Hue, Tint and Shade.
—There is a good deal of confusion among some painters as to the meaning of the word “hue,” “tint,” and “shade,” although there is no reason why any confusion should exist. The word “hue” is employed to mean practically the same thing as a “colour.” It may consist of any mixture of other colours, or may be a pure colour itself. Now when white is added to any hue or colour a tint of that colour is produced. If black is added a shade of that colour is produced. In the decoration of our rooms we shall see that as an actual fact we obtain shades of the colour by the omission of light, because the addition of black as a pigment to a colour acts in the same way as shutting off light. In mixing colours it is important to remember that black should not be used to lower the tone of a colour excepting in rare instances. It only has the effect of producing a muddy appearance. A yellow that is too bright can be reduced, or made less staring, a painter might say, by adding a little blue and red. If a blue is too bright a little red and yellow should be added; or if a red is too bright it may be toned down by the addition of a very little blue and yellow. This is a most useful rule to observe, and as long as the quantity of the colours added is not too great the results will please.
CHAPTER III.
Whites.
It may be observed that in the colour mixtures which follow in no case has any white other than white lead and zinc white been used. In actual practice many manufacturers add barytes or some other cheap white to both colours and paints in order to lessen the cost. It is not thought necessary, however, to add these materials in the recipes, it being understood that their use can be proceeded with if necessary. We give a few mixtures for whites which will probably be found useful. There are no particular names applied to the following mixtures.
One part of barytes to six parts of white lead ground in oil makes a good white for outside use.
A permanent white which is not affected by gases, sulphuretted hydrogen, etc., is made by mixing two parts of oxide of zinc with one part of barytes. A warm white is made by mixing a small quantity of oxide of ochre, say one part to one hundred of white lead. Sometimes a little ivory black, say one part to three hundred, is added to the white.
White lead being sometimes a little “off” in colour, that is a little yellow in its cast, some blue is added to counteract this imperfection. Most of the corroders, however, exclude all the lead which is of a yellow cast and sell it to glass manufacturers, for whose purpose it is just as good as pure white.
A very little ultramarine green added to white lead makes a white sometimes called Japan white.
Equal parts of white lead and oxide of zinc are frequently used as a white paint, although two parts of lead to one of zinc gives a better mixture.
Some painters are under the impression that inasmuch as lead and zinc are both derived from metals they will not mix together to form a good paint, there being something of the nature of a galvanic action set up between the two metals. This, however, is an error, for although lead and zinc cannot properly be mixed together by hand yet if they are ground by the ordinary paint manufacturers’ machinery the result is a most durable paint which will last many years; indeed, the writer has found this paint, with proper thinners, one of the best possible mixtures which can be used to resist the destructive action set up by alternate wet and dry days.
White lead is, of course, the staple white and the most important of all painters’ materials. Various new processes in white lead are in more or less successful operation. The old Dutch process, however, must be said to give the greatest satisfaction, generally speaking.