Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-22
ABOUT WHITEWASHING.
Something Necessary In Fall az in
Spring for Many PurposeA

|
Spring for Many Purposes
IL PR1NGT1ME is conceded to be the
W. great out-of-door whitewashing season,
AH but there are conditions when the same
~ is as essential in the fall and winter as
WeSse In spring and summer. Dark and
damp cellars are made lighter and healthier
during the winter months by good
coat of whitewash, and where city houses are
constructed with narrow areas between the rear
buildings coat of whitewash not only con-
tributes to the light of the rooms opening
thereupon, but adds a great deal to the health
fitness, cheerfulness and general appearance
of all the surroundings.
There is another reason why the matter
should receive attention at this season of the
year. In Washington buildings are being
erected every day Of the winter season when
the weather will admit OF outdoor work,
and naturally the walls are longer in drying
out thoroughly. Whitewashing them when it
Is necessary ultimately will not hasten the dry
ing to any noticeable extent, but put on then
will undoubtedly hold on better and counterfeit
any evil effect from temporary dampness.
GOOD RECIPE.
The following is recipe sent out by the
light house board of the Treasury Department
and has been found by experience to answer on
wood, brick and stone nearly as well as oil
paint and Is much cheaper. Sake half a
bushel of unslaked lime with boiling water,
Keeping it covered during the process; strain
| 1t and add peck of salt dissolved in warm
water; three pounds of ground rice put in
boiling, water and boiled to a thin paste,
half pound of powdered Spanish whit
ing and pound of clear glue
dissolved in warm water. Mix these
well together and let stand for several
days. Keep the wash thus prepared in ket-
tie or portable furnace. and when used put it
on as hot as possible with painters or white
wash brushes.
FINE BRILLIANT WASH
is obtained by mixing paris white" with
white transparent glue, in proportion to six
teen poun DIS of white to half pound of glue.
The glue should be covered with cold water at
night and next morning carefully heated until
dissolved. The paris white should be stirred
into hot water until it is Of proper milky con-
sisteney for applying to the walls and the dis
solved glue added and thoroughly mixed in
Apply in the ordinary way.
AN IMPROVED METHOD
OF making whitewash is by using sulphate Of
baryta, which is said to possess numerous ad-
vantages over lime as material for white
washing walls. Four ounces Of glue for sizing
Is soaked for twelve hours in tepid water and
then placed until it boils in tin vessel with
quart OF water, the vessel being placed IN the
water as In the usual process of melting glue
The whole Is then stirred until dissolved
ok or eight pounds Of the sui
phate OF baryta reduced to very fine powder
IS put into another vessel, hos water is added
and then the whole is stirred until it has the ap-
pearance of milk. The sizing is then added
and then all stirred well together and applied
as usual
Another plan under this head is hioblv
recommended q {iob&
and put into it half bushel of lime. Stake it
by pouring boiling hot water over it in sufficient
quantity to cover it five inches deep and stir it
briskly till thoroughly slaked When well
siaked dissolve it in water and add two
pounds of suphate of zine and one of common
salt These will cause the wash to harden and
prevent its cracking. When applied to the
outside OF houses and to fences it is rendered
more durable by adding about pint OF sweet
milk to a gallon Of wash.
THE SYLVESTER PROCESS
for excluding moisture from external walls is
published and sent out by the government.
This process consists in using two washes or
solutions for covering the surface Of brick
walls, one composed of soap and water and one
OF alum and water. The proportions are three
quarters Of a.pound of soap to one gallon of
water. and ha.f n pound of alum to four gal
lens OF water. both substances to be perfectly
dissolved in the water before being used
tuo Walls buOuIu Dc perfectly clean
and dry, and the temperature Of the
air should not be below SO degrees
Fahrenheit when the compositions are APP
Piled The first or soap wash should be laid
on when at boiling heat with fiat brush,
taking care not to form a froth on the brick
work. This wash should remain twenty-four
hours so as to become dry and hard, before the
second or alum wash is applied, which should
be done in the game manner as the
first. The temperature of this wash
when applied may be sixty or seventy degrees
and it should also remain twenty-four hours be-
fore second coat of the soap wash is put on,
and these coats are to be repeated alternately
until the walls are made impervious to water.
The alum and soap thus combined form an
insoluble compound, filling the pores of the
masonry and entirely preventing the water
from penetrating the walls Four coatings
render bricks impenetrable.
FINE COMPOSITION r..t.
for coating wood cheaply and nearly equal to
paint is the following: Take about forty pounds
Of chalk, forty of rosin, four of linseed oil and
melt together in an iron pot. One part of oxide
OF copper-say two Ounces-and one part of
sulphuric acid are then to be added. after
which the composition is ready for use. 1t
applied hot to the wood with paint brush and
will become exceeding hard ON drying.