On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 18:44:26 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

What types of paint were you thinking about when you wrote that, Andy?

No idea what it's made out of, but it's dark coloured internal woodwork
paint of around 1900, as commonly found in most of the houses I've ever
lived in. You go near this stuff with any source of heat (gas or
electric) and one moment it's soft and scrapeable, the next it's runny
and staining into the timber. If you run a scraper over it when it's
runny you get a permanent smear into the timber and you'll never shift
it without sanding the whole surface off. Dreadful stuff to remove - one
of the few things I take off and have tank stripped.

I imagine it's linseed and probably lead.