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product  is  imported  from  Central  America  and  the  West  Indies. 
We  have  a few  specimens  of  these  trees  about  Honolulu.  It 
does  well  in  most  warm  regions  of  the  earth. 
Other  dye-woods  worthy  of  mention  are  red  sanders,  orchella 
wood,  safflower  and  nut-galls. 
Many  coloring  materials  are  to  be  obtained  from  common  plants. 
The  well  known  blueberry,  when  boiled  down  with  a little  alum 
and  a solution  of  copperas,  will  develop  an  excellent  blue  color; 
treated  in  the  same  manner  with  a solution  of  nut-galls,  it  pro- 
duces 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  ex- 
cess is  wiped  off  with  a cloth  in  a few  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  sandpaper  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  scraping  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  impossible  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  after  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 
sandarach,  gum  copal,  gum  mastic,  or  a combination  of  mixed 
gums. ' 
Alcohol  and  gum  shellac  also  make  a good  spirit  varnish.  More 
quickly  drying  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,  although  it  takes  longer  to  dry. 
A wax  polish  proves  quite  satisfactory  on  many  kinds  of  woods. 
The  ingredients  are  beeswax  and  turpentine  with  more  or  less 
