficulty ; it is only laying on your tints in masses, as you see them in nature, blending and softening their extremities ; for there must not appear any hard lines, but the red mass must imite with the blue imperceptibly, 10.3 and the blue with the yellow, and tlie green and purple the same. These, artfully combined, will produce that changeable appearance so much admired in this beautiful production of nature. All ornaments painted in imitation of mother-o'- pearl should have shadows to relieve and raise them from the ground, or else they display a meagre, flat, and poor effect. To decorate a large apartment with the above imitation, it requires an artist of no mean abiUties in design, composition, and execution ; consequently, the employer will find that such work is not performed for a trifle, but he will have the pleasure of displaying his taste and munificence, and the satisfaction of encouraging the fine arts. , PAINTING CHARGES. Next to the annoyance of the noxious smell of paint, is the charging by measure and value, which operates almost to a prohibition ; and many suffer their houses to remain too long without this neces- sary preserver, rather than encounter the painter's bill. To this cause may be attributed, in a great degree, the painter's business falling into the hands of other tradesmen ; for although the work, in this way, may be ill executed, and with but indif- ferent materials, yet the employer, who cannot be expected to be a competent judge, is content, as 104 the expense scarcely exceeds half the amount of the regular painter's estimate. Economy in house-painting is as essential as in housekeeping ; and one of the objects of this Work is to render it less expensive, and, consequently, more in request. It frequently occurs that the interior has become so much soiled, as to seem to stand in need of paint- ing, when soap and water, applied with a sponge, may revive the work, and produce an appearance nearly as fresh as when first painted, but, as to this business, the master painter generally declines accommodating a customer, who engages some of those who (as the painters conceive such a business a degradation) have taken it up, and who make it a profitable concern, and these professed renovators often obtain the painting of the premises when they require it. This is bad policy ; it is forcing their trade into other hands, for want of a just system and moderate charges, which would ensure constant employ, and give them the preference to all interlopers. There is a practice, at this time carried on by builders, carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, upholders, paper-hangers, and others, to contract for completing the whole of a building, in every department, at so low an estimate, that it seems hardly possible that they can derive any profit, but they have two chances to bring themselves home (as they term it) ; first, — should their employer 105 alter the plan, which is more than probable ; and, secondly, they are sure of twenty-five or thirty per cent, on the amount of the bills of the tradesmen they favour : to enable them to do this, they are allowed to use inferior materials ; — the painter, for instance, may clear-cole, and lay on three coats where there should be four, and two where three should be given. I knew an industrious little master painter who accepted business under one of these wholesale contractors (an upholsterer), to whom he agreed to sacrifice the moderate sum of tliirty per cent., for the sake of ready money, yet two years elapsed before he could obtain a settle- ment, and then his account was further curtailed. I also know a tailor, at tliis period, who took one of these contracts, and, finding he liad made a good thing of it, has relinquished liis own concern, and is now a general undertaker of all work. Gentlemen would act wisely by engaging tradesmen of their own choice, or well recommended, and likewise a respectable surveyor, whose clerk of the works Avould superintend and see that every department was faithfully performed, and not, as in general, scampered over with indifferent materials and by slovenly workmen. It is plain that, so long as this practice is carried on, there will be complaints, for gentlemen will find fault, and not without reason, being ignorant in what manner the tradesman is trammelled by the middle man, who is ignorant how the work 106 should be performed; for is it probable that a paper- hanger can be a competent judge of a carpenter's business, or of a bricklayer's, stone-mason's, plasterer's, painter's, plumber's and glazier's, &c. ? If he is, there is an end of serving a seven years' apprenticeship ; in short, we do not find many, who have been regularly brought up to any one trade, overstocked with a knowledge of their own, much less conversant in seven or eight others. However, as an exception, I confess I once, in a country town, met with a factotum of this description, who was a bricklayer, stone-mason, plasterer, sten- ciller, painter, plumber and glazier, music and dancing master, and chimney doctor ; and the only science which opposed his genius, and that which he could not accomplish, was bell-ringing. Here was an individual who not only acquired the theory, but the practice ; he was a man of a strong persevering mind — of an active and unwearied industry, by which he supported a wife and eight children ; among his neighbours he was respectable, and his cheerful honest countenance was a pass- port to all his customers. Quitting this digression, I shall give a detail of the system I would recommend (and which I have practised) to fix the charge of painting on a more equitable scale, which will encourage gentlemen to embellish oftener, and also amply remunerate the painter. In the first place, let the work be mea- sured by a respectable surveyor, and priced at the 107 regular trade charges ; then take off the amount ten per cent., which will, in most cases, afford satisfaction. Should the painter murmur at the a])Ove proposal, I shall make the matter clear by stating my method of proceeding : — I have a house to paint, which, when measured, amounts to £.450 ; to execute the same, I employ a competent foreman, to whom I allow half of the sum total, after subtracting the cost of the mate- rials, and for this he is to provide the labour, to choose and engage the men, and to pay them, I advancing him money, for that purpose, ever Satur- day ; in fact, he is to be their master, to hire and discharge them if tliey neglect or do not earn their wages ; he is also to be accountable for all the materials sent to perform the work ; and, as their cost is to be first taken from the bill, he will be careful that none are purloined or wasted, as the greater the consumption of these, the less will be his share. I shall illustrate this more clear, by tlie follow- ing :— £. s. d. Amount of bill for painting 450 0 0 Master painter's charge for materials, sui)posc one-third, which seldom is the case 150 0 0 £.300 0 0 108 £. s. d. This sum to be divided between the master and foreman, and each to have £.150. Now the master painter has to pay out of his share of 150 0 0 The per centage allowed his em- ployer, which, at ten per cent., is 45 0 0 105 0 0 Also the surveyor's bill 11 5 0 Leaving... 93 15 0 Now, giving the painter ten per cent, profit on the materials would be 15 0 0 And this is the master-painter's profit £.108 15 0 By adopting this plan the following advantages will be derived : — First, it would put an end to all suspicion respecting the men's time, the loss of materials, &;c. &c. Secondly, the work will be completed in a much shorter time than by the old system ; for the sooner finished the more profit for the foreman, and most desirable to his master's employer ; for it is well understood, by the journey- men engaged in the usual way, that they will combine to nurse a job (as they name it) as long 109 as possible, especially if they are not certain of another in view. The master painter having his mind thus free from anxiety, has nothing to do but to see that the work is executed in a proper and workman- like manner ; and by so acting, he may be assured of gaining approbation, a continuance of future commands, and also recommendation ; and the number of those who have smuggled themselves into the business would be soon diminished. By ah oversight, I omitted placing in its proper situation the manufacturing of BRUNSWICK GREEN, but I hope it will not, on that account, be less acceptable here. Although the manufacture of this green is no saving in the small way, I shall give it, for tlie satisfaction of those who may wish to make the experiment. In a tub or pan, melt any quantity of chromate of iron, in hot water ; in another vessel dissolve sugar of lead ; then add the two together, and mix and agitate them well, and tlicn suffer the mixture to rest, and the water is to be drained off the pre- cipitate ; you now add damp blue and white lead, or, as some use, Paris white ; the whole must now be thrown on the filter, and then on the chalk stones, and, when dry, rolled and sifted to be kept no dry, or ground in oil. As the process may be deemed troublesome by many, they may be sup- plied with the article, considerably cheaper than they can produce it themselves, at the house of Messrs. Brandram, Brothers, and Company, 17, Size Lane, Oil and Colour Merchants, White Lead and Vitriol Manufacturers ; where also may be had, genuine, all the pigments, either dry or ground in oil, necessary for the preparation of any of the receipts in this Work. Having now finished the whole of my commu- nications, I have to regret that I cannot add one more to the number ; that is, my Vernix Univer- salis, the preparation of which exposes the operator to some danger. Although it would be safe in the hands of chemical gentlemen, yet the unskilled would, perhaps, be tempted to risk the conse- quence ; and should, in any instance, an explosion take place, it might prove disastrous. I must, therefore, at present suppress the process of the manufacture ; at the same time I respectfully in- form those w^ho may wish to be supplied with this valuable composition, that it may be had in jars of 2s, 6d, and 5s., at No. 51, Ring Street, Soho. Ill THE VARIOUS USES OF THE VERNIX. It effectually prevents tarnish on silver, plated articles, tin, or copper. It is a sure safeguard against rust taking place on polished steel. It preserves burnished gilt frames and mouldings from damp and fly-spots. It polishes, with scarce any labour, mahogany and other furniture , and for artists it is a vehicle for colours superior to oil. FINIS. Printed by T. BIlKTTELLs Rapert Street, Hajmarket, Lcndan. GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE I