What Varnishes Really Are 
SOME ESSENTIALS FOR THE PROPER KNOWLEDGE OF VARNISHES— 
THE TESTS FOR GOOD MATERIAL—PROPER USE AND APPLICATION 
by Katharine Newbold Birdsall 
O NE might almost as well go 
into an apothecary shop and 
say “Please give me some medi¬ 
cine,” as go to a paint shop and ask 
for “some varnish.” For unless 
one uses the proper kind of var¬ 
nish in the proper way, the results 
will be anything but satisfactory. 
With no knowledge of the subject, 
one might think that a very fine 
varnish at a high price could not 
fail to be good for one’s needs, no 
matter how modest those needs 
might be. 
This is a fallacy, however, for it 
is worse than useless to apply a fine piano varnish to a floor. 
A knowledge of the essentials of varnish is indispensable to 
the house owner as well as to the house builder, unless he ap¬ 
proves of leaving every decision in the hands of others. In this 
case, our advice is: be sure the others have the requisite knowl¬ 
edge ! 
A painter is not always an expert varnisher, although a few 
painters may have a thorough understanding of the grades of 
varnish, their uses and methods of application. Varnishing is a 
trade or art in itself, and the employment of knowledge of the 
subject, coupled with good judgment, pays. 
The two important kinds of varnish are spirit and oleo 
resinous varnish. The principal spirit varnish consists of a solu¬ 
tion of shellac in alcohol. Shellac is a resinous substance, a form 
of lac, which is used as an ingredient of laquers, dyes and seal¬ 
ing-wax, as well as of varnishes. Lac is produced on various 
trees by a scale-shaped insect, the female affixing herself to the 
bark and exuding this resinous substance from the margin of her 
body. When this is melted and reduced to a thin crust it is 
termed shellac. The banyan or Indian fig trees, those wonderful 
specimens whose branches, drooping, take root in the ground, 
sometimes providing shelter for thousands of men, harbor most 
of these lac producing insects. 
The rule for making spirit varnish in America is to dissolve 
five pounds of flaked grain shellac in a gallon of alcohol. This 
is rather heavy, however, for average use; and the rule reduced 
to three-and-one-half pounds is best for common usage. 
There are two kinds of shellac, orange and white; the white 
being bleached with that powerful bleaching agent, chlorine gas, 
which somewhat destroys the quality. White shellac is necessary 
for use with white paint, but in all other cases the natural or 
orange shellac is preferable. Unbleached goods are, naturally, 
always stronger than the bleached. 
The best results for orange shellac varnish are secured when 
it is carefully dissolved in alcohol, 85 per cent, or stronger, in an 
earthen jar. The dry shellac should be gently dropped into the 
alcohol at night and carefully covered without stirring or even 
shaking. The next morning it may be gently stirred with a 
wooden stick—never metal. Stir for a couple of minutes once an 
hour until night, when it will be ready for use. 
White varnish is made in a different manner, the white shellac 
needing at least 95 per cent, alcohol, with mechanical agitation 
from the start. 
Orange shellac resin will keep indefinitely, but the bleached 
should be dissolved on purchasing, 
as it does not keep well. 
Damar is also a good spirit-var¬ 
nish ; damar is a resin dissolved in 
alcohol and is secured principally 
from East Indian trees. 
The best oleo-resinous varnishes 
differ from the spirit,, in that the 
resins are dissolved in linseed oil 
with the aid of heat. As the resins 
dissolve, the oil thickens, necessi¬ 
tating a thinning with turpentine 
or a good substitute. The more oil 
used in the making, the more elas¬ 
tic and durable the varnish; the 
more resin, the harder and more lustrous the varnish, and the 
quicker to dry. 
The resins are formed in large lumps on trees; but instead of 
being procured from the living trees, they are usually secured 
from the earth where the ancient trees have fallen, decayed, and 
long since been buried. The action of time and the earth im¬ 
proves and hardens the resins. 
Light colored oleo-resinous varnishes are more costly than the 
dark, due to the scarcity of the clear, transparent resins. For 
every use but on or with white paint, however, the dark colored 
varnish is acceptable. 
Oleo-resinous varnish is harder to make than spirit varnish; 
the resin is melted over a hot fire and when it is at the tempera¬ 
ture of melted lead, the hot linseed oil is added. The mixture is 
cooked for several hours to thoroughly blend and the turpentine 
is finally added to thin it to proper consistency. The resin loses 
over a fifth in melting. Oil of a weight to equal that of the 
melted resin will, when mixed, form a good, hard furniture var¬ 
nish, smooth and lustrous. With double the quantity of oil, the 
durability is increased, and the varnish is suited to interior wood¬ 
work. If more oil yet is added, it will make a good outdoor var¬ 
nish—which will take too long to dry to be used indoors. 
If oleo-resinous varnish is prepared accurately, water will not 
affect it; but if incorrectly mixed or cooked, it may absorb water 
to its detriment. 
A well-known varnish test is to cover a board with the var¬ 
nish, let it dry, and then leave a wet cloth or sponge on it over 
night. If the varnish turns white by morning, it shows that 
water has been absorbed; if after the water has dried the white 
is still visible, it is a sign that water has injured the ingredients, 
showing some defect in the materials or making. This condition 
indicates a varnish which should be avoided. 
Before venturing very far with varnishing, it is well to have it 
firmly fixed in the mind that an outdoor varnish is quite different 
from one used indoors. Also that on all surfaces near the doors 
and windows which are directly exposed to the effects of the sun 
and the elements, an outdoor varnish should be used. These 
surfaces comprise inside blinds, window-sash, sills, jambs, outer 
doors and railings, etc. These parts should be finished with a 
weather-resisting varnish, like that used on the exterior wood¬ 
work of yachts—spar-varnish. 
For indoor trim, the wood is first carefully prepared and a 
“filler” used to fill the cracks and make an even surface. For 
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