26 Laboratory Arts 



As a rule, water stains are superior to spirit stains, producing a 

 more evenly coloured surface with greater ease, and not being 

 liable to show streaks of heavier colour. 



The simplest preservative of woodwork is shellac varnish. This 

 is made by soaking flake shellac in methylated spirit twenty-four 

 hours, then stirring and shaking frequently and vigorously until a 

 homogeneous liquid is produced. To this about 5 per cent, raw 

 linseed oil is added, and the varnish is ready for use. The glass- 

 papered surface is rubbed with raw linseed oil on a piece of cheese 

 cloth, and allowed to stand for a few minutes. The varnish is then 

 applied with a wide camel-hair brush, and it should not be stinted 

 in quantity, as whatever does not soak in, may be used up by 

 brushing it to a new portion. A few minutes will serve to dry it 

 completely, and any depth of colour may be obtained by repeating 

 the varnishing. 



Hardwoods are not treated with coarse glass-paper, the labour 

 being too great, and the scratches produced being difficult to 

 remove. The surface is first scraped by pushing over it a 3" x 2" 

 piece of saw steel, with absolutely square edges this being 

 inclined slightly to the wood, and bent across the thumbs (Fig. 23). 



Light shavings or par- 

 ings are thus removed, 

 and these may be taken 

 from any projecting 

 fibre, reducing it at once 

 to the plane of the 

 surface. 



FIG. 23. Having removed all 



plane marks, fine glass- 

 paper is used as before, and the surface brought to any desired 

 state of fineness. In hard woods, which are frequently porous, 

 the dust from the glass-paper helps to fill up the pores, and so 

 produce a better surface, but in no case are hard woods suitably 

 treated with shellac varnish. They should either be oiled or 

 French polished. 



Teak and oak may be oiled or wax-polished with advantage. 

 Raw linseed oil containing 5 per cent, of white wax melted in and 

 allowed to cool, is applied on cheese cloth as before, and, when this 

 has soaked in, the surface is well polished with a linen cloth. The 

 surface so produced is a very pleasing one, and has the advantage 

 that dust does not collect upon it readily, and that it does not 

 become dull, though, of course, it never will be very bright. Oak 

 to be so polished should be previously rubbed with a dilute solution 



