Page:Cyclopedia of Painting-Armstrong, George D (1908).djvu/259

Rh hopeless. The best way of cleaning a bath tub is to first thoroughly scrub with soap and water, using hot water and plenty of elbow grease; any ordinary pure soap answers the purpose. The next thing is to rinse freely with cold water with a sponge or cloth, but even this, as a rule, does not remove all the grease, and a further operation is necessary to the same end of scrubbing with powdered pumice stone and water. A small scrubbing brush is moistened with water and dipped in the dry pumice stone and then the surface is rubbed over briskly so as to literally grind off any dirt or grease which may remain. A thorough sluicing with cold water completes the process and the bath tub is, when dry, ready for the first coat of paint. If time is limited a clean cloth may be used to wipe off the water from the surface, but it is better to let the work remain for 24 hours until it is thoroughly dry.

Sometimes it will be found that the previous coats of paint have chipped off in places; in that case, if a really nice finish is required, it will be necessary to remove all the paint and start from the iron, and that is a long and tedious process.

The paint to be mixed for this job is either white lead or zinc white, thinned with turpentine only, that is without oil, but with the addition of a tablespoonful of gold size. This paint should be somewhat thin and it will dry without gloss. It is called by painters, sharp color. The advantage it possesses is that it forms a very thin coat, much thinner than ordinary oil paint, and it may, therefore, be applied much quicker, and being thin it is less likely to shrivel or crack under the influence of hot water. If it is desired to tint the paint this can readily be done by adding a little of the color required. For instance, sea green can be made by adding a little light Brunswick green and a little raw sienna to the white lead or zinc white. As a rule bath tubs look best a very light color. A light pink looks well, and so does a light blue.