514

THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE. Book II.

conditions, so tliat one has less aflinity for oxygen tlian the other, the contact of the former
makes the latter oxidate more rapidly. In general, hard and crystalline iron is less oxi-
dable than ductile and fibrous iron. Cast iron and steel decompose rajjidly in Wiirm
or
impure sea water. The purest and the most malleable irons are the most easily attacked
hy sea water, v/ien itsed alone
;
for it is to be observed that the fine grained, crystalline,
white and britile metal, wliich usually resists the action of air and water most succL'ssfully,
is also the most easily attacked by the dilute acids present in the woods so often used in
connection with iron in ship building, or in timber structures in s.a water. Tbe most
extreme care, and the greatest practical skill, are therefore recjuired in the s-lection of the
irons to be used in certain positions. To R. Mallet we are indebted for a valuable com-
munication to the Institute of Civil Enginei'rs in May 1840, On the Corrosion
of
Cast and
Wrought Iron in Water, under protected and unprotected states : an abstract is given in
the Civil Engineer Journal, iii.
p. 424, from the Proceedings of the Institute.
1779a. In the Reports of the British Association, 1S4.3 and 18-19, Mallet, On Corron<in
of
Iron, further states tliat iron kept constantly in a state of vibration oxidates less rapidly
tlian that which is at rest, 'i'hus the rails of a railway on which a constant traffic runs,
do not rust so quickly as those on which there may be no traffic.
17796. Spencer, Iron, its actire and inactive states, read before the Liverpool Polytechnic
Society, stated that '"It required a mixture of air and water, or what is usually termed
dampness, to i)roduce rust on iron

one witliout the other would not do it. Steel filings

became rusty in water, because they absorbed the oxygen in tlie water; if a second quan-
tity of filings be put in, they would not rust, as tliere was no more oxygen. A coating of
carbon ertWctually prevents iron from oxidation, and it can protect it from a body so strong
as even aijua-fortis itself If tlie aqua-furtis be diluted with water, the protective power
no longer exists. The slightest sciatih or abjasion on the surface of the metal also pre-
vented the action of the ])rotecting influence. A jjiece of solid carbon also imparts a pro-
tective property to iron, little short of tiiat given to it by platinum."
177 9c. Sugar exercises a material influence on iron and other metals : Alhenaum, Sept.
1853 and May 1854.
1779(/. Tiie iron wire suspension bridges of France, which have fallen within the last
fMw years, appear to have done so principally through the oxidation of the wires in tlic
])ortion |)assiiig into the anchoring wells : tliis was notoriously the case with the bridge at
Angers. The constant state of humidity i)revaiiing in these wells must so iner or later
ha\e rusted the wires, and although the precaution, recommended liy \'ic<it, of surrounding
the cal)ies with rich lime had been adopted, tlie vibration of the iiridge had detached ilie
cables from their sujjposed protecting case and the siuices between the wires allowed mois-
ture from the exterior to permeate the interior of tlie cable
;
at -Vng^rs the cables were
tiius almost entirely rusted through. In such places it is better to employ bar chains.
1779e. Before painting iron work it is usual to give it a coat of boiled linseed oil, ap-
jjlied hot ; it forms a kind of varnish, and is an excellent jireparation, and should be duuQ
after the blue shales are removed. I>ead paii.ts, when of good quality and mixed with
good oil without spirits, are recommended. As it is difhcult to test Loth oils and colourr,,
others jnefer iron oxide paints, espeeially as they are cheaper. Tar jjaints are used chiefly
for iron work out of sight; it is cheap, and is said not to foul so readily as lead or other
finer paints. A good rough paint is to be made by heating coal tar and mixing with it
finely sifted slaked lime, siiy three-ijuarters of a iioundof lime to a gallon of lar, and adding
naphtiia to render it of a convenient consistency for layiiig on; it must not be allow eil
to get too hot, and is to be used hot. Where sanding is possible, it adds to iis durabiiity.
1780. The following recomuieiidations have been made for preserving iron. I. Boiliuir
the iron in coal t.ir, especially if the pieces have first been heated lo the tunperature of
imlting lead. II. Heating the pieces to the teiiiperalure of meliiug lead and sinearin'.^
th ir surfaces whilst hot with cold linseed oil, which dries and forms a \arnish. 'lids is
recommended by Smeat .n, and is a good preparation for painting upon.
i780a. III. Painting with white lead in oil, which must be renewed from time to time.
Mr. John Bralthvvaite has stated that his father had used red lead for fifty years with good
result; wiiile kad was of no use, as theacid used in the preparation of it jiroduced swelling
efleets. He had placed rods in a well 200 feet deep forty-five yiars since, having ])ainted
them with jmre red lead, and on taking tlum up in \
(',:',
he found that thiir weight was
jirecisely the same. Red lead and one-third litharge made into paint with nut oil will
last longer than when mixed with linsetd oil. Iron heated and covered with mineral
bitumen or asphaltum in the solid state had resisted a moist atin sphere for fifteen years
;
the natural asplialtum was the best, the Tujuid asphalte not answering so well; with all
other ina'erials the rust had penetrated beneath. C. H. Smith, in a communication to
the Builder, 18()4, p. 318, brought forward the advantages of lime whiting as a preserva-
tive of iron I'rom rust. In support of the use of lime, he notices that polished steel goods
may be
preserved by beating a little ]iowdcred lime upon them
;
and that bricklayers
dlwa^s smear their bright tronels even with damp mortar when leaving work.