The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-06-08
Buxing Paint.


Springtime after the weather has
become well settled-is painting time.
There is no dust flying, no insects are
III the air at that time ready to commit
suicide by suffocation in the coat OF
fresh paint. The atmospheric condi-
lions are also favorable at that season
for proper drying and increased life OF
NE paint.
1t should be habit with every prop
Orty owner every spring to look over
his buildings, ETC., and see if they need
fepainting, not merely to see il they
Twill go another year." but whether the
time las not come for putting in the
proverbial "stitch in time" which shall
eventually "save nine" For one coat
of paint applied just a little before 1t is
actually needed will often save most OF
the paint on the building by preventing
1t from letting go and causing endless
trouble and expense.
Paint let's go because linseed oil,
which is the cement" that holds all
good paint together. gradually decays
or oxidizes, just as iron exposed to air
and dampness will slowly decay or oxt-
dize The water and oxygen in the air
are the cause Of the trouble in both
cases, and the only reason, outside OF
its identifying effect, that we apply
paint to wood or iron is because we
want to keep water and air away from
them. Live paint, that is, paint in
which the linseed oil is still oily, does
this very effectually, but dead paint,
that is, paint in which the oil is no
longer oily, is no more imperviouS to
air and water than a single thickness
of cheesecloth would be. If then we
apply fresh coat of oily paint before
the old paint is dead, the oil from the
new coat will penetrate the old coat,
and the whole coating will once more
become alive, and this method OF reno
walton may go on indefinitely.
This explains why it is better econo-
my to repaint little before it becomes
absolutely necessary than little after.
When the paint is once dead thesfresh
coat will pull the Whole coating off.
In the days when repainting meant a
general turning of things upside down,
a two-weeks' "cluttering up Of the
place with kegs, cans and pals, lot
Of inffammable and ill-smelling mater.
ials standing around, ETC., the dread Of
painting time was natural. So was the
dread of soap-making time. of shirt.
making time, of candle-moulding time
and the like. But we live in an age
when soap comes from the store bet
ter and cheaper than we can make it,
when shirts are sold ready made for
Cess than we can buy the materials,
when we can burn coal oil or gas
cheaper than we can make tallow-caTi:
dies, and when all we have to do when
I'VE want to repaint is to pick out our
colors from the card at the store and
pay the painter for putting on the
paint. y
! When it comes to picking out the
paint it is not necessary that one 4
should be paint chemist any more
than one should be an oil chemist when
buying kerosene, or department store
buyer when selecting shirts, or soap
chemist when buying soap. All that
is necessary to insure fair show is
some knowledge Of the character of
our paint dealer and the reputation
and standing of the maker of the paint
offered. Nor must one expect to buy
a pure linseed oil paint for the price
of linseed oil alone. 1t can be taken
for granted when any one offers to
sell dollar bills at a discount, he is bait.
ing a hook for suckers" So it can
be taken for granted when any one
whether mail order house, paint mans
ufacturer or dealer-offers paint too
cheap, he is bidding for the trade of
suckers" no matter what his prom
iSes.
But paints sold in responsible stores
under the brands of reputable manu-
facturers are all good products, differ.
ing from one another in the less inn
pertant matter of the solid pigments con-
tanned, but practically alike in having
their liquid portions composed essen
TALLY Of pure linseed oil. The COM
petition of the better class of paints
has driven inferior goods practically
out of the market, and no manufac4
turer of standing now puts out a poor
paint, under his own name at least.
AS to guarantees on paint, they can
be taken for what they are worth.
Any reputable manufacturer will make
good any defect actually traceable to
the paint itself and not 10 improper
use or treatment Of 1t. The really i'm
portant guarantee which the paint
buyer should exact from his dealer is
that the paint is made by manu-,
facturer that knows his business and
that the paint itself has record. If
he secures this guarantee he can af-,
ford to chance the rest of 1.-THE paint
will undoubtedly give good service If
properly applied according to direc-
tons.