THE PAINTER

Evening Star, Issue 20010, 30 October 1928, Page 2

THE PAINTER

HIS PRELIiIHABY DIFFICULTIES Ordinary plain painting in oils looks such a simple matter that it might be thought that anyone could do it and that there is nothing to bo learnt about it (says a writer in ‘Practical Building’). The painter would say: “Try it and see if it is so simple. In any case, you can’t learn or teach painting by writing about it, but only by doing it and by finding out the difficulties and how to overcome them.” Tin’s is no doubt true, and the same might bo said of all handicrafts. To learn to execute any work with the hands it must be practised by the bands. But what is often_ overlooked is the fact that no muscle in the body can move without being first told to do so by the brain, and that the hands in painting are just as much actuated by the brain as they are in playing the violin. This being so _it is just as well that the brain should be 'cell informed as to what it wants the hands to do, and a good deal of time will be saved that would otherwise bo wasted in trying the wrong way. It is not only to the painter that a knowledge of how the work ought to bo done is necessary, for there is perhaps no other trade of which less is known by the average architect than painting. The subject is dismissed in the average specification in two or three lines, amongst which there is rarely to be found a word denoting practical knowledge; and in the leading text book on building specification writing, consisting of over 600 pages, the subject of painting occupies less than 2J pages. It looks well in a specification to say: “The whole of the painting shall be of a different tint for each coat, and no coat of paint shall be covered by another until it has been inspected and passed by the architect”; but fine though these words are, they bavo no practical value unless the architect knows what each coat should look like if the work is properly done. Also we find: “Knot, stop, prime, and paint in oils three cents all external woodwork.” Does this mean that where wood frames arc built in as the work proceeds that the pi iming must be done before or after fixing ? CLEANING DOWN. Carpenters do not always clean off I All the glue from joints, and plaster and whitening will fall upon woodwork however careful the men may be. Consequently tho painter’s first job is to clean the woodwork to he painted. The stopping knife, a spear-shaped, In cad, still, and blunt double-edged knife, ■is used, for claming down, as 'also later for stopping cracks, nail holes, bfc.,, with putty. In cleaning, down, the stopping knife is held in such a position that whilst as much of one side can work on the surface of the wood the blade is slanted so as to be horizontal and to work under the bits oi glue, etc., and not to cut into or indent the wood. It is not a scraping operation, but a prizing up and lifting in conjunction with this operation a brush, generally worked with the left hand, is used to clean away all dust, and is consequently termed tho duster. A separate brush should be kept for this purpose. KNOTTING. Though woodwork to be painted ought to be thoroughly seasoned, more often than not it is not; and though knots look very well in stained woodwork they offer difficulties in painting, which depends so much upon its uniformity of tome—shading in painting, so much practised of late, is another matter, and is not in any way concerned with knots—knots arc end grain wood, and whether green or well seasoned offer difficulty'. If green, they exude resin and sap, whilst if dried ,-nis they absorb more of the colour than tho side grain wood. The purpose, therefore, of knotting is to neutralise both these characteristics by drying up the resinous unseasoned knot," or by closing the pores of the dried out knot. Knotting is composed of strong size and lead "for a first coat, and white lead, red load, and oil for the second coat. When it is desired to conceal knots altogether in finished woodwork they are covered with a coat of gold size. STOPPING. In order that a smooth level surface may be afforded to take the paint evenly, all the cracks and holes, from whatever cause, must be filled in. This operation is termed stopping, and is performed with the stopping knife, already described, and putty or a paste of putty l and white lead. For nail holes and small cracks the fiat of the knife is used to press in and smooth tho surface, care being taken to make tiie surface smooth and level; but for large wide and deep cracks the putty must be forced down into the crack with the edge of tho knife. Large and deep dents in die surface of the wood may either be pricked with the point of the knife and stopped with putty, or nn undercut mortise made lonnd the dent with the chisel and the hole stopped with putty. After stopping, touch off with glass paper before proceeding. PRIMING The chief point aimed at in painting beiiur uniformity of colour at the finish, something has to be done with most ’woods, if not all, to render the absorbent quality if the different parts of the wood the same all over, '(his is done bv painting the whole surface with a mixture of white lead and red lead and driers; and the operation is known as priming. Priming for deal and pine is composed of three-quarter ounce of driers and the. same quantity of red lead to every pound of while lead Thin with three-quarter gallon of raw linseed oil to lllb of lead. For the second coat use about half an ounce of driers to one ounce of red lead to every pound of white lead; 141 b of lead will require half a gallon of raw linseed oil and a quarter-gallon of turps. . , . . Priming for ironwork outside is composed of red lead mixed with linseed oil in the proportion of 141 b oil to lewt lead for the first coat, for ibe second use equal proportions of red and white lead mixed with linseed oil to give proper working consistency.