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Hawdwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



Novemlior 25. 1917 



Letters from a Panel User 



ABOUT FINISHING 



Monroe, Mich.. November 22, 1917. 



A century ago the cabinetmaker was supposed to manufacture 

 furniture from the log without machinery. He did his own finish- 

 ing and mixed hia stains from such colors as were available. Little 

 attention was given to grain, usually a very dark finish was applied 

 so as to hide the beautiful grain of the wood. 



Changes have taken place within the past hundred years, but 

 some finishers still kill the beauties of the wood with colors which 

 are an eyesore to everyone. 



When will we ever wake up and adopt standard colors one 



shade of mahogany, golden oak, walnut, as well as other finishes? 

 Furniture dealers throughout the country have protested for years 

 against the desecration of wood, but their appeals were never 

 taken seriously. A few of the progressive manufacturers, appre- 

 ciating that success is possible only through co-operation, changed 

 their colors so that the beauties of the veneer and solid wood were 

 visible. They engaged finishers who possessed artistic tempera- 

 ments and the result of improved finish w^as surprising. When 

 people saw the beauties of the grain of the wood, veneers so 

 artistically matched, they decided that plain furniture, pianos, etc., 

 is what they wanted. No more artistic carving. This also resulted 

 in quite a boost for the panel manufacturer. Price became sec- 

 ondary. The progressive manufacturers requested panels showing 

 the beauties of nature, the panels to be well made and properly 

 sanded. The panel manufacturer on the other hand experienced 

 no trouble getting reasonable prices. He realized, though, that 

 he must purchase the finest woods available. Most manufacturers 

 of panels have made money because they supplied the demand w^ith 

 the class of material that w^as wanted. No effort w^as too great for 

 them. 



It is to be regretted that there are many finishers and finishing 

 room foremen who will not listen, who will not read and who w^ill 

 not apply the latest colors in finishing. Many of them will say: 

 "What does the old man know^ about finishing, anyway? He has 

 been cooped in his office for years. 1 apply this stuff every day 

 and have worked at the trade for years." 



Different woods require different methods of finishing. For 

 instance, mahogany does not sand so smoothly as oak and other 

 hardwoods. The fine hair-like fibers will bend beneath the sand- 

 paper, and when some are cut off others rise to take their places. 

 This, of course, requires careful attention. You would not expe- 

 rience this with oak. I would suggest that only men understand- 

 ing their business be instructed to do this sanding. No matter 

 how^ good your finish may be, unless these fibers are removed, the 

 job w^ill be unsatisfactory. Poor or improper sanding during and 

 before finishing may result in the loss of the sale of the piece. 



Mahogany stains are the most common used in furniture, piano, 

 and other factories, and more or less for interior finishing. 



One of the greatest problems of the finisher is to take account 

 of the difference between the color of the solid wood and the 

 veneered. Again, the solid pieces of wood entering into the con- 

 struction of the piece of furniture may have been taken from 

 different trees, so the finisher is up against it. His color may be 

 right but some pieces may absorb more stain than others. This 

 is particularly true on birch w^ork where the stiles are of birch 

 and the panels veneered mahogany. In such cases I would suggest 

 two stain solutions, the one a little darker than the other. Very 

 good results are obtained in coating the birch with two coats of 

 stain and the veneered panels w^ith one coat. No rules can be 

 established — experience and common sense should determine the 

 method of finishing and the mixtures of the stain solutions. 



Success in running the finishing room, which means getting per- 

 fect work at a low^ cost, can be reached only along one road. Each 

 operation must be properly done before the next is started. The 

 finisher or finishing foreman must be a Sherlock Holmes. He 

 must see everything at a glance. 



In many finishing rooms boys are employed to do the sanding. 



Alt Three of Ut WUl Be Benefited if You Mention HARDWOOD RECORD 



