The complete carriage and wagon painter

Preface

In placing the manuscript of this book in the hands of the publisher, I was impressed with the belief that I had thoroughly carried out the original design, which was to write a full and comprehensive treatise on the methods employed by experienced workmen in painting a carriage, wagon, sleigh or railway car, and since the work of my pen has returned to me in printed form, I see no cause to change that belief or to erase one word therein.

The painting of vehicles, although differing in many respects, according to their quality or value, is virtually the same, and I have departed from the beaten track of writers in magazines, and chosen for my text a wagon, from the fact that the field was a larger one, and in describing how that vehicle could be painted, lettered, striped and ornamented, I could at the same time give all the information necessary for the painting of a first-class carriage or sleigh. My object, too, was to condense in one handbook not only the method of executing plain painting on vehicles, but to give all the instruction necessary for the practice of striping, lettering, scrolling, varnishing, polishing and many minor accomplishments, which would be out of place in a work on carriage painting alone.

The Author.

Contents

Page.

Preface, 5

Chapter I. The Shop And How It Should Be Constructed

The Furniture of the Paint and Varnish Rooms, Brushes, etc.— To " Bridle" a Brush— The Sash Tool— The Camels' Hair Brush, or "Blender"— The Badger Hair Brush— The Oval Brush— Cleaning-up Brush— Bench and Boxes for Colors— List of Colors Required in Wagon Painting, 11

Chapter II. Mixing Colors

Combining Pigments to Form Colors— Glazing- Putty, White, Quick, Black, etc., - 19

Chapter III. Priming

Lead Color Method— The First Coat of Lead— Rough Stuffing the Panels — Leading the Gears — Rubbing Out Rough Stuff— Putting Final Foundation Coat on the Gears — Painting the Body — The Second Coat on the Body— Painting the Gears— The Rubbing Process, 28

Chapter IV. The Putty-knife Method

Another Way— The Wood-filling Method— Varnishing —Varnishing of Wagons and Sleighs— Sweating- Cleaning new Brushes, ------ 88

8 CONTENTS.

Chapter V

The Care of Materials — Failures in Varnishing— Troubles of the Painter — Specky Varnishes — Crawling of Paint or Varnish— Blistering — Cracking of Paint and Varnish — To Paint Canvas-top Sides — Glazing with Carmine, ------ 45

Chapter VI

Wagon Striping— The Striper's Kit of Tools— Striping Pencils — Zinc Palettes — Care of Pencils— Pencils for Ornamental Striping— Colors for Striping, - 50 CHAPTER VII.

Wagon Striping— Breaking Lines— A Pounce Bag- Gold Striping — Gilding Size — Applying Gold Leaf —Gold Striping, ------- 56

Chapter IX. Wagon Lettering

The Full Block, round and octagon — Half Block, round and octagon — Solid Block and Italic Letters- Outline Letters — Printers' Black Letter or German Text — Ornamental and Tuscan Full Block Letters — Three Styles of Letters used by the Abbot

Downing Co., 70

WAGON SCROLLING.

Making Circles and Curves— Making and Shading Scrolls— Materials and Tools used in Making and Shading Scrolls— Designing and Laying Out Scroll Patterns— Flat Scrolls, Ill

Chapter XIV. Stenciling

Making a Stencil — Brushes for Stencils, ... 121

SUPPLEMENT-CARRIAGE PAINTING- AND VARNISHING. CHAPTER I.

A GOOD FOUNDATION.

Putting on the First Coat— Chipping— The Second Coat —Puttying— Sand Papering— The Last Coat- Ready for Ground Color— Drying Dead— The Varnish Coats— The Finishing Coat— Rubbing, - - 127

CHAPTER II.

Dusting and Cleaning Work— Puttying up Joints- Cleaning Gears, 137

CHAPTER III.

Painting Lumber Wagons— Striping— A Good Color — Ready to Varnish, 142

CHAPTER IV.

Touching Up Repair Work, 145

10 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER V.

How to Paint a Cheap Job— Painting an Express Wagon — The Gear Coat — Paint for Body — Painting

the Body, 148

CHAPTER VI.

How to Revarnish a Carriage— Washing— Touching

CHAPTER VII.

Forms and Colors in the Painting of Vehicles — One Color for Wood and Another for Iron — Another View — All Parts should be of the Same Color — The Harmony of Analogy — The Harmony of Contrasts, 155

CHAPTER VIII.

Transfer Ornaments— How Made, 162

Monograms — Florentine — Modern — Louis XV. — English, ------ - - 166

THE

COMPLETE CARRIAGE J^ND WAGON PAINTER.

Chapter I. The Shop And How It Should Be Constructed

Wagon painting, though in some respects inferior to coach painting, is no less an art, and he who would acquire it must give heed to the most minute details, for therein lies his success in finish, and finish is the principal point in selling the job or in making a reputation and an extensive business. I do not believe it worth the time to enter into a long explanation of what the paint shop should be, for t is to be supposed that my readers already have their shops built and in use ; but it will not be amiss to note a few of the important features which should be and can be made in any shop. Wagon paint shops should be roomy, not cut up into small rooms, but large and with high ceilings. A large room in which to do the general work and a smaller room for varnishing is all that is necessary. The varnish room, being almost a sacred place, should be provided with smooth walls and ceiling either of wood or plaster, plenty of light, a water-tight floor, and, of most importance, a ventilator in centre of ceiling, running through the roof to the outer air. This feature of a room where varnishing is done is one not fully appreciated by the general class of carriage and wagon builders. There are many, however, who have adopted it, and, once knowing its value, would not be without it. The expense of a ventilator is trifling, and any tinsmith can make one. It consists of a pipe of sheet iron, say fifteen inches in diameter, having upon its outer end — which is run up two feet from the roof — a revolving cap or grating, which, turned by the wind, creates a draught, and that sucks up the dust of the room, and allows the escape of air, deprived of its oxygen, whereby the varnish has an opportunity to harden better.

Varnish dries not so much by the evaporation of its parts as it does by absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere and oxidizing, the oil becoming a sort of resin, and where a goodly supply of fresh air is admitted the quicker and harder the varnish becomes. "Windows should be provided with thick curtains — enameled cloth will be found excelent— to enable one to darken the room when the work of the day is complete, to prevent flies from getting upon the work. With these features added to the ready-made paint shop, the painter will be prepared to do his varnishing with no fear of many of the troubles which beset the varnisher, such as "enameling," "pitting," "crawling," etc.

THE FURNITURE OF THE PAINT AND VARNISH ROOMS, BRUSHES, ETC.

The conveniences of the paint and varnish rooms, which include trestles, benches, jacks, etc., next demand attention, for these tend to hasten the work, as well as give comfort to the workman. The coach painter requires wheeled trucks on which to move his coach body from place to place, but this is not generally considered necessary in the wagon shop, a body being set up on benches, and allowed to remain so during the painting, then lifted and carried to the varnish room for finishing. Trestles are used for light bodies, or for resting platform gears upon. Benches for placing paint or varnish cups upon when at work and low stools or boxes are necessary for use while striping or lettering. The conventional scone and muller, and perhaps a paint mill, need not be dilated upon, but the brushes deserve special mention. Illustrations are presented of those best suited to the wants of the wagon painter. The first to demand attention is the round paint brush, Fig. 1, which is best adapted for laying priming or rough stuff on bodies. The size is that known as 0000 (four naughts).

Fig. l.—A Bound Paint Brush.

TO " BRIDLE " A BRUSH.

As the bristles are too long when first purchased , the brush must be " bridled," that is, have an extra binding added. This may be done in several ways : 1. By winding a strong cord around the bristles up to about the middle of the same, or as far from the original binding as desired. 2. By covering one-half the length of the bristles with leather stitched on tightly. 3. By wrapping a piece of muslin or enameled cloth around the bristles, then tying a strong cord around as high as the extra binding should come, turn° ing back the muslin toward the handle, and fastening bytacking to the original binding. 4. There are several patent binders or bridles made of metal in market, and one has an opportunity to choose from these whichever he approves. "When the bristles are worn down the bridle may be removed, and a new brush is again in hand.

THE SASH TOOL.

The companion of the round brush is the sash tool, Fig. 2, which is used to "clean up" around moldings and for

Fig. 2.— Sash Tool. painting small panels. The illustration is so perfect that I refrain from further remark, save to say that the No. 8 tool is about the proper size to purchase. These brushes may be used for painting gears, although we prefer a flat bristle brush on. such work.

THE CAMEL'S HAIR BRUSH, OR "BLENDER."

For laying colors no better tool can be found than the camel's hair brush, or ' ' blender, " as some call them, Fig. 3.

Fig. 3. — CameVs Hair Brush.

I illustrate the proper kind of such a tool and it will be noticed that the hairs are fastened not only by cement,

THE COMPLETE CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTER.

but by riveting through the binding, while those brushes not riveted, shown in Fig. 4, are entirely unfit for any

Fig. 4. — A Very Poor Brush. purpose in the paint shop, and should never be purchased.

THE BADGER HAIR BRUSH.

For laying color and varnish coats the Badger hair brush Fig. 5, is considered best for small panels or any delicate work. . It is also used for laying varnish.

Fig. 5.— Badger Hair Flowing Brush.

The fitch hair brush is now almost obsolete, owing to the many imitations which prove worthless.

THE OVAL BRUSH.

For varnishing the large panels of a body or for gears the oval brush, Fig. 6, is best as it will carry a good supply of varnish. These are made of French white bristles entirely, and with care will last a long time. A partly worn brush always has the preference over a new one, but the brushmaker now forms the end as if partly worn, which gives it the desired shape and softness.

Fig. 6.— Oval Varnish Brush, Chiseled.

CLEANING-UP BRUSH.

A flattened round tool, Fig. 7, is used to " clean up" around moldings, between the spokes, etc. Care should

Fig. 7.— Flattened Bound Tool, Chiseled.

be taken to select brushes having the bristles or hair set in glue, which is insoluble in varnish. Such brushes are far superior to those having the bristles fastened with cement.

With those mentioned and a reasonable supply of flat bristle brushes the shop will be well stocked in the brush line, and we will next look to the pigments or colors to be employed, leaving striping and ornamental pencils for our chapter on such work.

BENCH AND BOXES FOR COLORS.

Having a substantial paint-bench on which to place the "stone" or " flag" and "muller," and upon the end of which a paint mill is secured, we place above it — to be handy — a few shelves, and on these are boxes — cigar boxes will answer — with covers to exclude dust, in which the dry pigments are kept. Upon the front of each box the name of the color contained therein is painted, and the following list comprises all that is required in a wagon paint shop:

LIST OP COLORS REQUIRED IN WAGON PAINTING.

White lead in oil, the best quality ; none other is fit to use.

Ultramarine blue.

Dutch pink.

Dry white lead.

Munich lake.

Chrome yellow.

Lemon chrome.

Orange chrome.

Yellow ochre.

Raw sienna.

Milosi green, L. M.

and D.

Chrome green.

Yellow lake.

Whiting.

Lamp black.

Burnt sienna.

Raw umber.

Burnt umber.

Indian red.

Venetian red.

Prussian blue.

Ivory black.

Carmine, No. 40.

Vermilion, English,

L. and D.

American vermilion.

and perhaps several others, but as these would form a good beginning, we start from here to mix colors, making mention, first, that the vehicles used are turpentine, brown japan, raw linseed oil (boiled oil is unfit for wagon or carriage work), and the regular list of varnishes, i.e., rubbing and finishing. Prepared paints are perhaps to some a blessing, but he who would use economy in his work must surely mix and grind his own colors. Ready-mixed colors are too expensive for the wagon painter, as, for example, in purchasing French carmine at $10 per lb. he pays at the rate of $10 per lb. for the japan in which the pigment is ground, for the average mixture is one pound of dry color and one pound of japan or varnish. Ultramarine blue (dry) can be bought for 25 cents per pound, the japan necessary to make a pound of dry color into paint is worth, say 25 cents, but the price of a pound of readyprepared ultramarine blue is $1. You can make two pounds of paint for 50 cents.

Chapter II. Mixing Colors

The simplest mixtures or combination of ingredients are to some the most difficult, and we will first attend to these. Most colors may be mixed with japan and turpentine, adding a very little linseed oil (raw) to give elasticity, and to know exactly what quantity of liquids to use, you may follow these directions :

Lay out on the stone a small quantity of dry pigment and wet it to a mush-like consistency with brown japan ; work it well over with the pallette knife and then put it in the mill to grind. Add to the mass in the mill just enough turpentine to liquify it, or make the stiff mas3 a medium thick liquid, so that it will grind out nicely— if too thin the paint will not readily run through a tight mill, and the mill should be tightened as tight as it is possible to turn it.

When the paint is ground out, add one tablespoonf ul of raw linseed oil to a pint of paint, stir it well, then test its drying quality by spreading a little upon the thumb nail. Blow the breath upon it to hasten drying, and in a few seconds it will have the same appearance it would have when dry upon the work. If it appear " dead " or u flat," add a little more oil ; if glossy add a little turpentine, and so temper it until it appears to dry upon the nail with an egg-shell gloss', that is, not too dead, nor yet glossy.

The reason why definite amounts of japan, oil or turpen. tine cannot be stated is owing to the difference in pigments as for example, umber is a natural dryer and it will neutralize oil to such an extent that more oil may be used than in most any other paint.

Lampblack is of a greasy or anti-drying nature, and consequently requires less oil to form an egg-shell glosj. This plan of mixing may be safely carried on with most pigments.

Vermilion, however, is best mixed with a quick rubbing varnish in the place of japan and no oil whatever should be added to vermilion paint, as it tends to darken it. The quicker you can get vermilion to dry, the better it will hold its color.

Yellow lake and Dutch pink are generally used as glazing colors over green or yellow grounds and therefore should be mixed in varnish instead of oil and japan.

It is quite in keeping with our design to call particular attention to the use of oil. The house-painter places his dependence on oil either raw or boiled, or both, but the wagon or carriage painter would make sorry work if he followed the house-painter in his ideas of durability etc. : — Boiled oil may answer the house-painter's purpose, but it finds no friend in the wagon shop. Japan too, requires looking after; to test it, pour a little on a shallow dish and add a similar quantity of raw linseed oil ; if the two amalgamate, the japan may be favorably received, but if the mixture curdles or becomes thick and livery, drop the japan as you would a hot iron.

COMBINING PIGMENTS TO FORM COLORS.

Having explained the manner of mixing paint, let us now look at the combination of pigments to form certain colors. The exact proportions of ingredients cannot be correctly stated, for some pigments vary greatly in their strength or covering power, and again, a shade of color as described, might not suit the eye of all, therefore, we simply tell what pigments to use in making a color, leaving it for the painter to change the proportions to suit his case. In making tints white-lead forms the base and the colors must be added with care, as some pigments are very strong and a drop will entirely change the tint, while others will hardly be perceptible. To make

1. LEAD COLOR— Take 8 parts white, 1 of blue and 1 of black.

2. MEDIUM GRAY— 8 parts white and 2 of black (lampblack).

3. FRENCH GRAY-White tinted with ivory black.

4. LIGHT BUFF— White and yellow ochre.

5. DEEP BUFF— The same with a little Indian red added.

6. GOLD COLOR — White and orange chrome, tinted with red and blue.

7. PEARL COLOR— White, black and red, or white, blue and red.

8. CANARY COLOR— White and lemon yellow.

9. OAK COLOR — White and yellow ochre or raw sienna.

10. OLIVE COLOR— Yellow, blue, black and vermilion.

11. SNUFF COLOR— Yellow and vandyke brown or burnt umber.

12. ROSE COLOR— White and carmine.

13. BOTTLE GREEN — Dutch pink and Prussian blue for ground, glaze with yellow lake.

14. SALMON COLOR— 5 parts white, 1 yellow, 1 umber, and 1 red.

15. BROWN— 3 parts red, 2 black and 1 yellow.

16. COPPER COLOR— 1 part red, 2 yellow and 1 black.

17. LEMON COLOR— 5 parts white and 2 lemon yellow.

18. STRAW COLOR— Same, with a drop or two of vermilion.

19. FAWN COLOR— 8 parts white, 1 red, 2 yellow and 1 burnt umber.

20. FLESH COLOR— 8 parts white, 3 Vermilion, 3 chrome yellow.

21. CHESTNUT COLOR— 2 parts red, 2 chrome yellow, 1 black.

22. WINE COLOR— 2 parts ultramarine blue, 3 carmine.

23. MAROON YELLOW— 3 parts carmine, 2 yeUow.

24. TAN COLOR— 5 parts, burnt sienna, 2 yellow, 1 raw umber.

25. PEA GREEN— 5 parts white and 1 chrome green.

26. CITRON COLOR— 3 parts red, 2 yellow and 1 blue.

27. STONE COLOR— 5 parts white, 2 yellow and 1 burnt umber.

28. DRAB COLOR— 9 parts white and 1 burnt umber.

29. LILAC COLOR— 4 parts red, 3 white and 1 blue.

30. PURPLE COLOR— Same, with more blue.

31. VIOLET COLOR— Same, with more red.

32. LONDON SMOKE— 2 parts umber, 1 white and 1 red.

33. CREAM COLOR— 5 parts white, 2 yellow and 1 red.

34. CLARET COLOR— Red and black or carmine and blue.

35. DOVE COLOR— Red, white, blue and yellow.

36. LIGHT GRAY— 9 parts white, 1 blue and 1 black.

37. WILLOW GREEN— 5 parts white and 1 verdigris (tube color).

38. PEACH BLOSSOM— 8 parts white, 1 blue, 1 red and 1 yellow.

39. BRONZE GREEN— 5 parts chrome green, 1 black and lumber.

40. CARNATION RED— Carmine and white, or Munich lake and white.

41. GRASS GREEN— 3 parts yellow and 1 Prussian blue.

42. BRICK COLOR— 2 parts yellow ochre, 1 red and 1 white.

43. PORTLAND STONE— 3 parts raw umber, 3 yellow ochre and 1 white.

44. PLUM COLOR— 2 parts white, 1 blue and 1 red.

45. FRENCH RED— Indian red and vermilion— glazed with carmine.

46. CHOCOLATE COLOR— Indian red, black and yellow.

47. YELLO W LAKE— Umber and white, equal parts ; add yellow and lake.

48. OLIVE BROWN— 1 part lemon yellow and 3 burnt umber.

49. CLAY DRAB— Raw sienna, raw umber and white.

50. BISMARCK BROWN— 1 oz. carmine, %, oz. crimson lake, 1 oz. best gold bronze. If desired lighter, use vermilion in place of the carmine.

51. JONQUIL YELLOW— Flake white (tube color), chrome yellow and a very little vermilion or carmine.

52. CHAMOLINE— A new color, so named because it resembles in color that of a chamois skin. When wet, mix lemon chrome, 1 part; raw sienna, 3 parts; and white about 5 parts, until the approximate shade is reached.

53. DARK MILORI GREEN is specially adapted for wagon bodies. It makes a very rich panel color, superior to Prussian blue, green, or chrome green, or mixtures of blue and yellow.

54. TEA GREEN is made by mixing raw umber, blue and chrome green. It makes a rich panel-color, and, with a sample of tea before him, the painter can easily get the proper shade.

55. WILLOW-LEAF GREEN— A veiw light yellowish shade of olive, yellow, blue, black and red.

56. PRIMROSE YELLOW— White and King's yellow, a noted English color, but not much used in this country.

57. LE CUIR OR LEATHER COLOR— One part burnt umber and two parts burnt sienna, then tone with white.

58. JAPAN BROWN— Black japan mixed with vermilion.

59. DARK RICH BROWNS— Take Indian red, five parts, and Prussian blue, one part; grind, and mix in brown Japan and turpentine and add a very little oil. By changing the proportions of ingredients the color can be made light or dark as desired. Vermilion and black will make a very nice brown, but we believe that all red-and-black browns are softened and improved in tone by the addition of yellow. Umber brown without the addition of red is a cold, raw color, unless placed beside a red ground or stripe.

GLAZING.

GLAZING is the term given to a transparent coating put over a similar colored ground, as carmine over reds, or yellow lake over yellow or green, or verdigris over green. Many shades of lake may be made by glazing with carmine, and there are many who never employ lake pigments in their work, owing to its tendency to fade or to flake off. The ground being made with Indian red and black, according as the shade of lake is to be light or dark, a glaze of carmine will produce a beautiful color and one that will be durable. Rich blues are made by glazing Prussian blue lightened with white with ultramarine. Glazing is simply the dry pigment ground in rubbing varnish, no oil, no japan nor turpentine being used, and it is put on in a similar manner to varnish, care being taken not to have clouds or runs in the work.

In mixing colors, it is the custom of some painters to lay out upon the stone the requisite quantity of various pigments, and then mix and grind the mass in the mill, but by this means dull or " lifeless " colors are produced. To do this properly the required pigments for a given color should be mixed and ground separately, then the proper A proportions may be put together and thoroughly mixed. By this means all the freshness of the color will be retained, a more perfect commingling of the particles will be insured, and there will be less liability of separation in the cup, or settling of one heavy pigment from the others, which is sure to destroy the uniformity of coloring.

VERMILION should not be ground fine in the mill, for not only does the iron surfaces with which it comes in contact injure the color, but the crushing of the grains brings about an orange tinge which is decidedly objectionable.

LIGHT ENGLISH VERMILION has the greatest body or covering power, and is used for striping and lettering, while the Deep English vermilion is better suited for coloring gears or panels.

American vermilion and white lead forms a peach biossom pink which makes an excellent ground for English vermilion.

IVORY BLACK — Many purchase prepared black with the expectation of getting an article ready for spreading with the brush, and when they find that the paint is too thick and requires thinning to a proper consistency for the work in hand, they are at a loss what to do with it — whether to add oil, turpentine, varnish or Japan — and in some cases the paint is spoiled by the vehicle used to dilute it. To such we would say: take from the can the required amount of black, and add just sufficient turpentine to soften it or thin it to a cream-like consistency, stirring it meanwhile with a flattened stick. Next add a very small quantity of raw oil and test it on the thumb nail until it dries not too dead. Be careful not to use too much oil, for too much is worse than none at all, while the proper quantity gives ease in spreading and durability to the work.

PUTTY.

The next in order is Putty, and as there are several kinds for the several purposes we will give recipes for each. Putty should be tempered with either oil, varnish, or japan, according to the purposes to which it is put. These are:

First. — White Putty, composed of keg lead and dry lead and whiting. The dry pigments are beaten and worked into the keg lead until of a putty consistency, then a little brown japan is added to cause it to dry well, and a little more whiting is worked in to bring about a stiff putty for filling holes, leaving it softer for filling the grain of ash, etc.

Second. — Quick Putty — Take dry lead and whiting,

THE COMPLETE CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTER. Q7

equal parts, and mix to putty with equal parts brown japan and rubbing varnish.

Third.— Black Putty— For hurried work mix the same as quick putty, using lampblack in place of whiting.

Fourth.— Black Putty for Irons— To be used where the iron work does not fit the wood. Mix three-fourths lampblack with one-fourth dry lead or whiting, with japan.

Fifth.— Black Bedding Putty— For glass frames mix lampblack and whiting in equal parts (bulk) with equal parts of rubbing varnish and japan to a soft putty consistency. Then having some black velvet or plush at hand, unravel it so as to secure the short fibres of the material, which, when mixed with the putty in the same manner as hair is mixed with plaster, will bind it firmly together and no jar of the vehicle will cause it to crack and fly out. This putty is excellent for bedding the glasses of hearses and is used by most hearse builders in preference to any other.

The ordinary putty of the glazier finds no place in a wagon paint shop.

It is a good plan to color putty to a color similar to the job; as, for exanple, if the job is to be red, add a little red to the putty; if green, add green, and so on.

I

Chapter III. Priming

Having our shop tools and paints ready for use and being somewhat acquainted with the mixing of paints of various colors, we will take for the first lesson in painting a platform geared business wagon with ribbed body and panel top.

There are several methods of reaching a final finish, and it will be well to glance at each. Then he who chooses to follow one path may do so, while his neighbor can take another.

LEAD COLOR METHOD.

First comes the old or lead color method. As soon as the body, wheels and bars are completed by the woodworker, a coat of priming should be put on to prevent the raising of the grain of the wood. This priming is made of pure linseed oil, slightly colored with white lead. A small quantity of brown japan may be added to hasten the drying, though some prefer to omit the drier when time is of no account. The oil of the priming is the main dependence. It is soaked into the pores of the wood and partly seals them against the entrance of moisture while the small grains of lead partially close up the largest pores.

The tread of the wheel should be coated, as that prevents the swelling of the rim or felloe, while the tire is being put on. Just here let me remark that a tire should never be so hot as to scorch or char the wood. There is no necessity for it, and a careful workman will not permit it.

The spring bars or blocks should be coated all over. The coating now put on acts as a preventive coat, as shown above. When it is dry the work is ready for the smith.

The body will not be wanted at once, so we can prime it with some kind of paint, all over, excepting the floor. Some simply prime the outside, leaving the inside unpainted for the time. That is an error, for the bare wood is apt to absorb dampness and the broad side panels are liable to check. The priming being allowed from 36 to 48 hours for drying, it may then receive a good sandpapering with No. 2 sandpaper. The largest nail holes may then be puttied with putty made as per formula No. 1, previously spoken of, leaving the small holes to be partly filled with paint. Dust off clean and apply,