oils are glossy when applied in sufficient quantity, boiled linseed oil has more body, and is more brilliant than raw linseed oil, raw linseed oil is lighter in color, and is not so liable to blister as boiled linseed oil, boiled linseed oil dries quicker than raw linseed oil.
To mix 1 pound of ordinary oil paint, take about 8 ounces of pigment the desired color. White lead for white, light grays, pinks, cream, etc., Venetian red or vermilion for red, and so on, according to the color desired. Add to this about 2 ounces of liquid driers, then make up to 1 pound with either linseed oil alone or oil and turpentine in equal parts. Remember, the more oil, the more driers is advisable, but never less than 1 part driers in 8 or 10 of entire bulk. If only small quantities of paint are wanted, that sold ready mixed would be cheapest and would do for ordinary inside work. A single pound could not be made cheaply, and some of the colors, bright red, for instance, could not be made at twice the retail price.
The ingredients for making about 40 pounds of best paint for indoors, tinted to a French gray color, would be 28 pounds of genuine white lead, 3 pounds of patent driers, about 1⁄2 gallon of raw linseed oil, and 1 quart of turpentine. Mix up the lead and driers with a broad stick to the consistency of a thick paste, using linseed oil. If all is to be tinted one color, for French gray add a little ultramarine blue and either a little Venetian red or lamp black. If a warm gray is wanted, add the red, if a cool metallic tint, add the black. The ultramarine can only be bought in powder; mix this well with a little oil before adding it to the paint, the other colors can easily be obtained ready ground in oil. For first coating on new plaster, nearly all linseed oil and a little driers may be used, very little lead. This will stop the suction of the plaster. As a rule, new plaster requires four coats to get a good surface.
White Lead. The pure product dissolves completely in dilute nitric acid, as well as in potash and in soda lye. When
