Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-09-27
A DANGEROUS PRACTICE.
Burning on Paint Makes Insurance
- Void.

burning OH 1-RlnC MAKES insurance
Void.
1t seems that considerable danger
to property exists in the practice of
burning off old paint before re-paint-
ing. The question has long been a
subject Of. debate in the technical
journals, and now house-holders and
the newspapers have begun to discuss
1t. Those of us who, with trembling,
have watched the painters blow a
fiery blast from their lamps against
our houses, and have looked sadly at
the size of our painting bill because
of the time wasted on this prelimin-
airy work, are interested in the in
vestigation by the Greenfield MASS
Gazette and Courier. which gives
considerable space to the reasons for
the practice, questions its necessity
and suggests ways to prevent the risk
Of burning down ones house in order
to get the old paint off, 1t says:
There is a good deal of discussion
among house-holders as to the desir-
ability in painting houses. of burning
Off the old paint, practice that has
grown very common of late In
Greenfield and elsewhere. Insurance
men are strongly opposed to this
method. 1t makes void insurance
policies for fires caused in this man
ner. Several houses In Greenfield
have gotten afire as the result of this
method, and in some places houses
have burned as result.
1t is undoubtedly true that when
a house has been painted over and
over again there comes to be an &C
emulation of paint in punches. If
new paint Is put on top Of these &C
cumulations 1t is almost sure to bis
ter. To burn 1t off is the quickest
and cheapest and perhaps the surest
method of getting rid Of this old
paint"
The Gazette and Courier quotes
certain old patrons to the effect that
: accumulations Of paint are unneces-
sary. These old-timers lay the blame
partly on the painter who fails to
brush his paint In we'll. partly on the
custom of painting in damp weather
or not allowing sufficient time for
drying between coats, and partly to
the use Of adulterated paints instead
of old-fashioned linseed oil and pure
white lead. The paper says:
Many of the older house-holders
say that if care is taken at all these
points. it is absolutely unnecessary
to have paint burned off They ad-
wise that people who have houses
painted should buy their own materi-
ais, and to have them put on by the
day, so as to be sure to get good lead
and oil OF course the burning off
of paint greatly increases the cost
of the job"
The trouble house-holders every
where have with paint is pretty we'll
summed up by our contemporary and
the causes are about the same evefS
where BY far the most frequent
cause of the necessity for the danger
GUS practice Of burning old paint is
the use of poor material. The oil
should be pure linseed and the white
lead should be real white lead The
latter IS more often tempered with
than the oil. Earthly substances, and
pulverized rock and quartz, are fire.
quently used as cheapeners, to the
great detriment of the paint
Painters rarely adulterate white
lead themselves and they very seldom
use ready prepared paints--the most
frequent causes of paint trouble But
they do often buy adulterated white
lead because the property owner ia
sists on low price and the painter
has to economizo somewhere. The
suggestion is therefore good one
that the property owner investigate
the subject little. find out the name
of some reliable brand OF white lead,
and see that the keg Is marked with
that brand.
The lnseed oil is more difficult to
be sure of. as 1t IL usually sold in
bulk when the quantity is small; but
reliable makers of llnsced oil can be
learned on inquiry and, If your dealer
Is reliable, you will get what you
want.
Pure white lead and linseed oil arc
so necessary to good paint that the
little trouble necessary to get them
we'll repays the house owner In dol
lars and cents saved.