The Monticellonian., 1906-09-27
A DANGEROUS PRACTICE.
Burning Of Pain; Makes insurance
 Void

1T seems that considerable danzer fo property exists iH the practice Of burning of old paint before Fe.Da.nt. ing The question has long been a subject of debate in the technical journals and nos h8HseHolders and the newspapers have begun to discuss fl. Ta2se eI as who. with trembling have watched the painters blow q fery blast from their lamps against our houses. and have looked sadIy at the size of our painting bill because oi the time wasted en tA5s preiiuin- aFE work. are interested in The tn fesJigatien b- the Greenfield iMassJ Gazette and CouI.er. which e!ges con siderable space 10 the reasons for the practice, questions its necessity and suggests ways to prevent the risk of burning down n4es HeHse .a C-der 10 get he old raiut of IJ sass.
 There is q good deal of discussion among hQusshoidees as 10 the desis- ability in painting houses. of burning off the old paint, a practice that has grown EeHy common Of late ia Green held and elseW here Insurance men are strongly opposed ta this method. IL makes void insurance policies for fires caused in this manner. Several houses in Greenfield have gotten adne as The result Of this method. and in some places houses have burned as result.
 It is undoubtedly true that when a house has been painted over and over again there comes 10 be an ae- cumulation Of paint in banches. If new paint is pat on top of these ae. eumulations Il E almost sure To blis- ter To burn it ef is he quickest and cheapest and perhaps The safest method of getting rid Of this old paint"
 The Gazette and Ce Ter quotes eer. tain old patrons te the effect lhat ae- cumulatiens of paint are unnecessary. hese old-timefs lay the blame partly on the 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 10 the use of adulter. ated paints instead of old-fashioned linseed oil and pure white lead. The paper says:
 Many of the old householders say that if care is taken at all these points t is absolutely unnecessary 10 have paint burned off. They advise that people who have houses painted should buy their own materials. and b 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 householaefs everywhere have with paint is pretty well summed up by our 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 material. The oil should be pure lin. seed and the white lead should be real white lead. The latter is more often tempered with than the oil. Earthy substances, and pulverized rock and quartz, are frequently used as cheap eners, 10 the great detriment of the paint.
 Painters rarely adnlterate white lead themselves and they gefy seldom use ready prepared paints-the most frequent causes of paint trouble. But they do often buy adulterated white lead because the property owner in- sists on low price and the painter has to eeenomize somewhere. The suggestion is therefore a good one that the property owner investigate the subject a little, find out the name of some reliable brand Of white lead. and see that the keg is marked with that brand.
 The linseed oil is more difficult to be sure of, as it is usually sold in bulk when the quantity is small but reliable makers of linseed oil can be learned on inquiry, and, if your dealer is reliable. you will get what you want.
 Pure white lead and linseed oil are so necessary to good paint that the little trouble necessary to get them well repays the house owner in dollars and cents saved.