Tennessee Test Fences
Oil and Thinner Tests. Upon one series of panels on the fence was placed one of the formulas which had given universal satisfaction on the various test fences in the past, and this formula was made up with various oils other than linseed oil, in order to determine the value of these oils as painting materials. For instance, the vehicle part of the one formula referred to is made up of 50% linseed oil and 50% soya bean oil, and again 50% linseed oil and 50% rosin oil, etc., an effort being made to test out a few of the available semi-drying oils.
The same formula referred to was ground in pure linseed oil and subjected to a series of tests where it has been thinned for application as priming and second coats with a series of wood turpentines obtained from the United States Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis. These turpentines were made from southern pine stumps and sawdust, and they vary greatly in their properties. Some were objectionable in odor, while others were of excellent quality, having an odor almost equal to that of pure gum spirits.
Views of Fence
One product under test on the Southern Test Fence is pine oil, a high boiling point product obtained from the manufacture of wood turpentine from sawdust. This oil has a boiling point of over 210 degrees Centigrade as against the 150 degrees of ordinary gum spirits. It is almost water white and has the same penetrating qualities as the pure gum spirits; when mixed with 50% linseed oil forming a paint oil of extremely light color, that produces a semi-flat paint of great whiteness.