japanning. 
grounds, to (how the manner of laying on the priming, 
■or-under-coat, where any fuch is ufed. 
This priming is of the lame nature with that called 
■ zlcar-coating, or vulgarly clear-coaling, praftifed erroneoufly 
by houfe-painters; and condfls only in laying on and 
■drying in the moll even manner a competition of fize and 
v. hiting,- or fometimes lime iirdead of the latter. The 
common fize has been generally ufed for this purpofe ; 
but, where the work is of a nicer kind, it is better to em¬ 
ploy the glower’s or the parchment fize 5 and, if a third 
of ili'nglafs be added, it will be liill better; and, if not 
'laid on.too thick, much lefs liable to peel and crack. 
The work fliould be prepared for this priming, by being 
-■well fmoothed with the fifh-fkin or glafs (haver; and,being 
made thoroughly clean, fliould be bruflied over once or 
twice with hot fize, diluted with two-thirds of water, if 
it be of the common ftfength. The priming (hould then 
be laid on with a brulh as even as poffible ; and (hould 
be formed-of .a fize whofe confiltence is betwixt the com¬ 
mon kind-and glue, mixed with as much whiting as will 
give it a diffident body of colour to hide the liu-face of 
whatever it is laid upon, but not more. 
If the furface be very clean on which the priming is 
riifed, two coats of it laid- on in this manner will be (uf- 
ficient; but if, on trial with a fine wet rag, it will not re¬ 
ceive a proper wafer-polifii on account of any inequalities 
not diffidently filled up and covered, two or more coats 
mud be given it; and whether a greater or lefs number 
be ufed, tiie work (hould be fmoothed after the lall coat 
but one is dry, by rubbing it with the Dutch rufhes. 
When the kilt coat is dry, the water-polifti (hould be 
given, by pafiing over every part of it with a fine rag 
gently moiliened, till the whole appears perfeftly plain 
and even. The priming will then be completed, ami the 
work ready to receive the painting or coloured varniih ; 
the reft of the proceedings being the fame in this cafe as 
where no priming is ufed. 
When wood or leather is to be japanned, and no prim¬ 
ing is ufed, the belt preparation is to lay two or three 
coats of coarfe varniih cqmpofed in the following man¬ 
ner : “ Take of rectified lpirit of wine one pint, and of 
.coarfe feed-lac and refin each two ounces. Diffolve the 
•feed-lae and refill in the fpirit; and then (train off the 
.varnifii.” This varnifii, as well as all others formed of 
fpirit of wine, mud be laid on in a warm place ; and,$ if 
it can be conveniently managed, the piece of work to be 
varnifii ed (hould be made warm like wife.; and for the 
fame reafon all dampnel's (hould be avoided ; .for either 
/:old.or moilture chills this kind of varnifii, and prevents 
Its taking proper hold of the Jubilance on which it is laid 
When the work is fo prepared, or by the priming with 
■.the compofition of fize and whiting qibove deferibed, the 
proper japan-ground mult be laid on, which is much the 
belt formed of (hell-lac varnifii, and the colour deiired ; 
_jf white be not in queftion, which demands a peculiar 
treatment, or great brightnefs be not required, when alfo 
other means mult be purlued. The colours ufed with 
the Ihell-lac varniih may be any pigments whatever which 
give the tint of the ground defired ; and they may be 
mixed together to form browns or any compound colours. 
As metals never require to be undercoated with whit¬ 
ing, they may be treated in the fame manner as wood or 
leather, when the under-coat is omitted, except in the in- 
ftances particularly fpoken of below. 
White Grounds .—The forming a ground perfeftly white, 
and of the fird degree of hardnefs, remains hitherto a de- 
fideratum, or matter fought for, in the art of japanning, as 
there are no fubftances which form a very hard varnifii 
but what have too much colour not to deprave the white- 
nel’s, when laid on of a due thicknefs over the work. 
The nearell approach, however, to a perfeft white var- 
.jiilh already known, is made by the following compofi- 
;ffion : “ Take flake white, or white lead, walhed over and 
^ rouud up with a fixth of its weight of (larch, and then 
dried ; and temper it propeifiy for fpreading with'the maf- 
tich-varnifh prepared as under the article Varnish, Lay 
thefe on-the body to be japanned, prepared with or with¬ 
out the under-coat of whiting, in the manner as above 
ordered ; and then varnifii it over with five or fix coats 
of the following varniih : Provide any quantity of the 
belt feed-lac; and pick out of it all the cleared and whited 
grains, referving the more coloured and fouler parts for 
the coarfe varniflies, fuch as that ufed for priming or pre¬ 
paring wood or leather. Take of this picked feed-lac 
two ounces, and of gum-animi three ounces; and diffolve 
them, being previoufiy reduced to a grofs powder, in 
about a quart of fpirit of wine ; and drain off the clear 
varnifii.” 
The feed-lac will yet give a (light tinge to this cont- 
pofition ; but cannot be omitted where the varnifii is 
wanted to be hard; though, when a fofter will anfwer the 
end,the proportion may be diminished, and a little crude 
-turpentine added to the.gum-animi to take off the. Wit - 
tlenefis. 
A very good varnifii, free entirely from all brittlenefs, 
may be formed by difl'olving as much gum-animi as the 
oil will take, in old nut or poppy oil; which mud be 
made to boil gently when the gum is put into it. The 
ground of white colour itfelf may be laid on in this var¬ 
nifii, and then a coat or two of it may be put ever the 
ground ; but it mud be well diluted with oil of turpen¬ 
tine when it is ufed. This, though free from brittlenefs, 
is neverthelefs liable to fuffer by being indented or bruifed 
by any flight firdkes; and it will not well bear any pelifli, 
but may be brought to a very fmooth-furface without, if 
it be judicioufly managed in the laying it on. It is like- 
wile fomewhat tedious in drying, and will require fome 
time where leveral coats are laid on ; as the lad ought not 
to contain much oil of turpentine. 
Blue Grounds. —Blue japan grounds may be formed of 
bvight Pruffian blue, or of verditer glazed over by Pruffian 
blue, or of l'malt. The colour may be bed mixed with 
(hell-lac varnifii, and brought to a polifliing date by five 
or fix coats of varnifii of feed-lac; but the varniih, never¬ 
thelefs, will fomewhat injure the colour by giving to a 
true blue a cad of green, and fouling in fome degree a 
warm blue by the yellow it contains ; where, therefore, a 
Bright blue is required, and a le(s degree of hardnefs can 
be dilpenfed with, the method before directed in the cafe 
of white grounds mud be purfued. 
Red Grounds. —For a fcarlet japan ground, vermilion 
may be ufed; but the vermilion has a glaring effeft, that 
renders it much lefs beautiful than the crimfon produced 
by glazing it over with carmine or fine lake; or even with 
role-pink, which has a very good effeft ufed for. this pur¬ 
pofe. For a very bright crimfon, neverthelefs, indead of 
glazing with carmine, the Indian lake (hould be ufed, 
diffolved in the fpirit of'which the varnifii is compound¬ 
ed, which it jeadily admits of when good; and, in thi* 
cafe, indead of glazing with the (hell-lac varnifii, the up¬ 
per or polifliing coats need only be ufed;. as they will 
equally receive and convey the tinge of the Indian lake, 
which may be aftually. diffolved by fpirit of wine; and 
this will be found a much cheaper method than the ufing 
carmine. If, neverthelefs, the highed degree of bright¬ 
nefs be required, the white varniflies mult be ufed. 
Yelloco Grounds. —For bright yellow grounds, the king’s 
yellow, or the turpeth mineral, fliould be employed, either 
alone or mixed with fine Dutch pink ; and the effeft may 
be dill more heightened by didblving powdered turmeric- 
root in the fpirit of wine of which tqe upper or polifliing 
coat is made; which fpirit of wine mud be drained from 
off the dregs before the feed-lac be added to it to form 
the varniih. 
The feed-lac varnifii is not equally injurious here, and 
with greens, as in the cafe of other colours; becaufe, be¬ 
ing only tinged with a reddilh yellow, it is little more 
than .an addition to the force of the colours,. 
s 
yellow 
