Timbers. 



222 



[March, 1910. 



Other dye-woods worthy of mention 

 are redsanders, orchella weed, safflower 

 and nut-galls. 



Many colouring materials are to be 

 obtained from common plants. The 

 well-known blueberry, wheu boiled down 

 with a little alum and a solution of 

 copperas [sulphate of copperj, will deve- 

 lop an excellent blue colour ; treated in 

 the same manner with a solution of nut- 

 galls, it produces a dark brown tint ; 

 with alum verdigris and sal-ammoniac, 

 various shades of purple and red can be 

 obtained from it. A good green stain is 

 obtained from broom corn, 



Stain is usually applied with a brush, 

 sponge or cloth, and on surfaced work, 

 where the grain of the wood is to show, 

 the excess is wiped off with a cloth in 

 a lew minutes after the application. 



After a piece of wood has been stained, 

 it can be given one or more coats of 

 white shellac, smoothed with fine sand- 

 paper and varnished. Varnish is a 

 viscid liquid, consisting of a solution of 

 resinous matter in oil or a volatile 

 liquid laid on work to give it a smooth 

 hard surface with a gloss. 



Manufacturers claim that varnish 

 should be used just as it is sold. While 

 it is true that it is a mistake to add 

 anything to the finer grade of varnish, 

 the poorer qualities are often too thick 

 to work freely without diluting. If it 

 is necessary, add turpentine until the 

 varnish spreads freely with a brush. 

 After varnishing, let it stand for at 

 least 24 hours, by which time the coat 

 will be hard, A coat of varnish over 

 one that is not hard will often result 

 in sweating which will necessitate scrap- 

 ing the work and recommencing the 

 job from the beginning. A good many 

 have shellac for the first coat to fill the 

 pores. 



To apply varnish properly requires a 

 good deal of practice, and it is impos- 

 sible to lay down rules that shall govern 

 the process. The inexperienced almost 

 invariably applies too much varnish and 

 the result is it cracks. Where several- 

 coats are given, rub each down with 

 fine sandpaper alter it dries so as to 

 give a smooth well filled surface for 

 the next. 



Spirit varnishes consist of alcohol and 

 a vegetable gum as gum saudarach, gum 

 copal, gum mastic, or a combination of 

 mixed gums. 



Alcohol and gum shellac also make a 

 good spirit varnish. More quickly dry- 

 ing varnishes are said to be made of 

 the gum cut with ether. . 



Linseed oil is the principal oil used 

 in the manufacture of oil varnish, This 

 varnish has a tendency to settle in a 

 more even layer after spreading, al- 

 though it takes longer to dry. 



A wax polish proves quite satisfactory 

 on many kinds of wood. The ingredi- 

 ents are beeswax and turpentine with 

 more or less rosin added to harden the 

 surface, but many do not add the rosin 

 at all. A good way to prepare the wax 

 is to melt the beeswax, and before it has 

 time to cool, add the turpentine. Cau- 

 tion is necessary as both the wax and 

 the turpentine are very volatile. As in 

 the stain, the turpentine is merely the 

 vehicle which enables the wax to be 

 easily applied. In a thin condition, it 

 may be laid on evenly over the work 

 with a stiff brush or rag. After the 

 wax has been spread the polish is ob- 

 tained by friction, and the more it is 

 rubbed, the brighter it will be. This 

 final rubbing should be done with a 

 hard, dry piece of canvas. 



For most good work, French polish is 

 to be preferred to all other finishes, as 

 finer results can be obtained by it. It 

 differs from varnish in that the resinous 

 material is applied with a rubber (a hard 



Ead of cloth) instead of with a brush. To 

 ecome a gcod polisher, skill and practice 

 are necessary as well as knowledge of 

 material . 



Polish requires that the pores of the 

 wood be properly filled in order to get 

 the smooth surface, fillers are used much 

 the same as for varnish. After the 

 fillers have thoroughly hardened, the 

 laying on of the polish, which is called 

 ^'bodying in" is begun. The way in 

 which this is done greatly affects the 

 appearance and durability of the gloss. 

 When the body is too thin the gloss soon 

 fades on account of the material sinking 

 into the wood, and when the body is too 

 thick it gives the finish the appearance 

 of varnish. 



The rubber is made of long strips of 

 cloth rolled tightly and bound with a 

 string or rubber band ; this is put into a 

 double thickness of cloth, linen prefer- 

 able, the ends of which are gathered up 

 and tied. This form of a rubber is not 

 very useful for mouldings, but a similar 

 wad can be made more pointed for the 

 purpose. Old rubbers, if well taken 

 care of, are better than new ones. They 

 should be kept in an air-tight receptacle. 



The process of applying the polish is 

 somewhat as follows :— The wad is 

 moistened with the polish and then 

 covered with a cloth which is brought 

 over the end smoothly, then rubbed 

 briskly across the grain to let the 



