NORTH DAKOTA PAINT TESTS
An inspection of the original test fence, erected and painted by the
North Dakota Agricultural College, on the grounds of the agricultural
Experiment Station at Fargo, was made by the inspection committee[28]
representing the Paint Manufacturers' Association of the United
States, on the 19th and 20th of November, 1909. The fence was erected
in 1906 and painted with commercial paints, procured in the open
market. The east side of the fence was built of soft pine and cedar
weather-boarding, such as is almost universally used on houses in that
locality, presenting a very good surface for test purposes, while the
west side was built largely of flat trimmed boards of hard pitch pine
which, unfortunately, contained knots, pitch pockets, and uneven
surfaces, causing to a greater or lesser extent cracking, scaling, and
bad general results on all paints applied thereto.
[28] Henry A. Gardner, Director Scientific Section, Educational
Bureau, Paint Manufacturers' Association of U. S.; George Butler,
Master Painter; Charles Macnichol, Master Painter.
The fences built in 1907 and 1908 at the suggestion of the Paint
Manufacturers' Association, were inspected on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd
of November, 1909, and the detailed results of the inspection of all
these fences follow in this report. The same general conclusions as to
the woods represented in the 1906 fence also apply to the 1907 and 1908
fences, and because of the general bad quality of wood used on the
western exposure of all fences, the detailed reports were made only from
an examination of the eastern side of the fences, both on cedar and soft
pine.
The following general summary of the inspection and its results applies
to all the test fences on the grounds of the college and is the
unanimous conclusion drawn by the inspectors from this work:
[Illustration: North Dakota Test Fences]
[Illustration: Typical Sample of Hard Pine Trim Board Showing Knot and
Sappy Grain]
[Illustration: Test No. 13--1906 Fence
Complete Disintegration and Failure of Cheap Paint]
"Non-absorbent woods, difficult to penetrate, such as those on the west
side of the fences, would undoubtedly have given much better results had
they been painted with paints properly reduced to suit the nature of the
wood. This treatment seems to have been overlooked in the North Dakota
tests, and the painting of the hard pine boards was done with the same
consistency of mixtures and the same reductions as upon soft pine.
Scaling of course resulted. One of the chief purposes of the fences,
however, was to study the different types of wood, and compliance with
this desire resulted in the bad conditions herein noted. It has been
shown in many other field tests that adherence of paints to hard wood
surfaces can be obtained only by causing the priming coat to become
amalgamated with the woody fibre, by the use of a large percentage of
volatile diluent turpentine, benzole, asphaltum spirits, etc., to secure
penetration. If such treatment is omitted, failure soon results, as was
evidenced by the uniformly bad conditions presented by the paints on the
hard pine panels.
[Illustration: Pine Weatherboarding Showing Knots and Grain]
[Illustration: Condition of Lumber Affecting Paint, West Side 1906
Fence]
[Illustration: Hail-stone Abrasions on House Repainting Tests]
[Illustration: Hail-stone Effect, West Side of 1907 Test Fence]
"During July, 1908, a violent hailstorm occurred in Fargo, and left its
impression on nearly every wooden structure; in many cases deep dents
being made into the wood. The west side of the test fences, which
received the most injury from this storm, was covered with these dents
over almost its entire surface, causing cracks in the form of concentric
rings to appear on the abraded paint coatings. The bad condition of the
wood, improper method of applying priming coat, combined with the
hailstorm effect on the painted surfaces on the west side of the fences,
were undoubtedly responsible for the universal failure of the paints
thereon, and, for these reasons, the west side was eliminated from the
detailed inspection, only general observations of these tests being
made. These general observations, however, showed that paints Nos. 6 and
8 on the 1906 fence, and paints Nos. 8, 10, and 13 on the 1907 fence,
proved the most satisfactory on the western exposure.[29]
[29] These formulas were the same as those respectively numbered on
the Atlantic City and Pittsburg fences.
[Illustration: Peculiar Crystallization Effect on Section 41. New
Special Fence Paint Applied During Cold Weather]
"Ochre was tried out as a priming coat on several formulas, but it was
found to be most unsatisfactory, affecting the subsequent coats of paint
and causing early failure, as evidenced by broad checking,
discoloration, and general bad condition. These conditions also apply
to those panels on the 1908 fence coated with shellac as a primer.
"The colored formulas in every case showed a great superiority over the
same paints in white untinted, and demonstrated that a percentage of
color has a wonderful influence on the preservation of the paint
coating, reducing chalking, checking, and general disintegration. This
condition is probably due to the reinforcing value of the color pigments
used.
"It is safe to state that the combination formulas tinted yellow were of
better appearance than the corroded white leads tinted yellow, the
latter appearing quite dark in many cases.
"The wearing of the paints made solely from white lead and zinc oxide
seemed to indicate that a percentage of a third pigment, of an inert
nature, would have been beneficial.
"The high-type mixtures of pigments containing lead and zinc, with
moderate percentages of inert pigments, on good wood, were in most
excellent general condition; in fact, much superior to the single
pigment paints. Their surface exhibited only minor checking and moderate
chalking with good maintenance of color, and presenting surfaces well
adapted to repainting.
"The sublimed white lead was in fair condition, with very little
checking, and offering a fair repainting surface. The corroded white
lead was somewhat whiter than the sublimed white lead, but a careful
observation of the surface of the corroded lead revealed deep checking.
"It was clearly demonstrated, however, that in climates of the North
Dakota type, white lead alone is not entirely satisfactory. The addition
of zinc oxide to white lead forms paint that has proved much superior to
the white lead alone.
"It was conclusively demonstrated that mixtures of white lead and zinc
oxide, properly blended with moderate percentages of reinforcing
pigments, such as asbestine, barytes, silica and calcium carbonate, are
most satisfactory from every standpoint, and are superior to mixtures of
prime white pigments not reinforced with inert pigments.
"The white leads painted out on the 1908 fence exhibited different
degrees of checking, the mild-process lead and sublimed white lead which
presented the best surfaces, being free from checking, while the
old-process leads seemed to show very deep and marked checking, even
after one year's wear.
[Illustration: Corroded White Lead
Sublimed White Lead
Condition of Two White Leads on Two Grades of Wood]
[Illustration: Photomicrographic Apparatus and Method of Use]
CONDENSED REPORT OF INSPECTION OF "1906" TEST FENCE
FARGO, N. D., NOV. 19-23, 1909
_No gloss shown by any of the paints. Formulas in white on white pine
only included here, on east side of fence_
==+=========================================================================++
T| FORMULAS ||
e+--------------------------------------------+----------------------------++
s| PIGMENT | VEHICLE ||
t+--------------------------------------------+----------------------------++
|Corroded |Linseed Oil ||
N|White Lead | |Turp. and Drier ||
o| |Sublimed | | |Japan Drier ||
.| |White Lead | | | |Water ||
| | |Zinc Oxide | | | | |Benzine ||
| | | |Calcium | | | | |Drier ||
| | | |Carbonate | | | | | |Vola-||
| | | | |Silica and | | | | | |tile ||
| | | | |Silicates | | | | | |Oil ||
| | | | | |Barium Sulphate | | | | | | ||
| | | | | | |Magnesium | | | | | | ||
| | | | | | |Silicate | | | | | | ||
| | | | | | | |Clay and | | | | | | ||
| | | | | | | |Silica | | | | | | ||
| | | | | | | | |Bary-| | | | | | ||
| | | | | | | | |tes | | | | | | ||
| | | | | | | | |and | | | | | | ||
| | | | | | | | |Sili-| | | | | | ||
| | | | | | | | |cate | | | | | | ||
--+-----+-----+----+----+---+----+---+---+-----+----+----+--+----+----+-----++
| % | % | % | % | %| % | %| %| % | % | % | %| % | % | % ||
1|100 | -- | -- | -- | --| -- | --| --| -- | -- | -- |--| -- | -- | -- ||
2| -- |100 | -- | -- | --| -- | --| --| -- | -- | -- |--| -- | -- | -- ||
3| 50 | -- |50 | -- | --| -- | --| --| -- |90 |10 |--| -- | -- | -- ||
4| -- | 60 |40 | -- | --| -- | --| --| -- |90 | -- |10| -- | -- | -- ||
5| 28.7| -- |71.3| -- | --| -- | --| --| -- |93 | 7 |--| -- | -- | -- ||
6| 40.2| -- |50.3| 4.1|5.4| -- | --| --| -- |90.7| 9.3|--| -- | -- | -- ||
7| 21.9| 21.9|45.8|10.4| --| -- | --| --| -- |89.6| 9.7|--| 0.7| -- | -- ||
8| 44.1| -- |46.0| 4.6| --| -- |5.3| --| -- |86.0|12.6|--| 1.4| -- | -- ||
9| In gray only No report. ||
10| 13.9| -- |34.9|26.8| --| -- | --| --| 24.4|72.2| -- |--|24.0| 3.8| -- ||
11| 55.0| -- |15.2| -- | --| -- | --| --| 29.8| Test not finished ||
12| -- | 5.1|25.0| -- | --| -- | --| --| 69.9| -- | -- |--| -- | -- | -- ||
13| -- | -- |31.3|45.4| --|22.8| --|0.5| -- |57.2| -- |--|16.1|26.7| -- ||
14| 34.8| 5.4|59.2| -- | --| -- | --| --| -- |86.0|13.7|--| 0.3| -- | -- ||
15| -- | -- |64 | -- | --|36 | --| --| -- |98 | -- |--| -- | -- | 2 ||
==+=====+=====+====+====+===+====+===+===+=====+====+====+==+====+====+=====++
==+==============================================
| REPORT OF CONDITION
+--------+-----------+-------+-------+---------
T| | | | |
e| | | | |
s| | | | |
t| | | | |
| | | | |
N| | | | |CONDITION
o|CHALKING|CHECKING |HIDING |COLOR |FOR RE-
.| | |POWER | |PAINTING
--+--------+-----------+-------+-------+---------
1|Very bad|Extremely |Good |Good |Only fair
| |deep | | |
2|Bad |Very slight|Good |Light |Fair
| | | |yellow-|
| | | |ish |
| | | |tint |
3|Medium |Fine matt--|Good |Fair |Fair to
| |deep in | | |good
| |places | | |
4|Medium |Surface |Good |Good |Fair
| |checking, | | |
| |very slight| | |
5|Slight |Quite deep |Medium |Good |Poor.
| | | | |Coating
| | | | |wrinkled
| | | | |and hard
6|Medium |Slight |Good |Good |Good
| |surface | | |
| |checking | | |
7|Medium |Surface |Fair |Good |Slight
| |checking | | |shelling
| |with slight| | |from wood
| |cracking | | |
8|Medium |Very slight| Good |Good |Good
9| | | | |
10|Slight |Very bad | Bad condition throughout.
11| | | | |
12|Medium |Medium |Defici-|Good |Shelling
| | |ent | |from wood
13| Worst looking surface in North Dakota tests.
14|Medium |Slight |Fair |Good |Good
| |surface | | |
| |checking | | |
| |and peeling| | |
15|Slight |Lateral |Good |Good |Hard film
| |cracking | | |
| |quite deep | | |
==+========+===========+=======+=======+=========
CONDENSED REPORT OF INSPECTION OF "1907" TEST FENCE
FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, NOV. 19-23, 1909
===+==========================================================================
T | FORMULAS
e +-------------------------------------------+------------------------------
s | PIGMENT | VEHICLE
t +-------------------------------------------+------------------------------
|Corroded White Lead |Linseed Oil
N | |Sublimed White Lead | |Turpentine
o | | |Zinc Oxide | |Drier
. | | | |Calcium Carbonate | | |Turpentine
| | | | |Aluminum and | | |and
| | | | |Magnesium Silicate | | |Japan
| | | | | |Barytes | | | |Water
| | | | | | |Silica | | | | |Turpentine
| | | | | | | |Inert | | | | |and Benzine
| | | | | | | | |Magnesium | | | | |Japan Drier
| | | | | | | | |Silicate | | | | | |Drier
| | | | | | | | | |Calcium| | | | | | |Vola-
| | | | | | | | | |Sul- | | | | | | |tile
| | | | | | | | | |phate | | | | | | |Oil
| | | | | | | | | | |Zinc| | | | | | | |[B]
| | | | | | | | | | |Lead| | | | | | | |
---+----+---+----+---+--+--+----+--+---+--+----+----+----+--+----+--+--+--+---
1| 30 | --|70 |-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- |93 | 7 |--| -- |--|--|--|--
2| 50 | --|50 |-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- |86 | -- |10| 4 |--|--|--|--
3| 20 | 20|50 |10 |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- |90 | -- |--| -- |10|--|--|--
4|48.5| --|48.5| 3 |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- |83 | -- |--| -- |17|--|--|--
5| 22 | --|50 | 2 |26|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- |90 | -- |--| -- |--|10|--|--
6| -- | --|64 |-- |--|36| -- |--|-- |--| -- |98 | -- |--| -- |--|--| 2|--
7| 37 | --|63 |-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- |85 |13 |--| 2 |--|--|--|--
8| 38 | --|48 |-- |--|--|14 |--|-- |--| -- |91 | 9 |--| -- |--|--|--|--
9| -- | --|73 | 2 |--|--|25 |--|-- |--| -- |66 |-- |--|12 |22|--|--|--
10| 44 | --|46 | 5 |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- |86.0|12.5|--| 1.5|--|--|--|--
11| 50 | --|50 |-- |--|--| -- |--| 5 |--| -- |78 |22 |--| -- |--|--|--|--
12| 60 | --|34 |-- |--|--| -- | 6|-- |--| -- |91 | 7 |--| 2 |--|--|--|--
13| -- | 60|27 | 3 |--|--| -- |--|10 |--| -- |90 | -- |--| -- |--|10|--|--
14| 25 | 20|25 | 5 |--|--| -- |--|-- |25| -- |90 | -- | 6| -- |--|--|--| 4
15| -- | 20|40 |10 |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| 30 |90 | -- | 8| 2 |--|--|--|--
16| 33 | --|33 |-- |--|34| -- |--|-- |--| -- |90 | -- |10| -- |--|--|--|--
17|100 |(Type A)|-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- | -- | -- |--| -- |--|--|--|--
18|100 |( " B)|-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- | -- | -- |--| -- |--|--|--|--
19|100 |( " C)|-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- | 10 gal. oil |--|--|--|--
| | | | | | | | | | | reduction | | | |
20| -- |100| -- |-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- | -- | -- |--| -- |--|--|--|--
21| -- | --|100 |-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- | -- | -- |--| -- |--|--|--|--
22| -- | --| -- |-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--|100 | -- | -- |--| -- |--|--|--|--
23|100 |(Type C)|-- |--|--| -- |--|-- |--| -- | 5-1/2 gal. oil reduction for
| | | | | | | | | | | | priming
24| 37.|7. |25. |20.|--|--|8.42| (Michigan Seal | -- |--| -- |--|--|--|--
| 51 |84 |87 |36 | | | | White Lead) | | | | | | |
25| 38.|4. |33. |19.|--|--|3.18|(Railway White| -- | -- |--| -- |--|--|--|--
| 95 |81 |58 |48 | | | | Lead) | | | | | | | |
200|15. | --|-- | 1.|--|--| -- |--| 1.|--|43. |32. | 4. |--| 1. |--|--|--|--
|625 | | |875| | | | |250| |750 |250 |000 | |250 | | | |
===+====+===+====+===+==+==+====+==+===+==+===+====+=====+==+====+==+==+==+===
[B] = Benzine
===+=========+=========================================
T | | REPORT OF CONDITION
e | +------------+------+------+--------------
s | | | | |
t | | | | |
| | | | |
N | | | | |
o | | | | |
. | | | | |
|CHALKING |CHECKING |HIDING|COLOR |CONDITION FOR
| | |POWER | |REPAINTING
---+---------+------------+------+------+--------------
1|Medium |Considerable|Fair |Fair |Poor surface;
| |with lateral| | |too hard
| |cracking | | |
2|Medium |Considerable|Good |Fair |Rather poor
| |with lateral| | |
| |cracking | | |
3|Bad |Medium-- |Good |Good |Fair
| |scaling some| | |
4|Medium |Considerable|Good |Good |Medium
| |with lateral| | |
| |cracking | | |
5|Slight |Slight |Good |Good |Good
6|Medium |Considerable|Medium|Medium|Fair
7|Consider-|Present; |Fair |Fair |Poor
|able |long cracks | | |
8|Slight |Surface |Good |Good |Fair
| |checking | | |
9|Not |Considerable|Medium|Good |Medium
|evident |with lateral| | |
| |cracking | | |
10|Medium |Very slight |Good |Good |Good
11|Slight |Lateral |Fair |Fair |Fair
| |cracking | | |
12|Consider-|Present with|Fair |Fair |Not very good
|able |slight | | |
| |cracking and| | |
| |scaling | | |
13|Medium |Surface |Good |Good |Good
| |checking | | |
| |only | | |
14|Consider-|Considerable|Medium|Fair |Medium; some
|able |with lateral| | |washing shown
| |cracking | | |
15|Medium |Medium |Good |Good |Medium
16|Medium |Slight; some|Fair |Good |Medium
| |shelling | | |
17|Bad |Alligator- |Good |Fair |Poor
| |ing; deep | | |
| |checking | | |
18|Bad |Alligator- |Fair |Fair |Poor
| |ing; deep | | |
| |checking | | |
19|Bad |Deep |Good |Fair |Poor
20|Consider-|Slight |Good |Fair |Fair
|able | | | |
21|Not |Consider- |Fair |Good |Poor
|evident |able; slight| | |
| |cracking; | | |
| |scaling | | |
22|Medium |Lateral |Good |Good |Fair
| |cracking; | | |
| |split | | |
23|Bad |Medium deep |Good |Good |Fair
24|Consider-|Slight; |Fair |Good |Good
|able |lateral | | |
| |cracking | | |
25|Consider-|Some; |Fair |Good |Excellent
|able |lateral | | |
| |cracking | | |
200|Medium |Bad cracking|Good |Good |Fair
===+=========+============+======+======+==============
"As before stated, the committee believes that a serious mistake was
made on the test fence in painting out the leads and other formulas on
the various woods without any special attention to reduction to suit the
nature of the wood, thus accounting largely for the difference of the
wearing of the paints on the different woods.
"The reduction of the white leads especially was to be criticised in
these tests, in many cases too much oil and not sufficient turpentine
being present to cause penetration.
"The application of paint to cedar was satisfactory in most all cases,
and this wood showed much better results than the other woods upon the
fences. The exudation of resinous pitch on the hard pine was extremely
serious, in some cases coming through the paint in large streaks,
causing bad results.
"It is to be regretted that the house repainting tests which were
conducted are of no special value, inasmuch as no information is on file
as to the composition of the old paints originally on the houses before
the application of the test paints. Imperfections in the old coating,
such as excessive chalking, deep checking, scaling, rosin exudations,
etc., affected the subsequent coats in such a manner as to prevent any
knowledge of where the new and old paint troubles began. The committee,
therefore, omitted a detailed inspection of such tests.
"Examination of the three houses which were painted over new wood showed
results which correspond with the results obtained from the fence tests.
That is, they showed the ultimate value of high type mixtures of several
pigments over one pigment alone. These tests seem to indicate that very
good results can be secured from most of the paints sold in North
Dakota. If the consumer or householder would exercise more care in the
selection of wood and preparation of surfaces, with due regard to the
proper reduction for various coats, more satisfactory results would be
obtained.
"From an examination of certain paints on the 1908 fence containing
petroleum spirits, it would appear that this paint thinner is of value,
and in the face of conditions such as are presented by the present
scarcity of turpentine, the use of petroleum spirits in moderate
quantity would be justified."
NORTH DAKOTA TESTS
[Illustration: 1. Formula No. 21, Section 31, on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 2. Section 80, on 1908 Fence]
[Illustration: 3. Formula No. 6, Section 9, on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 4. Formula No. 2, Section 3, on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 5. Formula No. 1, Section 1, on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 6. Formula No. 14, Section 21, on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 7. Formula No. 13, Panel 19, on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 8. Formula No. 19, Panel 28. Broad, Deep Checking on
Corroded White Lead on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 9. Formula No. 24, Panel 36, on 1907 Fence. Good
Condition. Surface Checking Only]
[Illustration: 10. Formula No. 25, Section 37, on 1907 Fence. Good
Condition. Surface Checking Only]
[Illustration: 11. Formula No. 8, Panel 12, on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 12. Formula No. 10, Panel 15, on 1907 Fence]
[Illustration: 13. Panel No. 34, Formula 23, on 1907 Fence. Deep
Checking on Corroded White Lead]
[Illustration: 14. Test No. 13 on 1906 Fence. White Spots Show Paint
Left on Wood. Balance of Paint Split and Disintegrated from Surface]
[Illustration: 15. Test No. 6 on 1906 Fence. Surface Checking Only]
[Illustration: 16. Test No. 2, 1906 Fence. Sublimed White Lead]
[Illustration: 17. Cracks in Test No. 15 on 1906 Fence]
[Illustration: 18. Effect of Cracking on Hard Pine, Causing Splitting of
Painting Coating]
[Illustration: 19. Formula No. 22, Section 23, 1907 Fence. Cracks in
Paint Coating, Caused by Cracks in Wood; Coating Otherwise in Good
Condition]
[Illustration: 20. Test No. 8, on 1906 Fence. Surface Checking Only]
[Illustration: 21. Combination Cracking and Checking on Section 69, on
1908 Fence]
[Illustration: 22. Cracks in Paint Coating, Caused by Cracking of Hard
Pine Wood]
[Illustration: 23. Section 65 on 1908 Fence. Showing Early Breakdown of
Corroded White Lead]