The Finishing of Woods 



of the trade. Not just any old rag, but one specialised and 

 mellowed by long years of use. "French polish" is the highest 

 art in the finishing of woods. 



Good taste prefers the soft, waxy lustre to the gleaming 

 surface of new varnish. A rag. with rotten stone to dip it in 

 occasionally, and patient, long-continued rubbing, eliminates 

 "the vulgar shine." Soft pine, stained red, varnished, then 

 "pummied" (rubbed with powdered pumice stone), gives a very 

 satisfactory cherry finish. 



Wax polishing is a dull finish, made simply by saturating 

 the surface of coarse-grained woods with melted beeswax mixed 

 with turpentine. Rosin added makes a harder surface. One 

 rag rubs in the polish. Another wipes off all excess. A third 

 rag polishes the surface. It is a laborious method, but it pays 

 in utility and looks. Oak dining tables, if varnished, turn white 

 where hot dishes touch them. Wax polishing is not discoloured 

 by heat, so it is preferable. 



Oil polishing is very often seen in the finishing of handsome 

 hard pine. As much pure linseed oil as the smoothed surface 

 will absorb; then rub, rub, rub! This brightens the rich orange 

 red of the grain and makes the intricate and beautiful patterns 

 of it stand out with striking clearness through the transparent 

 dressing. A soft lustre follows persistent rubbing. This process 

 is by no means restricted to pine. Any wood with handsome 

 grain warrants the oil finish. 



Glaring is a process used in finishing fretwork which cannot 

 be reached by the polishing rag or that is too frail to be rubbed. 

 Spindles of fancy chairs and cabinets, grilled archways and the 

 like require it, while the rest of the article is polished. Inlay 

 work is often glazed. The preparation is made of some choice 

 gum dissolved in methylated spirits. This enamelling of wood 

 to a china-like finish is comparable to the lacquer work of the 

 Japanese artisans, a secret process which produces, from the 

 milky juice of a tree closely related to our own poison sumach, a 

 coating that resembles patent leather on boxes and innumerable 

 fancy articles made out of the soft, white magnolia wood. 



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