Page:Cyclopedia of Painting-Armstrong, George D (1908).djvu/430

422, while the iron will be protected by the permanent alkaline action of the paint. Iron to be buried in deep earth may be painted with a mixture of 100 parts of resin, 25 parts of gutta percha, and 50 parts of paraffin, to which 20 parts of magnesia and some mineral oil have been added.

Plumber's Solder. Mix 2 or 3 parts of lead and 1 part of tin. It must be free from zinc.

Polished Floors. These should be rubbed two or three times with linseed oil, and then polished every week with turpentine and beeswax. The oftener the oil is rubbed in to begin with, the darker the boards will be.

Preserving Painted Iron. A method of preventing paint from detaching itself in large flakes from iron surfaces is as follows: First wash the surface to be painted with soap and water, rinse and let dry. When dry, go over it with a stiff brush dipped in hot linseed oil. When this becomes tacky the paint can be applied. If the object is small, and of such a nature that heating will not hurt it, raise the temperature until a drop of oil brought into contact with it smokes. Go over the surface carefully with the raw oil, and let cool. It is now ready to receive the paint. With large objects which cannot be heated, the main point is to apply the oil as hot as possible, the nearer to boiling point the better. Objects thus painted will preserve the coat of color for an indefinite period, the paint being unaffected by heat or cold, excessive moisture or excessive dryness. Wood exposed to the weather may be treated with good results in the manner indicated.

Preserving Putty. Good putty is made to harden on exposure, and consequently cans should be kept closed, and a little water, or, better still, linseed oil, should be kept on top of putty in tubs, large cans, and barrels, to prevent a hard crust from forming. A putty that shows no signs of getting stuff or hard after being open and exposed, lacks an important element of value.