Also claire-cole. [ad. F. claire colle clear glue or size.] A preparation of size mixed with whiting or white-lead used as a first coating in house-painting; a coating of size to promote the adherence of gold-leaf in gilding. Hence Clear-cole v., to apply clear-cole to.
1823. P. Nicholson, Pract. Build., 417. Clearcole and Finish, which is the cheapest kind of painting. The whole is painted over with a preparation of whiting and size to form the ground. Over this a coat of oil-color, prepared with lead, called the finish, is laid.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., I. 563. In oil-gilding, a coat of clear-cole is laid on intermediate between the white stuff and the oil gold-size.
1842–76. Gwilt, Archit., § 2273. There is a process used by painters termed clear-coleing, which is executed with white lead ground in water, and mixed with size.
