TO REMOVE PAINT.
1. An expeditious way is by chemical process, using a solution of soda and quicklime in equal proportions. The soda is dissolved in water, the lime is then added, and the solution is applied with a brush to the old paint. A few moments are sufficient to remove the coats of paint, which may be washed off with hot water. The oldest paint may be removed by a paste of the soda and quicklime. The wood should be afterwards washed with vinegar or an acid solution before repainting, to remove all traces of alkali.
2. Wet the place with naphtha, repeating as often as required; but frequently one application will dissolve the paint. As soon as it is softened, rub the surface clean. Chloroform mixed with a small quantity of spirit ammonia, composed of strong ammoniac, has been employed very successfully to remove the stains of dry paint from wood, silk, and other substances.
3. To remove paint from floors.—Take one pound of American pearlash, three pounds of quickstone lime. Slake the lime in water, then add the pearlash, and make the whole amount about the consistency of paint. Lay the mixture over the whole body of the work which is required to be cleaned, with an old brush; let it remain for twelve or fourteen hours, when the paint can be easily scraped off.