Preventive of the Decay of Wood.

Manufacturer and Builder 1, 1869

Experiments have been carried on in Paris for a long time in the intent of finding out a means of preserving palings, posts, etc., from decay. As the result of a five years' experience, a paint is recommended which at the same time possesses the advantage of being impervious to water. It is composed of fifty parts of tar, forty parts of finely-cryshed chalk, five hundred parts of fine, white, hard sand, four parts of linseed oil, one part of the red oxide of copper in its native state, and finally, one part of sulphuric acid. In order to manufacture the paint from this multiplicity of materials, teh tar, chalk, sand and oil are first heated in an iron kettle; the oxide and sulphuric acid are then added with a good deal of precaution. The mass is then very carefully mixed. It is now ready for use, and must be applied while hot. In coating the timber, a stiff brush is used. If it is found upon using that the mixture is not liquid enough, a little more linseed oil should be used. After this paint has cooled and dried, t forms a coating or varnish as hard as stone.