The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-29
PAINT WORKS
BEDFORD.COUN'1'Y
A New Industry That Will Likely.
Prove a Big Enterprise.
A VALUABLE PAINT PIGMENT VI
Makes Paint Both Elastic and Water
proof, and viii Be Manufactured
On Large scale-owned
by Paint Experts.
A VALUABLE PAINT PIGMENT
Special Dispatch to The Times.l

Especial Dispatch to The Times.)
BEDFORD CITY, VA, April 28.-The
wheels of the Frazer Paint Company,
the only paint factory in the South, were
sat in motion to-day. and the first car
lead of the finished product will be
shipped to Detroit later in the week.
This industry marks the beginning of
the first paint-making in quantity ever
attempted in Virginia. and high hopes
are held that the present undertaking
will lead to far reaching results. True,
during the war, the crude pigment was
crrdely ground and used on houses here
during that period of. want, but no one
dreamed that the very clay used should
be pronounced at a later day the finest
metallic paint pigment known.
The paint factory. four stories high, is
located on the farm Of Judge Robert Fra
ger, about half a mile south of the town.
Judge Frazer, who purchased this farm
rom the heirs of the late Judge G. A.
Wingfield, is primarily judge of the First
Judicial Circuit of Detroit, but secondari-
" and for pleasure an excellent chemist
NEW PROPERTIES.
He first found the pigment, worked out
the process OF turning it into paint and
then called in the paint experts of the
psinr city, who recognized it as possess
ing hitherto unknown properties. The
a
was perfected by Mr.. ]. D. Webster, a
paint expert and mill constructonist of
national reputation. and his patent is
known as the Webster calcine process.
The paint is said to be both elastic and
waterproof. A common cotton bag, painted
and filled with water five years ago, still
holds the water. Awnings painted re-
main pliable, and those on .he Judges
Detroit residence are rolled up readily
,..if bo,,f Oh
becomes thoroughly incorporated with the
oil and does not settle in the can. When
used on the bottoms of vessels or in ex-
posed places, it is said to stand the wear
better than anything known. When iron
is painted it contracts and expands with
the metal, SO that no cracks will appear.
PAINT EXPERTS.
These and many other remarkable
traits are claimed and they must be true,
as the promoters Of the enterprise are,
for the most part, paint experts, and for
two years the product was thoroughly
tested in Detroit, before operations were
begun here.
The mill is implicitly itself. The crude
pigment is carted out into a bin holding 200
tons, and from there fed into the calcine
burner where heat may be generated Of
2,O00 degrees in burning it. This puriies
it. 1t is then dumped and automatically
conveyed to the crusher and the first Of
the pulcrnizing process begun. Corveyers
take it to the second floor. where it is
again ground, and on the third floor it is
ground for the last time.
A WONDERFUL PROCESS.
The fourth floor is athe settling room.
where much Of the paint, now the finest
powder floats about as it is brought up by
the conveyers. These floa ting particles are
carried by fans through a large schultz
into a very singular machine on the floor
below. This consits of a great wheel
fitted with bags having their opening at
the center Of the wheel where dust is
formed. AS the wheel revolves this dust
is collected and when the bags are full
they are dumped automatically. This is
the finest product. and sells for $40 a ton
more than the rest. The paint after leav-
ing the settling room finally reaches the
first floor. where a machine barrels it and
in all this process. it is only handled once
by hand. viz. when fed to the calciner.
Only four men are required to operate
the plant whose capacity is 10 tons
every day. This mill is L constructed,
that its output may be raised to 40 tons
by merely adding some grinding machin-
cry, so that Bedford halls this new enter
prise with faith in it's success and in fu
ture developments.