SCIENCE 
IS 
KNOWLEDGE. 
KNOWLEDGE 
IS 
POWER. 
A PRACTICAL JOURNAL OF 
HOME ARTS. 
Vol. II. 
NEW YORK, OCTOBER, 1879. 
No. 10. 
French Polish. 
OWEYER much 
may be said 
against the bril- 
liancy of French 
polish and in ad- 
vocacy of the 
^'dead " finish 
which of late 
years has become 
so fashionable, 
there can hardly 
be any question as 
to the great beauty 
of a finely finished 
surface. The grain of the wood comes out 
so distinctly and beautifully that for orna- 
mental articles, at least, nothing can com- 
pare with it. The art is not difficult to 
learn, though at first the amateur must 
expect to meet with many failures. There 
is no secret about the matter, but there is 
a certain knack which can only be acquired 
by practice, but which when once learnt 
is never forgotten. No attempt at scrap- 
ing, sandpapering or polishing veneered 
work must be made till the glue is perfectly 
dry and hard. It should be left twenty- 
four hours in a warm room at least, and 
better still if left two or three times as 
long. 
The processes for French polishing vary 
somewhat according to ohe nature of the 
wood. For common work in deal, the 
wood may be well sized first, then papered 
with fine sandpaper, and polished. 
For mahogany, walnut, and similar por- 
ous woods, the pores must be filled by 
rubbing in, on a roller of old carpet, a 
mixture of Russian tallow (that is, tallow 
free from salt) and plaster of paris, well 
amalgamated — before the fire in cold 
weather. Russian tallow may be had at 
most oil shops generally pure enough ; but 
if the presence of salt is suspected, refine 
it by boiling it in plenty of water, stirring- 
it well, and skimming it. Set it by to 
cool, and use the cake of tallow which will 
be at the top. 
The more this filling-up process is per- 
severed in, the less will be the subsequent 
labor in polishing ; quite a bright surface 
should be got up by this alone. The mix- 
ture of tallow and plaster may be darkened 
with red lead for mahogany, or other col- 
oring matter, according to fancy. 
This filling is not necessary for boxwood, 
ebony, or others of the hard woods. 
