The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-24
Farm and Household.
KALSOMINE.

The best whitewash contains no quick
lime at all, but is made of pure whiting.
which is a soft Kind of chalk ground yery
fine, washed so as to separate all the coarse
and gritty particles, and formed into humps
in the process of drying. Good whiting,
beaten up with water so as to form a milky
liquid free from Jumps, and mixed with a
little good strong size, forms a whltewash
that cannot be rubbed of, and will give a
very brilliant white surface. This is sub
stantially the material known as kalsomne,
something very old, but never appreciated
until it received a high-sounding name. The
whiting used for making this whtewash or
kalsomine is sometimes called Spanish white,
Paris white, etc. They are all tie same
thing, and the only point is to select the fin
est and whitest material offered to you, and
take it under any name the vender chooses to
sell it, provided he does not ask too much for
it, for it is only whiting after all. Some reci-
pes name sulphate of baryta, beautiful
white powder, as the only material for max
ing kalsomine. 1t answers very well, but is
not easily procured, and more than half the
time common whiting is sold for it. The
size for mixing with the whiting is most easi-
ly prepared from glue; and as it is necessary
that the whitewash should be permanent,
and as little liable TO decay as possible, we
must select a good article OF glue. Direc-
tions on this point could not be easily fol-
lowed by hcuskeepers. Let US, therefore, ad-
wise them to go to a respectable dealer, and
buy the best. Professional artists in the sci
enoe of kalsomining generally use the cheap
est, and most recipes direct the use of a cheap
article, but it will be found that it is most
judicious to use the very best. The better
the glue is, the less liable is it to decay in
damp weather, and thus create disease.
Moreover, when it is good, less of it is requir-
ed and the less glue you use the purer will be
the color OF your kalsomine. To prepare the
glue, soak it in water over night,-not any
longer however, or it will begin to decay. 1t
will absorb water and swell up but will not
dissolve. Pour the water of, add little
fresh, and boil until it forms thin fluid. Be-
ware of burning it, and to avoid this, the glue
is best melted in a tin pail, set in an iron pot
which contains some water. The hitting
having been mixed with boiling water, as
previously directed, the melted glue is added,
and the whole diluted with hot water until it
is of the consistence of ordinary whitewash.
A quarter OF pound of good glue to eight
pounds of whiting is very good proportion.
1t should be applied while hot, with a COM
mon whtewash brush. Owing to the fact
that in damp places glue easily decays and
produces poisonous vapor, kalsomine should
not be used in damp Easements and cellarS.
Any color may be given to this material, and
in Europe many houses have the walls fin
ished with light shades of pink, blue, green,
ETC., instead of paper, and the effect is very
pleasing.
When walls have been previous by covered
with successive coats of common whitewash
| it will be necessary either to remove this or
'kilr' the lime. After taking off all that VIII
come aSay by seraping and washing, the
| wall should be washed with solution OF
| white vitriol-two ounces dissolved III paii
| of water. This will ''kilp' the lime; In otht
words. the white yitriol will be decomposed,
aud the wall will be coated with thin cover
;nn sSo OF rSaster' of Paris and zinc white, to
mS nS;ob u Ike Islsomine will adhere very readily.
IF % these I'D precautions be not taken, the old
wbitewash will very probably peel of, and, OF
course, bring the kalsomine with 1.-THE
Technologist.