Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-02-06
IN APAINT FACTORY.
what Paint Is, and How Il IL Wade
Facts OF Interest.

Don't know2"
1t would be odd If you did. Now and
then you may find some one to tell you
that the same lead YOU mold into bullets
is the white lead you see in the paint
pots, but you will ask great many peo-
pie before you find one to explain the
process of manufacture. Let US follow
it out.
Iron is melted into what is called
"pigs" for shipment and for convenient
use. 1t is the same with lead, only the
'pigs" are not as large and heavy. The
first step in the manufacture is to coTrode
the lead. We will take what is called
the "old Dutch process" because that
makes the best article. The "pigs" are
tossed into melting furnace, and when
reduced to a liquid state the metal is
drawn off into molds which are called
"buckle-molds. The lead thus nodded
is called "buckle,' being little round
cake nearly as large as saucer, but not
so thick, and perforated in many places.
These buckles are carried by an end
less belt and dropped into earthen jars
of various sizes. At the bottom of each
jar is a small quantity of acetic acid.
When a jar is full of ''bucklesn which
have been dropped in without regard to
order, it is removed to the corroding
house. Here the jars are placed in a row,
covered by boards, the boards covered
by two inches of tanbark, and then
another course of jars is added until all
the room is taken up. There is nothing
more to do for ninety days except to
wait. The acid at once begins its work
on the "buckles," and corrosion is the
result, 1t isn't the acid direct, but its
fumes, and the perforations of which l
spoke permit the fumes to get at all
parts of the little cake.
At the end of ninety days the lead
should be corroded. The "buckles" are
then bleached out until they look like
crackers, and will crumble to pieces at
the touch. The same acid which has be-
friended us in the corrosion is now our
worst enemy, and must be got rid of.
Haven't you rubbed your hand along the
clapboards of house and found it
smeared with white powder! Well,
that house was painted with lead from
which the acetic acid was not thoroughly
washed out, and the paint killed and
powdered up.
The jars are taken to the washing
troughs and their contents emptied in,
and the water is then let in and the
batch is sluiced until we have mixture
the color of milk and scarcely heavier.
After deal of washing the water is
drawn off and the lead is found at the
bottom of the troughs. If the acid has
been taken out it is shoveled into Jars
again, and these are carried into a hot
air room and left for the water to evapo-
rate. When this has been accomplished
the contents of the jars are emptied on
copper drying pans heated by steam.
The stuff now looks like ice cream, but
soon dries until it is as fine and almost
as white as flour. To make paint it sim
ply has to be ground in oil.
Let me ask you if that wasn't curl
Gus discovery9 Who could have got the
idea into his head as he looked at bar
of lead that it would preserve and beau
tify the buildings of the world3 And
the process requires so much time
that men must have spent years in ex-
perimenting to get the right acid and
the proper method of using.
Now, to prove to you that this white
paint was once metal, We'll take this
piece of charcoal, dig out small hole in
the center, and fill the cavity with paint.
Now light your coal and put the blow
pipe at work, and what Is the result9 A
ragged button of lead Acid made il
paint-fre turns it back to its original
state.
The corroder ships to the paint fac,
tories by tho barrel. At the factories
the dry stuff is poured into paint mills,
oil added, and the stuff is ground
through three different mills before il
comes out as you see it in the paint cans
If the paint man is making pure lead he
adds nothing. If he so desires the lead
is adulterated while grinding. There il
species of quartz rock called barytes
When this is pulverized it closely resem
bles lead, and is largely used to adulter
ate it.
Did you ever call boy a Equity
head2" Well, you did it without know
ing anything about putty. Here is where
it is made, So many pounds of whiting
are placed in this great iron basin 81
much oil added, and then the machinery
is set in motion. Iron knives kept mix
ing the stuff up and turning it over anC
over, and grind-stone, weighing a, 00l
pounds and faced with iron, rolls around
the basin twenty times a minute. Thi
stone is called ''chaser," and it mashe
the putty down as fast as the knives cal
fling it over. Pure putty is made al
most entirely of whiting and linseed oil
although a small quantity of cotton seet
oil is used in every grade to prevent i
from drying too soon. The next grad
contains about half marble dust, and TIN
poorest grade, which is good enough TO
all outdoor work, is fve-sevenths marble
dust to two of whiting.
''But what is whiting2"
Ask your father that question and SCI
II he can come within forty rods of
correct answer. I've many time beel
told that it was clay. 1t is chalk-th
very same chalk you use on the black
board, only ground to fine powder.
Now, about other paints. Red lead i
the white lead burned on the coppe
pans | spoke of until it is red. yellow
ochre is a mineral; black is made iron
lamp-black, which is simply SCOT; ant
there are several kinds of paint whic1
are simply a mineral clay purified an,
burned Most of the colored paints
as blue, green, pink, etc.-have whit
lead for basis.
Here in the office of the factory is
fine pair of scales delicate enough t
weigh gold dust with, and here are tw
samples of Prussian blue which agent
have brought in to sell. Both look alike
and each claims his sample to he tn
stronger Now watch the factory ma
m n lya tho foot IJo uaicrbo oua crroin n