Varnish and Varnishing 



Strange gums and oils and how they 

 are made into protective coatings 



By H. M. Beattie 



VARNISHES are of two kinds. Spirit 

 varnishes are made by dissolving 

 a gum, such as shellac, in alcohol, 

 but oil varnishes, in which class are 

 most of the varnishes we know com- 

 mercially, are made by cooking resinous 

 gums in oil, and adding thinners, such as 

 turpentine, or 

 a petroleum 

 product. 



The charac- 

 ter of the var- 

 nish depends 

 on the quali- 

 ties and prop- 

 erties of the 

 raw materials 

 used. Much 

 gum and little 

 oil produce the 

 hard, high gloss, 

 rubbing-var- 

 nishes used on 

 pianos and fur- 

 niture. Var- 

 nishes which 

 must be more 

 elastic and 

 tougher, but 

 which are not 

 exposed to the 

 weather, con- 

 tain a less pro- 

 portion of gum 

 to oil, while 

 the exterior 

 varnishes of all 

 kinds contain 

 the greatest 

 quantity of oil and are known as "long- 

 oil" varnishes. Varnish which is used on a 

 railway coach must have elastic qualities, 

 and must be able to withstand the ele- 

 ments better than the varnish used on a 

 chair, or on the interior trim of a house. 

 The varnish that is used on tables and 

 interior trim must be able to withstand 

 mor(! blows and rough treatment than 

 the carriage varnish. The varnish maker 

 has spent many years in developing a 



The long-leaf pine which grows in our Southern 

 States produces both turpentine and resin 



particular varnish for each particular pur- 

 pose, and while he makes a universal 

 varnish adaptable to almost any need, 

 experience has shown that for the best 

 work, a particular varnish manufactured 

 for a particular purpose always gives 

 more lasting satisfaction. 



Varnish Mak- 

 ing Begins in 

 New Zealand 



The gums 

 used in var- 

 nish come 

 mostly from 

 New Zealand 

 and from Af- 

 rica. The gum 

 from New Zea- 

 land is called 

 kauri gum and 

 is the best 

 known. It is a 

 semi-fossil 

 resin that has 

 been buried in 

 the ground, 

 many hun- 

 dreds of years. 

 It is sought for 

 in primitive 

 ways. Armed 

 with a long 

 iron rod, the 

 native prospec- 

 tor explores 

 the ground 

 sometimes to a 

 depth of six 

 feet. He can tell by touch when he strikes 

 gum. He then digs up the piece, which 

 may weigh a few ounces or many pounds. 

 He sorts this gum and sells it to the for- 

 eign middleman who in turn deals with 

 the varnish maker. The kauri gum is a 

 harder, tougher gum than the African 

 gum and commands a higher price. 



The oil most used in the manufacture of 

 varnish is linseed oil. Linseed oil is 

 obtained from flaxseed. Flaxseed has 



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