The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-11-27
A DANGEROUS PRACTICE
Burning of Paint Makes Insurance
Void.

Hf1N<1 MItkE T..
Void.
1t seems that considerable danger to
property exists in the practice of
burning OF old paint before ~re-paint-
Ing. The question has long been a
subject Of debate in the technical
journals, and now householders and
the newspapers have begun to discuss
1t. Those of us who, with trembling
have watched the painters blow a
merry blast from their lamps against
our houses, and have looked sadly ar
the size # our painting bill because
OF the time wasted on this prelimin-
airy work, are interested in the in
Yestigation by the Greenfield Mass.)
Gazette and Courier, which gives con
siderable space to the reasons for the
practice, questions it's necessity and
suggests ways to prevent the risk of
burning down ones house in order to
get the old paint on. 1t says:
There is a good deal of discussion
among householders as to the desir-
ability, in painting houses, of burning
on the old paint, a practice that has
grown very common of late in Green
held and elsewhere. Insurance men
are strongly opposed to this method.
1t makes void insurance policies for
nres caused in this manner Several
houses in Greenfield have gotten ahre
as the result of this method, and in
some places houses have burned as a
result.
1t Is undoubtedly true that when
a u 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 it is almost sure to bis
ter. To burn it of is the quickest
and cheapest and perhaps the surest
method Of getting rid of this old
paint"
The Gazette and Courier quotes GER
tain old patrons to the effect that ac-
cumulations of paint are -ces
These old-timers lay the blame partly
on b painter who fails to brush his
paint In well, partly on the custom of
painting in damp weather or not allow
ing sufficient time for drying between
coats, and partly to the use of adulter-
ated paints instead of old-fashioned
linseed oil and pure white lead. The
paper says:
Many of the old householders saw
that if care is taken at all these points
1t is absolutely unnecessary to have
paint burned of. They advise that
. people who have houses painted should
, buy their own materials, and to have
/ them put on by the day, so as to be
, sure to get good lead and oil. OF
; course the burning of of paint greatly
increases the cost of the job
The trouble householders everywhere
have with paint is pretty well summed
up by u contemporary, and the
causes are about the same everywhere
By far the most frequent cause of the
necessity for the dangerous practice
Of burning old paint is the use of poor
b material. Thf oil should be pure lin
t seed and the white lead should be rea.
( white lead. The latter is more otter
e tempered with than the oil. Earthly
substances, and pulverized rock anC
n quartz, are frequently used as cheap
eners, to the great detriment OF the
v paint.
e Painters rarely aduIterate whit,
lead themselves and they very seldom
S use ready prepared paints-the mos
frequent causes Of paint trouble. Blu
they do often buy a~dulterated whit,
lead because the property owner in
n sists on a low price and the painte
has to economic somewhere. Tn,
g suggestion is therefore a good on,
that the property owner investigat,
e the subject a little. find out the nam,
of some reliable brand of white lead
b and e that the key is marked witt
that brand.
e The hnseed oil is more difficult t,
e be sur of, as it is usually sold il
K bulk when the quantity is small; Blu
reliable makers of linseed oil can b
a learned on inquiry, and, if your deale
is reliable, you will get what you want
Pure white lead and hnseed oil ar
so necessary to good paint hat tn
little trouble necessary to get ther
ID we'll repays the house owner in dollar
and cents saved.