Paint Memorabilia Corner
Custodians of Our Past
Painting in Partnership has been collecting and rescuing paint memorabilia since 1990.
Painting is a field of human endeavor that has existed since the caveman. It grows out of a need for people to personalize their living space, make it meaningful and expressive of who they are.
Over time, tools have evolved and paint mediums have become much more sophisticated and complex. Painting belongs to human history! As an extension of our role as Custodians of the Past, Painting in Partnership sees it as important to preserve paint memorabilia and tell the stories associated with those items.
This Paint Memorabilia Corner is the depository for the stories and pictures of some of the items in our collection.
"Paint Shop" at the Paris Paint Museum.
Can You Spot the Calcimine Brush?
A Calcimine Brush from the 1920's
Popeye's Own Brush
Calcimine was a precursor to latex paint and was only applied by brush. It was also known as Kalsomine or distemper paint. It was made out of dried calcium carbonate, water, glue and colorants. Calcimine was used as a wash for walls and ceilings. It was commonly used throughout the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century. It was an inexpensive way of freshening up a room.
The Calcimine brush we are featuring is 17" long. The handle alone is 9" and the bristles, a good 6". It was a great workout tool to build up Popeye forearms!
In 2000, Mario Guertin, owner of Painting In Partnership, had the opportunity to represent the United States at an international painting contractor conference in Paris. During that trip, Mario met the founder of the Painting Museum in Paris. Knowing of Mario's interest in old paint stuff, he gave Mario many pieces of French memorabilia. Upon Mario's return, as a thank you, Mario sent him one of his two Calcimine brushes to display at the museum in Paris.
In 2004, Mario visited the Paint Museum in Paris again. Sure enough, his Calcimine brush was proudly displayed in the paint shop portion of the museum, forever preserved, as seen in the picture at the top of the page.
Stipple Brushes from the 1920’s and 1930’s
Stipple brushes come in different shapes, material and sizes.
They were often made out of China bristles, sometimes rubber and even horse or hog hair. They were generally large in size, commonly 6 to 10 inches in length.
Shapes varied from round, square or rectangular. Smaller versions of the same brushes were made to stipple small areas, like between window casings or above doorways.
The Dutch Boy Stands Guard over Large Stipple Brushes
Three Sizes of Rubber Stipple Brushes to Reach any Space, and a Stencil Stipple Brush
Wall stipple brushes served a few different functions. First, before the rollers were invented, stipple brushes were sometimes used to go over wet paint to eliminate the brush marks.
More commonly, wall stipple brushes were used to produce decorative finishes with glazes or texture paints. Smaller, round and tightly packed versions were also used to force paint through the openings of stencils.
To this day, stipple brushes continue to be in vogue as a decorative finishing tool.
Antique Moisture Meters
Ascertaining the level of moisture in a substrate has long been a concern for house painters and many other trades, be it wood, plaster, concrete or drywall. There are two types of moisture meters. The most common one measures the electrical resistance of the substrate; the more moisture there is, the lower the resistance will be. This type of meter uses two electrodes that are driven into the substrate. The output of the moisture meter is translated into a scale or dial on the device. The greater the moisture level, the higher the number on the scale will be.
Basic Moisture Meter from the 1920s
Moisture Meter from the 1940s
Here are two generations of electrical resistance moisture meters. The first one is from the 1920’s and was made by the L.R. Bradley & Co. of New York. The device used 45 volt batteries. You set the dial on the device to the maximum moisture level permitted for that substrate. A light turns on if the moisture is higher than that level.
The second moisture meter was called the “Midget Wood Meter” and was made by Weston Electrical Instruments, Corp. of Newark, New Jersey. Using the mallet provided, the pins were driven into the wood and the moisture level was displayed on the dial. This meter was from the 1940’s or 50’s era.
Newly cut wood can have moisture content of 80% or more. Painting wood when the moisture content is elevated will surely cause paint failure, because the moisture will prevent the paint from adhering to the substrate.
